"οἱ δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενοι ἔπεα πτερόεντ᾽ ἀγόρευον·

‘εἰ μὲν δὴ μή τίς σε βιάζεται οἶον ἐόντα,410

νοῦσον γ᾽ οὔ πως ἔστι Διὸς μεγάλου ἀλέασθαι,

ἀλλὰ σύ γ᾽ εὔχεο πατρὶ Ποσειδάωνι ἄνακτι.’

ὣς ἄρ᾽ ἔφαν ἀπιόντες, ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἐγέλασσε φίλον κῆρ,

ὡς ὄνομ᾽ ἐξαπάτησεν ἐμὸν καὶ μῆτις ἀμύμων.

Κύκλωψ δὲ στενάχων τε καὶ ὠδίνων ὀδύνῃσι415

χερσὶ ψηλαφόων ἀπὸ μὲν λίθον εἷλε θυράων,

αὐτὸς δ᾽ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι καθέζετο χεῖρε πετάσσας,

εἴ τινά που μετ᾽ ὄεσσι λάβοι στείχοντα θύραζε·

οὕτω γάρ πού μ᾽ ἤλπετ᾽ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ νήπιον εἶναι.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ βούλευον, ὅπως ὄχ᾽ ἄριστα γένοιτο,420

εἴ τιν᾽ ἑταίροισιν θανάτου λύσιν ἠδ᾽ ἐμοὶ αὐτῷ

εὑροίμην· πάντας δὲ δόλους καὶ μῆτιν ὕφαινον

ὥς τε περὶ ψυχῆς· μέγα γὰρ κακὸν ἐγγύθεν ἦεν.

ἥδε δέ μοι κατὰ θυμὸν ἀρίστη φαίνετο βουλή.

ἄρσενες ὄιες ἦσαν ἐυτρεφέες, δασύμαλλοι,425

καλοί τε μεγάλοι τε, ἰοδνεφὲς εἶρος ἔχοντες·

τοὺς ἀκέων συνέεργον ἐυστρεφέεσσι λύγοισιν,

τῇς ἔπι Κύκλωψ εὗδε πέλωρ, ἀθεμίστια εἰδώς,

σύντρεις αἰνύμενος· ὁ μὲν ἐν μέσῳ ἄνδρα φέρεσκε,

τὼ δ᾽ ἑτέρω ἑκάτερθεν ἴτην σώοντες ἑταίρους.430

τρεῖς δὲ ἕκαστον φῶτ᾽ ὄιες φέρον· αὐτὰρ ἐγώ γε—

ἀρνειὸς γὰρ ἔην μήλων ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος ἁπάντων,

τοῦ κατὰ νῶτα λαβών, λασίην ὑπὸ γαστέρ᾽ ἐλυσθεὶς

κείμην· αὐτὰρ χερσὶν ἀώτου θεσπεσίοιο

νωλεμέως στρεφθεὶς ἐχόμην τετληότι θυμῷ.435

ὣς τότε μὲν στενάχοντες ἐμείναμεν Ἠῶ δῖαν.

ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,

καὶ τότ᾽ ἔπειτα νομόνδ᾽ ἐξέσσυτο ἄρσενα μῆλα,

θήλειαι δὲ μέμηκον ἀνήμελκτοι περὶ σηκούς·

οὔθατα γὰρ σφαραγεῦντο. ἄναξ δ᾽ ὀδύνῃσι κακῇσι440

τειρόμενος πάντων ὀίων ἐπεμαίετο νῶτα

ὀρθῶν ἑσταότων· τὸ δὲ νήπιος οὐκ ἐνόησεν,

ὥς οἱ ὑπ᾽ εἰροπόκων ὀίων στέρνοισι δέδεντο.

ὕστατος ἀρνειὸς μήλων ἔστειχε θύραζε

λάχνῳ στεινόμενος καὶ ἐμοὶ πυκινὰ φρονέοντι.445

τὸν δ᾽ ἐπιμασσάμενος προσέφη κρατερὸς Πολύφημος·

‘κριὲ πέπον, τί μοι ὧδε διὰ σπέος ἔσσυο μήλων

ὕστατος; οὔ τι πάρος γε λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν,

ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρῶτος νέμεαι τέρεν᾽ ἄνθεα ποίης

μακρὰ βιβάς, πρῶτος δὲ ῥοὰς ποταμῶν ἀφικάνεις,450

πρῶτος δὲ σταθμόνδε λιλαίεαι ἀπονέεσθαι

ἑσπέριος: νῦν αὖτε πανύστατος. ἦ σύ γ᾽ ἄνακτος

ὀφθαλμὸν ποθέεις, τὸν ἀνὴρ κακὸς ἐξαλάωσε

σὺν λυγροῖς ἑτάροισι δαμασσάμενος φρένας οἴνῳ,

Οὖτις, ὃν οὔ πώ φημι πεφυγμένον εἶναι ὄλεθρον.455

εἰ δὴ ὁμοφρονέοις ποτιφωνήεις τε γένοιο

εἰπεῖν ὅππῃ κεῖνος ἐμὸν μένος ἠλασκάζει·

τῷ κέ οἱ ἐγκέφαλός γε διὰ σπέος ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ

θεινομένου ῥαίοιτο πρὸς οὔδεϊ, κὰδ δέ κ᾽ ἐμὸν κῆρ

λωφήσειε κακῶν, τά μοι οὐτιδανὸς πόρεν Οὖτις.’460

    Deceived by the false name Οὖτις, the other Cyclopes give no help. Odysseus and his men escape from the cave.

    As Odysseus rejoices in the shadows, Polyphemus struggles: στενάχων τε καὶ ὠδίνων ὀδύνῃσι, “groaning and suffering in his pain” (415). The noun ὀδύνη—of which the name “Odysseus,” is a cognate (see Introduction, para. 13 and 29)—has the general meaning of “pain,” but is often used specifically of the discomfort that mothers suffer in childbirth. While it’s not always a good idea to lean on one word in working out the meaning of a passage in Homeric poetry, in this case there is a telling context that points us toward that particular shading for the noun: Odysseus and his crew have been trapped in the womblike cave of the Cyclops; driving a stake into the single round orifice of the monster will lead to their reemergence from the cave and the eventual return of their leader from “Nobody” to Odysseus. The hero, as we will soon see, is about to be reborn and not for the first time in the poem. 

    read full essay

    The recurrent cycle of death and rebirth begins in Book 5. Released from Calypso’s island, where he has been in a deathlike state, out of time, Odysseus sails out on the boat he has crafted, which Poseidon then smashes, leaving him adrift in the ocean. He’s about to be pulled under by the scarf that Calypso (“I will smother”) gave him, when a friendly nymph comes by and gives him another, more helpfully buoyant garment, which carries him to Scheria. He crawls exhausted from the baptismal sea, barely able to breathe. Crawling under a wild olive bush, he buries himself in a pile of leaves and is put to sleep like a newborn baby by Athena. When he awakens the next morning to the alluring voices of Nausicaa and her maidens, he is beginning again, naked, nameless, and alone. From there, he works his way back to the triumphant moment when he announces his name to the Phaeacians at the beginning of Book 9.

    At the end of his sojourn on Scheria, it all begins again. Once on the Phaeacian ship that will carry him home, Odysseus falls into a deep sleep:

    καὶ τῷ νήδυμος ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἔπιπτε,
    νήγρετος, ἥδιστος, θανάτῳ ἄγχιστα ἐοικώς.

    And a painless sleep fell upon his eyes,
    deep and sweet, very much like death.

    Odyssey 13.79–80

    When the ship reaches Ithaka, the Phaeacian sailors carry him off the ship, still sleeping. He awakens in the exact same quandary that befell him on that first morning on Scheria:

    ὤ μοι ἐγώ, τέων αὖτε βροτῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἱκάνω;
    ἦ ῥ᾽ οἵ γ᾽ ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι,
    ἦε φιλόξεινοι, καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής;

    Oh no! What sort of people are these, whose land I’ve reached?
    Are they arrogant, fierce, and lacking in justice?
    Or kind to strangers, with intelligence like the gods?

    Odyssey 13.200–2 = 6.119–21

    He is alone once again and, thanks to Athena’s trickery, he cannot recognize his own island. As she did on the way to the royal palace of the Phaeacians, Athena appears disguised as a young mortal, this time a boy. In response to Odysseus asking where he is, she calls him νήπιος, often used of babies, and his journey begins again, from baby to beggar in rags to triumphant king of Ithaka.

    The morning after his blinding, Polyphemus goes about his chores as usual, tending to his flocks, milking the sheep and goats. Odysseus ties the rest of the crew to the bellies of male sheep, saving the lead ram for himself. His men ride out of the cave, escaping the probing fingers of the monster. Now comes a curious moment. The blind Cyclops, still suffering from ὀδύνῃσι κακῇσι, discovers that this dominant male ram, that usually leads the flock, has held back for some reason, prompting a tender speech:

    κριὲ πέπον, τί μοι ὧδε διὰ σπέος ἔσσυο μήλων
    ὕστατος; οὔ τι πάρος γε λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν,
    ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρῶτος νέμεαι τέρεν᾽ ἄνθεα ποίης
    μακρὰ βιβάς, πρῶτος δὲ ῥοὰς ποταμῶν ἀφικάνεις,
    πρῶτος δὲ σταθμόνδε λιλαίεαι ἀπονέεσθαι
    ἑσπέριος: νῦν αὖτε πανύστατος. ἦ σύ γ᾽ ἄνακτος
    ὀφθαλμὸν ποθέεις, τὸν ἀνὴρ κακὸς ἐξαλάωσε
    σὺν λυγροῖς ἑτάροισι δαμασσάμενος φρένας οἴνῳ,
    Οὖτις, ὃν οὔ πώ φημι πεφυγμένον εἶναι ὄλεθρον.
    εἰ δὴ ὁμοφρονέὁοις ποτιφωνήεις τε γένοιο
    εἰπεῖν ὅππῃ κεῖνος ἐμὸν μένος ἠλασκάζει:
    τῷ κέ οἱ ἐγκέφαλός γε διὰ σπέος ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ
    θεινομένου ῥαίοιτο πρὸς οὔδεϊ, κὰδ δέ κ᾽ ἐμὸν κῆρ
    λωφήσειε κακῶν, τά μοι οὐτιδανὸς πόρεν Οὖτις.

    My dear ram, why are you last of the flock to leave
    the cave? You were never before left behind by the flock,
    but first of all you’d graze the tender shoots of grass,
    taking big strides, arriving first at the river’s stream,
    and you’d be the first to return home to the sheepfold
    at evening. Now you are last of all. Are you grieving
    for your master’s eye, which that evil man put out
    with his wicked companions, after he damaged my wits with wine,
    that Nobody, who I say has not yet escaped destruction?
    If you only thought like I do, could speak and
    tell me where he is skulking away from my rage,
    then he would be smashed against the floor and his brains
    would be splattered all through the cave, to give my heart rest
    from the pains that worthless Nobody brought me.

    Odyssey 9.447–60

    The effect of this tableau is unexpectedly poignant. Polyphemus, now blind and presumably helpless without the aid from his fellow Cyclopes, seeks solace from a mute animal that cannot answer him. In this moment, the ram is more pet than livestock, patiently waiting for his master to pour out his grievances. That Polyphemus interprets the animal’s reticence as a sympathetic response to his master’s wound makes his isolation all the more pathetic.

    The poet’s ambiguous portrait of Polyphemus, part monster, part shepherd, part midwife to the hero’s rebirth (see νήπιος, 273) creates a correspondingly complex view of Odysseus. In contrast to the Cyclops’s emotional vulnerability, he will issue prideful taunts as his ship leaves the island, again putting his men in jeopardy when Polyphemus almost swamps the boat. Homer surprises us in a similar way when describing the final hours of Odysseus’s stay with Calypso. There, Hermes has delivered Zeus’s inescapable command, that the nymph release Odysseus and send him on his way. In her angry response, Calypso, like Polyphemus, becomes more emotionally available to us: She loved Odysseus and nursed him back to health. Why must she give him up? We rarely see Homeric deities—even minor ones like Calypso—thwarted in their desires when they involve mortals. When we do, their vulnerability brings them closer to our own limited mortal existence and we can feel a kinship in their frustration. Even Zeus, when he decides he must let his son Sarpedon die at Patroclus’s hands, becomes for a moment more vulnerable parent than omnipotent deity (Il. 16.433–61). Pulling our sympathies toward and then away from his characters is one way the poet energizes his long stories and keeps us engaged.

     

    Further Reading

    Newton, R. 1983. “Poor Polyphemus: Emotional Ambivalence in Odyssey 9 and 17.” Classical World 76, 137–142.

    Segal, C. 1994. “Transition and Ritual in Odysseus’ Return,” in Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the Odyssey, 65–84. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

     

    410  οἶον ἐόντα: “being alone,” “because you are alone,” agreeing with σε. 

    410  ἐόντα: pres. ptc. > εἰμί.

    411  οὔ πως ἔστι: “it is not at all possible.” ἔστι, non-enclitic, can mean “it is possible.”

    411  Διὸς μεγάλου: "sent by great Zeus," genitive of source, modifying νοῦσόν (Goodell 509).

    412  εὔχεο: = εὔχεσο, pres. mid. imperat.

    413  ἔφαν: = ἔφασαν, “they spoke,” aor. > φημί.

    413  ἀπιόντες: “as they left,” aor. ptc. > ἄπ-ειμι (LSJ ἄπειμι B).

    413  ἐμὸν ... φίλον κῆρ: “in my own heart” (LSJ φίλος I.2.C), accusative of respect (Monro 137).

    414  ὡς: “(to see) how.”

    416  ἀπὸ … εἷλε: “took away,” "removed," either tmesis (separation of the preposition and verb in a compound verb) > ἀφαιρέω, or ἀπό is used adverbially.

    417  χεῖρε: acc. dual.

    418  εἴ … λάβοι: “on the chance that he might catch,” “in the hope that he might catch” (Smyth 2354).

    418  ὄεσσι: “sheep,” dat. pl. (LSJ ὄϊς).

    420  ὅπως … γένοιτο: indirect question, introduced by a verb (βούλευον: impf., augment omitted) in secondary sequence.

    420  ὄχ᾽ ἄριστα: “by far the best.” The adverb ὄχα is used only his this phrase (LSJ ὄχα).

    421-2  εἴ … / εὑροίμην: “on the chance that Ι might find,” “in the hope that Ι might find” (Smyth 2354).

    422  ὕφαινον: impf.

    423  ὥς τε περὶ ψυχῆς: “as is the case when it’s a matter of life and death.” The τε has the effect of showing that its clause corresponds in some way to the preceding clause, and should not be translated (Smyth 2970).

    423  ἦεν: = ἦν, 3rd person sing. > εἰμί.

    427  τοὺς ἀκέων συνέεργον: “I silently bound them together.”

    428  τῇς ἔπι: “on which” = ἐπὶ ταῖς (anastrophe). The antecedent of the relative pronoun τῇς is λύγοισι in line 427.

    428  εὗδε: “he used to sleep,” “was wont to sleep,” impf., expressing repeated action in the past (Goodell 459).

    428  ἀθεμίστια εἰδώς: see note on line 189 (ἀθεμίστια ᾔδη).

    429  σύντρεις: modifies τοὺς (the rams) in line 427.

    429  ὁ μὲν ἐν μέσῳ: “the one in the middle,” looking forward to τὼ δ᾽ ἑτέρω (430).

    429  φέρεσκε: iterative impf. (Smyth 495 and 1790).

    430  τὼ δ(ὲ) ἑτέρω: “and the other two,” dual.

    430  ἴτην: impf. dual > εἶμι.

    431  φέρον: unaugmented impf.

    432  γὰρ: this line explains the line that follows.

    433  τοῦ κατὰ νῶτα λαβών: “seizing it by the back.” τοῦ refers to the ram and is a partitive genitive after λαβών (Goodell 510.b).

    433  ἐλυσθεὶς: “enveloped."

    434  ἀώτου θεσπεσίοιο: partitive genitive with ἐχόμην (435), “I held onto,” Goodell 510.b).

    435  στρεφθεὶς: “having turned” > στρέφω. Odysseus is underneath the ram, facing upward.

    435  τετληότι: “enduring,” > τετληώς, Epic pf. ptc. masc. dat. sing. > τλάω.

    438  ἐξέσσυτο: singular verb with a neuter plural subject (ἄρσενα μῆλα).

    439  μέμηκον: “were bleating,” = ἐμέμηκον, impf., formed on the perfect stem (Authenrieth μηκάομαι).

    440  σφαραγεῦντο: impf.

    440  ἄναξ: “their master,” the Cyclops.

    441  ἐπεμαίετο νῶτα: “felt along the backs of” (LSJ ἐπιμαίομαι II).

    442  ἑσταότων: “standing,” pf. act. ptc. > ἱστημι. The perfect tenses of this verb are intransitive (Goodell 361).

    442-3  τὸ … / ὥς …: “this, namely that…” τὸ is the direct object of ἐνόησεν, and is explained by the clause in line 443.

    443  οἱ: “they,” Odysseus’ men (Monro 256).

    443  ὑπ(ό): “underneath,” + dat. στέρνοισι, rather than genitive, since there is no motion.

    443  δέδεντο: “had been tied,” unaugmented plupf. pass. > δέω.

    444  μήλων: partitive genitive with ὕστατος, as again in line 447.

    445  “burdened with the weight of his fleece and my cunning self” (Murray).

    445  στεινόμενος: “thronged” or “covered” with (LSJ στείνω II.2), hence “weighed down.”

    445  πυκινὰ: “shrewdly,” adverbial acc. Odysseus’ “close packed thoughts” are humorously conceived of as adding to his weight (Edwards).

    447  μοι: dative of interest.

    447  ἔσσυο: = ἔσσυσο, aor. mid. 2nd sing. > σεύω.

    448  οὔ τι: “not at all.”

    448  λελειμμένος ἔρχεαι οἰῶν: “you go, (not at all) having been left behind by the sheep,” i.e. “you do not lag behind the sheep.” The verb is present tense used to express an action begun in the past and continued into the present (Smyth 1885), as are νέμεαι (449), ἀφικάνεις (450), and λιλαίεαι (451).  

    448  οἰῶν: genitive of separation with λελειμμένος (Goodell 509.c, Cunliffe λείπω 16).

    449  πολὺ: “by far,” adverbial.

    449  τέρεν(α) ἄνθεα ποίης: “the tender bloom of the grass,” accusative after νέμεαι.

    449  νέμεαι: “you have (always) grazed on” = νέμεσαι, 2nd pers. sing. pres. mid. > νέμω. For the tense, see Smyth 1885

    450  μακρὰ βιβάς: “with long strides.” μακρὰ is an adverbial accusative.

    450  βιβάς: pres. ptc. > βιβάω.

    451  λιλαίεαι: = λιλαίεσαι, 2nd pers. sing. pres. mid. > λιλαίομαι, “be very eager to.”

    452  : “truly.”

    453  τὸν: relative pronoun. The antecedent is ὀφθαλμόν.

    454 φρένας: supply ἐμάς.

    455  ὃν: relative pronoun. The antecedent is Οὖτις.

    455  οὔ πώ: “not yet,” modifying the perfect infinitive.

    455  πεφυγμένον ἔμμεν: “has escaped” (ἔμμεν = εἶναι). A periphrastic form of the perfect passive infinitive (Smyth 599, LSJ φεύγω II.1).

    455  φημι: introduces indirect discourse with accusative (ὅν) and infinitive (Goodell 658).

    455  ὄλεθρον: the object of the infinitive

    456  εἰ … ὁμοφρονέοις … γένοιο: optative of wish, “if only…” (Monro 312).

    456  γένοιο: 2nd sing. aor. opt. > γίγνομαι

    457  εἰπεῖν: infinitive of result, “(so that you could) say.”

    457  ὅππῃ: “where” = ὅπῃ  

    458  τῷ: “then,” “in that case” (LSJ A.VIII.2).

    458  οἱ: “his,” dative of possession.

    458  ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ: “in all directions.”

    459  θεινομένου: "when I had struck him." The genitive (the usual case expressing possession) agrees in sense, though not in case, with the possessive dative οἱ in line 458. An "apparent violation of concords" (Smyth 926).

    459  κὰδ: “completely” = κατά, here used as an intensifier (Monro 211).

    459–60  κε … / λωφήσειε: potential optative.  

    460  κακῶν: “from evils,” genitive of separation.

    460  τά: article used as relative pronoun (Monro 262); the antecedent is κακῶν.

    460  πόρεν: unaugmented impf. 

    ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer

    πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged

    ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say

    βιάω βιήσω ἐβίασα βεβίηκα βεβίημαι ἐβιήθην: to do violence

    οἶος –α –ον: alone 410

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    ἀλέομαι or ἀλεύομαι, aor. ἠλεύατο, infin. ἀλέασθαι or ἀλεύασθαι: to avoid, shun

    εὔχομαι εὔξομαι ηὐξάμην ηὖγμαι: to pray; to make a vow, promise; to declare, affirm; to glory in, boast of (for good reason)

    Ποσειδῶν –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἄπειμι ἀπέσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to be away, be distant, be absent

    γελάω γελάσομαι ἐγαλασα ––– ––– ἐγελάσθην: laugh

    κῆρ κῆρος τό: Heart

    ἐξαπατάω ἐξαπατήσω ἠξαπάτησα ἠξαπάτηκα ἠξαπάτημαι ἠξαπατήθην: deceive

    μῆτις –ιος/–ιδος ἡ: wisdom, counsel, cunning, craft

    ἀμύμων –ον: blameless, noble, excellent

    Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops

    στενάχω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sigh, groan, wail

    ὠδίνω ὠδινήσω/ὠδινῶ ὠδίνησα/ὤδινα ––– ––– ὠδινήθην: to suffer severely, be in anguish

    ὀδύνη –ης ἡ: pain of body 415

    ψηλαφάω ψηλαφήσω ἐψηλάφησα – – ἐψηλαφήθην: to grope, feel ones way, search for

    θύρα –ας ἡ: door

    καθέζομαι καθεδοῦμαι/καθεδήσομαι κάθημαι ἐκαθέσθην: to sit down, take one's seat

    πεταννύω/πετάννυμι πετῶ ἐπέτασα πεπέτακα πέπταμαι ἐπετάσθην: to spread out

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    στείχω ––– ἔστειξα/ἔστιχον ––– ––– –––: to walk, march, go

    θύραζε: out to the door, out of the door

    ἔλπω – – – – –: to hope

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    νήπιος –α –ον: infant, child; silly, ignorant, without foresight

    ἀτάρ: but, yet

    ὄχα: by far, far and away, clearly 420

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    λύσις –εως ἡ: release, liberation, ransom

    ἠδέ: and

    δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery

    μῆτις –ιος/–ιδος ἡ: wisdom, counsel, cunning, craft

    ὑφαίνω ὑφανῶ ὕφανα/ὕφηνα ὕφαγκα ὕφασμαι ὑφάνθην: to weave

    ἐγγύθεν: close, nearby, alongside

    ἄρσην ἄρσενος ὁ/ἡ: male

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    εὐτρεφής –ές: well-fed

    δασύμαλλος –ον: thick-fleeced, woolly 425

    ἰοδνεφής –ές: dark like violet

    εἶρος –ους τό: wool

    ἀκέων –ουσα –ον: softly, silently

    συνέργω συνείρξω συνεῖρξα ––– ––– –––: to fasten, join; to close or tighten together

    ἐυστρεφής –ές: well-twisted

    λύγος –ου ἡ: willow twig

    Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops

    εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep

    πέλωρ τό: a portent, prodigy, monster

    ἀθεμίστιος –ον: lawless, godless

    σύντρεις: three together, by threes

    αἴνυμαι – – – – –: to take, seize (+ acc. or gen.)

    ἑκάτερθε: on each side, on either hand 430

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    φώς φωτός ὁ: man

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    ἀτάρ: but, yet

    ἀρνειός –οῦ ὁ: ram, wether (3-year old ram)

    μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat

    ὄχα: by far, far and away, clearly

    νῶτον –ου τό (or νῶτος ὁ): the back

    λάσιος [–α] –ον: hairy, rough, shaggy; bushy, overgrown

    γαστήρ –τρός ἡ: the paunch, belly

    εἰλύω εἰλύσω ––– ––– εἴλυμαι ἐλύσθην: to enfold, envelop; (mid. pass.) to be wrapped, covered, concealed

    ἀτάρ: but, yet

    ἄωτον –ου τό: fine wool

    θεσπέσιος [–α] –ον: divine; prodigious, extraordinary, supernatural

    νωλεμές: without interruption, continually

    στρέφω στρέψω ἔστρεψα ––– ἔστραμμαι ἐστράφθην: to turn

    τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare 435

    στενάχω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sigh, groan, wail

    ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn

    δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining

    ἦμος: when, while

    ἠριγένεια –ας ἡ: early-born, child of morn

    ῥοδοδάκτυλος –ον: rosy-fingered

    ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn

    νομόνδε: to the pasture (adv.)

    ἐκσεύομαι ἐκσεύσομαι ἐξέσσυμαι ἐξεσύθην: to rush out

    ἄρσην ἄρσενος ὁ/ἡ: male

    μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat

    θῆλυς θήλεια θῆλυ: female, feminine, soft

    μηκάομαι, aor. ptc. μακών, pf. ptc. μεμηκώς – – – – –: to bleat

    ἀνήμελκτος –ον: un-milked

    σηκός –οῦ ὁ: a pen, fold

    οὖθαρ –ατος τό: the udder

    σφαραγέομαι – – – – –: to burn noisily, crackle; to be full, ready to burst 440

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    ὀδύνη –ης ἡ: pain of body

    τείρω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to wear out, exhaust

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    ἐπιμαίομαι ἐπιμάσσομαι ἐπεμασσάμην: to seek (by hand), feel for, palpate

    νῶτον –ου τό (or νῶτος ὁ): the back

    νήπιος –α –ον: infant, child; silly, ignorant, without foresight

    νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think

    εἰροπόκος –ον: wool-fleeced, woolly

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    στέρνον –ου τό: chest

    δέω: to tie

    ἀρνειός –οῦ ὁ: ram, wether (3-year old ram)

    μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat

    στείχω ––– ἔστειξα/ἔστιχον ––– ––– –––: to walk, march, go

    θύραζε: out to the door, out of the door

    λάχνος –ου ὁ: wool

    στείνω – – – – –: to contract; (mid.-pass.) to be crammed full of (+ gen.)

    πυκνός –ή –όν: thick, bushy, dense; prudent, wise, smart, shrewd 445

    ἐπιμαίομαι ἐπιμάσσομαι ἐπεμασσάμην: to seek (by hand), feel for, palpate

    πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address

    κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty

    Πολύφημος –ου ὁ: Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, one of the Cyclōpes

    κριός –οῦ ὁ: a ram

    πέπων –ον: dear, pet (as a term of endearment)

    σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto

    σεύω σεύσω ἔσσευα – ἔσσυμαι ἐσσύθην/ἐσύθην: to shake, push, hurl; to drive back, chase, hunt; (mid. pass.) to hurl oneself, leap, rush

    μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat

    πάρος: before, formerly

    ὄϊς ὄϊος ὁ/ἡ: sheep

    νέμω νεμῶ ἔνειμα νενέμηκα νενέμημαι ἐνεμήθην: to distribute, assign, give out; to pasture or tend flocks; (mid.) to possess, enjoy, inhabit, feed upon

    τέρην –εινα –εν: tender, delicate, soft

    ἄνθος –ους τό: flower

    πόα –ας ἡ: grass, herb

    βιβάω – – – – –: to stride, walk

    ῥοή –ῆς ἡ: a river, stream, flood

    ἀφικάνω – – – – –: to arrive at, to have come to 450

    σταθμόνδε: to the stall, homewards

    λιλαίομαι – – – – –: to desire, to miss

    ἀπονέομαι – – – – –: to go away, depart

    ἑσπέριος [–α] –ον: evening, (arriving) towards evening

    αὖτε: again

    πανύστατος –η –ον: last of all

    ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord

    ποθέω ποθήσω ἐπόθησα πεπὀθηκα πεπόθημαι ἐποθήθην: to desire, to miss

    ἐξαλαόω ἐξαλαώσω ἐξηλάωσα: to blind utterly

    λυγρός –ά –όν: sad, mournful, miserable

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    δαμάζω δαμάσω ἐδάμασα δεδάμακα δεδάμασμαι/δέδμημα ἐδαμάσθην/ἐδμήθην: to overpower, tame, conquer, subdue

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine

    Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις)

    πω: up to this time, yet

    ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death 455

    ὁμοφρονέω ὁμοφρονήσω ὡμοφρόνησα: to be in agreement, have the same thoughts

    προσφωνήεις –εσσα –εν: speaking, capable of speech

    ὅπῃ: in which direction, where; in what way, how

    μένος –ους τό: might

    ἠλασκάζω – – – – –: to wander, roam; to flee, avoid

    τῷ: then, in that case

    ἕ: himself, herself, itself

    ἐγκέφαλος –ου ὁ: that which is within the head, the brain

    σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto

    ἄλλυδις: elsewhere, otherwise

    ἄλλῃ: in another place, elsewhere

    θείνω θενῶ ἔθεινα/ἔθενον ––– ––– –––: to strike, wound

    ῥαίω ῥαίσω ἔρραισα ––– ––– –––: to break, shiver, shatter, wreck

    οὖδας –ους τό: the surface of the earth, the ground, earth

    κῆρ κῆρος τό: heart, mind

    λωφάω λωφήσω ἐλώφησα λελώφηκα ––– –––: to rest from toil, take rest

    οὐτιδανός –ή –όν: of no account, worthless

    πόρω ––– ἔπορον ––– ––– –––: to offer, furnish, supply, give; (pf. pass. 3 sing.) it is fated 460

    Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις)

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/ix-409-460