"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.

    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.

    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

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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/vii-287-316