τὴν δ᾽ αὖτε προσέειπε διάκτορος ἀργεϊφόντης:145

"οὕτω νῦν ἀπόπεμπε, Διὸς δ᾽ ἐποπίζεο μῆνιν,

μή πώς τοι μετόπισθε κοτεσσάμενος χαλεπήνῃ."

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη κρατὺς ἀργεϊφόντης:

ἡ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα πότνια νύμφη

ἤι᾽, ἐπεὶ δὴ Ζηνὸς ἐπέκλυεν ἀγγελιάων.150

τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς εὗρε καθήμενον: οὐδέ ποτ᾽ ὄσσε

δακρυόφιν τέρσοντο, κατείβετο δὲ γλυκὺς αἰὼν

νόστον ὀδυρομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη.

ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι νύκτας μὲν ἰαύεσκεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ

ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι παρ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ:155

ἤματα δ᾽ ἂμ πέτρῃσι καὶ ἠιόνεσσι καθίζων

δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων

πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων.

ἀγχοῦ δ᾽ ἱσταμένη προσεφώνεε δῖα θεάων·

"κάμμορε, μή μοι ἔτ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ὀδύρεο, μηδέ τοι αἰὼν160

φθινέτω: ἤδη γάρ σε μάλα πρόφρασσ᾽ ἀποπέμψω.

ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε δούρατα μακρὰ ταμὼν ἁρμόζεο χαλκῷ

εὐρεῖαν σχεδίην· ἀτὰρ ἴκρια πῆξαι ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς

ὑψοῦ, ὥς σε φέρῃσιν ἐπ᾽ ἠεροειδέα πόντον.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ σῖτον καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ οἶνον ἐρυθρὸν165

ἐνθήσω μενοεικέ᾽, ἅ κέν τοι λιμὸν ἐρύκοι,

εἵματά τ᾽ ἀμφιέσω· πέμψω δέ τοι οὖρον ὄπισθεν,

ὥς κε μάλ᾽ ἀσκηθὴς σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηαι,

αἴ κε θεοί γ᾽ ἐθέλωσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,

οἵ μευ φέρτεροί εἰσι νοῆσαί τε κρῆναί τε."170

ὣς φάτο, ῥίγησεν δὲ πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,

καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

"ἄλλο τι δὴ σύ, θεά, τόδε μήδεαι, οὐδέ τι πομπήν,

ἥ με κέλεαι σχεδίῃ περάαν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης,

δεινόν τ᾽ ἀργαλέον τε· τὸ δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ νῆες ἐῖσαι175

ὠκύποροι περόωσιν, ἀγαλλόμεναι Διὸς οὔρῳ.

οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἐγὼν ἀέκητι σέθεν σχεδίης ἐπιβαίην,

εἰ μή μοι τλαίης γε, θεά, μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι

μή τί μοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο." 

ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ Καλυψὼ δῖα θεάων,180

χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζεν·

"ἦ δὴ ἀλιτρός γ᾽ ἐσσὶ καὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλια εἰδώς,

οἷον δὴ τὸν μῦθον ἐπεφράσθης ἀγορεῦσαι.

ἴστω νῦν τόδε γαῖα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε

καὶ τὸ κατειβόμενον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, ὅς τε μέγιστος185

ὅρκος δεινότατός τε πέλει μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι,

μή τί τοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο.

ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν νοέω καὶ φράσσομαι, ἅσσ᾽ ἂν ἐμοί περ

αὐτῇ μηδοίμην, ὅτε με χρειὼ τόσον ἵκοι·

καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ νόος ἐστὶν ἐναίσιμος, οὐδέ μοι αὐτῇ190

θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι σιδήρεος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐλεήμων."

    Kalypso tells Odysseus she will send him safely on his way. Odysseus is suspicious of her intentions, and makes her swear an oath that she has no further plans to harm him. 

    Hermes departs, no doubt relieved. After his elaborate entrance, one verse is enough to get him offstage (148). His brief but vivid appearance has served Homer’s purposes and now he can vanish. The poet turns his attention to the relationship between Calypso and Odysseus, a charged one, as we now discover. She finds him on the seashore:

    read full essay

    τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς εὗρε καθήμενον: οὐδέ ποτ᾽ ὄσσε
    δακρυόφιν τέρσοντο, κατείβετο δὲ γλυκὺς αἰὼν
    νόστον ὀδυρομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη.
    ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι νύκτας μὲν ἰαύεσκεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ
    ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι παρ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ:
    ἤματα δ᾽ ἂμ πέτρῃσι καὶ ἠιόνεσσι καθίζων
    δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων
    πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων.

    She found him sitting on the shore; nor were his eyes
    ever dry of tears, and his sweet life ebbed away
    as he wept for a way home, since the nymph no longer pleased.
    But night after night he slept beside her in the hollow cave
    by necessity; she wanted him, but he was unwilling.
    Sitting every day on the rocky seashore,
    tearing his heart out with tears and groans and sorrow
    as he gazed, weeping, upon the barren sea.

    Odyssey 5.151–58

    After witnessing her wrenching exchange with Hermes, we know that Calypso loves Odysseus, and now we might wonder how he feels about her. The phrase, οὐκέτι ἥνδανε (153) would seem to settle the issue. But the adverb also casts some doubt perhaps on how long he has been suffering under the nymph’s sway and might make us curious about what their life together was like before he withdrew his affections. This relationship, which we are seeing played out before us, seems to have a complicated history and stirs a tickle of curiosity: He is “unwilling” (154) now. What broke the spell for Odysseus? What kind of control did Calypso have over him? Did he once love her or was it only a physical bond? Was the sex always “forced” (ἀνάγκῃ, 154)? The answers, if we could have them, would make no difference to the advancing of the plot. But the mere suggestion that there is this kind of complicated backstory charges the rest of their interactions with tension, which Homer will use to deepen his portrait of Odysseus and his loving captor.

    If we had any doubt about Calypso’s continuing love for Odysseus, her first words to him remove it:

    "κάμμορε, μή μοι ἔτ᾽ ἐνθάδ᾽ ὀδύρεο, μηδέ τοι αἰὼν
    φθινέτω: ἤδη γάρ σε μάλα πρόφρασσ᾽ ἀποπέμψω.”

    “Poor fellow, please do not mourn any longer, nor waste
    your life away, since I will send you on with my whole heart.”

    Odyssey 5.160–61

    Though hemmed in by Zeus’s command, the nymph presumably still has plenty of leverage in this relationship and could take out her anger toward the gods on Odysseus. Her obvious affection shows her rising above those impulses. Not only will she not stand in the way of his leaving, but—contrary to the spirit of her response to Hermes—she will help him build a boat to sail away in. In response, Odysseus is alarmingly blunt. Rather than acknowledging Calypso’s solicitous affection, he lashes out. The goddess’s offer looks like another plot against him! He does not trust her to keep her promise and demands that she swear an oath not to harm him. These words seem to signal either recklessness or despair, hardly evidence of the smooth talker we have been led to expect. Is he willing to risk never leaving the island?

    We needn’t have worried:

    ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ Καλυψὼ δῖα θεάων,
    χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζεν·
    "ἦ δὴ ἀλιτρός γ᾽ ἐσσὶ καὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλια εἰδώς,
    οἷον δὴ τὸν μῦθον ἐπεφράσθης ἀγορεῦσαι."

    So he spoke and Calypso, shining among goddesses, smiled,
    caressing him with her hand and speaking to him by name.
    “You are naughty and no fool besides,
    the way you speak to me and reason with me.”

    Odyssey 5.180–83

    The dynamic between the two here resembles Odysseus’s exchanges with Athena, his most passionate advocate, in Book 13 (13.287–351). In both cases, the hero’s suspicion is met by affection, amusement at his cheekiness, and even a certain admiration. Athena will be by his side the rest of the way home, clearing the way for his triumph in Ithaka. Because both Calypso and Athena have power over Odysseus, their forbearance carries a whiff of the maternal. We will learn in Book 11 that the hero’s mother Antikleia is already dead but her ghost still yearns for him and worries over his future. Other female figures fill the role of ally and protector in her absence, Calypso, Leukothea, Nausicaa, Arete, Circe. In each of these cases, the primary role these characters play is not maternal, and the resulting relationships reflect an array of emotions along a continuum from sexual desire to familial affection. Odysseus’s journey home is punctuated by his interactions with powerful female figures, whose attentions are sometimes welcome to him, sometimes not—and sometimes both at the same time (see the Sirens, 12.39–54; 165220). And all of them are partial realizations of his bond to Penelope. Through its hero’s many encounters with the feminine on his journey home, the Odyssey offers the richest meditation on the relationship between men and women in all of Greek literature. As Odysseus and Calypso spend their last day together, the portrait of their bond will deepen yet more.

     

    Further Reading

    Dimock, G. 1989. The Unity of the Odyssey, 63–75. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press.

    Pucci, P. 1979. “The Song of the Sirens.” Arethusa 12: 121–132.

    Van Nortwick, T. 2008. The Unknown Odysseus: Alternate Worlds in Homer’s Odyssey, 18–19. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

     

    146  ἐποπίζεο: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. dep. imperat. > ἐποπίζομαι.

    147 μή … χαλεπήνῃ: negative purpose clause. 3rd sing. aor. act. subj. > χαλεπαίνω.

    147  τοι: “at you.”

    150  ἤι[α]: impf. > εἶμι.

    150  Ζηνὸς: gen. ( = Διός).

    150  ἀγγελιάων: fem. gen. pl. ( > ἀγγελία) with ἐπέκλυεν, which takes a genitive.

    152  δακρυόφιν: “from tears,” dat.

    152  κατείβετο: “was flowing away,” “was slipping away.”

    153  ὀδυρομένῳ: “(for him) while he was grieving for … ” The participle agrees with an unexpressed pronoun (i.e., οἱ) referring to Odysseus.

    154  νύκτας: “during the nights,” accusative of extent of time.

    154  ἰαύεσκεν: unaugmented 3rd sing. iterative impf. act. indic.

    155  παρ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ: “unwillingly beside the willing nymph.” παρ᾽ modifies ἐθελούσῃ.

    156  ἤματα: accusative of extent of time (like νύκτας in 154).

    156  ἂμ: = ἀνά.

    157  a repetition of line 83.

    158  a repetition of line 84.

    160  μοι: "on my account," ethical dat.

    160  ὀδύρεο: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. dep. imperat. > ὀδύρομαι.

    160 αἰὼν / φθινέτω: “let your life waste away.” 

    160  φθινέτω: 3rd sing. pres. act. imperat. > φθίω.

    162  δούρατα: “planks,” acc. pl. > δόρυ.

    162  ταμὼν: “having cut,” masc. nom. sing. aor. act. ptc. > τέμνω / τάμνω.

    162  ἁρμόζεο: “bind together,” 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. imperat. > ἁρμόζω.

    163  πῆξαι: aor. infin. > πήγνυμι, used as an imperative.

    164  φέρῃσιν: 3rd sing. pres. act. subj. > φέρω; subjunctive in a purpose clause introduced by ὥς.

    166  ἐνθήσω: 1st sing. fut. act. indic. > ἐντίθημι.

    166  μενοεικέ(α): neut. acc. pl., encompassing all of the singular neuter nouns in line 165.

    166  ἅ κέν … ἐρύκοι: the potential optative in the relative clause ("which would stave off hunger") has the force of a relative clause of purpose ("to stave off hunger"). The singular verb has the neuter plural relative pronoun as its subject. See Monro 304.1.

    167  εἵματά τ᾽ ἀμφιέσω: “and I will clothe you” (lit., “I will clothe you in clothes,” with εἵματά as an internal accusative). 

    167  ἀμφιέσω: 1st sing. fut. act. indic. > ἀμφιέννυμι.

    168  a repetition of line 144 (with σὴν for ἣν).

    169  αἴ κε θεοί γ᾽ ἐθέλωσι: the protasis of a future more vivid conditional (αἴ κε ( = ἐάν) + subj.), with the apodosis replaced with the purpose clause in line 168.

    169  τοὶ: “who,” relative clause (the antecedent is θεοί).

    170  μευ: = μου, genitive of comparison with φέρτεροί.

    170  νοῆσαί τε κρῆναί τε: “at planning and accomplishing.” Epexegtical infinitives defining the meaning of the adjective φέρτεροί (Smyth 2001).

    173  ἄλλο τι … τόδε μήδεαι: “you plot this thing as something else,” “you have something else in mind.” 

    173  μήδεαι: 2nd sing. pres. mid./pass. dep. indic. > μήδομαι.

    174  : “you who …,” rel. pron.

    174  σχεδίῃ: “on a raft,” dative of place where (or instrumental, “with a raft”).

    174  περάαν: pres. infin. act. > περάω.

    175  τὸ δ᾽ … ἐπὶ: “but over this (i.e., the sea).”

    175  ἐῗσαι: = ἶσαι, "balanced."

    177  οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἐγὼν … ἐπιβαίην, … / εἰ μή μοι τλαίης …: future less vivid conditional.

    177  σχεδίης: “on the raft,” gen., with ἐπιβαίην.

    178  εἰ μή: “unless”

    178  ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι / μή … βουλευσέμεν: “to swear an oath not to plot.” The verb ὄμνυμι can be followed by (μή +) the future infinitive to indicate what is being sworn (LSJ ὄμνυμι ΙΙ.2).

    179  τί … ἄλλο: “any other.”

    181  ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζεν: “uttered it aloud,” tmesis > ἐξονομάζω. ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζεν is a common line-ending formula in Homer.

    183  οἷον …: “that …,” “seeing as how …” In Homer, οἷος “introduces the reason for saying what is said” (LSJ οἷος A.II.3).

    184  ἴστω νῦν τόδε γαῖα…: “let the earth now know this…” (i.e., “I swear by the earth,” etc.). The nominatives γαῖα, οὐρανὸς, and ὕδωρ are all the subjects of the 3rd person imperative ἴστω.

    187  μή … βουλευσέμεν: “that I will not plot…” A repetition of line 179. On the construction μή + infin. in the swearing of an oath, see Smyth 2716.

    188  ἅσσ(α) ἂν ἐμοί περ / αὐτῇ μηδοίμην: “whatever I would plan even for myself,” “as I would plan even for myself.” Indefinite relative clause.

    188  ἅσσα: neut. pl. indefinite rel. pron. ( = ἅτινα).

    189  ὅτε με χρειὼ τόσον ἵκοι: “whenever the need comes to me to such an extent.” General temporal clause. τόσον is adverbial, modifying ἵκοι.

    190  ἐμοὶ … μοι: datives of possession.

    αὖτε: in turn, moreover, still, again, on the other hand145

    προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost

    διάκτορος –ου ὁ: the Messenger

    Ἀργειφόντης –ου ὁ: slayer of Argus, epithet of Hermes

    ἀποπέμπω ἀποπέμψω ἀπέπεμψα ἀποπέπομφα ἀποπέπεμμαι ἀπεπέμφθην: send away

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    ἐποπίζομαι – – – – : to regard with awe, to reverence

    μῆνις –ιος ἡ: wrath, anger

    μετόπισθε: afterwards, later, in the future

    κοτέω κοτήσω ἐκότησα, perf. part. κεκοτηώς: to bear a grudge against, to be angry or indignant at

    χαλεπαίνω χαλεπανῶ ἐχαλέπηνα ἐχαλεπάνθην: to be severe, sore, grievous

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: make a sound, speak

    ἀποβαίνω ἀποβήσομαι ἀποέβην ἀποβέβηκα ––– –––: to leave, go away

    κρατύς –ύος: strong, mighty

    Ἀργειφόντης –ου ὁ: slayer of Argus, epithet of Hermes

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

    μεγαλήτωρ –ορος: great - hearted, proud

    πότνια –ας ἡ: mistress, queen

    νύμφη –ης ἡ: a young wife, bride; nymph, a divinity of waters or woods

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus150

    ἐπικλύω/ἐπακούω ἐπακούσομαι ἐπήκουσα ἐπακήκοα: listen to, hear (cp ἐπακούω)

    ἀγγελία –ας ἡ: a message, tidings, news

    ἄρα: now, then, next, thus

    ἀκτή –ῆς ἡ: headland, foreland, promontory

    κάθημαι καθήσομαι ––– ––– ––– ––– imp ἐκαθήμην: be seated, sit; reside

    ὄσσε, τώ: eyes [neuter dual nom./acc]

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    τέρσομαι τερσήσομαι ἐτέρσην: to be or become dry

    κατείβω – – – – : to let flow down, shed

    γλυκύς γλυκεῖα γλυκύ: sweet, pleasant

    αἰών –ῶνος ὁ: life, lifetime, time

    νόστος –ου ὁ: return (home)

    ὀδύρομαι ὀδυροῦμαι ὠδυράμην ––– ––– κατωδύρθην/ὠδύρθην: grieve

    ἁνδάνω ἁδήσω ἅδον/ἕαδον ἅδηκα/ἕαδα: to please, delight, gratify

    νύμφη –ης ἡ: a young wife, bride; nymph, a divinity of waters or woods

    τοι: let me tell you, surely

    ἰαύω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sleep, to pass the night

    σπέος gen. σπείους, dat. σπῆι, pl. dat. σπέσσι and σπήεσσι, τό: a cave, cavern, grotto155

    γλαφῠρός –ά –όν: hollow, deep

    ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day

    πέτρη –ης ἡ: rock, cliffs, shelf of rock

    ἠϊών –όνος ἡ: shore, beach

    καθίζω (Ion. κατίζω) καθιῶ (Ion. κατίσω) καθῖσα/ἐκάθισα (or κατῖσα) κεκάθικα: to sit down; to set, place

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

    στοναχή –ῆς ἡ: a groaning, wailing

    ἄλγος –ους τό: pain

    ἐρέχθω – – – – : to rend, break

    πόντος –ου ὁ: sea, open sea

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

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

    δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear

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

    ἀγχοῦ: near, nigh

    προσφωνέω προσφωνήσω προσεφώνησα ––– ––– –––: to call

    δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining

    θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess

    κάμμορος –ον: ill-fated160

    ἐνθάδε: to here, to there

    ὀδύρομαι ὀδυροῦμαι ὠδυράμην ––– ––– κατωδύρθην/ὠδύρθην: grieve

    αἰών –ῶνος ὁ: life, lifetime, time

    φθίω φθίσω έφθίκα ––– έφθιμαι έφθίμην: to decay, wane, dwindle

    πρόφρασσα (fem. only): kindly, gracious

    ἀποπέμπω ἀποπέμψω ἀπέπεμψα ἀποπέπομφα ἀποπέπεμμαι ἀπεπέμφθην: send away

    ἄγε: come! come on! well!

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

    ἁρμόζω ἁρμόσω ἥρμοσα ἥρμοκα ἥρμοσμαι ἡρμόσθην: to fit together, join

    χαλκός –οῦ ὁ: bronze, copper, weapon

    εὐρύς –εῖα –ύ: broad

    σχεδία –ας ἡ: a raft, float

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently

    ἴκρια –ων τά: the half-decks

    πήγνυμι πήξω ἔπηξα ––– πέπηγμαι ἐπάγην: to stick, implant, fix

    ὑψοῦ: aloft, on high, afloat

    ἠεροειδής –ές: of dark and cloudy look, cloud-streaked

    πόντος –ου ὁ: sea, open sea

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet, consequently165

    σῖτος –ου ὁ: grain; bread

    οἶνος –ου ὁ: wine

    ἐρυθρός –ά –όν: red

    ἐντίθημι ἐνθήσω ἐνέθηκα ἐντέθεικα/ἐντέθηκα ἐντέθειμαι/ἔγκειμαι ἐνετέθην: to put in

    μενοεικής –ές: pleasing, splendid, lavish

    λιμός –οῦ ὁ/ἡ: hunger

    ἐρύκω ἐρύξω ἔρυξα/ἤρυξα/ἐρύκακον/ἠρύκακον: to keep in, hold back, keep in check, curb, restrain

    εἷμα –ατος τό: clothing

    ἀμφιάζω ἀμφιάσω ἠμφίασα: to clothe

    οὖρος –ου ὁ: a fair wind

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

    ἀσκηθής –ές: unhurt, unharmed, unscathed

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    ἱκνέομαι ἵξομαι ἱκόμην ––– ἷγμαι –––: to come, reach

    εὐρύς –εῖα –ύ: broad

    φέριστος –η –ον: better, bravest, more valiant170

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

    κραίνω κρανῶ ἔκρανα ––– ––– ἐκράνθην: to accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass

    ῥιγέω ῥιγώσω ἐρρίγωσα ἐρρίγωκα: to shiver

    πολύτλας –αντος: having borne much, much-enduring

    δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining

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

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

    φωνέω φωνήσω ἐφώνησα πεφώνηκα πεφώνημαι ἐφωνήθην: make a sound, speak

    πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged

    προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: to speak to, address, accost

    θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess

    μήδομαι μήσομαι ἐμησάμην: to meditate, prepare, plot

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

    κέλομαι κελήσομαι ἐκελησάμην ἐκεκλόμην: command, urge on, exhort, call to

    σχεδία –ας ἡ: a raft, float

    περάω περάσω (or περῶ) ἐπέρασα πεπέρακα ––– –––: to cross, go across; to penetrate

    λαῖτμα –ατος τό: the depths of the sea

    ἀργαλέος –α –ον: hard to endure or deal with, difficult175

    ὠκύπορος –ον: quick-going

    περάω περάσω (or περῶ) ἐπέρασα πεπέρακα ––– –––: to cross, go across; to penetrate

    ἀγάλλω ἀγαλῶ ἤγηλα: to make glorious, glorify, exalt

    Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus

    οὖρος –ου ὁ: a fair wind

    ἀέκητι: against one's will

    σχεδία –ας ἡ: a raft, float

    ἐπιβαίνω ἐπιβήσομαι ἐπέβην ἐπιβέβηκα ––– –––: to go on, enter, step up, mount, board (a ship) + gen.

    τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare; to have the courage (+ infin.); (part.) τετληώς

    θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess

    ὅρκος –ου ὁ: oath

    ὄμνυμι (or ὀμνύω) ὀμοῦμαι ὤμοσα ὀμώμοκα ὀμώμο(σ)μαι ὠμόθην: to swear

    πῆμα –ατος τό: suffering, misery, calamity, woe, bane; cause of suffering

    μειδάω μειδήσω ἐμείδησα: to smile180

    Καλυψώ –οῦς ἡ: Calypso, a goddess, daughter of Atlas

    δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining

    θεά –ᾶς ἡ: goddess

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

    καταρρέζω καταρρέξω κατέρεξα: to pat with the hand, to stroke, caress

    ἀλιτρός –όν: sinful, sinning

    ἀποφώλιος –ον: empty, vain, idle, useless, fruitless

    οἷος –α –ον: (such a kind) as; for οἷός τε see οἷος III.2

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

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

    ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say

    γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district

    εὐρύς –εῖα –ύ: broad

    ὕπερθεν: from above

    κατείβω – – – – : to let flow down, shed185

    Στύξ Στυγός ἡ: the Styx

    ὅρκος –ου ὁ: oath

    πέλω ––– ἔπλον ––– ––– –––: to be (the aor. has pres. signif.)

    μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods

    πῆμα –ατος τό: suffering, misery, calamity, woe, bane; cause of suffering

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

    μήδομαι μήσομαι ἐμησάμην: to meditate, prepare, plot

    χρεώ (or χρειώ) –οῦς ἡ: want, need, necessity

    τόσος –η –ον: so great, so vast

    ἵκω ἱξῶ ἷξον/ἷξα ἷγμαι: to come to

    νόος νόου ὁ: mind, perception190

    ἐναίσιμος –ον: fateful (bringing omens); just, righteous

    στῆθος –ους τό: breast, chest; (pl.) heart, spirit

    σιδήρεος –α –ον: made of iron

    ἐλεήμων –ον: pitiful, merciful, compassionate

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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/v-145-191