"ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε, Φαιήκων βητάρμονες ὅσσοι ἄριστοι,250
παίσατε, ὥς χ᾽ ὁ ξεῖνος ἐνίσπῃ οἷσι φίλοισιν
οἴκαδε νοστήσας, ὅσσον περιγιγνόμεθ᾽ ἄλλων
ναυτιλίῃ καὶ ποσσὶ καὶ ὀρχηστυῖ καὶ ἀοιδῇ.
Δημοδόκῳ δέ τις αἶψα κιὼν φόρμιγγα λίγειαν
οἰσέτω, ἥ που κεῖται ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν."255
ὣς ἔφατ᾽ Ἀλκίνοος θεοείκελος, ὦρτο δὲ κῆρυξ
οἴσων φόρμιγγα γλαφυρὴν δόμου ἐκ βασιλῆος.
αἰσυμνῆται δὲ κριτοὶ ἐννέα πάντες ἀνέσταν
δήμιοι, οἳ κατ᾽ ἀγῶνας ἐὺ πρήσσεσκον ἕκαστα,
λείηναν δὲ χορόν, καλὸν δ᾽ εὔρυναν ἀγῶνα.260
κῆρυξ δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἦλθε φέρων φόρμιγγα λίγειαν
Δημοδόκῳ· ὁ δ᾽ ἔπειτα κί᾽ ἐς μέσον· ἀμφὶ δὲ κοῦροι
πρωθῆβαι ἵσταντο, δαήμονες ὀρχηθμοῖο,
πέπληγον δὲ χορὸν θεῖον ποσίν. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
μαρμαρυγὰς θηεῖτο ποδῶν, θαύμαζε δὲ θυμῷ.265
αὐτὰρ ὁ φορμίζων ἀνεβάλλετο καλὸν ἀείδειν
ἀμφ᾽ Ἄρεος φιλότητος εὐστεφάνου τ᾽ Ἀφροδίτης,
ὡς τὰ πρῶτα μίγησαν ἐν Ἡφαίστοιο δόμοισι
λάθρῃ, πολλὰ δ᾽ ἔδωκε, λέχος δ᾽ ᾔσχυνε καὶ εὐνὴν
Ἡφαίστοιο ἄνακτος. ἄφαρ δέ οἱ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν270
Ἥλιος, ὅ σφ᾽ ἐνόησε μιγαζομένους φιλότητι.
Ἥφαιστος δ᾽ ὡς οὖν θυμαλγέα μῦθον ἄκουσε,
βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς χαλκεῶνα κακὰ φρεσὶ βυσσοδομεύων,
ἐν δ᾽ ἔθετ᾽ ἀκμοθέτῳ μέγαν ἄκμονα, κόπτε δὲ δεσμοὺς
ἀρρήκτους ἀλύτους, ὄφρ᾽ ἔμπεδον αὖθι μένοιεν.275
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῦξε δόλον κεχολωμένος Ἄρει,
βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς θάλαμον, ὅθι οἱ φίλα δέμνι᾽ ἔκειτο,
ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἑρμῖσιν χέε δέσματα κύκλῳ ἁπάντῃ·
πολλὰ δὲ καὶ καθύπερθε μελαθρόφιν ἐξεκέχυντο,
ἠύτ᾽ ἀράχνια λεπτά, τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο,280
οὐδὲ θεῶν μακάρων· πέρι γὰρ δολόεντα τέτυκτο.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα δόλον περὶ δέμνια χεῦεν,
εἴσατ᾽ ἴμεν ἐς Λῆμνον, ἐυκτίμενον πτολίεθρον,
ἥ οἱ γαιάων πολὺ φιλτάτη ἐστὶν ἁπασέων.
οὐδ᾽ ἀλαοσκοπιὴν εἶχε χρυσήνιος Ἄρης,285
ὡς ἴδεν Ἥφαιστον κλυτοτέχνην νόσφι κιόντα·
βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι πρὸς δῶμα περικλυτοῦ Ἡφαίστοιο
ἰσχανόων φιλότητος ἐυστεφάνου Κυθερείης.
ἡ δὲ νέον παρὰ πατρὸς ἐρισθενέος Κρονίωνος
ἐρχομένη κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζεθ᾽· ὁ δ᾽ εἴσω δώματος ᾔει,290
ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρί, ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε·
"δεῦρο, φίλη, λέκτρονδε τραπείομεν εὐνηθέντες·
οὐ γὰρ ἔθ᾽ Ἥφαιστος μεταδήμιος, ἀλλά που ἤδη
οἴχεται ἐς Λῆμνον μετὰ Σίντιας ἀγριοφώνους."
notes
Demodocus sings about how Hephaistos caught Aphrodite and Ares in bed together.
After the tense exchanges on the athletic fields, Homer lightens the mood, imagining the scene at Hephaestus’ house as the two divine lovers meet for what might now be called a “nooner.” The poet invites us to give ourselves over to the spirit of the scene, relishing the naturalistic touches that bring the experience closer to our everyday existence, where we can identify with the emotions of the gods as if they lived in our world.
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Such an effort of imagination is needed if we bear in mind that the gods of Homeric epic are immortal, ageless, omnipotent (at least in the world of mortals) and omniscient. Their existence has no limits and therefore no meaning in and of itself. Nothing they do within their own sphere matters because they cannot be permanently harmed, cannot change. The humiliation that Hephaestus feels as a cuckold and that he in imposes on the lovers can only be humorous, no matter how much the smith god huffs and puffs with indignation. Why does Hephaestus need another god to spy on the lovers if he already knows everything? How can the journey to Lemnos be interrupted partway, if the god could simply beam himself instantly anywhere he wants?
Homer is not bothered by these kinds of inconsistencies, if it means that he can hold his audience in the spell of the moment. The poem is not meant to satisfy the qualms of professors poring over it with commentaries, but to carry the rest of us along in its wake, clothing the large questions about human experience it often addresses in familiar dress of everyday life. So, we delight in imagining Helios, the god of the sun, peeking from behind a cloud to catch the illustrious war god sneaking in for his assignation. We see Hephaestus ostentatiously pretending to head out of town (perhaps whistling?), Aphrodite slipping back home from a visit to her father to wait for her lover, and then listen as Ares, the suave seducer, whispers in the ear of his intended, as if she, the divine embodiment of lust, needed coaxing.
The fun will continue for a while longer, but we should pause to note the connections that the poet suggests and seeming contradictions they imply. Hephaestus has fashioned a δόλος (“trick,” 276, 282) to catch the lovers, precisely the weapon that Odysseus will soon proudly embrace when he identifies himself to the Phaeacians:
εἴμ᾽ Ὀδυσεὺς Λαερτιάδης, ὃς πᾶσι δόλοισιν
ἀνθρώποισι μέλω, καί μευ κλέος οὐρανὸν ἵκει.
I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, famous among mortals
for the study of tricks of all kinds, and my fame reaches the heavens.
Odyssey 9.19–20
Thus, the song that Demodocus sings offers Hephaestus as an avatar of Odysseus, who defeats the superior strength of the suitors through trickery as the smith god triumphs over his more powerful antagonist. Here we encounter apparent contradictions in the poem’s plot and principal character. To restore right order to his kingdom, Odysseus must defeat the suitors, agents of disorder in in his household. But to get back safely to Ithaka, he must subvert order elsewhere, using disguise, lying, and other forms of deception to gain leverage over those in power who might impede him on his way back from Troy. And some of those figures who would keep him from his heroic mission are themselves tricky agents of disorder, like Calypso (7.245) and Circe (9.32). To further complicate matters, the wife he must initially deceive to win back is herself a match for him in her craftiness (cf., e.g., 19.137; 23.173–230).
These contradictions reflect the two worlds that coexist in the poem, one created in the heroic return story orchestrated by Athena and the other, wider world through which Odysseus passes in disguise, populated by ordinary people who must struggle to hold their own. In Book 19, we learn that Odysseus was named as an infant by his grandfather Autolycus, a famous trickster:
ὃς ἀνθρώπους ἐκέκαστο
κλεπτοσύνῃ θ᾽ ὅρκῳ τε: θεὸς δέ οἱ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν
Ἑρμείας: τῷ γὰρ κεχαρισμένα μηρία καῖεν
ἀρνῶν ἠδ᾽ ἐρίφων: ὁ δέ οἱ πρόφρων ἅμ᾽ ὀπήδει.
[Autolycus] who excelled
in thievery and false oaths. A god gave him these skills,
Hermes, for he had pleased him by burning the thigh pieces
of lambs and kids, and the god freely gave him his favor.
Odyssey 19.395–98
Hermes, like Odysseus, can be an agent of both order and disorder. As the messenger god, he supports the Olympian regime, guiding souls to the Underworld (24.1–4), delivering Zeus’ orders to Calypso and the magic drug moly to Odysseus for Athena (10.274–306). At other times, as his sponsorship of Autolycus suggests, he plays the role of the trickster, a folktale figure that appears in many cultures. In this latter role, he works against the established order, penetrating the strongholds of the powerful to combat stasis and sterility, a force for creative change. Odysseus plays this role in Ithaka when he insinuates himself into the corrupt regime of the suitors to shake up their nefarious plans—but of course he does so to restore order. Paradox persists.
Further Reading
Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 100–101. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
Hyde, L. 1998. Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art, 55–80. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
250 ὅσσοι ἄριστοι: supply the verb εἰσί.
251 ὥς χ᾽ … ἐνίσπῃ: purpose clause (χ᾽ = κε).
252 περιγιγνόμεθ(α): “we surpass (genitive of person) in (dative of respect)” (LSJ περιγίγνομαι I).
255 οἰσέτω: 3rd pers. imperat. > φέρω. Future in form, but present in sense.
257 οἴσων: masc. nom. sing. fut. act. ptc. > φέρω; future participle expressing purpose.
259 κατ᾽ ἀγῶνας … ἕκαστα: “all the details of contests.”
259 πρήσσεσκον: "were managing," 3rd pl. iterative impf. act. indic. > πράσσω.
260 λείηναν: unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > λεαίνω.
260 καλὸν: adverbial.
260 εὔρυναν ἀγῶνα: "marked off the boundaries for the contest," unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > εὐρύνω.
262 κί(ε): 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > κίω.
262 ἀμφὶ: “around (him).”
263 ὀρχηθμοῖο: gen. > ὀρχηθμός.
264 πέπληγον: unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > πλήσσω. A reduplicated second aorist form found in Epic.
265 θηεῖτο: 3rd sing. impf. mid./pass. indic. > θεάομαι.
266 ὁ φορμίζων: “the lyre-player,” nom. masc. sing. pres. act. ptc. > φορμίζω, substantive (definite article + ptc., Smyth 1153b and 2050).
266 ἀνεβάλλετο: “struck up,” 3rd sing. impf. mid. indic. > ἀναβάλλω. The imperfect is inchoative, indicating the beginning of the action.
266 καλὸν: adverbial.
266 ἀείδειν: infinitive of purpose.
268 μίγησαν: “had sex” (lit., “mingled”), unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > μ(ε)ίγνυμι.
269 πολλὰ: “many gifts.”
269 ἔδωκε: the subject is Ares.
270 οἱ: “for him” or “to him,” dative of interest referring to Hephaistos.
271 σφ(ε): “them,” acc. pl.
272 ὡς: “when.”
273 βῆ ῥ᾽ ἴμεν: “he started out,” unaugmented 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > βαίνω, with ἴμεν: infin. > εἶμι (Cunliffe βαίνω B.4).
274 ἐν … ἔθετ(ο): “put (acc. obj.) on (dat.),” tmesis, 3rd sing. aor. mid. indic. > ἐντίθημι.
274 κόπτε: unaugmented impf.
275 ὄφρ᾽ … μένοιεν: purpose clause with optative in secondary sequence. The subject of μένοιεν (3rd pl.) is Ares and Aphrodite.
276 τεῦξε: unaugmented aor.
277 οἱ φίλα: “his own.”
277 ἔκειτο: singular verb with neuter plural subject.
278 χέε: “he placed,” unaugmented aor. > χέω (Cunliffe χέω 6b).
279 πολλὰ: i.e., πολλὰ δέσματα.
279 ἐξεκέχυντο: “were hanging down,” 3rd pl. plupf. pass. indic. > ἐκχέω. Pluperfect translated as imperfect (Smyth 1952a), neuter plural subject with plural verb (Smyth 959).
280 τά γ᾽ οὔ κέ τις οὐδὲ ἴδοιτο: relative clause with potential optative. For the emphatic repetition of the negative, see note on line 32.
281 θεῶν μακάρων: partitive genitive, with τις implied from line 280.
281 πέρι: “exceedingly,” adverbial (LSJ περί E.II). Note the anastrophe (the shift of the accent to the first syllable).
282 πάντα: “completely,” adverbial.
283 εἴσατ᾽ ἴμεν: “he seemed to go,” i.e., he pretended to go to Lemnos. εἴσατ(ο), aor. (LSJ εἴδομαι 2).
283 Λῆμνον: the volcanic island of Lemnos is where Hephaistos landed when he fell out of heaven (Il. 1.590).
284 οἱ: dative of interest, referring to Hephaistos.
285 ἀλαοσκοπιὴν: "heedless watch" (Autenrieth), i.e., he did not watch in vain.
286 ὡς: “since.”
288 ἰσχανόων: “longing for (gen.),” masc. nom. sing. pres. act. ptc. > ἰσχανόω.
290 κατ᾽ … ἕζεθ᾽: tmesis, 3rd sing. impf. mid. pass. indic. > καθέζομαι.
290 ὁ: i.e., Ares.
291 ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρί: “he pressed her hand” (lit., “he grew onto her with his hand”).
291 φῦ = ἔφυ, unaugmented 3rd sing. impf. act. indic. > φύω.
291 ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε: according to Cunliffe, a formula “apparently meaning no more than ‘to address’” (lit., “he said a word and called out loud by name”).
292 λέκτρονδε … εὐνηθέντες: “sleeping together” (in the sexual sense), lit., “lying down to bed.” The -δε suffix in λέκτρονδε is enclitic and directional.
292 τραπείομεν: “let us enjoy ourselves,” 1st pl. aor. pass. hortatory subj. > τέρπω. An instance of metathesis (Smyth 492). Some commentators take this verb as derived from τρέπω, and pair it with λέκτρονδε, “let us turn to bed.”
294 Σίντιας: the Sintians were the inhabitants of Lemnos who received Hephaistos when he fell out of heaven.
vocabulary
ἄγε: come! come on! well! 250
Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian
βητάρμων –ονος ὁ: a dancer
παίζω παίξω ἔπαισα (or ἔπαιξα) πέπαικα (or πέπαιχα) πέπαισμαι ἐπαίχθην: to play like a child, to sport, play
ἐνέπω ἐνισπήσω/ἐνίψω ἔνισπον ––– ––– –––: to tell, tell of, relate, describe
οἴκαδε: homeward
νοστέω νοστήσω ἐνόστησα νενόστηκα: return home
περιγίγνομαι (Ion. περιγίνομαι) περιγενήσομαι περεγενόμην περιγέγονα περιγεγένημαι περιεγενήθην: to be superior to; to survive
ναυτιλία ἡ: sailing, seamanship
ὀρχηστύς –ύος ἡ: the dance
ἀοιδή –ῆς ἡ: song, a singing
Δημόδοκος –ου ὁ: Demodocus, the blind bard of the Phaeacians
αἶψα: rapidly, speedily, suddenly
κίω – – – – –: go, go away
φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx
λιγύς –εῖα –ύ: sharp-sounding, shrill, loud, clear
δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home 255
Ἀλκίνοος –ου ὁ: Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians in Scheria, a grandson of Poseidon
θεοείκελος –ον: godlike
ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up
κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: messenger, herald
φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx
γλαφῠρός –ά –όν: hollow, deep
δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home
αἰσυμνήτης –ου ὁ: manager
κριτός –ή –όν: picked out, chosen
ἀνίστημι ἀνστήσω ἀνέστησα (or ἀνέστην) ἀνέστηκα ἀνέσταμαι ἀνεστάθην: make stand, set up; stand up
δήμιος –ον: belonging to the people, public
λεαίνω/λειαίνω λεανῶ ἐλέανα – λελείασμαι/λελέασμαι/λέλασμαι ἐλειάνθην/ἐλεάνθην: to smooth
χορός –οῦ ὁ: dance, chorus; dancing place 260
εὐρύνω εὐρυνῶ ηὔρυνα – – ηὐρύνθην: to broaden
κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: messenger, herald
ἐγγύθεν: close, nearby, alongside
φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx
λιγύς –εῖα –ύ: sharp-sounding, shrill, loud, clear
Δημόδοκος –ου ὁ: Demodocus, the blind bard of the Phaeacians
κίω – – – – –: go, go away
κοῦρος –ου ὁ: [Ep. and Ion.] boy
πρωθήβης –ου: in the prime of youth
δαήμων –ον: knowing, experienced in
ὀρχηθμός –οῦ ὁ: a dancing, the dance
πλήττω πλήξω ἔπληξα πέπληγα πέπληγμαι ἐπλήγην (–επλάγην): strike, smite
χορός –οῦ ὁ: dance, chorus; dancing place
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently
Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey
μαρμαρυγή –ῆς ἡ: a flashing, sparkling
θεάομαι θεάσομαι ἐθεσάμην ––– τεθέαμαι ἐθεσαμήθην: to look on, behold, view (with wonder) 265
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently
φορμίζω – – – – –: to play the φόρμιγξ
ἀναβάλλω ἀναβαλῶ ἀνέβαλον ἀναβέβληκα ἀναβέβλημαι ἀνεβλήθην: (to throw up;) strike up (a song); delay
ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: sing
Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares
φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship
εὐστέφανος –ον: well-crowned
Ἀφροδίτη –ης ἡ: Aphrodite
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire
δόμος –ου ὁ: house, home
λάθρῃ: secretly, covertly, by stealth, treacherously
λέχος –ους τό: a couch, bed
αἰσχύνω αἰσχυνῶ ᾔσχυνα ––– ––– ᾐσχύνθην: to make ugly, disfigure, mar
εὐνή εὐνῆς ἡ: pallet, bed, den; (pl.) stones (to anchor a ship), anchors
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire 270
ἄναξ –ακτος ὁ: ruler, lord
ἄφαρ: straightway, forthwith, at once, quickly, presently
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
ἄγγελος –ου ὁ: messenger
σφεῖς: they
νοέω νοοῦμαι ––– ––– ––– –––: perceive, observe, think
μιγάζομαι – – – – –: to have intercourse
φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire
θυμαλγής –ές: heart-grieving
μῦθος –ου ὁ: spoken thing, speech, plan, story
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
χαλκέων –ῶνος ὁ: a forge, smithy
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
βυσσοδομεύω – – – – –: to scheme, plot
ἀκμόθετον –ου τό: the anvil-block, smithy
ἄκμων –ονος ὁ: a thunderbolt
κόπτω κόψω ἔκοψα κέκοφα κέκομμαι ἐκόπην: to beat, strike, hit: to forge, hammer out
δεσμός –οῦ ὁ (pl. δεσμά): a bond
ἄρρηκτος –ον: unbroken, not to be broken 275
ἄλυτος –ον: not to be loosed, indissoluble
ὄφρα: while; until; so that; ὄφρα … τόφρα, while … for so long
ἔμπεδος –ον: firm-set, steadfast, constant, unchanged; (in neuter as adverb) firmly, steadily
αὖθι: (right) there, at once, on the spot
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently
τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about
δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery
χολόω χολώσω ἐχόλωσα ––– κεχόλωμαι ἐχολώθην: to make angry; (mid.) be angry with (+dat.)
Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
θάλαμος or θάλᾶμος –ου ὁ: chamber, inner part of the house (usually reserved for women); bedchamber (of the mistress of the house); nuptial chamber
ὅθι: where
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
δέμνιον –ου τό: bed
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
ἑρμίς –ῖνος ὁ: a bed-post
χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed
δέσμα –ατος τό: a bond, fetter
ἁπάντῃ: everywhere
καθύπερθε (Ion. κατ–): from above, down from above
μέλαθρον –ου τό: roof beam, roof, house
ἐκχέω/ἐκχύνω ἐκχέω ἐξέχεα ἐκκέχυκα ἐκκέχυμαι ἐξεχύθην: to pour out
ἠΰτε: as, like as
ἀράχνιον –ου τό: a spider's web 280
λεπτός –ή –όν: (husked, threshed) fine, thin, delicate, subtle
μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods
δολόεις –εσσα –εν: subtle, wily
τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about: (pass.) to be brought about, to be
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently
δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery
δέμνιον –ου τό: bed
χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed
εἴδομαι εἴσομαι εἰσάμην: to be visible, appear; to seem; to know, understand
Λῆμνος –ου ἡ: Lemnos, the island west of the Troad, with probably in Homerʼs time a city of the same name
ἐϋκτίμενος –η –ον: well-built, lovely to inhabit
πτολίεθρον –ου τό: town, city, citadel
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district
φίλτατος –η –ον: dearest to
ἀλαοσκοπιά –ᾶς ἡ: a blind, heedless watch 285
χρυσήνιος –ον: with reins of gold
Ἄρης –εως ὁ: Ares
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire
κλυτοτέχνης –ου: famous for his art, renowned artist
νόσφι: aloof, apart, afar, away
κίω – – – – –: go, go away
δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)
περικλυτός –ή –όν: heard of all round, famous, renowned, glorious
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire
ἰσχανάω – – – – –: to hold back, check
φιλότης –ητος ἡ: love, friendship
εὐστέφανος –ον: well-crowned
Κυθέρεια –ας ἡ: Cythereia, epithet of Aphrodite
ἐρισθενής –ές: very mighty
Κρονίων –ωνος ὁ: son of Cronus
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus 290
ἕζομαι – – – – –: to sit down
εἴσω (or ἔσω): in, into, inside
δῶμα –ατος τό: house (often in plural)
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
δεῦρο: here, to this place
οἰωνός –οῦ ὁ: a large bird, bird of prey
τέρπω τέρψω ἔτερψα ––– ––– ἐτάρφθην/ἐτέρφθην: to delight; (mid./pass.) to have one's full of
εὐνάω εὐνάσω εὔνασα/ηὔνασα ––– ηὔνασμαι εὐνάσθην: to cause to lie down; (pass.) to lie down, go to bed (of sexual relations)
Ἥφαιστος –ου ὁ: Hephaestus, god of fire
μεταδήμιος –ον: in the midst of or among the people
οἴχομαι οἰχήσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to go, come move; to be gone, to have gone
Λῆμνος –ου ἡ: Lemnos, the island west of the Troad, with probably in Homerʼs time a city of the same name
Σίντιες –ων οἱ: the Sintians
ἀγριόφωνος –ον: with wild rough voice