"εἴπ᾽ ὄνομ᾽ ὅττι σε κεῖθι κάλεον μήτηρ τε πατήρ τε550
ἄλλοι θ᾽ οἳ κατὰ ἄστυ καὶ οἳ περιναιετάουσιν.
οὐ μὲν γάρ τις πάμπαν ἀνώνυμός ἐστ᾽ ἀνθρώπων,
οὐ κακὸς οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλός, ἐπὴν τὰ πρῶτα γένηται,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τίθενται, ἐπεί κε τέκωσι, τοκῆες.
εἰπὲ δέ μοι γαῖάν τε τεὴν δῆμόν τε πόλιν τε,555
ὄφρα σε τῇ πέμπωσι τιτυσκόμεναι φρεσὶ νῆες·
οὐ γὰρ Φαιήκεσσι κυβερνητῆρες ἔασιν,
οὐδέ τι πηδάλι᾽ ἔστι, τά τ᾽ ἄλλαι νῆες ἔχουσιν·
ἀλλ᾽ αὐταὶ ἴσασι νοήματα καὶ φρένας ἀνδρῶν,
καὶ πάντων ἴσασι πόλιας καὶ πίονας ἀγροὺς560
ἀνθρώπων, καὶ λαῖτμα τάχισθ᾽ ἁλὸς ἐκπερόωσιν
ἠέρι καὶ νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμέναι· οὐδέ ποτέ σφιν
οὔτε τι πημανθῆναι ἔπι δέος οὔτ᾽ ἀπολέσθαι.
ἀλλὰ τόδ᾽ ὥς ποτε πατρὸς ἐγὼν εἰπόντος ἄκουσα
Ναυσιθόου, ὃς ἔφασκε Ποσειδάων᾽ ἀγάσασθαι565
ἡμῖν, οὕνεκα πομποὶ ἀπήμονές εἰμεν ἁπάντων.
φῆ ποτὲ Φαιήκων ἀνδρῶν ἐυεργέα νῆα
ἐκ πομπῆς ἀνιοῦσαν ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ
ῥαισέμεναι, μέγα δ᾽ ἧμιν ὄρος πόλει ἀμφικαλύψειν.
ὣς ἀγόρευ᾽ ὁ γέρων· τὰ δέ κεν θεὸς ἢ τελέσειεν570
ἤ κ᾽ ἀτέλεστ᾽ εἴη, ὥς οἱ φίλον ἔπλετο θυμῷ·
ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον,
ὅππῃ ἀπεπλάγχθης τε καὶ ἅς τινας ἵκεο χώρας
ἀνθρώπων, αὐτούς τε πόλιάς τ᾽ ἐὺ ναιετοώσας,
ἠμὲν ὅσοι χαλεποί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι,575
οἵ τε φιλόξεινοι, καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής.
εἰπὲ δ᾽ ὅ τι κλαίεις καὶ ὀδύρεαι ἔνδοθι θυμῷ
Ἀργείων Δαναῶν ἠδ᾽ Ἰλίου οἶτον ἀκούων.
τὸν δὲ θεοὶ μὲν τεῦξαν, ἐπεκλώσαντο δ᾽ ὄλεθρον
ἀνθρώποις, ἵνα ᾖσι καὶ ἐσσομένοισιν ἀοιδή.580
ἦ τίς τοι καὶ πηὸς ἀπέφθιτο Ἰλιόθι πρὸ
ἐσθλὸς ἐών, γαμβρὸς ἢ πενθερός, οἵ τε μάλιστα
κήδιστοι τελέθουσι μεθ᾽ αἷμά τε καὶ γένος αὐτῶν;
ἦ τίς που καὶ ἑταῖρος ἀνὴρ κεχαρισμένα εἰδώς,
ἐσθλός; ἐπεὶ οὐ μέν τι κασιγνήτοιο χερείων585
γίγνεται, ὅς κεν ἑταῖρος ἐὼν πεπνυμένα εἰδῇ."
notes
Alcinous asks Odysseus to describe his wanderings.
550 ὅττι: “that which,” rel. pron.
550 κεῖθι: “there,” i.e., at home.
551 οἳ κατὰ ἄστυ: understand the verb εἰσί.
552 ἀνθρώπων: partitive gen.
553 ἐπὴν τὰ πρῶτα γένηται: temporal clause with subjunctive. ἐπὴν = ἐπεὶ ἄν. τὰ πρῶτα is adverbial ("first," "as soon as").
554 ἐπὶ πᾶσι τίθενται: “assign (a name) to all” (see Cunliffe ἐπί II.1.a).
554 ἐπεί κε τέκωσι: temporal clause with subjunctive.
555 τε: the first τε in the line is the untranslatable Homeric τε, here used in a command (LSJ τε C.2).
556 ὄφρα … πέμπωσι: purpose clause.
556 τῇ: “there.”
556 τιτυσκόμεναι φρεσὶ: “aiming with their minds,” modifying (and personifying) νῆες, as explained in the following lines.
557 Φαιήκεσσι: dative of possession.
557 ἔασιν: 3rd pl. pres. act. indic. >εἰμί.
559 αὐταὶ: “(the ships) themselves.”
560 πάντων: with ἀνθρώπων.
562 κεκαλυμμέναι: fem. nom. pl. pf. pass. ptc. >καλύπτω.
562 οὐδέ … σφιν / … ἔπι δέος: “they have no fear of,” with infinitive. ἔπι = ἔπεστι.
564 ἀλλὰ τόδ᾽ ὥς ποτε .. ἄκουσα: “but this (is the story) as I once heard it …”
565 ἔφασκε: introducing indirect discourse with accusative and infinitive.
565 ἀγάσασθαι: “bears a grudge against,” with dat. (LSJ ἄγαμαι II).
567 φῆ: unaugmented impf. The subject now is Poseidon.
569 ῥαισέμεναι: “(that he would) wreck,” fut. infin. > ῤαιώ, in indirect discourse. The accusative subject of the infinitive is omitted because it is the same as the subject of the main verb.
569 μέγα … ὄρος: acc., subject of the future infinitive ἀμφικαλύψειν in indirect discourse.
569 ἧμιν: dative of possession.
570 κεν θεὸς ἢ τελέσειεν / ἤ κ᾽ ἀτέλεστ᾽ εἴη: potential optatives.
573 ὅππῃ: “in what direction.”
573 ἀπεπλάγχθης: “have wandered,” 2nd sing. aor. pass. indic. >ἀποπλάζω.
573 ἵκεο: 2nd sing. aor. mid./pass. indic. >ἱκνέομαι.
574 αὐτούς τε: “both (the people) themselves …”
574 ἐὺ ναιετοώσας: "pleasant to dwell in," "well-situated" (Cunliffe ναιετάω 2).
575 ἠμὲν ὅσοι: “on the one hand, who many (were) …”
576 σφιν: dative of possession.
579 τὸν: “it,” referring to οἶτον in line 578.
580 ἵνα ᾖσι: “to be …,” purpose clause, 3rd sing. pres. subj. >εἰμί.
580 ἐσσομένοισιν: “for those to come,” lit., “for those going to be,” fut. act. (mid. in form) ptc. > εἰμί; substantive.
581 τίς … πηὸς: “some near kinsman.”
581 Ἰλιόθι πρὸ: “in front of Ilium.” πρό only follows the noun it modifies in the case of Epic forms ending in -θι (LSJ πρό B).
583 μεθ᾽ αἷμά τε καὶ γένος αὐτῶν: “after one’s own blood and kin.”
584 κεχαρισμένα εἰδώς: “with an agreeable mind,” lit. “knowing agreeable things.”
584 κεχαρισμένα: neut. acc. pl. pf. pass. ptc. > χαρίζω; substantive.
585 κασιγνήτοιο: genitive of comparison.
586 ὅς κεν … εἰδῇ: present general condition relative clause.
586 εἰδῇ: pres. act. subj. >οἶδα.
586 πεπνυμένα: neut. acc. pl. pf. pass. ptc. >πέπνυμαι; substantive, used in the same way κεχαρισμένα is used in line 584.
vocabulary
ἐκεῖθι: there, in that place 550
ἄστυ ἄστεως τό: town
περιναιετάω περιναιετήσω περιναιέτησα: to dwell round about
πάμπαν: quite, wholly, altogether
ἀνώνυμος –ον: without name, nameless
ἐσθλός –ή –όν: good
ἐπήν = ἐπεὶ ἄν: when, after
τοκεύς –έως ὁ: parent
γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district
τεός –ή –όν: = σός, 'your' 555
ὄφρα: while; until; so that; ὄφρα … τόφρα, while … for so long
τιτύσκομαι – – – – –: to make, make ready, prepare
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
Φαίαξ –ακος ὁ: a Phaeacian
κυβερνήτης –ου ὁ: a steersman, helmsman, pilot
πηδάλιον –ου τό: a rudder
νόημα –ατος τό: thought, idea, notion; mind; purpose, design, intension; device
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
πίων –ονος ὁ/ἡ: fat, plump; rich, opulent
ἀγρός –οῦ ὁ: field, arable land
λαῖτμα –ατος τό: the depths of the sea
ἅλς ἁλός ὁ: salt (m.); sea (f.)
ἐκπεράω ἐκπεράσω ἐξεπέρασα ἐκπεπέρακα ––– –––: to pass over, cross; pass through, penetrate, pierce
ἀήρ ἀέρος ὁ: mist, vapor, haze, cloud
νεφέλη –ης ἡ: cloud
καλύπτω καλύψω ἐκάλυψα κεκάλυμμαι ἐκαλύφθην: to cover, enclose
σφεῖς: they
πημαίνω πημανῶ ἐπήμηνα ––– ––– ἐπημάνθην: to bring into misery, plunge into ruin, undo
δέος –ους τό: fear
Ναυσίθοος –ου ὁ: Nausithous, a son of Poseidon, the father of Alcinous, colonizes the Phaeacians in Scheria
φάσκω impf. ἔφασκον ––– ––– ––– –––: to say, affirm, think, deem 565
Ποσειδῶν (or Ποσειδάων) –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon
ἄγαμαι ἀγασθήσομαι ἠγασάμην ἠγάσθην: to wonder, be astonished; to be jealous
οὕνεκα: on account of which, wherefore
πομπός –οῦ ὁ: a conductor, escort, guide
ἀπήμων –ον gen. –ονος: unharmed, unhurt; doing no harm; favorable
Φαίαξ –ακος: Phaeacian
εὐεργής –ές: well-wrought, well-made
πομπή –ῆς ἡ: escort, guidance; arrangement for one's departure
ἄνειμι: go up, reach; return
ἠεροειδής –ές: of dark and cloudy look, cloud-streaked
πόντος –ου ὁ: sea, open sea
ῥαίω ῥαίσω ἔρραισα ––– ––– –––: to break, shiver, shatter, wreck
ἀμφικαλύπτω ἀμφικαλύψω ἀμφεκάλυψα ἀμφικεκάλυφα ἀμφικεκάλυμμαι ἀμφεκαλύφθην: to cover all round, enwrap, enfold, contain, overshadow
ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to speak, say 570
γέρων –οντος ὁ: old man
τελέω τελῶ or τελέσω ἐτέλεσα τετέλεκα τετέλεσμαι ἐτελέσθην: to finish, complete, carry out
ἀτέλεστος –ον: unaccomplished, unfinished
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ and encl. οὑ, οἱ, ἑ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear
πέλω ––– ἔπλον ––– ––– –––: to be (the aor. has pres. signif.)
ἄγε: come! come on! well!
ἀτρεκής –ές: real, genuine, exact
καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: to recount, tell at length and in order; (mid.) καταλέχομαι to lie down
ὅπη: by which way
ἀποπλάζω ἀποπλάγξω ἀπέπλαγξα (aor. Pass.) ἀπεπλάγχθην: to divert, distract; (aor. pass.) to be diverted, get lost
ἱκνέομαι ἵξομαι ἱκόμην ––– ἷγμαι –––: to come, reach
ναιετάω νάσσομαι ἐνασσάμην ––– νένασμαι ἐνάσθην: to dwell
ἠμέν: both.. (and), as well.. (as) 575
ἄγριος –α –ον: savage; wild; fierce
φιλόξενος –ον: loving strangers, hospitable
σφεῖς: they
νόος νόου ὁ: mind, perception
θεουδής –ές: god-fearing, pious, religious
κλαίω/κλάω κλαύσομαι/κλαήσω ἔκλαυσα ––– κέκλαυμαι/κέκλαυσμαι ἐκλαύσθην: weep, cry
ὀδύρομαι ὀδυροῦμαι ὠδυράμην ––– ––– κατωδύρθην/ὠδύρθην: grieve
ἔνδοθι: within, at home
Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: Argive, of or from Argos (Greece)
Δαναοί –ῶν οἱ: the Danaans
ἠδέ: and
Ἴλιον –ου τό: Ilium
οἶτος –ου ὁ: fate, doom
τεύχω τεύξω ἔτευξα τέτευχα τέτυγμαι ἐτύχθην: to make, build, prepare, fasten; to bring about; (pass.) to be brought about, to be
ἐπικλώθω ἐπικλώσω ἐπέκλωσα – ἐπικέκλωσμαι ἐπεκλώσθην: to spin the thread of one's destiny; to assign as one's proportion or lot
ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death
ἀοιδή –ῆς ἡ: song, a singing 580
πηός –οῦ ὁ: a kinsman by marriage
ἀποφθίνω ἀποφθίσω ἀπέφθισα/ἀπέφθιθον ἀπέφθικα ἀπέφθιμαι –––: to perish utterly, die away
Ἰλιόθι: at Troy
ἐσθλός –ή –όν: good
γαμβρός –οῦ ὁ: son-in-law
πενθερός –οῦ ὁ: a father-in-law
κήδιστος –η –ον: very close to one's heart, dearest, most worthy of affection
τελέθω – – – – –: to come into being, to be quite, to be
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
χαρίζομαι χαρίσομαι ἐχαρισάμην κεχάρισμαι ––– ἐχαρίσθην: to do a kindness, favor, gratify, give freely
ἐσθλός –ή –όν: good
κασίγνητος –ου ὁ or –η –ον: a brother; adj of a brother; sibling 585
χερείων –ον: meaner, inferior
πέπνυμαι (old Epic perf. pass. of πνέω with pres. sense): to be wise, to be prudent
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
πέπνυμαι (old Epic perf. pass. of πνέω with pres. sense): to have breath