ταῦτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀοιδὸς ἄειδε περικλυτός· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς

τήκετο, δάκρυ δ᾽ ἔδευεν ὑπὸ βλεφάροισι παρειάς.

ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι φίλον πόσιν ἀμφιπεσοῦσα,

ὅς τε ἑῆς πρόσθεν πόλιος λαῶν τε πέσῃσιν,

ἄστεϊ καὶ τεκέεσσιν ἀμύνων νηλεὲς ἦμαρ·525

ἡ μὲν τὸν θνήσκοντα καὶ ἀσπαίροντα ἰδοῦσα

ἀμφ᾽ αὐτῷ χυμένη λίγα κωκύει· οἱ δέ τ᾽ ὄπισθε

κόπτοντες δούρεσσι μετάφρενον ἠδὲ καὶ ὤμους

εἴρερον εἰσανάγουσι, πόνον τ᾽ ἐχέμεν καὶ ὀιζύν:

τῆς δ᾽ ἐλεεινοτάτῳ ἄχεϊ φθινύθουσι παρειαί·530

ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς ἐλεεινὸν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσι δάκρυον εἶβεν.

ἔνθ᾽ ἄλλους μὲν πάντας ἐλάνθανε δάκρυα λείβων,

Ἀλκίνοος δέ μιν οἶος ἐπεφράσατ᾽ ἠδ᾽ ἐνόησεν,

ἥμενος ἄγχ᾽ αὐτοῦ, βαρὺ δὲ στενάχοντος ἄκουσεν.

αἶψα δὲ Φαιήκεσσι φιληρέτμοισι μετηύδα·535

"κέκλυτε, Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες,

Δημόδοκος δ᾽ ἤδη σχεθέτω φόρμιγγα λίγειαν·

οὐ γάρ πως πάντεσσι χαριζόμενος τάδ᾽ ἀείδει.

ἐξ οὗ δορπέομέν τε καὶ ὤρορε θεῖος ἀοιδός,

ἐκ τοῦ δ᾽ οὔ πω παύσατ᾽ ὀιζυροῖο γόοιο540

ὁ ξεῖνος· μάλα πού μιν ἄχος φρένας ἀμφιβέβηκεν.

ἀλλ᾽ ἄγ᾽ ὁ μὲν σχεθέτω, ἵν᾽ ὁμῶς τερπώμεθα πάντες,

ξεινοδόκοι καὶ ξεῖνος, ἐπεὶ πολὺ κάλλιον οὕτως·

εἵνεκα γὰρ ξείνοιο τάδ᾽ αἰδοίοιο τέτυκται,

πομπὴ καὶ φίλα δῶρα, τά οἱ δίδομεν φιλέοντες.545

ἀντὶ κασιγνήτου ξεῖνός θ᾽ ἱκέτης τε τέτυκται

ἀνέρι, ὅς τ᾽ ὀλίγον περ ἐπιψαύῃ πραπίδεσσι.

τῷ νῦν μηδὲ σὺ κεῦθε νοήμασι κερδαλέοισιν

ὅττι κέ σ᾽ εἴρωμαι· φάσθαι δέ σε κάλλιόν ἐστιν.

    Odysseus weeps, and Alcinous makes Demodocus stop singing. Alcinous asks Odysseus who he is.

    The third song from Demodocus again reduces Odysseus to tears, and prompts a remarkable image from the poet:

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    ταῦτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀοιδὸς ἄειδε περικλυτός· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
    τήκετο, δάκρυ δ᾽ ἔδευεν ὑπὸ βλεφάροισι παρειάς.
    ὡς δὲ γυνὴ κλαίῃσι φίλον πόσιν ἀμφιπεσοῦσα,
    ὅς τε ἑῆς πρόσθεν πόλιος λαῶν τε πέσῃσιν,
    ἄστεϊ καὶ τεκέεσσιν ἀμύνων νηλεὲς ἦμαρ·
    ἡ μὲν τὸν θνήσκοντα καὶ ἀσπαίροντα ἰδοῦσα
    ἀμφ᾽ αὐτῷ χυμένη λίγα κωκύει· οἱ δέ τ᾽ ὄπισθε
    κόπτοντες δούρεσσι μετάφρενον ἠδὲ καὶ ὤμους
    εἴρερον εἰσανάγουσι, πόνον τ᾽ ἐχέμεν καὶ ὀιζύν:
    τῆς δ᾽ ἐλεεινοτάτῳ ἄχεϊ φθινύθουσι παρειαί·
    ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς ἐλεεινὸν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσι δάκρυον εἶβεν.

    So the famous bard sang his song. But Odysseus
    melted, and tears ran down his cheeks from under his eyelids.
    as a woman weeps, clutching her beloved husband,
    who has died before the city, fighting for his people,
    warding off the pitiless day from the city and its children.
    And she, seeing him dying and gasping for breath,
    winds herself around him and wails shrilly. But striking her
    from behind on the back and shoulders with their spears
    the men drag her into slavery, to suffer pain and misery,
    and her cheeks are marred with most pitiful anguish.
    So Odysseus shed pitiful tears from under his brows.

    Odyssey 8.521–31

    The many strands of connection between both the song, the simile, and other major themes in the poem are difficult to untangle. The song celebrates Odysseus’s mastery of deception, the quality he himself cites to identify himself to the Phaeacians (9.19). The fall of Troy will be reenacted in Odysseus’s penetration of his own palace in Ithaka, where he will play the role of the deceptive Trojan Horse to bring down the corrupt regime of the suitors. Yet the simile links Odysseus not to the invading conquerors, but to the enslaved women who have lost their husbands. There is another such reversed simile in the poem, describing Penelope’s joy at finally seeing her husband:

    ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀσπάσιος γῆ νηχομένοισι φανήῃ,
    ὧν τε Ποσειδάων εὐεργέα νῆ᾽ ἐνὶ πόντῳ
    ῥαίσῃ, ἐπειγομένην ἀνέμῳ καὶ κύματι πηγῷ:
    παῦροι δ᾽ ἐξέφυγον πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἤπειρόνδε
    νηχόμενοι, πολλὴ δὲ περὶ χροῒ τέτροφεν ἅλμη,
    ἀσπάσιοι δ᾽ ἐπέβαν γαίης, κακότητα φυγόντες:
    ὣς ἄρα τῇ ἀσπαστὸς ἔην πόσις εἰσοροώσῃ,
    δειρῆς δ᾽ οὔ πω πάμπαν ἀφίετο πήχεε λευκώ.

    As when land appears welcome to swimmers,
    whose well-made ship Poseidon has wrecked
    in the sea, pounded by the wind and heavy waves,
    and a few swimmers escape toward land from
    the gray sea, and thick brine covers their skin,
    overjoyed, they step on land, escaping evil,
    so was her husband welcome to her as she looked at him,
    and she did not release him from her white arms.

    Odyssey 23.233–40

    The simile could apply much more closely to Odysseus, when he sees land after Poseidon smashes his boat in Book 5 (itself prompting a striking simile: 5.394–99). The effect of this kind of reversal is not easy to define, but the passage seems to blur the boundaries between Odysseus and Penelope.

    If we look at the language of the simile here, we find more blurring. Odysseus “melts” (τήκετο, 522) after hearing the song. Forms of the verb τήκω appear six times in the Odyssey apart from this passage, in Book 11 (201) when the ghost of Odysseus’ mother describes her death from longing for her son, in the simile from Book 5 (396) about Poseidon wrecking Odysseus’ boat, and four times in the description of Penelope’s anguished reaction to hearing news of her husband from the beggar in Book 19 (204, 207, 208, 264). The simile here in Book 8 links the weeping Odysseus to his mother, who died of grief for her lost son, and to his wife, who weeps in response to news about her long-lost husband, delivered, unbeknownst to her, by the husband himself in disguise.

    The rich matrix of emotion in these passages eludes definitive analysis. With Odysseus about to embark the final leg of his journey home, Homer marshals the resources of his traditional style to turn our eyes back to the hero’s brilliant campaign to enter and destroy Troy from within, then immediately complicates the tableau by reminding us of the gruesome toll that triumph took on the most helpless of its victims. That pain then migrates through repeated imagery to the royal palace in Ithaka, where the queen, who has herself been under siege from the suitors, waits longingly for her husband to save her and their kingdom, suffering the same kind of pain as does the anonymous woman in the simile in Book 8, through the agency of the same man. Most tantalizing of all is the blurring of the boundaries of Odysseus’s identity, as he merges with his victims, including his own wife, suffering as they do the consequences of his triumphs.

    This potent mix of imagery adds to the already complex character we have seen emerge on Scheria. Part powerful warrior, part anonymous underdog, relying at times on his physical strength, at times on his formidable intelligence, the figure who comes into focus before us assumes yet another layer of richness in these final verses before he reappears in his full glory. The ultimate manipulator of others enters, for a brief moment, into their inner world, at once a conqueror and a vulnerable victim.

     

    Further Reading

    Foley, H. “’Reverse Similes’ and Sex Roles in the Odyssey.” Arethusa 11: 6–26.

     

    Conclusion

    Alkinous, most patient of monarchs, finally confronts Odysseus with the ultimate question: who is he, where is he from? By having his hero withhold this vital information until the very end of his sojourn on Scheria, Homer allows us to absorb the full complexity his character through his various interactions with the Phaeacians. What we witness is something much richer than what would be revealed if the hero had identified himself earlier. Odysseus begins to emerge through the memories of other characters in the poem’s first four books, then appears at his lowest point, a helpless love slave of Calypso. By refusing the nymph’s offer of an eternity of anonymous pleasure in favor of a desperate struggle to survive in a limited existence, he marks the first outlines of his character. An intervention from Zeus, nudged by Odysseus’s fierce defender Athena, frees him for a time, before Poseidon takes vengeance for the injury to the Cyclops, leaving the hero bobbing and sputtering in the sea. Another intervention, this time by a kindly nymph, delivers him to the beach on Scheria at the beginning of Book 6.

    Beginning as a naked, vulnerable stranger, Odysseus slowly wins the confidence of the Phaeacians, overcoming their suspicions. In his masterful handling of the young princess, the bluntness that characterizes his interactions with Calypso gives way to keen observation, delicacy, and tact, qualities that he will draw on frequently during his stay on Scheria. The king and his sons offer a different kind of challenge, requiring a carefully calibrated self-assertion. The queen, a more persistent interrogator than her husband, prompts clever evasive action from the hero. Throughout these various encounters, Odysseus clings to his anonymity, waiting for the right moment to reveal his identity. Meanwhile, the poet is creating his hero before our eyes, shading in more complexity with each scene.

    The songs of Demodocus expand the background for Homer’s story. The obscure quarrel with Achilles, then a comic transfiguration of the coming battle with the suitors in Ithaka, and finally reaching back to the war at Troy, another transfiguration of the poem’s climax, this time tinged with suffering. The simile following this song completes the layered characterization that the poet creates in the Phaeacian episodes, using the resources of his poetic tradition to weave a complex tapestry, connecting Odysseus’s emergence from anonymity on Scheria with both the adventures of Telemachus in Sparta and the final triumph over the suitors. Both sides of Odysseus’s character are on display in Books 6 through 8, the powerful hero who can overcome resistance with his physical gifts and the crafty descendent of Autolycus, getting his way through deception. The balance, judging from the final verses of Book 8, tips toward the latter persona. In the next four books, Odysseus’s narration of the struggles that brought him to the shores of Scheria, this version of the hero will continue to predominate, as the hero deploys his many strengths against a fantastic array of opponents.

    522  τήκετο: metaphorically, of course.

    523  ὡς: introducing a simile.

    523  κλαίῃσι: 3rd sing. pres. act. subj. > κλαίω. The subjunctive is regular in similes (Smyth 2481).

    524  τε: untranslatable Homeric τε.

    524  ἑῆς: “of his,” gen. fem. sing., modifying πόλιος.

    524  πέσῃσιν: 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. > πίπτω.

    525  ἀμύνων: ptc. > ἀμύνω, which takes a dative of the person from whom danger is warded off (LSJ ἀμύνω A.1).

    527  ἀμφ᾽ αὐτῷ χυμένη: “throwing herself around him” (LSJ χέω II.7). The verb need not be taken as tmesis.

    527  οἱ δέ τ᾽ ὄπισθε: “those behind her,” i.e., the enemy.

    529  εἰσανάγουσι: “lead (her) into,” with accusative object.

    529  ἐχέμεν: “to endure,” infinitive of purpose.

    530  τῆς: “her,” possessive gen., with παρειαί.

    531  ὣς: “so …,” ending the simile.

    532  ἐλάνθανε … λείβων: for the verb λανθάνω + a supplementary participle, see Smyth 2096 and LSJ λανθάνω A.2. This line is a repetition of line 93.

    533  a repetition of line 94.

    534  a repetition of line 95.

    535  a repetition of line 96.

    536  a repetition of line 97.

    537  σχεθέτω: “let him cease from,” “let him hush,” 3rd sing. aor. mid. imperat. > ἔχω (LSJ ἔχω C.IV).

    539  ἐξ οὗ: “since.”

    539  δορπέομέν: “we started eating,” with ἐξ οὗ; the imperfect has an inchoative force (Smyth 1900).

    539  ὤρορε: “started up,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ὄρνυμι.

    540  ἐκ τοῦδ᾽: “since then,” correlative with ἐξ οὗ.

    542  ἵν᾽ … τερπώμεθα: purpose clause.

    544  εἵνεκα: “for the sake of,” with genitive.

    544  τάδ᾽ … τέτυκται: neuter plural subject with singular verb.

    545  φιλέοντες: “in welcome.”

    546  ἀντὶ κασιγνήτου: “as good as a brother,” “like a brother” (LSJ ἀντί A.II.2).

    547  ἀνέρι: i.e., to Alcinous.

    547  ὀλίγον περ ἐπιψαύῃ: “only just scratches the surface.”

    547  ἐπιψαύῃ: 3rd sing. pres. act. subj. > ἐπιψαύω.

    547  πραπίδεσσι: dative of means.

    548  τῷ: “therefore.”

    548  κεῦθε: 2nd sing. pres. act. imperat. > κεύθω. The verb is transitive, and here its object is the clause ὅττι κέ σ᾽ εἴρωμαι.

    549  ὅττι κέ σ᾽ εἴρωμαι: “whatever …,” pres. general conditional clause (κε or ἄν + subj.).

    549  φάσθαι δέ σε: “for you to speak.”

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἀοιδός –οῦ ὁ: a singer, minstrel, bard

    ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: sing

    περικλυτός –ή –όν: heard of all round, famous, renowned, glorious

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    τήκω τήξω ἔτηξα ––– ––– –––: to melt, melt down

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    δεύω δεύσω ἔδευσα ––– δέδευμαι ἐδεύθην: to wet, drench

    βλέφαρον –ου τό: eyelid (mostly in plur.)

    παρειά –ᾶς ἡ: the cheek

    κλαίω/κλάω κλαύσομαι/κλαήσω ἔκλαυσα ––– κέκλαυμαι/κέκλαυσμαι ἐκλαύσθην: weep, cry

    φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear

    πόσις –ιος/–εως ὁ: husband, spouse, mate

    ἀμφιπίπτω ἀμφιπεσοῦμαι ἀμφέπεσον ἀμφιπέπτωκα: to fall around, embrace

    ἑός ἑή ἑόν: his, her, own

    πρόσθεν: before, in front of

    ἄστυ ἄστεως τό: town 525

    τέκος –ους τό: child

    ἀμύνω ἀμυνῶ ἤμυνα ἤμυκα ἤμυμαι ἠμύνηθην: to ward off, avert; to defend (+ dat. or gen.)

    νηλής –ές: pitiless, ruthless

    ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day

    ἀσπαίρω – – – – –: to pant, gasp, struggle convulsively

    χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed

    λίγα: in loud clear tone

    κωκύω κωκύσω ἐκώκυσα ––– ––– ––– –––: to shriek, cry, wail

    ὄπι(σ)θε(ν): from behind, behind, afterward, hereafter; adv. or prep. +gen.

    κόπτω κόψω ἔκοψα κέκοφα κέκομμαι ἐκόπην: to beat, strike, hit; to forge hammer out

    δόρυ δόρατος τό: spear; timber, beam (of a ship)

    μετάφρενον –ου τό: the part behind the midriff

    ἠδέ: and

    ὦμος ὤμου ὁ: shoulder

    εἴρερος –ου ὁ: bondage, slavery

    εἰσανάγω εἰσανάξω εἰσανῆξα/εἰσανήγαγον εἰσανῆχα/εἰσαναγήοχα εἰσανῆγμαι εἰσανήχθην: to lead up into

    ὀϊζύς: sorrow, grief, distress, hardship

    ἐλεεινός –ή –όν: finding pity, pitied 530

    ἄχος –ους τό: anguish, distress

    φθινύθω – – – – –: to perish, waste away; to waste, consume

    παρειά –ᾶς ἡ: the cheek

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    ἐλεεινός –ή –όν: finding pity, pitied

    ὀφρύς –ύος ὁ: eyebrow

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    εἴβω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to drop, let fall in drops

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    λείβω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to pour, pour forth

    Ἀλκίνοος –ου ὁ: Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians in Scheria, a grandson of Poseidon

    μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    οἷος –α –ον: οἶος -η, -ον: alone, unaccompanied

    ἐπιφράζω ἐπιφράσω ἐπέφρασα ἐπιπέφρακα ἐπιπέφρασμαι ἐπεφράσθην: to take note of something, think of, notice

    ἠδέ: and

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

    ἧμαι (or κάθημαι) ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: sit

    ἄγχι: near

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

    αἶψα: rapidly, speedily, suddenly 535

    Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian

    φιλήρετμος –ον: loving the oar

    μεταυδάω μεταυδήσω μετηύδησα μετηύδηκα μετηύδημαι μετηυδήθην: to speak among

    κλύω ––– κέκλυκα ––– ––– –––: to hear, listen to; to have a reputation, be judged or considered

    Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian

    ἡγήτωρ –ορος ὁ: a leader, commander, chief

    ἠδέ: and

    μέδων –οντος ὁ: a guardian, lord

    Δημόδοκος –ου ὁ: Demodocus, the blind bard of the Phaeacians

    φόρμιγξ –ιγγος ἡ: the phorminx

    λιγύς –εῖα –ύ: sharp-sounding, shrill, loud, clear

    χαρίζομαι χαρίσομαι ἐχαρισάμην κεχάρισμαι ––– ἐχαρίσθην: to do a kindness, favor, gratify, give freely

    ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: sing

    δορπέω δορπήσω ἐδόρπησα: to take supper

    ὄρνυμι ὄρσω ὦρσα ὄρωρα ὀρώρεμαι –––: to stir up, move; (mid.) to rise, get up

    ἀοιδός –οῦ ὁ: a singer, minstrel, bard

    πω: [+neg.] (adv.) never yet, in no way, not at all 540

    ὀιζυρός –ά –όν: woeful, pitiable, miserable

    γόος –ου ὁ: wailing, lamentation

    μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    ἄχος –ους τό: anguish, distress

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits

    ἀμφιβαίνω ἀμφιβήσομαι ἀμφέβην ἀμφιβέβηκα: to surround, go or stand over; to protect

    ἄγε: come! come on! well!

    ὁμῶς: equally, likewise, alike

    τέρπω τέρψω ἔτερψα ––– ––– ἐτάρφθην/ἐτέρφθην: to delight; (mid./pass.) to have one's full of

    ξεινοδόκος –ου ὁ: host

    αἰδοῖος –α –ον: having a claim to compassion or reverence 

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about; (pass.) to be brought about, to be

    πομπή –ῆς ἡ: escort, guidance; arrangement for one's departure 545

    φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear

    δῶρον –ου τό: gift

    οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself

    φιλέω φιλήσω ἐφίλησα πεφίλημαι ἐφιλήθην: to love, hold dear; to entertain as a guest

    κασίγνητος –ου ὁ or –η –ον: a brother; adj of a brother; sibling

    ἱκέτης –ου ὁ: suppliant

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about; (pass.) to be brought about, to be

    ἐπιψαύω ἐπιψαύσω ––– ––– ––– –––: to touch on the surface, touch lightly, handle

    πραπίδες –ων αἱ: the midriff, diaphragm; understanding, mind

    τῷ: then, in that case; for this reason, thus

    κεύθω/κευθάνω κεύσω ἔκευσα κέκευθα ––– –––: to cover quite up, to cover, hide

    νόημα –ατος τό: thought, idea, notion; mind; purpose, design, intention; device

    κερδαλέος –α –ον: wily, crafty, cunning; advantageous

    εἴρω ἐρῶ εἶπον εἴρηκα εἴρημαι ἐρρήθην: to speak, tell; to command

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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/viii-521-549