13.1–46 | Dickinson College Commentaries

ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ,

κηληθμῷ δʼ ἔσχοντο κατὰ μέγαρα σκιόεντα.

τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·

ὦ Ὀδυσεῦ, ἐπεὶ ἵκευ ἐμὸν ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ,

ὑψερεφές, τῷ σʼ οὔ τι παλιμπλαγχθέντα γʼ ὀΐω5

ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν, εἰ καὶ μάλα πολλὰ πέπονθας.

ὑμέων δʼ ἀνδρὶ ἑκάστῳ ἐφιέμενος τάδε εἴρω,

ὅσσοι ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γερούσιον αἴθοπα οἶνον

αἰεὶ πίνετʼ ἐμοῖσιν, ἀκουάζεσθε δʼ ἀοιδοῦ.

εἵματα μὲν δὴ ξείνῳ ἐϋξέστῃ ἐνὶ χηλῷ10

κεῖται καὶ χρυσὸς πολυδαίδαλος ἄλλα τε πάντα

δῶρʼ, ὅσα Φαιήκων βουληφόροι ἐνθάδʼ ἔνεικαν·

ἀλλʼ ἄγε οἱ δῶμεν τρίποδα μέγαν ἠδὲ λέβητα

ἀνδρακάς· ἡμεῖς δʼ αὖτε ἀγειρόμενοι κατὰ δῆμον

τισόμεθʼ· ἀργαλέον γὰρ ἕνα προικὸς χαρίσασθαι.15

ὣς ἔφατʼ Ἀλκίνοος, τοῖσιν δʼ ἐπιὴνδανε μῦθος.

οἱ μὲν κακκείοντες ἔβαν οἶκόνδε ἕκαστος,

ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,

νῆάδʼ ἐπεσσεύοντο, φέρον δʼ εὐήνορα χαλκόν.

καὶ τὰ μὲν εὖ κατέθηχʼ ἱερὸν μένος Ἀλκινόοιο,20

αὐτὸς ἰὼν διὰ νηὸς ὑπὸ ζυγά, μή τινʼ ἑταίρων

βλάπτοι ἐλαυνόντων, ὁπότε σπερχοίατʼ ἐρετμοῖς.

οἱ δʼ εἰς Ἀλκινόοιο κίον καὶ δαῖτʼ ἀλέγυνον.

τοῖσι δὲ βοῦν ἱέρευσʼ ἱερὸν μένος Ἀλκινόοιο

Ζηνὶ κελαινεφέϊ Κρονίδῃ, ὃς πᾶσιν ἀνάσσει.25

μῆρα δὲ κήαντες δαίνυντʼ ἐρικυδέα δαῖτα

τερπόμενοι· μετὰ δέ σφιν ἐμέλπετο θεῖος ἀοιδός,

Δημόδοκος, λαοῖσι τετιμένος. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς

πολλὰ πρὸς ἠέλιον κεφαλὴν τρέπε παμφανόωντα,

δῦναι ἐπειγόμενος· δὴ γὰρ μενέαινε νέεσθαι.30

ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἀνὴρ δόρποιο λιλαίεται, ᾧ τε πανῆμαρ

νειὸν ἀνʼ ἕλκητον βόε οἴνοπε πηκτὸν ἄροτρον·

ἀσπασίως δʼ ἄρα τῷ κατέδυ φάος ἠελίοιο

δόρπον ἐποίχεσθαι, βλάβεται δέ τε γούνατʼ ἰόντι·

ὣς Ὀδυσῆʼ ἀσπαστὸν ἔδυ φάος ἠελίοιο.35

αἶψα δὲ Φαιήκεσσι φιληρέτμοισι μετηύδα,

Ἀλκινόῳ δὲ μάλιστα πιφαυσκόμενος φάτο μῦθον·

Ἀλκίνοε κρεῖον, πάντων ἀριδείκετε λαῶν,

πέμπετέ με σπείσαντες ἀπήμονα, χαίρετε δʼ αὐτοί·

ἤδη γὰρ τετέλεσται ἅ μοι φίλος ἤθελε θυμός,40

πομπὴ καὶ φίλα δῶρα, τά μοι θεοὶ Οὐρανίωνες

ὄλβια ποιήσειαν· ἀμύμονα δʼ οἴκοι ἄκοιτιν

νοστήσας εὕροιμι σὺν ἀρτεμέεσσι φίλοισιν.

ὑμεῖς δʼ αὖθι μένοντες ἐϋφραίνοιτε γυναῖκας

κουριδίας καὶ τέκνα· θεοὶ δʼ ἀρετὴν ὀπάσειαν45

παντοίην, καὶ μή τι κακὸν μεταδήμιον εἴη.

notes

Alkinoos gives farewell gifts to Odysseus, and there is more feasting and singing. Odysseus expresses his eagerness to be on his way.

1 ἔφαθ᾽: the subject is Odysseus, who finishes telling his tale at the end of Book 12.

1 ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ: literally, “they were silently in silence,” a pleonastic (Smyth 3042) formulaic phrase found 10 times in the Iliad and 6 times in the Odyssey.

4 δῶ: δῶμα

5 τῷ: “therefore”

5 ὀΐω: “it is my intention that …” introducing indirect discourse with an accusative (σ᾽ = σε) and infinitive. With a future infinitive, ὀΐω means “mean” or “intend” (LSJ οἴομαι I). The present active form ὀΐω appears only in epic in the 1st person.

6 πέπονθας: 2nd sing. pf. act. indic. > πάσχω.

7 ὑμέων: Alkinoos now addresses the assembled Phaiacians. The pronoun is explained by lines 8–9 (ὅσσοι … ἀοιδοῦ), which stand in apposition to it.

7 ἐφιέμενος: “laying my command upon,” “enjoining,” with dative (LSJ ἐφίημι BI.1).

10 ξείνῳ: dative of interest, referring to Odysseus.

11 κεῖται: the singular verb has as its subjects the neuter plural εἵματα (10) and δῶρα (12) and the singular χρυσός (11).

12 ἔνεικαν: 3rd pl. aor. act. indic. > φέρω.

14 αὖτε: “in turn.”

15 τισόμεθ(α): “we will repay ourselves,” 1st pl. fut. mid. indic. > τίνω (LSJ τίνω II.6). The idea is that the Phaiacian nobles will give expensive gifts to Odysseus, then take up a collection from the rest of the Phaiacians to cover the cost.

15 ἀργαλέον: understand ἀργαλέον ἐστι, introducing an accusative and infinitive construction.

15 προικὸς: partitive gen., with χαρίσασθαι (LSJ χαρίζω II.2).

17 κακκείοντες: masc. nom. pl. fut. act. ptc. > κατάκειμαι. The future participle, after ἔβαν ( > βαίνω), expresses purpose (Smyth 2065). For the form κακκείοντες, an example of apocope, see Smyth 75D.

19 νῆάδ(ε): “to the ship,” νῆυς + directional suffix –δε (Autenrieth νῆυς). For the suffix, with is added to the accusative, see Smyth 342.

19 ἐπεσσεύοντο: 3rd pl. impf. pass. indic > ἐπισεύω.

20 κατέθηχ᾽: = κατέθηκε, 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > κατατίθημι.

20 ἱερὸν μένος Ἀλκινόοιο: a periphrasis (Smyth 3041) for “Alkinoos.”

21 ὑπὸ ζυγά: “under the rowing benches,” with κατέθηχ᾽ (20).

22 βλάπτοι: optative in a negative purpose clause in secondary sequence (Smyth 2196). The subject of the singular verb is the neuter plural τά (20), referrring to the gifts (δῶρα).

22 σπερχοίατ(ο): 3rd pl. pres. mid. opt. > σπέρχω. Optative in a general temporal clause (“whenever …”) in secondary sequence (Smyth 2409). For the 3rd plural ending –ατο, see Smyth 465 f. D)

23 εἰς Ἀλκινόοιο: = εἰς δῶμα Ἀλκινόοιο (Smyth 1302).

28 λαοῖσι: dative of agent with the perfect passive participle τετιμένος (Smyth 1488).

28 τετιμένος: masc. nom. sing. pf. pass. ptc. > τίω.

29 πολλὰ: “often,” adverbial.

30 ἐπειγόμενος: “eager for (accusative) to (infinitive).” For the accusative, understand τόν (“it,” referring to the sun). (LSJ ἐπε ίγω III.3.b).

31 ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ(ε): introducing a simile.

32 ἀν᾽: = ἄνα (ἀνά). A case of anastrophe (the preposition following its noun). Generally, in antistrophe, the accent of a preposition shifts to the first syllable, unless, as in this case, the final syllable is elided and the accent is omitted (Smyth 175).

32 ἕλκητον: dual pres. act. indic. > ἕλκω.

32 βόε οἴνοπε: nom. dual.

33 τῷ: pers. pron., dative of interest.

34 ἐποίχεσθαι: infinitive of purpose (Smyth 2008).

34 βλάβεται: sing., with a neuter plural subject.

34 ἰόντι: dative of interest, agreeing with τῷ (33).

35 Ὀδυσῆ(ι): the elided vowel must be the final –ι of the dative singular, making this a dative of interest parallel with τῷ (33). Such elision is not allowed in Attic Greek, but is found in Homer (Smyth 72 D).

40 τετέλεσται: the neuter plural subject is provided by the relative clause ἅ μοι φίλος ἤθελε θυμός.

41 τά … ὄλβια ποιήσειαν: two accusatives, an external object and a predicate accusative adjective, with the verb ποιέω (Smyth 1613). τά (neut. pl. rel. pron.) is the object, ὄλβια (pred. acc.) and ποιήσειαν an aorist optative of wish.

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