19.277–316 | Dickinson College Commentaries

οἱ μὲν πάντες ὄλοντο πολυκλύστῳ ἐνὶ πόντῳ·

τὸν δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπὶ τρόπιος νεὸς ἔκβαλε κῦμʼ ἐπὶ χέρσου,

Φαιήκων ἐς γαῖαν, οἳ ἀγχίθεοι γεγάασιν,

οἳ δή μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσαντο280

καί οἱ πολλὰ δόσαν πέμπειν τέ μιν ἤθελον αὐτοὶ

οἴκαδʼ ἀπήμαντον. καί κεν πάλαι ἐνθάδʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς

ἤην· ἀλλʼ ἄρα οἱ τό γε κέρδιον εἴσατο θυμῷ,

χρήματʼ ἀγυρτάζειν πολλὴν ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἰόντι·

ὣς περὶ κέρδεα πολλὰ καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων285

οἶδʼ Ὀδυσεύς, οὐδʼ ἄν τις ἐρίσσειε βροτὸς ἄλλος.

ὥς μοι Θεσπρωτῶν βασιλεὺς μυθήσατο Φείδων·

ὤμνυε δὲ πρὸς ἔμʼ αὐτόν, ἀποσπένδων ἐνὶ οἴκῳ,

νῆα κατειρύσθαι καὶ ἐπαρτέας ἔμμεν ἑταίρους,

οἳ δή μιν πέμψουσι φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν.290

ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ πρὶν ἀπέπεμψε· τύχησε γὰρ ἐρχομένη νηῦς

ἀνδρῶν Θεσπρωτῶν ἐς Δουλίχιον πολύπυρον.

καί μοι κτήματʼ ἔδειξεν, ὅσα ξυναγείρατʼ Ὀδυσσεύς·

καί νύ κεν ἐς δεκάτην γενεὴν ἕτερόν γʼ ἔτι βόσκοι,

ὅσσα οἱ ἐν μεγάροις κειμήλια κεῖτο ἄνακτος.295

τὸν δʼ ἐς Δωδώνην φάτο βήμεναι, ὄφρα θεοῖο

ἐκ δρυὸς ὑψικόμοιο Διὸς βουλὴν ἐπακούσαι,

ὅππως νοστήσειε φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν

ἤδη δὴν ἀπεών, ἤ ἀμφαδὸν ἦε κρυφηδόν.

ὣς ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἐστὶ σόος καὶ ἐλεύσεται ἤδη300

ἄγχι μάλʼ, οὐδʼ ἔτι τῆλε φίλων καὶ πατρίδος αἴης

δηρὸν ἀπεσσεῖται· ἔμπης δέ τοι ὅρκια δώσω.

ἴστω νῦν Ζεὺς πρῶτα, θεῶν ὕπατος καὶ ἄριστος,

ἱστίη τʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἀμύμονος, ἣν ἀφικάνω·

ἦ μέν τοι τάδε πάντα τελείεται ὡς ἀγορεύω.305

τοῦδʼ αὐτοῦ λυκάβαντος ἐλεύσεται ἐνθάδʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,

τοῦ μὲν φθίνοντος μηνός, τοῦ δʼ ἱσταμένοιο.

τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια·

αἲ γὰρ τοῦτο, ξεῖνε, ἔπος τετελεσμένον εἴη·

τῷ κε τάχα γνοίης φιλότητά τε πολλά τε δῶρα310

ἐξ ἐμεῦ, ὡς ἄν τίς σε συναντόμενος μακαρίζοι.

ἀλλά μοι ὧδʼ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ὀΐεται, ὡς ἔσεταί περ·

οὔτʼ Ὀδυσεὺς ἔτι οἶκον ἐλεύσεται, οὔτε σὺ πομπῆς

τεύξῃ, ἐπεὶ οὐ τοῖοι σημάντορές εἰσʼ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

οἷος Ὀδυσσεὺς ἔσκε μετʼ ἀνδράσιν, εἴ ποτʼ ἔην γε,315

ξείνους αἰδοίους ἀποπεμπέμεν ἠδὲ δέχεσθαι.

notes

The stranger assures Penelope that Odysseus will return home.

278 τὸν: Odysseus.

270 ἐπὶ τρόπιος νεὸς: “on the ship’s keel.” In Book 12 (421–24), after the loss of his men, Odysseus lashes together the fragments of the mast and keel and rides them to the shore of Ogygia, Calypso’s island. In telling the story to Penelope, he skips over the Calypso episode.

279 γεγάασιν: 3rd pl. pf. act. indic. > γίγνομαι.

282 κεν … / ἤην: “would have been,” κε + impf., expressing unfulfilled past potential (Smyth 1784). ἤην = ἦν.

283 εἴσατο: “it seemed,” 3rd sing. aor. mid. indic. > εἴδομαι.

285 περὶ: “beyond all other (gen.),” “more than all other (gen.),” with καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων (LSJ περί A.III).

286 ἐρίσσειε: “would rival,” understand “him” (οἱ, since the verb takes a dative, Smyth 1461) as the object.

288–92 = 14.331–35, with one change: ὤμνυε, impf. (19.288), for ὤμοσε, aor. (14.331).

288 ὤμνυε: “he was swearing that (acc.) had (pf. infin.)…,” indirect discourse (LSJ ὄμνυμι II.2).

288 πρὸς ἔμ᾽ αὐτόν: “before me myself,” “in my very presence” (LSJ πρός C.I.7).

289 κατειρύσθαι: pf. pass. infin. > κατερύω. νῆα is the accusative subject of the infinitive (in indirect discourse introduced by ὤμνυε, see note on line 331).

289 ἐπαρτέας: pred. adj.

289 ἔμμεν: εἶναι.

291 πρὶν: “first,” “before (he sent Odysseus).”

291 ἀπέπεμψε: the subject is Pheidon, the king of the Thesprotians (line 287).

291 τύχησε … ἐρχομένη: “happened to be starting …,” “was just starting …” (LSJ τυγχάνω II.1, Smyth 1873, 2096).

293 = 14.323.

294–99 = 14.325–30, with these changes: ὅσσα (19.295) for τόσσα (14.326); φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν (19.298) for Ἰθάκης ἐς πίονα δῆμον (14.329).

294 ἐς δεκάτην γενεὴν ἕτερόν: “one after the other, up to the tenth generation …”

296 τὸν: Odysseus.

296 Δωδώνην: Dodona, in Epirus, was the site of an ancient oracle of Zeus, who somehow spoke through an oak tree (δρῦς) (ToposText Dodona).

298 νοστήσει(ε) : opt., in indirect question.

301 ἄγχι μάλ(α): “soon” (Cunliffe ἄγχι 2).

302 ἀπεσσεῖται: 3rd sing. fut. mid. indic. > ἄπειμι.

304–7 = 14.159–62.

305 τελείεται: 3rd sing. pres. mid. indic. > τελέω. This is the “oracular present” (Smyth 1882).

306 τοῦδ᾽ αὐτοῦ λυκάβαντος: genitive of time within which an action takes place (Smyth 1444). The meaning of λυκάβας is uncertain: (a) Cunliffe defines it as “the period of time in which daylight comes and goes again” (that is, a day) and brackets this line, since “on this very day” seems inappropriate in the context, (b) Autenrieth defines it as year, (c) LSJ defines it as “year,” or possibly “month,” (d) Brill cautiously defines it as “a temporal cycle, month, year” (Logeion λυκάβας).

307 τοῦ μὲν φθίνοντος μηνός, τοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένοιο: “while one lunar month is waning, and the other is beginning.” Genitive of time within which, or genitive absolute. For the meaning of ἵστημι, see LSJ ἵστημι B.III.4.

309–11 = 15.536–38.

312 μοι ὧδ᾽ ἀνὰ θυμὸν ὀΐεται: “so it seems to me in my heart,” the only instance in Homer of ὀΐεται used in an impersonal constuction.

314 τεύξῃ: “will you obtain for yourself (gen.),” 2nd sing. fut. mid. indic. > τυγχάνω (Smyth 1350, for the use with a genitive).

316 ἀποπεμπέμεν ἠδὲ δέχεσθαι: infinitives of purpose.

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