"ὣς φάτ᾽, ἀτάρ οἱ αὖτις ἐγὼ πόρον αἴθοπα οἶνον.360
τρὶς μὲν ἔδωκα φέρων, τρὶς δ᾽ ἔκπιεν ἀφραδίῃσιν.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ Κύκλωπα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθεν οἶνος,
καὶ τότε δή μιν ἔπεσσι προσηύδων μειλιχίοισι·
‘Κύκλωψ, εἰρωτᾷς μ᾽ ὄνομα κλυτόν, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τοι
ἐξερέω· σὺ δέ μοι δὸς ξείνιον, ὥς περ ὑπέστης.365
Οὖτις ἐμοί γ᾽ ὄνομα: Οὖτιν δέ με κικλήσκουσι
μήτηρ ἠδὲ πατὴρ ἠδ᾽ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑταῖροι.’
ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀμείβετο νηλέι θυμῷ·
‘Οὖτιν ἐγὼ πύματον ἔδομαι μετὰ οἷς ἑτάροισιν,
τοὺς δ᾽ ἄλλους πρόσθεν: τὸ δέ τοι ξεινήιον ἔσται.’370
ἦ καὶ ἀνακλινθεὶς πέσεν ὕπτιος, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
κεῖτ᾽ ἀποδοχμώσας παχὺν αὐχένα, κὰδ δέ μιν ὕπνος
ᾕρει πανδαμάτωρ· φάρυγος δ᾽ ἐξέσσυτο οἶνος
ψωμοί τ᾽ ἀνδρόμεοι· ὁ δ᾽ ἐρεύγετο οἰνοβαρείων.
καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼ τὸν μοχλὸν ὑπὸ σποδοῦ ἤλασα πολλῆς,375
ἧος θερμαίνοιτο· ἔπεσσι δὲ πάντας ἑταίρους
θάρσυνον, μή τίς μοι ὑποδείσας ἀναδύη.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ τάχ᾽ ὁ μοχλὸς ἐλάινος ἐν πυρὶ μέλλεν
ἅψεσθαι, χλωρός περ ἐών, διεφαίνετο δ᾽ αἰνῶς,
καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼν ἆσσον φέρον ἐκ πυρός, ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἑταῖροι380
ἵσταντ᾽· αὐτὰρ θάρσος ἐνέπνευσεν μέγα δαίμων.
οἱ μὲν μοχλὸν ἑλόντες ἐλάινον, ὀξὺν ἐπ᾽ ἄκρῳ,
ὀφθαλμῷ ἐνέρεισαν· ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθεν ἐρεισθεὶς
δίνεον, ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ δόρυ νήιον ἀνὴρ
τρυπάνῳ, οἱ δέ τ᾽ ἔνερθεν ὑποσσείουσιν ἱμάντι385
ἁψάμενοι ἑκάτερθε, τὸ δὲ τρέχει ἐμμενὲς αἰεί.
ὣς τοῦ ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ πυριήκεα μοχλὸν ἑλόντες
δινέομεν, τὸν δ᾽ αἷμα περίρρεε θερμὸν ἐόντα.
πάντα δέ οἱ βλέφαρ᾽ ἀμφὶ καὶ ὀφρύας εὗσεν ἀυτμὴ
γλήνης καιομένης, σφαραγεῦντο δέ οἱ πυρὶ ῥίζαι.390
ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἀνὴρ χαλκεὺς πέλεκυν μέγαν ἠὲ σκέπαρνον
εἰν ὕδατι ψυχρῷ βάπτῃ μεγάλα ἰάχοντα
φαρμάσσων· τὸ γὰρ αὖτε σιδήρου γε κράτος ἐστίν
ὣς τοῦ σίζ᾽ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐλαϊνέῳ περὶ μοχλῷ.
σμερδαλέον δὲ μέγ᾽ ᾤμωξεν, περὶ δ᾽ ἴαχε πέτρη,395
ἡμεῖς δὲ δείσαντες ἀπεσσύμεθ᾽· αὐτὰρ ὁ μοχλὸν
ἐξέρυσ᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖο πεφυρμένον αἵματι πολλῷ.
τὸν μὲν ἔπειτ᾽ ἔρριψεν ἀπὸ ἕο χερσὶν ἀλύων,
αὐτὰρ ὁ Κύκλωπας μεγάλ᾽ ἤπυεν, οἵ ῥά μιν ἀμφὶς
ᾤκεον ἐν σπήεσσι δι᾽ ἄκριας ἠνεμοέσσας.400
οἱ δὲ βοῆς ἀίοντες ἐφοίτων ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος,
ἱστάμενοι δ᾽ εἴροντο περὶ σπέος ὅττι ἑ κήδοι·
‘τίπτε τόσον, Πολύφημ᾽, ἀρημένος ὧδ᾽ ἐβόησας
νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην καὶ ἀύπνους ἄμμε τίθησθα;
ἦ μή τίς σευ μῆλα βροτῶν ἀέκοντος ἐλαύνει;405
ἦ μή τίς σ᾽ αὐτὸν κτείνει δόλῳ ἠὲ βίηφιν;’
τοὺς δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἐξ ἄντρου προσέφη κρατερὸς Πολύφημος·
‘ὦ φίλοι, Οὖτίς με κτείνει δόλῳ οὐδὲ βίηφιν.’
notes
Odysseus intoxicates the Cyclops with strong wine and bores out his eye with a red-hot stake. Polyphemus appeals to the other Cyclopes.
The seductive gift is doing its work, its fragrance “surrounding the senses” of the monster (περὶ φρένας ἤλυθεν οἶνος 362), like the alluring voices Odysseus heard when he awoke near Nausicaa and her handmaidens: ὥς τέ με κουράων ἀμφήλυθε θῆλυς ἀυτή (6.123). All is in readiness for the crucial part of the escape plan.
read full essay
Κύκλωψ, εἰρωτᾷς μ᾽ ὄνομα κλυτόν, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τοι
ἐξερέω: σὺ δέ μοι δὸς ξείνιον, ὥς περ ὑπέστης.
Οὖτις ἐμοί γ᾽ ὄνομα: Οὖτιν δέ με κικλήσκουσι
μήτηρ ἠδὲ πατὴρ ἠδ᾽ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑταῖροι.
Cyclops, you ask me my name, so I will
tell you; but you must give me my guest gift, as you promised.
My name is “Nobody.” My mother and father and all
my other companions call me “Nobody.”
Odyssey 9.364–67
This name is unique to the Odyssey’s version of the folktale (see essay on 9.318–59). In all other known variants, the monster is alone, without companions nearby, so the name trick is not needed to isolate him. (Though the Cyclopes appear elsewhere in Greek mythology as a group, Homer could presumably have put Polyphemus on the island by himself.) There is another fairly common folktale attested, in which the hero deceives a demon by telling him that his name is “Myself,” thereby heading off help when the demon calls out to his fellows. This name would have served as well as “Nobody,” if the poet’s only purpose had been to have Odysseus deceive and isolate the monster. Sorting out all the variables that went into composing the Cyclops episode is impossible at this remove in time, but clearly Homer wanted the name "Οὖτις" for his hero.
This preference makes sense because it reflects a major motif in the poem, the tension between Odysseus as famous returning hero and his deliberate choice to remain anonymous when he arrives in each new place on his way home. By keeping his identity to himself, Odysseus can learn about each new place and those who live there before he gives up any leverage that anonymity might afford him. When he feels confident about the good will of the locals, he reveals, or allows others to reveal, his identity. Each time this moment arrives at a dramatic high point, when Odysseus has “returned” from namelessness to his heroic persona, with all of its attendant advantages.
On another level, the anonymous stranger is, as we have seen (Introduction, para. 32, 42), the focal point in the poem’s implicit critique of the dominant heroic return story, in which all other considerations must give way to the imperative to restore Odysseus to his former status, symbolized by his re-assumption of the roles of king, husband, father, and son. If kleos (glory) elevates the hero above more ordinary mortals, it also isolates him. Achilles, the most famous of the heroes who went to Troy, is entirely alone except for Patroclus, whom his over-weaning pride and arrogance eventually condemn to death. In the interlude at the humble outpost of Eumaeus that follows Odysseus’s arrival on Ithaka in Book Thirteen, the benefits of namelessness are fully on display (see Introduction, sec. 23-25). Odysseus, disguised as an old beggar, forms a warm friendship with his unwitting servant, something that would not be possible for the returning king, whose status would prevent any intimacy with his social inferior. The ambiguous portrait of the glories of human civilization we have been tracing in the Cyclops episode is a part of this ongoing critique, articulated through a series of analogous polarities, civilization and savagery, anonymity and fame, centripetal and centrifugal, open and closed.
The weaponized pun works beautifully, as the other Cyclopes decline to come to the aid of Polyphemus:
"τίπτε τόσον, Πολύφημ᾽, ἀρημένος ὧδ᾽ ἐβόησας
νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην καὶ ἀύπνους ἄμμε τίθησθα;
ἦ μή τίς σευ μῆλα βροτῶν ἀέκοντος ἐλαύνει;
ἦ μή τίς σ᾽ αὐτὸν κτείνει δόλῳ ἠὲ βίηφιν;"
τοὺς δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ ἐξ ἄντρου προσέφη κρατερὸς Πολύφημος:
"ὦ φίλοι, Οὖτίς με κτείνει δόλῳ οὐδὲ βίηφιν."
“Why have you cried out so in distress, Polyphemus,
through the immortal night, and made us all sleepless?
Surely no mortal is driving off your flocks against your will?
Surely no one is killing you by force or trickery?”
Mighty Polyphemus called to them from inside the cave:
“Oh friends, Nobody is killing me with force and trickery.”
Odyssey 9.403–8
Now the full range of the pun comes into play, in the repeated phrase, μή τίς (9.405–6), which echoes μῆτις, “intelligence,” as Odysseus confirms a few verses later:
ὣς ἄρ᾽ ἔφαν ἀπιόντες, ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἐγέλασσε φίλον κῆρ,
ὡς ὄνομ᾽ ἐξαπάτησεν ἐμὸν καὶ μῆτις ἀμύμων.
So [the Cyclopes] said as they went away, and I rejoiced in my heart,
that my name and my blameless intelligence fooled him.
Odyssey 9.413–14
Nowhere else in the poem is anonymity valorized so directly: the nameless stranger is, in this instance, pure intelligence, precisely what is needed to escape the monster.
Odysseus is the first intellectual hero, who uses his mind, rather than physical force, to overcome the monster. Sophocles once again shows himself to be a careful student of the Odyssey when Oedipus conquers the Sphinx by solving a riddle: What creature walks on four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three feet in the evening? Answer: a human being. The Sophoclean hero’s name, too, continues the legacy of wordplay, containing two possible etymologies pointing to his dual identity, Οἰδίπους, from οἰδέω, “I swell up,” plus ποῦς, “foot,” something like “swollen foot,” and οἶδα, “I know,” plus ποῦς, meaning, “know-foot.” The first version points to the helpless infant, abandoned on the mountain with his ankles pierced, the second to the intellectual hero, who solves the riddle.
Further Reading
Dimock, G. “The Name of Odysseus.” Hudson Review 9: 52–70.
Murnaghan, S. 1987. Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, 77, 100. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Thalmann, W. 1992. The Odyssey: An Epic of Return, 80–88. New York: Twayne Publishers.
Tracy, S. 1990. The Story of the Odyssey, 60–61. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Van Nortwick, T. 2008. The Unknown Odysseus: Alternate Worlds in Homer’s Odyssey, 45–47. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
360 οἱ: “to him,” 3rd pers. pron. dat. sing.
360 πόρον: > πόρω, augment omitted.
361 ἀφραδίῃσιν: “in his folly,” dative of manner > ἀφραδίη [ἀφραδία], which has the same meaning in both the singular and plural.
362 ἤλυθεν: "came to" + acc. of person, a rare construction (LSJ ἔρχομαι III.2).
365 ὥς περ ὑπέστης: “as you promised” (LSJ ὑφίστημι B.II).
366 Οὖτιν: the indefinite pronoun would be οὔτινα, but dropping the final α makes it sound like a proper name.
369 ἔδομαι: dep. fut. > ἔδω.
369 οἷς: “his,” dat. pl. possessive adj. (> ἑός).
371 ἦ: “he spoke,” 3rd sing. impf. > ἠμί, signaling the close of the Cyclops’ speech.
372–73 κὰδ … / ᾕρει: “overcame (him),” tmesis (separation of the preposition and verb in a compound verb) > καθαίρεω. κὰδ = κατά.
373 φάρυγος: “from his throat,” genitive of separation.
375 ὑπὸ σποδοῦ ἤλασα: "I thrust it under the embers." an accusative would be more normal, indicating direction, see LSJ ὑπό I.2.
376 ἧος: ἕως, “until” + opt., as usual after a past tense main verb (LSJ ἕως A.I.3).
377 μή … ἀναδύη: "so they would not retreat," 3rd sing. aor. 2 > ἀναδύομαι, probably optative (Goodell 611.c), though some editors spell it ἀναδύῃ and treat it as a subjunctive (Goodell 611.b).
378 μέλλεν: unaugmented impf.
379 διεφαίνετο: “was glowing.”
381 θάρσος ... μέγα: “great courage,” neut. dir. obj.
381 ἐνέπνευσεν: “inspired” (lit., “breathed in”)
382 οἱ μὲν: “they,” looking forward to ἐγὼ δ᾽ in the next line.
383 ὀφθαλμῷ: dative of place where (Goodell 527).
383 ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθεν: looking forward to οἱ δέ τ᾽ ἔνερθεν in 385.
383 ἐρεισθεὶς: “leaning,” aor. pass. ptc. > ἐρείδω
384 δίνεον: unaugmented impf.
384 ὡς ὅτε τις τρυπῷ ... ἀνὴρ: “just as when a man bores...” τρυπῷ is apparently optative > τρυπάω = τρυπάοι. The subjunctive in a simile would be more usual (Monro 283.a).
384 δόρυ νήιον: "a ship's timber."
385 οἱ … ἔνερθεν: “and they, below” looking back to ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐφύπερθεν in 383.
385-6 ὑποσσείουσιν ... / ... ἑκάτερθε: “rotate it with a strap, grabbing on both sides,” i.e., the men rotate the drill by looping a strap around it and pulling on either side in turn.
386 τὸ δὲ: “it,” the drill.
386 τρέχει: “runs,” i.e., spins.
387 τοῦ: “his,” the Cyclops’.
387–88 ἑλόντες / δινέομεν: “we took ... and whirled.”
388 δινέομεν: unaugmented impf.
388 τὸν: refers to the stake (μοχλόν in 387).
388 θερμὸν ἐόντα: “being hot,” with τὸν.
389–90: “And the heat singed his (οἱ) eyelids and brow all around as the eyeball was burning, and its (οἱ) roots swelled to bursting in the flame” (Montgomery). οἱ in both cases is singular dative of possession of the personal pron..
390 γλήνης καιομένης: either a genitive absolute or a genitive dependent on ἀϋτμή.
390 ῥίζαι: the roots of his eye.
392 εἰν: ἐν.
392 μεγάλα: “loudly,” adverbial ( = μεγάλως).
392 ἰάχοντα: “hissing,” masc. acc. sing., agreeing with πέλεκυν (391).
392 βάπτῃ: subj., as normal in a simile (Monro 283.a).
393 τὸ γὰρ: “for this,” i.e., the tempering.
394 σίζ᾽: ἔσιζε, “hissed,” an onomatopoeia.
395 σμερδαλέον … ᾤμωξεν: “he cried out piercingly and loud.” Both σμερδαλέον and μέγα, neuter singulars, can be taken adverbially.
396 ὁ: “he,” the Cyclops.
397 ὀφθαλμοῖο: genitive of separation.
398 τὸν: “it,” the stake (μοχλόν in line 396).
398 ἀπὸ ἕο: “from himself,” gen. sing. 3rd pron. ( > ἑέ).
398 χερσὶν: instrumental dative > χείρ, with either ἔρριψεν or ἀλύων, “showing distress with his hands,” i.e., flailing his hands.
399 μεγάλ(α): “loudly,” adverbial
399 μιν ἀμφὶς: "around him," anastrophe (the prep. follows its noun, causing the accent on the preposition to fall back onto the first syllable). ἀμφίς = ἀμφί (LSJ ἀμφίς B).
401 βοῆς: genitive with ἀΐοντες (Monro 151).
402 περὶ σπέους: with ἱστάμενοι.
402 ὅττι ἑ κήδοι: indirect question with optative after a past tense main verb (Goodell 661). ὅττι = ὅ τι.
402 ἑ: acc. 3rd sing. pron. > ἑέ.
403 τίπτε τόσον … ἀρημένος: “in what great distress…” (lit., “why on earth, distressed to such an extent…”).
403 ὧδ(ε): "in this way."
404 ἄμμε: acc. pron. = ἡμᾶς.
404 τίθησθα: pres. act. indic. 2nd sing.
405 ἦ μή τίς: “surely nobody…?” ἦ introduces a question, and μή indicates that a negative answer is expected. Note the wordplay on μή τίς and Οὖτις (οὔ τις) here and in lines 408 and 410).
405 σευ … ἀέκοντος: either genitive absolute or, because true genitives absolute are rare in Homer (Monro 246), a genitive of separation with ἐλαύνει (“drives the flocks from you…”).
405 σευ: gen. personal pron. > σύ.
406 σ᾽ αὐτὸν: “you yourself.”
406 βίηφιν: the suffix -φιν indicates that the noun is used instrumentally (Smyth 280). As with δόλῳ, treat as a dative of means.
vocabulary
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ἕ: himself, herself, itself
αὖθις: again, in turn
πόρω ––– ἔπορον ––– ––– –––: to offer, furnish, supply, give; (pf. pass. 3 sing.) it is fated
αἶθοψ –οπος: flame-colored; scintillating (of wine)
οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine
τρίς: thrice
ἐκπίνω ἐκπίομαι ἐκέπιον ἐκπέπωκα ἐκπέπομαι ἐκεπόθην: to drink
ἀφραδία –ας ἡ: folly, thoughtlessness
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it
προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: speak to, address, accost
μειλίχιος [–α] –ον: gentle, mild, soothing
κλuτός –ή –όν: illustrious, glorious
ἐξεῖπον (aor.2), ἐξερέω (fut.): to say, explain 365
ξείνιον -ου τό: hospitality gift
ὑφίστημι (Ion. ὑπίστημι) ὑποστήσω ὑπέστησα: to place under; (mid.) to submit, to promise
Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτιν: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις)
κικλήσκω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to call; to summon; (pass.) to have a name, be called
ἠδέ: and
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate
νηλής –ές: pitiless, ruthless
Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις
πύματος –η –ον: hindmost, last
ἔδω ἔδομαι ἤδα ἔδηδα ἐδήδοται ἠδέσθην: to eat
ἑός ἑή ἑόν: his, her, own
πρόσθεν: before; in front of 370
ξεινήιον –ου τό: guest gift
ἠμί – – – – –: I say
ἀνακλίνω ἀνακλινῶ ἀνέκλινα ἀνακέκλικα ἀνακέκλιμαι ἀνεκλίθην: to lean
ὕπτιος –α –ον: backwards, on one’s back
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ἀποδοχμόω ἀποδοχμώσω ἀπεδοχμώσα: to bend sideways
παχύς –εῖα –ύ: thick, stout
αὐχήν –ένος ὁ: the neck, throat
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it
ὕπνος –ου ὁ: sleep
πανδαμάτωρ –ορος: the all-subduer, all-tamer
φάρυγξ φάρυγος ἡ: the throat, gullet
ἐκσεύομαι ἐκσεύσομαι ἐξέσσυμαι ἐξεσύθην: to rush out
οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine
ψωμός –οῦ ὁ: a morsel, bit
ἀνδρόμεος –α –ον: of man
ἐρεύγομαι ἐρεύξομαι ἠρευξάμην: belch out, disgorge
οἰνοβαρής –ές or οἰνοβαρείων -ονος: drunk
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole 375
σποδός –οῦ ὁ/ἡ: wood-ashes, embers
ἧος: until (= ἕως)
θερμαίνω θερμανῶ ἐθέρμανα/ἐθέρμηνα τεθέρμαγκα τεθέρμασμαι ἐθερμάνθην: to warm, heat
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
θαρσύνω θαρσυνῶ ἐθάρσυνα: to encourage, cheer
ὑποδείδω ὑποδείσομαι ὑπέδεισα ὑποδέδια/ὑποδέδοικα ––– –––: to cower under
ἀναδύομαι ἀναδύσομαι ἀνεδυσάμην or ἀνέδυν ἀνέδυκα: to lift, raise; to rise, emerge; to go back, retreat
τάχα: quickly; perhaps
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole
ἐλάϊνος –η –ον: of olive-wood
ἅπτω ἅψω ἧψα ––– ἧμμαι ἥφθην: fasten; kindle
χλωρός –ά –όν: greenish-yellow
διαφαίνω διαφανῶ διέφηνα διαπέφαγκα διαπέφασμαι διεφηνάμην: to show; to appear; (mid.-pass.) to glow
αἰνός –ή –όν: dread, grim
ἆσσον: nearer, very near 380
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
ἀτάρ: but, yet
θάρσος –ους τό: courage, boldness
ἐμπνέω ἐμπνευσοῦμαι/ἐμπνεύσομαι ἐνέπνευσα ἐμπέπνευκα ἐμπέπνευσμαι ἐνεπνεύσθην: to blow (into); to inspire, instill
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole
ἐλάϊνος –η –ον: of olive-wood
ἄκρον –ου τό: summit, peak, point
ἐνερείδω ἐνερείσω ἐνήρεισα ἐνερήρεικα/ἐνήρεικα ἐνερήρεισμαι/ἐνήρεισμαι ἐνηρείσθην: to thrust in, fix in
ἐφύπερθε: above, atop, above
ἐρείδω ἐρείσω ἤρεισα ἤρεικα ἐρήρεισμαι ἠρείσθην: to cause to lean, prop; (mid. and pass.) to prop oneself, to lean on
δινεύω and δινέω δινήσω ἐδίνησα – δεδίνημαι ἐδινήθην: to rotate, spin, move in a circle
τρυπάω τρυπήσω ἐτρύπησα – τετρύπημαι – : to bore, pierce through
δόρυ δόρατος τό: spear; timber, beam (of a ship)
νήϊος [–α] –ον: of or for a ship
τρύπανον –ου τό: a borer, auger 385
ἔνερθε: from beneath, up from below
ὑποσείω ὑποσείσω ὑπέσεισα ὑποσέσεικα ὑποσέσεισμαι ὑπεσείσθην: to put in motion, make roll back and forth
ἱμάς –άντος ὁ: a leather strap
ἅπτω ἅψω ἧψα ––– ἧμμαι ἥφθην: fasten; kindle
ἑκάτερθε: on each side, on either hand
τρέχω δραμοῦμαι ἔδραμον δεδράμηκα ––– –––: to run
ἐμμενής –ές: persevering, steadfast; (adv.) continually, unceasingly
πυριηκής –ές: with fiery point
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole
δινεύω and δινέω δινήσω ἐδίνησα – δεδίνημαι ἐδινήθην: to rotate, spin, move in a circle
περιρρέω περιρρυήσομαι περιέρρευσα περιερρύηκα: to flow round
θερμός –ή –όν: hot, warm
ἕ: himself, herself, itself
βλέφαρον –ου τό: eyelid
ὀφρύς –ύος ὁ: eyebrow
εὕω εὕσω εὗσα: to singe
ἀϋτμή –ῆς ἡ: breath, puff, air, gust
γλήνη –ης ἡ: the pupil of the eye 390
καίω καύσω ἔκαυσα –κέκαυκα κέκαυμαι ἐκαύθην: to light, kindle, burn
σφαραγέομαι – – – – –: to burn noisily, crackle; to be full, ready to burst
ἕ: himself, herself, itself
ῥίζα –ης ἡ: a root
χαλκεύς –έως ὁ: a worker in copper, a smith
πέλεκυς –εως ὁ: an axe
ἠέ: or, whether
σκέπαρνον –ου τό: a carpenter's axe
ψυχρός –ά –όν: cold, chill; heartless
βάπτω βάψω ἔβαψα ––– βέβαμμαι ἐβάφθην: to dip in water
ἰάχω – – – – –: to cry, shout, shriek, hiss
φαρμάσσω φαρμάξω ἐφάρμαξα – πεφάρμαγμαι –: to temper (metals); to treat, to heal or relieve by medicine
αὖτε: again
σίδηρος –ου ὁ: iron
κράτος –ους τό: might, power
σίζω σίξω ἐσίξα: to hiss
ἐλαΐνεος –α –ον: of olive-wood.
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole
σμερδαλέος –α –ον: dreadful 395
οἰμώζω οἰμώξομαι ᾤμωξα ––– ––– –––: to wail aloud, lament
ἰάχω – – – – –: to cry, shout, shriek, hiss
πέτρη –ης ἡ: rock, cliffs, shelf of rock
δείδω δείσομαι ἔδεισα δέδοικα (or δίδια) ––– –––: to fear
ἀποσεύω ἀποσεύσω ἀπέσσυα: (mid.-pass.) to run off, escape
ἀτάρ: but, yet
μοχλός –οῦ ὁ: lever, bar, stake, pole
ἐξερύω (Ion. ἐξειρύω) ἐξερύσω ἐξείρυσα: to draw out of
φύρω φυρήσομαι ἔφυρα ––– πέφυρμαι ἐφύρην: to wet, soak, stain
ῥίπτω ῥίζψω ἔρριψα ἔρριμμαι ἐρρίφθην: throw, cast, hurl
ἕ: himself, herself, itself
ἀλύω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to be beside oneself, distraught, frantic
ἠπύω ἠπύσω ἤπυσα ––– ––– –––: to call (in a loud voice)
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it
ἀμφίς: on both sides; apart, asunder
σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto 400
ἄκρις –ιος ἡ: a hill-top, mountain peak, hill-country
ἠνεμόεις –εσσα –εν: windy, airy
βοή –ῆς ἡ: shout
ἀΐω ἀΐσω ἤϊσα: perceive
φοιτάω φοιτήσω ἐφοίτησα πεφοίτηκα ––– –––: to go to and fro, roam; to resort to
ἄλλοθεν: from elsewhere
κήδω κηδήσω ἐκήδησα κέκηδα: to trouble, distress, vex
τίπτε: why? (τί ποτε)
τόσος –η –ον: so great, so vast
Πολύφημος –ου ὁ: Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, one of the Cyclōpes
ἀρημένος -η -ον: beaten, oppressed, prostrate
βοάω βοήσομαι ἐβόησα βεβόηκα βεβόημαι ἐβοήθην: to shout, roar
ἀμβρόσιος [–α] –ον: immortal, divine; divinely beautiful, excellent
ἄϋπνος –ον: sleepless, wakeful
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat 405
βροτός –οῦ ὁ: mortal
ἀέκων –ουσα –ον: unwillingly
κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill
δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery
βία –ας ἡ: violence, force
αὖτε: again
ἄντρον –ου τό: a cave, cavern
πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address
κρατερός –ά –όν: strong, powerful, mighty
Πολύφημος –ου ὁ: Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, one of the Cyclōpes
Οὖτις, ὁ, acc. Οὖτινς: Nobody, Noman, a fallacious name assumed by Odysseus (with a punning allusion to μήτις and μῆτις
κτείνω κτενῶ ἔκτεινα ἀπέκτονα ––– –––: kill
δόλος –ου ὁ: scheme, plot, deception, trickery
βία –ας ἡ: violence, force