"ἔνθα μὲν ἐν φύλλοισι φίλον τετιημένος ἦτορ
εὗδον παννύχιος καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἠῶ καὶ μέσον ἦμαρ.
δείλετό τ᾽ ἠέλιος καί με γλυκὺς ὕπνος ἀνῆκεν.
ἀμφιπόλους δ᾽ ἐπὶ θινὶ τεῆς ἐνόησα θυγατρὸς290
παιζούσας, ἐν δ᾽ αὐτὴ ἔην ἐικυῖα θεῇσι·
τὴν ἱκέτευσ᾽· ἡ δ᾽ οὔ τι νοήματος ἤμβροτεν ἐσθλοῦ,
ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἔλποιο νεώτερον ἀντιάσαντα
ἐρξέμεν· αἰεὶ γάρ τε νεώτεροι ἀφραδέουσιν.
ἥ μοι σῖτον ἔδωκεν ἅλις ἠδ᾽ αἴθοπα οἶνον295
καὶ λοῦσ᾽ ἐν ποταμῷ καί μοι τάδε εἵματ᾽ ἔδωκε.
ταῦτά τοι ἀχνύμενός περ ἀληθείην κατέλεξα."
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·
"ξεῖν᾽, ἦ τοι μὲν τοῦτο γ᾽ ἐναίσιμον οὐκ ἐνόησε
παῖς ἐμή, οὕνεκά σ᾽ οὔ τι μετ᾽ ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξὶν300
ἦγεν ἐς ἡμέτερον, σὺ δ᾽ ἄρα πρώτην ἱκέτευσας."
τὸν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·
"ἥρως, μή τοι τοὔνεκ᾽ ἀμύμονα νείκεε κούρην·
ἡ μὲν γάρ μ᾽ ἐκέλευε σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισιν ἕπεσθαι,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔθελον δείσας αἰσχυνόμενός τε,305
μή πως καὶ σοὶ θυμὸς ἐπισκύσσαιτο ἰδόντι·
δύσζηλοι γάρ τ᾽ εἰμὲν ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλ᾽ ἀνθρώπων."
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·
"ξεῖν᾽, οὔ μοι τοιοῦτον ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον κῆρ
μαψιδίως κεχολῶσθαι· ἀμείνω δ᾽ αἴσιμα πάντα.310
αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,
τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ἐσσι, τά τε φρονέων ἅ τ᾽ ἐγώ περ,
παῖδά τ᾽ ἐμὴν ἐχέμεν καὶ ἐμὸς γαμβρὸς καλέεσθαι
αὖθι μένων· οἶκον δέ κ᾽ ἐγὼ καὶ κτήματα δοίην,
εἴ κ᾽ ἐθέλων γε μένοις· ἀέκοντα δέ σ᾽ οὔ τις ἐρύξει315
Φαιήκων· μὴ τοῦτο φίλον Διὶ πατρὶ γένοιτο.
notes
Odysseus finishes his speech and praises Nausicaa. Alcinous is impressed by him.
287 φίλον τετιημένος ἦτορ: “sorrowing in my heart.” φίλον … ἦτορ is an accusative of respect. In Homer, the verb τετίημαι only appears in the participial form, as in this common line-ending formula.
289 δείλετό: unaugmented 3rd sing. impf. mid./pass. indic.
290 τεῆς: “of your,” fem. gen. sing. possessive adj.
291 ἐν δ᾽: “and among (them),” “in their midst.”
291 αὐτὴ: i.e., Nausicaa.
292 οὔ τι: “in no way,” “not at all.”
292 ἤμβροτεν: “lacked,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ἁμαρτάνω, with genitive.
293 ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἔλποιο: “as you would not expect,” that is, you wouldn’t expect someone so young to be so understanding. Potential optative.
293 ἔλποιο: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. indic. > ἔλπω.
294 ἐρξέμεν: either fut. or aor. infin. > ἔρδω. ἔλπω, like ἐλπίζω, can take either future or aorist infinitives, and here the form is ambiguous (Smyth 1868).
296 λοῦσ(ε): unaugmented 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > λούω. Understand με as the object.
297 ἀληθείην: “as the truth,” predicate of ταῦτά.
299 τοῦτο: “in this matter,” accusative of respect.
300 οὕνεκά: “because.”
303 νείκεε: 2nd sing. pres. act. imperat. > νεικέω.
305 δείσας αἰσχυνόμενός τε: an aorist participle, expressing Odysseus’s sudden fear, and a present participle, expressing his habitual state of modesty (Merry). The aorist participle introduces an object clause of fearing.
306 μή … ἐπισκύσσαιτο: object clause of fearing, with optative in secondary sequence (Smyth 2221).
306 σοὶ: dative of possession, modified by ἰδόντι.
307 δύσζηλοι: masc. nom. pl., predicate of φῦλ᾽ ἀνθρώπων. Although φῦλαι is feminine nominative plural, the adjective agrees with the masculine ἀνθρώπων. This is called “construction according to the sense” (Smyth 1013).
309 τοιοῦτον: understand the verb ἐστί.
310 κεχολῶσθαι: explaining τοιοῦτον. perf. infin. > χολόω, “to have become angry,” hence, “to be angry.”
310 ἀμείνω: neut. nom. sing., predicate of αἴσιμα. Understand the verb ἐστί.
310 πάντα: “in all things,” accusative of respect.
311 αἲ γάρ: “If only you would …,” εἰ γάρ usually introduces an optative of wish, but here Homer uses the “infinitive of wish” (Smyth 2014). The invocation to the gods also makes this speech half-wish and half-prayer.
313 ἐμὸς γαμβρὸς: predicate after καλέεσθαι, agreeing with the nominative subject (“you”) of the infin.
314 κ᾽ … δοίην: the apodosis of a future less vivid conditional.
315 εἴ κ᾽ … μένοις: protasis of a future less vivid conditional, with Homeric construction of εἴ κε + opt. in place of εἰ alone (Smyth 2334).
316 μὴ τοῦτο … γένοιτο: “may this not be …,” negative optative of wish.
vocabulary
φύλλον –ου τό: a leaf
τετίημαι (perf. with no pres. in use): to be sorrowful, to sorrow, mourn
ἦτορ τό: the heart
εὕδω εὑδήσω εὕδησα: sleep, lie down to sleep
παννύχιος –ον: all night long
ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn; Dawn
ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day
δείλομαι – – – – –: to verge towards afternoon
γλυκύς γλυκεῖα γλυκύ: sweet, pleasant
ὕπνος –ου ὁ: sleep, sleepiness
ἀνίημι ἀνήσω ἀνῆκα ἀνεῖκα ἀνεῖμαι ἀνείθην: to send up; let go, abate
ἀμφίπολος –ου ἡ: female attendant, handmaid 290
θίς θινός ὁ: shore, beach
τεός –ή –όν: = σός, 'your'
νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think
παίζω παίξω ἔπαισα (or ἔπαιξα) πέπαικα (or πέπαιχα) πέπαισμαι ἐπαίχθην: to play like a child, to sport, play
θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess
ἱκετεύω ἱκετεύσω ἱκέτευσα ἱκέτευκα: to approach as a suppliant; to beg
νόημα –ατος τό: thought, idea, notion; mind; purpose, design, intention; device
ἐσθλός –ή –όν: good
ἔλπω – – – – –: to hope
ἀντιάζω ἀντιάσω ἠντίασα: to meet face to face
ἔρδω ἔρξω ἔρξα ἔοργα ––– –––: to do
ἀφραδέω – – – – –: to be senseless, act thoughtlessly
σῖτος –ου ὁ: grain; bread 295
ἄλις: in heaps, crowds, swarms, in abundance, in plenty
ἠδέ: and
αἶθοψ –οπος: flame-colored; scintillating, sparkling (of wine)
οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine
λούω λούσομαι ἔλουσα λέλουμαι: to wash; (mid.) to wash myself, bathe
εἷμα –ατος τό: clothing
ἄχομαι and ἄχνυμαι: to afflict, sadden, trouble, grieve
καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: to recount, tell at length and in order; (mid.) καταλέχομαι to lie down
αὖτε: in turn, moreover, still, again, on the other hand
Ἀλκίνοος –ου ὁ: Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians in Scheria, a grandson of Poseidon
ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer
φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: make a sound, speak
τοι: let me tell you, surely
ἐναίσιμος –ον: fateful (bringing omens); just, righteous
νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think
οὕνεκα: on account of which, wherefore 300
ἀμφίπολος –ου ἡ: female attendant, handmaid
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
ἱκετεύω ἱκετεύσω ἱκέτευσα ἱκέτευκα: to approach as a suppliant; to beg
ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer
πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address
πολύμητις –ιος: of many counsels
Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey
ἥρως ἥρωος ὁ: hero, warrior
τοι: let me tell you, surely
τοὔνεκα: for that reason, therefore
ἀμύμων –ον: blameless, noble, excellent
νεικέω νεικέσω ἐνείκεσα: to reproach, quarrel
κόρη (or κούρη) –ης ἡ: girl, maiden; daughter
ἀμφίπολος –ου ἡ: female attendant, handmaid
δείδω δείσομαι ἔδεισα δέδοικα (or δίδια) ––– –––: to fear 305
αἰσχύνω αἰσχυνῶ ᾔσχυνα ––– ––– ᾐσχύνθην: to make ugly, disfigure, mar
ἐπισκύζομαι ἐπισκύσσομαι ἐπεσκυσσάμην: to be indignant at
δύσζηλος –ον: exceeding jealous
χθών χθονός ἡ: the earth, ground
φῦλον –ου τό: a race, tribe, class
αὖτε: in turn, moreover, still, again, on the other hand
Ἀλκίνοος –ου ὁ: Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians in Scheria, a grandson of Poseidon
ἀπαμείβομαι ἀπαμείψομαι ἀπημειψάμην ἀπημείφθην: to reply, answer
φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: make a sound, speak
στῆθος –ους τό: breast, chest; (pl.) heart, spirit
κῆρ κῆρος τό: heart, mind
μαψιδίως: randomly, senselessly, rashly, recklessly, insolently 310
χολόω χολώσω ἐχόλωσα ––– κεχόλωμαι ἐχολώθην: to make angry; (mid.) be angry with (+dat.)
αἴσιμος [–η] –ον: fatal; (neut. plur.) what is just and right
αἴ: see εἰ
Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus
Ἀθήνη –ης ἡ: Athena
Ἀπόλλων –ωνος ὁ: Apollo
τοῖος –α –ον: quality, such, such-like
οἷος –α –ον: (such a kind) as; for οἷός τε see οἷος III.2
γαμβρός –οῦ ὁ: son-in-law
αὖθι: (right) there, at once, on the spot
κτῆμα –ατος τό: possession
ἀέκων –ουσα –ον: unwillingly 315
ἐρύκω ἐρύξω ἔρυξα/ἤρυξα/ἐρύκακον/ἠρύκακον: to keep in, hold back, keep in check, curb, restrain
Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian
Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus