εὖτʼ ἀστὴρ ὑπερέσχε φαάντατος, ὅς τε μάλιστα
ἔρχεται ἀγγέλλων φάος Ἠοῦς ἠριγενείης,
τῆμος δὴ νήσῳ προσεπίλνατο ποντοπόρος νηῦς.95
Φόρκυνος δέ τίς ἐστι λιμήν, ἁλίοιο γέροντος,
ἐν δήμῳ Ἰθάκης· δύο δὲ προβλῆτες ἐν αὐτῷ
ἀκταὶ ἀπορρῶγες, λιμένος ποτιπεπτηυῖαι,
αἵ τʼ ἀνέμων σκεπόωσι δυσαήων μέγα κῦμα
ἔκτοθεν· ἔντοσθεν δέ τʼ ἄνευ δεσμοῖο μένουσι100
νῆες ἐΰσσελμοι, ὅτʼ ἂν ὅρμου μέτρον ἵκωνται.
αὐτὰρ ἐπὶ κρατὸς λιμένος τανύφυλλος ἐλαίη,
ἀγχόθι δʼ αὐτῆς ἄντρον ἐπήρατον ἠεροειδές,
ἱρὸν νυμφάων αἱ νηϊάδες καλέονται.
ἐν δὲ κρητῆρές τε καὶ ἀμφιφορῆες ἔασιν105
λάϊνοι· ἔνθα δʼ ἔπειτα τιθαιβώσσουσι μέλισσαι.
ἐν δʼ ἱστοὶ λίθεοι περιμήκεες, ἔνθα τε νύμφαι
φάρεʼ ὑφαίνουσιν ἁλιπόρφυρα, θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι·
ἐν δʼ ὕδατʼ ἀενάοντα. δύω δέ τέ οἱ θύραι εἰσίν,
αἱ μὲν πρὸς Βορέαο καταιβαταὶ ἀνθρώποισιν,110
αἱ δʼ αὖ πρὸς Νότου εἰσὶ θεώτεραι· οὐδέ τι κείνῃ
ἄνδρες ἐσέρχονται, ἀλλʼ ἀθανάτων ὁδός ἐστιν.
ἔνθʼ οἵ γʼ εἰσέλασαν, πρὶν εἰδότες· ἡ μὲν ἔπειτα
ἠπείρῳ ἐπέκελσεν, ὅσον τʼ ἐπὶ ἥμισυ πάσης,
σπερχομένη· τοῖον γὰρ ἐπείγετο χέρσʼ ἐρετάων·115
οἱ δʼ ἐκ νηὸς βάντες ἐϋζύγου ἤπειρόνδε
πρῶτον Ὀδυσσῆα γλαφυρῆς ἐκ νηὸς ἄειραν
αὐτῷ σύν τε λίνῳ καὶ ῥήγεϊ σιγαλόεντι,
κὰδ δʼ ἄρʼ ἐπὶ ψαμάθῳ ἔθεσαν δεδμημένον ὕπνῳ,
ἐκ δὲ κτήματʼ ἄειραν, ἅ οἱ Φαίηκες ἀγαυοὶ120
ὤπασαν οἴκαδʼ ἰόντι διὰ μεγάθυμον Ἀθήνην.
καὶ τὰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ πυθμένʼ ἐλαίης ἀθρόα θῆκαν
ἐκτὸς ὁδοῦ, μή πώς τις ὁδιτάων ἀνθρώπων,
πρίν γʼ Ὀδυσῆʼ ἔγρεσθαι, ἐπελθὼν δηλήσαιτο·
αὐτοὶ δʼ αὖτʼ οἶκόνδε πάλιν κίον. οὐδʼ ἐνοσίχθων125
λήθετʼ ἀπειλάων, τὰς ἀντιθέῳ Ὀδυσῆϊ
πρῶτον ἐπηπείλησε, Διὸς δʼ ἐξείρετο βουλήν·
Ζεῦ πάτερ, οὐκέτʼ ἐγώ γε μετʼ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι
τιμήεις ἔσομαι, ὅτε με βροτοὶ οὔ τι τίουσιν,
Φαίηκες, τοί πέρ τοι ἐμῆς ἔξ εἰσι γενέθλης.130
καὶ γὰρ νῦν Ὀδυσῆʼ ἐφάμην κακὰ πολλὰ παθόντα
οἴκαδʼ ἐλεύσεσθαι· νόστον δέ οἱ οὔ ποτʼ ἀπηύρων
πάγχυ, ἐπεὶ σὺ πρῶτον ὑπέσχεο καὶ κατένευσας.
οἱ δʼ εὕδοντʼ ἐν νηῒ θοῇ ἐπὶ πόντον ἄγοντες
κάτθεσαν εἰν Ἰθάκῃ, ἔδοσαν δέ οἱ ἄσπετα δῶρα,135
χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε ἅλις ἐσθῆτά θʼ ὑφαντήν,
πόλλʼ, ὅσʼ ἂν οὐδέ ποτε Τροίης ἐξήρατʼ Ὀδυσσεύς,
εἴ περ ἀπήμων ἦλθε, λαχὼν ἀπὸ ληΐδος αἶσαν.
notes
The Phaiacians rowers reach Ithaca and leave Odysseus, still sound asleep, safely on the beach. Poseidon complains to Zeus about Odysseus’s special treatment.
93 ὑπερέσχε: “rose,” 3rd sing. aor. act. indic. > ὑπερέχω (LSJ ὑπερέχω II.1).
95 νήσῳ: dat., with the compound verb προσεπίλνατο (Smyth 1545).
98 ποτιπεπτηυῖαι: “folded around” “enclosing,” “sloping down towards,” fem. nom. sing. pf. act. ptc. > προσπτήσσω (LSJ προσπτήσσω). ποτι– is an alternative Homeric form of προσ–, and the verb takes a genitive by virtue of this prefix (Smyth 1695).
104 ἱρὸν: “under the divine protection of,” with genitive (LSJ ἱερός II.3.a).
105 ἐν: “inside,” that is, in the cave. Adverbial. Also in 107 and 109.
109 οἱ: dative of possession, referring to the cave.
110 αἱ μὲν … αἱ δ᾽: “the one (door) … and the other (door).” With the word θύραι, the plural is regularly used for both the singular (Smyth 1000a).
110 καταιβαταὶ: understand the verb εἰσί (111).
111 κείνῃ: dative with the compound verb ἐσέρχονται (112).
113 οἵ: the Phaiacian rowers.
113 ἡ: the ship.
114 ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπὶ ἥμισυ πάσης: “as far as up to half of the whole,” “halfway onto the shore.” For the use of ἐπί, see LSJ ἐπί C.I.2.c.
115 τοῖον: “in such a way,” adverbial acc.
115 χέρσ(ι): dative of means.
118 αὐτῷ σύν: “with … and all.” For αὐτῷ in the comitative dative (with or without σύν) meaning “and all,” see Cunliffe αὐτός 4.
119 κὰδ … ἔθεσαν: 3rd pl. aor. act. indic., tmesis > κατατίθημι.
120 ἐκ … ἄειραν: 3rd pl. aor. act. indic., tmesis > ἐξαείρω (LSJ ἐξαίρω).
121 ἰόντι: referring to Odysseus (understand Ὀδυσῆι ἰόντι). Indirect object of ὤπασαν.
122 τὰ: demonstrative, referring to τα κτήματα (120).
123 πρίν γ᾽ Ὀδυσῆ᾽ ἔγρεσθαι: for πρίν with accusative and infinitive, see Smyth 2453b.
130 τοί πέρ τοι: “the very ones who after all.” τοί is a relative pronoun, referring to the Phaiacians, and πέρ (Smyth 2965) and τοι (Smyth 2984) are enclitic particles.
130 ἐμῆς ἔξ εἰσι γενέθλης: Poseidon is the paternal grandfather of Alkinoos and the great-grandfather of Arete (see 7.55–66 for the genealogy).
131 νῦν: νῦν can mean “now” (temporal), or “as it is” (emphasizing the existing state of affairs, LSJ νῦν I.4). The latter meaning is probably appropriate here.
132 ἀπηύρων: 1st sing. impf. act. indic. > ἀπαυράω (Autenrieth, Cunliffe), ἀπούρας (LSJ). The verb has no attested 1st person singular present active indicative form. The verb takes the construction “to take away (acc.) from (dat.).”
134 οἱ δ᾽: “but they (the Phaiacians).” The δέ is adversative (Smyth 2835).
134 εὕδοντ(α): referring to Odysseus (understand Ὀδυσῆα εὕδοντα).
135 οἱ: masc. dat. sing. pron.
137 Τροίης: “out of Troy,” genitive governed by the ἐξ– in ἐξήρατο.
137 ἐξήρατ(ο): 3rd sing. impf. mid. indic. > LSJ ἐξαίρω (Autenrieth ἐξάρνυμαι). The imperfect + ἂν indicating past potential (“could have,” Smyth 1784).