"ὣς ἐφάμην, οἱ δ᾽ ὦκα ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι πίθοντο,

ἐκ δὲ καλυψάμενοι παρὰ θῖν᾽ ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο

θηήσαντ᾽ ἔλαφον· μάλα γὰρ μέγα θηρίον ἦεν.180

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάρπησαν ὁρώμενοι ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,

χεῖρας νιψάμενοι τεύχοντ᾽ ἐρικυδέα δαῖτα.

ὣς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα

ἥμεθα δαινύμενοι κρέα τ᾽ ἄσπετα καὶ μέθυ ἡδύ·

ἦμος δ᾽ ἠέλιος κατέδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθε,185

δὴ τότε κοιμήθημεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.

ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,

καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼν ἀγορὴν θέμενος μετὰ πᾶσιν ἔειπον·

‘κέκλυτέ μευ μύθων, κακά περ πάσχοντες ἑταῖροι·

ὦ φίλοι, οὐ γάρ τ᾽ ἴδμεν, ὅπῃ ζόφος οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἠώς,190

οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἠέλιος φαεσίμβροτος εἶσ᾽ ὑπὸ γαῖαν,

οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἀννεῖται· ἀλλὰ φραζώμεθα θᾶσσον

εἴ τις ἔτ᾽ ἔσται μῆτις. ἐγὼ δ᾽ οὔκ οἴομαι εἶναι.

εἶδον γὰρ σκοπιὴν ἐς παιπαλόεσσαν ἀνελθὼν

νῆσον, τὴν πέρι πόντος ἀπείριτος ἐστεφάνωται·195

αὐτὴ δὲ χθαμαλὴ κεῖται: καπνὸν δ᾽ ἐνὶ μέσσῃ

ἔδρακον ὀφθαλμοῖσι διὰ δρυμὰ πυκνὰ καὶ ὕλην.’

ὣς ἐφάμην, τοῖσιν δὲ κατεκλάσθη φίλον ἦτορ

μνησαμένοις ἔργων Λαιστρυγόνος Ἀντιφάταο

Κύκλωπός τε βίης μεγαλήτορος, ἀνδροφάγοιο.200

κλαῖον δὲ λιγέως θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντες·

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γάρ τις πρῆξις ἐγίγνετο μυρομένοισιν.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ δίχα πάντας ἐυκνήμιδας ἑταίρους

ἠρίθμεον, ἀρχὸν δὲ μετ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισιν ὄπασσα·

τῶν μὲν ἐγὼν ἦρχον, τῶν δ᾽ Εὐρύλοχος θεοειδής.205

κλήρους δ᾽ ἐν κυνέῃ χαλκήρεϊ πάλλομεν ὦκα·

ἐκ δ᾽ ἔθορε κλῆρος μεγαλήτορος Εὐρυλόχοιο.

    After wailing over the trials they have faced thus far, Eurylochus and half of the comrades of Odysseus start off to explore the island.

    For two days and nights the Greeks rest and refresh themselves on the beach of Circe’s island, feasting on the huge stag Odysseus has killed on the way home from a scouting expedition. During that foray, from his perch high on a hill, he sees smoke rising from Circe’s house, which is—perhaps not surprisingly—deep in a dark wood. He ponders whether to go himself to investigate, but, true to his past practice, decides to feed his men and then send them out to investigate, another fateful choice for his unlucky crew. After presenting the men with his hunting trophy, he reminds them they are not dead yet and urges them to dig in. (Vergil will make this brief and unremarkable pep talk the basis for a much more resonant speech by Aeneas to his crew on the shores of Libya (Aen. 1.198–209)).

    read full essay

    The next eight verses describe the preparations for the feast, followed by a tranquil night’s sleep:

    αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάρπησαν ὁρώμενοι ὀφθαλμοῖσιν,
    χεῖρας νιψάμενοι τεύχοντ᾽ ἐρικυδέα δαῖτα.
    ὣς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα
    ἥμεθα δαινύμενοι κρέα τ᾽ ἄσπετα καὶ μέθυ ἡδύ:
    ἦμος δ᾽ ἠέλιος κατέδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθε,
    δὴ τότε κοιμήθημεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.
    ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
    καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼν ἀγορὴν θέμενος μετὰ πᾶσιν ἔειπον:

    But when they had enjoyed looking at the stag, 
    they washed their hands and prepared a glorious meal.
    Then all day until the setting of the sun,
    we sat feasting on the unlimited meal and sweet wine.
    And when the sun went down and darkness fell,
    we lay down to sleep on the edge of the sea.
    But when rosy-fingered, early-born Dawn appeared,
    I assembled the men and spoke to them:

    Odyssey 10.181–88

    The measured pace of these verses, with their high degree of coincidence between verse structure and sentence structure (that is, no harsh enjambment) and concentration of traditional, formulaic phrases (marked in bold typeface), give the passage a serene tone. We find a similar style in the last verses of the Iliad, as Homer describes the funeral of Hector, a soothing diminuendo after the tense and dramatic scenes in the hut of Achilles:

    ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
    τῆμος ἄρ᾽ ἀμφὶ πυρὴν κλυτοῦ Ἕκτορος ἔγρετο λαός.
    αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ᾽ ἤγερθεν ὁμηγερέες τ᾽ ἐγένοντο
    πρῶτον μὲν κατὰ πυρκαϊὴν σβέσαν αἴθοπι οἴνῳ
    πᾶσαν, ὁπόσσον ἐπέσχε πυρὸς μένος: αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
    ὀστέα λευκὰ λέγοντο κασίγνητοί θ᾽ ἕταροί τε
    μυρόμενοι, θαλερὸν δὲ κατείβετο δάκρυ παρειῶν.
    καὶ τά γε χρυσείην ἐς λάρνακα θῆκαν ἑλόντες
    πορφυρέοις πέπλοισι καλύψαντες μαλακοῖσιν.
    αἶψα δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐς κοίλην κάπετον θέσαν, αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε
    πυκνοῖσιν λάεσσι κατεστόρεσαν μεγάλοισι:
    ῥίμφα δὲ σῆμ᾽ ἔχεαν, περὶ δὲ σκοποὶ ἥατο πάντῃ,
    μὴ πρὶν ἐφορμηθεῖεν ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοί.
    χεύαντες δὲ τὸ σῆμα πάλιν κίον: αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
    εὖ συναγειρόμενοι δαίνυντ᾽ ἐρικυδέα δαῖτα
    δώμασιν ἐν Πριάμοιο διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος.

    When early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
    then the people gathered around the pyre of famous Hector;
    but when they were gathered in one place and all together,
    first they quenched the fire’s embers with gleaming wine,
    all of it, as much as the force of the fire held; but then
    Hector’s brothers and companions gathered the white bones,
    grieving, and warm tears flowed down their cheeks.
    And lifting them they placed them in a golden urn,
    covered all around with soft purple robes.
    Swiftly they set the urn into a hollow grave,
    and over it they piled huge, closely-packed stones;
    quickly they poured a funeral barrow; around it guards sat
    all night, lest the well-greaved Achaeans attack too soon.
    They piled up the grave barrow and went away; but then
    coming together they enjoyed a glorious meal
    in the home of Priam, the king nourished by Zeus.
    So they buried Hector, tamer of horses.

    Iliad 24. 788–804

    In both cases, the rhythmic and linguistic modulation lowers the tension of the passages, a respite for the audience after the dramatic scenes that precede them. Like the variation in the scale of successive episodes, this stylistic variation is further evidence of Homer’s skill at keeping his audience engaged in his long and complex narrative.

    Odysseus’s next words to his crew shatter the temporary calm:

    ὦ φίλοι, οὐ γάρ τ᾽ ἴδμεν, ὅπῃ ζόφος οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἠώς,
    οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἠέλιος φαεσίμβροτος εἶσ᾽ ὑπὸ γαῖαν,
    οὐδ᾽ ὅπῃ ἀννεῖται: ἀλλὰ φραζώμεθα θᾶσσον
    εἴ τις ἔτ᾽ ἔσται μῆτις. ἐγὼ δ᾽ οὔκ οἴομαι εἶναι.

    O friends, we know neither where the darkness is nor the dawn,
    nor yet where the sun, which brings light to mortals, goes down,
    nor where it rises. Still, we must find out as quickly as we can
    if there is still any way out for us. But I do not think there is.

    Odyssey 10. 190–93

    Not the speech one wants to hear from the captain of the ship. In the context, μῆτις (193) could mean “plan, or “strategy,” but after the Polyphemus episode, we inevitably think of the hero’s crafty triumph over that powerful monster. Insofar as that echo is in our minds, we might conclude that not only does Odysseus fear that a similar cleverness may be unavailable, but that given the punning wordplay in the episode, Homer is hinting that the trickster who embodied it will also be absent. In the event, the interlude on Aiaia will turn out to be much less threatening to the hero and his crew than they might fear. Though Circe resembles Calypso at first, with frightening consequences for some of the crew, a critical divine intervention will change the atmosphere in the witch’s domain radically, as Circe becomes part of the next big adventure, the trip to the Underworld.

    But for the moment, the poet hints at a dark and threatening future for the Greeks. By the end of Odysseus’s speech, the crew is already filled with dread, remembering what happened when they went to investigate the Cyclopes and Laestrygonians. Undaunted, the hero divides his men into two groups, one led by Eurylochus, the other by himself. Though the choice of which group will go first to scout the house in the woods is decided by lot, we are perhaps not surprised to hear that Odysseus’s group will stay behind.

     

    Further Reading

    Edwards, M.W. 1987. Homer: Poet of the Iliad, 55–60. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press. 

    ———. 2002. Sound, Sense, and Rhythm: Listening to Greek and Latin Poetry, 1–37. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

     

    179  ἐκ … καλυψάμενοι: “uncovering themselves,” tmesis > ἐκκαλύπτω. The men’s heads had been covered with their cloaks (like Odysseus himself in line 10.53).

    180  θηήσαντ(ο): 3rd pl. aor. mid. > θεάομαι

    181  τάρπησαν: “they were cheered up,” unaugmented 3rd pl. aor. pass. > τέρπω.

    181  ὀφθαλμοῖσι: with verbs of seeing, ὀφθαλμοῖσι (“with the eyes”) is a common pleonasm (Smyth 3042).

    182  τεύχοντ(ο): “prepared,” or “began to prepare,” inchoative unaugmented impf. (Smyth 1900).

    183  Lines 183–87 are highly formulaic (see, for example, 9.556–60).

    185  ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθε: “darkness came around again,” tmesis (separation of the preposition and verb in a compound verb) > ἐπέρχομαι.

    186  κοιμήθημεν: “we fell asleep,” unaugmented aor. pass. > κοιμάω.

    188  ἀγορὴν θέμενος: “calling an assembly,” “setting up an assembly”

    189  κέκλυτέ: reduplicated aor. imperat.

    189  μευ: μου

    189  μύθων: object of κέκλυτε, genitive of source

    190  ὅπῃ: "where," interrogative in indirect question introduced by ἴδμεν.

    190  ζόφος: “dusk,” supply ἐστί.

    191  εἶσ(ι): > εἶμι

    192  ἀννεῖται: “rises” > ἀνανέομαι

    192  φραζώμεθα: “let us figure out,” hortatory subj.

    192  θᾶσσον: "(as) quickly (as possible)," comparative adv. > ταχύς.

    193  εἴ …: “whether …,” indirect question

    193  μῆτις: "plan," i.e., a plan for how to proceed.

    193  εἶναι: infinitive in indirect discourse introduced by οἴομαι

    195  νῆσον: direct object of εἶδον

    195  τὴν πέρι: anastrophe (the preposition follows its noun, causing the accent on the preposition to fall back onto the first syllable). The antecedent of τὴν is νῆσον (fem.).

    195  ἐστεφάνωται: “circles (like a crown),” pf. mid./pass. The perfect denotes a permanent state (Monro 28).

    196  αὐτὴ: the island.

    197  ἔδρακον: 1st sing. aor. > δέρκομαι

    198  τοῖσιν: dative of possession

    198  φίλον ἦτορ: the singular is distributive, i.e., it can be translated as a plural (Monro 170; Smyth 998).

    199  μνησαμένοις: agrees with τοῖσι in the previous line.

    199  ἔργων: genitive with μνησαμένοις (Monro 151d.; Smyth 1356)

    201  κλαῖον: unaugmented 3rd pl. impf.

    201  λιγέως: “loudly”

    201  κατὰ … χέοντες: “shedding,” tmesis > καταχέω.

    202  ἀλλ(ά) … γάρ: “but in fact,” “but the truth is” (Monro 348; Smyth 2818).

    202  πρῆξις: “result,” i.e., their weeping got them nowhere.

    202  μυρομένοισιν: “for those weeping," substantive, dative of interest

    203–4  δίχα … / ἠρίθμεον: “I counted off … into two groups.”

    204  ὄπασσα: “I sent along.”

    205  τῶν μὲν … τῶν δ᾽: “some … the others…,” “one group … the other group.” The genitives follow the verb ἄρχω.

    206  κλήρους … πάλλομεν: “we shook lots.” Each man marked his name on a token and placed it in a helmet, which was shaken until one of the tokens was shaken out.

    206   πάλλομεν: unaugmented impf.

    207  ἐκ … ἔθορε: “jumped out,” tmesis > ἐκθρῴσκω.

    ὦκα: quickly, swiftly, fast

    ἐκκαλύπτω ἐκκαλύψω ἐκἐκάλυψα ἐκκεκάλυμμαι ἐκἐκαλύφθην: to uncover

    θίς θινός ὁ: shore, beach

    ἅλς ἁλός ὁ: salt (m.); sea (f.)

    ἀτρύγετος [–η] –ον: yielding no harvest, unfruitful

    θεάομαι θεάσομαι ἐθεσάμην ––– τεθέαμαι ἐθεσαμήθην: to look on, behold, view 180

    ἔλαφος –ου ὁ/ἡ: a deer

    θηρίον –ου τό: beast; wild beast

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

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

    νίζω νίψω ἔνιψα ––– νένιμμαι ἐνίφθην: to wash the hands

    τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about

    ἐρικυδής –ές: very famous, glorious, splendid

    δαίς δαιτός ἡ: feast, banquet, meal

    πρόπας –ασα –αν: all

    ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day

    καταδύω καταδύσω καταδέδυκα/κατέδυν καταδέδυμαι καταδεδύθην: to sink; (of the sun) to set

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

    δαίνυμι δαίσω ἔδαισα: (act.) to give a banquet, distribute (food); (mid.) to share a meal; to feast (on), eat (+ acc.)

    κρέας κρέως and κρέατος, gen. pl. κρειῶν, τό: meat, piece of meat

    ἄσπετος –ον: immense, abundant, infinite

    μέθυ –υος τό: wine, mead

    ἦμος: when, while 185

    καταδύω καταδύσω καταδέδυκα/κατέδυν καταδέδυμαι καταδεδύθην: to sink; (of the sun) to set

    κνέφας –ους τό: darkness, evening dusk, twilight

    κοιμάω κοιμήσω ἐκοίμησα κεκοίμηκα κεκοίμημαι ἐκοιμήθην: (act.) to put to bed, lull; (mid. and pass.) to go to bed, lay down

    ῥηγμίν –ῖνος ἡ: the sea breaking on the beach, surf

    ἦμος: when, while

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

    ῥοδοδάκτυλος –ον: rosy-fingered

    ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn; Dawn

    ἀγορή –ῆς ἡ: market place, assembly

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

    μῦθος –ου ὁ: spoken thing, speech, plan, story

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    ὅπῃ: in which direction, where; in what way, how 190

    ζόφος –ου ὁ: darkness; zone of darkness, (as a compass direction) west

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

    ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn; Dawn

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

    φαεσίμβροτος –ον: bringing light to mortals

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

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

    ἀνανέομαι – – – – –: to rise

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

    σκοπιά –ᾶς ἡ: a lookout-place, a mountain-peak

    παιπαλόεις –εσσα –εν: rugged

    ἀνέρχομαι ἀνελεύσομαι/ἄνειμι ἀνῆλθον ἀνελήλυθα: to go up

    πόντος –ου ὁ: sea, open sea 195

    ἀπείριτος –ον: boundless, immense

    στεφανόω στεφανώσω ἐστεφάνωσα ἐστεφάνωκα ἐστεφάνωμαι ἐστεφανώθην: to surround, crown

    χθαμαλός –ή –όν: near the ground, low, flat

    καπνός –οῦ ὁ: smoke

    δέρκομαι δέρξομαι ἐδερξάμην/ἐδρακόμην δέδορκα ––– ἐδέρχθην/ἐδράκην: to watch, observe; to see the light (be alive); to discern, notice, perceive

    δρυμός –οῦ ὁ: wood, thicket, forest (neuter pl. δρυμά)

    πυκ(ι)νός –ή –όν: thick, bushy, dense; prudent, wise, smart, shrewd

    ὕλη –ης ἡ: woods, forest; firewood

    κατακλάω κατακλάσω κατέκλασα – κατακέκλασμαι κατεκλάσθην: to break, shatter; (pass.) to be broken (figuratively of the heart or spirit)

    ἦτορ τό: the heart

    Λαιστρυγών –όνος ὁ: Laestrȳgon

    Ἀντιφάτης –ου ὁ: Antiphates, a Trojan; a Greek, son of Melampus; or, king of the Laestrȳgons

    Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops 200

    βίη –ης dat. βίηφι ἡ: violence, force

    μεγαλήτωρ –ορος: great - hearted, proud

    ἀνδροφάγος –ον: eating men

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

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

    θαλερός –ά –όν: blooming, fresh

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

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

    μύρομαι– – – – –: to burst into tears, shed tears, lament

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

    δίχα: in two parts

    ἐϋκνήμις –ιδος: having lovely greaves

    ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion

    ἀριθμέω ἀριθμήσω ἠρίθμησα ἠρίθμηκα ἠρίθμημαι ἠριθμήθην: to number, count

    ἀρχός –οῦ ὁ: a leader, chief, commander

    ὀπάζω ὀπάσσω ὤπασα: to make (accusative) come along as a companion, to take (accusative) with one

    ἄρχω ἅρξω ἦρξα ἦρχα ἦργμαι ἦρχθην: to begin, rule (+gen.) 205

    Εὐρύλοχος –ου ὁ: Eurylochus, a cousin and companion of Odysseus

    θεοειδής –ές: god-like

    κλῆρος –ου ὁ: lot, casting of lots, allotment

    κυνέη –ης ἡ: a dog skin; cap, helmet

    χαλκήρης –ες: of bronze, tipped with bronze

    πάλλω –––– ἔπηλα ––– πέπαλμαι ἐπάλην: to shake; (mid.) to cast lots

    ὦκα: quickly, swiftly, fast

    θρῴσκω θοροῦμαι ἔθορον: to leap, spring

    κλῆρος –ου ὁ: lot, casting of lots, allotment

    μεγαλήτωρ –ορος: great - hearted, proud

    Εὐρύλοχος –ου ὁ: Eurylochus, a cousin and companion of Odysseus

    article nav
    Previous
    Next

    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/x-178-207