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Then the goddess, flashing-eyed¹ Athena, answered him: 45 “Father of us all, thou son of Cronos, high above all lords, aye, verily that man lies low in a destruction that is his due; so, too, may any other also be destroyed who does such deeds. But my heart is torn for wise Odysseus, hapless man, who far from his friends has long been suffering woes 50 in a sea-girt isle, where is the navel of the sea. 'Tis a wooded isle, and therein dwells a goddess, daughter of Atlas of baneful mind, who knows the depths of every sea, and himself holds the tall pillars which keep earth and heaven apart. 55 His daughter it is that keeps back that wretched, sorrowing man; and ever with soft and wheedling words she beguiles him that he may forget Ithaca . But Odysseus, in his longing to see were it but the smoke leaping up from his own land, yearns to die. Yet thy 60 heart doth not regard it, Olympian. Did not Odysseus beside the ships of the Argives offer thee sacrifice without stint in the broad land of Troy ? Wherefore then didst thou conceive such wrath² against him, O Zeus?” Then Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, answered her and said: “My child, what a word has escaped the barrier of thy teeth? 65 How should I, then, forget godlike Odysseus, who is beyond all mortals in wisdom, and beyond all has paid sacrifice to the immortal gods, who hold broad heaven? Nay, it is Poseidon, the earth-enfolder, who is ever filled with stubborn wrath because of the Cyclops, whom Odysseus blinded of his eye— 70 even the godlike Polyphemus, whose might is greatest among all the Cyclopes; and the nymph Thoosa bore him, daughter of Phorcys who rules over the unresting³ sea; for in the hollow caves she lay with Poseidon. From that time forth Poseidon, the earth-shaker, 75 does not indeed slay Odysseus, but makes him a wanderer from his native land. But come, let us who are here all take thought of his return, that he may come home; and Poseidon will let go his anger, for he will in no wise be able, against all the immortal gods and in their despite, to contend alone.”

Odyssey. Homer. A. T. Murray (Translator). London. 1919.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Odyssey (English) (Homer. The Odyssey, Volume 1-2. Murray, A. T. (Augustus Taber), translator. London: William Heinmann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1919.)

Editions (1)

Ὀδύσσεια Perseus (Homer. The Odyssey, Volume 1-2. Murray, A. T. (Augustus Taber), editor. London: William Heinmann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1919.) — 1.44 focus

τὸν δʼ ἠμείβετʼ ἔπειτα θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·

ὦ πάτερ ἡμέτερε Κρονίδη, ὕπατε κρειόντων,

καὶ λίην κεῖνός γε ἐοικότι κεῖται ὀλέθρῳ·

ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι·

ἀλλά μοι ἀμφʼ Ὀδυσῆι δαΐφρονι δαίεται ἦτορ,

δυσμόρῳ, ὃς δὴ δηθὰ φίλων ἄπο πήματα πάσχει

νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ, ὅθι τʼ ὀμφαλός ἐστι θαλάσσης.

νῆσος δενδρήεσσα, θεὰ δʼ ἐν δώματα ναίει,

Ἄτλαντος θυγάτηρ ὀλοόφρονος, ὅς τε θαλάσσης

πάσης βένθεα οἶδεν, ἔχει δέ τε κίονας αὐτὸς

μακράς, αἳ γαῖάν τε καὶ οὐρανὸν ἀμφὶς ἔχουσιν.

τοῦ θυγάτηρ δύστηνον ὀδυρόμενον κατερύκει,

αἰεὶ δὲ μαλακοῖσι καὶ αἱμυλίοισι λόγοισιν

θέλγει, ὅπως Ἰθάκης ἐπιλήσεται· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεύς,

ἱέμενος καὶ καπνὸν ἀποθρῴσκοντα νοῆσαι

ἧς γαίης, θανέειν ἱμείρεται. οὐδέ νυ σοί περ

ἐντρέπεται φίλον ἦτορ, Ὀλύμπιε. οὔ νύ τʼ Ὀδυσσεὺς

Ἀργείων παρὰ νηυσὶ χαρίζετο ἱερὰ ῥέζων

Τροίῃ ἐν εὐρείῃ; τί νύ οἱ τόσον ὠδύσαο, Ζεῦ;

τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.

πῶς ἂν ἔπειτʼ Ὀδυσῆος ἐγὼ θείοιο λαθοίμην,

ὃς περὶ μὲν νόον ἐστὶ βροτῶν, περὶ δʼ ἱρὰ θεοῖσιν

ἀθανάτοισιν ἔδωκε, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν;

ἀλλὰ Ποσειδάων γαιήοχος ἀσκελὲς αἰεὶ

Κύκλωπος κεχόλωται, ὃν ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀλάωσεν,

ἀντίθεον Πολύφημον, ὅου κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον

πᾶσιν Κυκλώπεσσι· Θόωσα δέ μιν τέκε νύμφη,

Φόρκυνος θυγάτηρ ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο μέδοντος,

ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι Ποσειδάωνι μιγεῖσα.

ἐκ τοῦ δὴ Ὀδυσῆα Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων

οὔ τι κατακτείνει, πλάζει δʼ ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης.

ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ, ἡμεῖς οἵδε περιφραζώμεθα πάντες

νόστον, ὅπως ἔλθῃσι· Ποσειδάων δὲ μεθήσει

ὃν χόλον· οὐ μὲν γάρ τι δυνήσεται ἀντία πάντων

ἀθανάτων ἀέκητι θεῶν ἐριδαινέμεν οἶος.

Translations (8)

Odyssey Perseus (Homer. The Odyssey: rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902, translator. Revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. London: A.C. Fifield, 1900.) — 1.44 focus

44 Then Athena said, "Father, son of Kronos, King of kings, it served Aigisthos right, and so it would any one else who does as he did; but Aigisthos is neither here nor there; it is for Odysseus that my heart bleeds, when I think of his sufferings in that lonely sea-girt island, far away, poor man, from all his friends. It is an island covered with forest, in the very middle of the sea, and a goddess lives there, daughter of the magician Atlas, who looks after the bottom of the ocean, and carries the great columns that keep heaven and earth asunder. This daughter of Atlas has got hold of poor unhappy Odysseus, and keeps trying by every kind of blandishment to make him forget his home, so that he is tired of life, and thinks of nothing but how he may once more see the smoke of his own chimneys. You, sir, take no heed of this, and yet when Odysseus was before Troy did he not propitiate you with many a burnt sacrifice? Why then should you keep on being so angry with him?"

63 And Zeus said, "My child, what are you talking about? How can I forget Odysseus than whom there is no more capable man on earth [in regard to noos], nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live in heaven? Bear in mind, however, that Poseidon is still furious with Odysseus for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus king of the Cyclopes. Polyphemus is son to Poseidon by the nymph Thoosa, daughter to the sea-king Phorkys; therefore though he will not kill Odysseus outright, he torments him by preventing him from his homecoming [ nostos]. Still, let us lay our heads together and see how we can help him to return; Poseidon will then be pacified, for if we are all of a mind he can hardly stand out against us."

80 And Athena said, "Father, son of Kronos, King of kings, if, then, the gods now mean that Odysseus should get home, we should first send Hermes to the Ogygian island to tell Calypso that we have made up our minds and that he is to have his homecoming [ nostos]. In the meantime I will go to Ithaca , to put heart into Odysseus' son Telemakhos; I will embolden him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak out to the suitors of his mother Penelope, who persist in eating up any number of his sheep and oxen; I will also conduct him to Sparta and to Pylos , to see if he can hear anything about the return [ nostos] of his dear father - for this will give him genuine fame [ kleos] throughout humankind."

96 So saying she bound on her glittering golden sandals, imperishable, with which she can fly like the wind over land or sea; she grasped the redoubtable bronze-shod spear, so stout and sturdy and strong, wherewith she quells the ranks of heroes who have displeased her, and down she darted from the topmost summits of Olympus , whereon forthwith she was in the dêmos of Ithaca , at the gateway of Odysseus' house, disguised as a visitor, Mentes, chief of the Taphians, and she held a bronze spear in her hand. There she found the lordly suitors seated on hides of the oxen which they had killed and eaten, and playing draughts in front of the house. Men-servants and pages were bustling about to wait upon them, some mixing wine with water in the mixing-bowls, some cleaning down the tables with wet sponges and laying them out again, and some cutting up great quantities of meat.

English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Butler, rev. Nagy et al., 2020)) — 1.44 focus

Then owl-vision Athena said, [45] “Father, son of Kronos, King of kings, it served Aegisthus right, and so it would any one else who does as he did; but Aegisthus is neither here nor there; it is for high-spirited Odysseus that my heart bleeds, when I think of [50] his sufferings in that lonely sea-girt island, far away, poor man, from all his friends. It is an island covered with forest, in the very middle of the sea, and a goddess lives there, daughter of the magician Atlas, who looks after the bottom of the ocean, and carries the great columns that keep the sky and earth asunder. [55] This daughter of Atlas has got hold of poor unhappy Odysseus, and keeps trying by every kind of blandishment to make him forget his home, so that he is tired of life, and thinks of nothing but how he may once more see the smoke of his own chimneys. You, sir, [60] take no heed of this, and yet when Odysseus was at Troy did he not propitiate you with many a burnt sacrifice? Why then should you keep on being so angry with him?”

And Zeus said, “My child, what are you talking about? [65] How can I forget godlike Odysseus than whom there is no more capable man on earth [in regard to noos], nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live in the sky? Bear in mind, however, that earth-encircler Poseidon is still furious with Odysseus for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus, king of the Cyclopes. [70] Polyphemus is son to Poseidon, shaker of the earth, by the nymph Thoösa, daughter to the sea-king Phorkys; therefore though he will not [75] kill Odysseus outright, he torments him by preventing him from his homecoming [ nostos]. Still, let us lay our heads together and see how we can help him to return; Poseidon will then be pacified, for if we are all of a mind he can hardly stand out against us.”

[80]

English (William Cullen Bryant, 1873) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cullen Bryant, 1873)) — 1.44 focus

Pallas, the blue-eyed goddess, thus replied: -

"O father, son of Saturn, king of kings!

Well he deserved his death. So perish all

Guilty of deeds like his! But I am grieved

For sage Ulysses, that most wretched man,

So long detained, repining, and afar

From those he loves, upon a distant isle

Girt by the waters of the central deep, -

A forest isle, where dwells a deity

The daughter of wise Atlas, him who knows

The ocean to its utmost depths, and holds

Upright the lofty columns which divide

The earth from heaven. The daughter there detains

The unhappy chieftain, and with flattering words

Would win him to forget his Ithaca.

Meanwhile, impatient to behold the smokes

That rise from hearths in his own land, he pines

And willingly would die. Is not thy heart,

Olympius, touched by this? And did he not

Pay grateful sacrifice to thee beside

The Argive fleet in the broad realm of Troy?

Why then, O Jove, art thou so wroth with him?"

Then answered cloud-compelling Jove: “My child,

What words have passed thy lips? Can I forget

Godlike Ulysses, who in gifts of mind

Excels all other men, and who has brought

Large offerings to the gods that dwell in heaven ?

Yet he who holds the earth in his embrace,

Neptune, pursues him with perpetual hate

Because of Polypheme, the Cyclops, strong

Beyond all others of his giant race,

Whose eye Ulysses had put out. The nymph

Thoosa brought him forth, - a daughter she

Of Phorcys, ruling in the barren deep,

And in the covert of o'erhanging rocks

She met with Neptune. For this cause the god

Who shakes the shores, although he slay him not,

Sends forth Ulysses wandering far away

From his own country. Let us now consult

Together and provide for his return,

And Neptune will lay by his wrath, for vain

It were for one like him to strive alone

Against the might of all the immortal gods."

100

English (Alexander Pope, 1726, ed. Watson, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Alexander Pope, 1726, ed. Watson, 1858)) — 1.44 focus

Here paus'd the god; and pensive thus replies

Minerva, graceful with her azure eyes:

MINERVA

O thou! from whom the whole creation springs,

The source of power on earth deriv'd to kings!

'His death was equal to the direful deed;
60

So may the man of blood be doom'd to bleed!

'But grief and rage alternate wound my breast

For brave Ulysses, still by fate oppress'd.

'Amidst an isle,¹ around whose rocky shore

The forests murmur, and the surges roar,
65

The blameless hero from his wish'd-for home

A goddess guards in her enchanted dome:

'(Atlas her sire, to whose far-piercing eye

'The wonders of the deep expanded lie;

Th' eternal columns which on earth he rears
70

'End in the starry vault, and prop the spheres.)

By his fair daughter is the chief confin'd,

'Who soothes to dear delight his anxious mind:

Successless all her soft caresses prove,

'To banish from his breast his country's love;
75

To see the smoke from his lov'd palace rise,

'While the dear isle in distant prospect lies,

With what contentment could he close his eyes!

'And will Omnipotence neglect to save

'The suffering virtue of the wise and brave?
80

'Must he, whose altars on the Phrygian shore

'With frequent rites, and pure, avow'd thy power

'Be doom'd the worst of human ills to prove,

'Unbless'd, abandon'd to the wrath of Jove?'

JUPITER

Daughter! what words have pass'd thy lips unweigh'd!
85

'Deem not unjustly by my doom oppress'd,

Of human race the wisest and the best.

'Neptune, by prayer repentant rarely won,

'Afflicts the chief, t' avenge his giant son,

'Whose visual orb Ulysses robb'd of light;
90

'Great Polypheme, of more than mortal might!

'Him young Thoösa bore (the bright increase

'Of Phorcys, dreaded in the sounds and seas ;)

Whom Neptune ey'd with bloom of beauty bless'd,

'And in his cave the yielding nymph compress'd.
95

'For this, the god constrains the Greek to roam,

'A hopeless exile from his native home,

'From death alone exempt-but cease to mourn ;

Let all combine t' achieve his wish'd return:

'Neptune aton'd, his wrath shall now refrain,
100

'Or thwart the synod of the gods in vain.'

MINERVA

English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Hobbes, 1667, ed. Molesworth 1843)) — 1.44 focus

Then Pallas moved on Ulysses' part,

And said, O Father Jove, the king of kings,

Ægistus' fate was fit for his desert,

So let them perish all that do such things.

'Tis for Ulysses that I live in pain,

Poor man, long absent from his friends, forlorn,

In a small isle, the centre of the main ;

Kept from his home, doth nought but grieve and mourn.

The isle is beautified with goodly trees.

And in it dwells a nymph. Her father's name

Atlas, that all the depths of the ocean sees,

And beareth up the pillars of the same,

And heaven and earth to boot. His daughter 'tis

That with fair words and gentle courtesy

Detains Ulysses. And her meaning is

For ever there to have his company.

Whilst he, alas! e'en dies for very grief.

To see the smoke of Ithaca he wishes,

And would take that for some, though small relief.

And yet you are not mov'd. Were not Ulysses

His sacrifices on the Trojan shore

Both free and bountiful ? They were, you know:

In th' Argive camp, I dare say, no man's more.

Why, therefore, Father, should you hate him so ?

To her the mighty Jove made this reply.

Child, what a word is this that you let fall ?

Do I neglect Ulysses, or do I

Ulysses hate, that amongst mortals all

For wisdom and for piety excels ?

Neptune, that backs and shakes the earth, 'tis he

Whose breast with anger and revenge still swells

Against him, for his son's calamity,

The godlike Polypheme, Cyclops the great,

Whom on Thoosa, Phorcys' daughter brave,

Neptune the king of waters did beget,

Embracing her within a hollow cave ;

And him Ulysses has depriv'd of sight.

For which, though Neptune do not him destroy,

He crosses him with dangers day and night,

And drives him up and down out of his way.

But well, let us that are assembled now

Bethink us how to bring him home. 'Tis odds

'Twill cool his rage. He has not strength enough

T' oppose the power of all the other Gods.

English (George Chapman, 1667, ed. Hooper 1857) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (George Chapman, 1667, ed. Hooper 1857)) — 1.44 focus

Pallas, whose eyes did sparkle like the skies,

Answer'd: "O Sire! Supreme of Deities,

Ægisthus past his fate, and had desert

To warrant our infliction; and convert

May all the pains such impious men inflict

On innocent sufferers to revenge as strict,

Their own hearts eating. But, that Ithacus,

Thus never meriting, should suffer thus,

I deeply suffer. His more pious mind

Divides him from these fortunes. Though unkind

Is piety to him, giving him a fate

More suffering than the most unfortunate,

So long kept friendless in a sea-girt soil,

Where the sea's navel is a sylvan isle,

In which the Goddess dwells that doth derive

Her birth from Atlas, who of all alive

The motion and the fashion doth command

With his wise mind, whose forces understand

The inmost deeps and gulfs of all the seas,

Who (for his skill of things superior) stays

The two steep columns that prop earth and heaven.

His daughter 'tis, who holds this homeless-driven

Still mourning with her; evermore profuse

Of soft and winning speeches, that abuse

And make so languishingly, and possest

With so remiss a mind her loved guest,

Manage the action of his way for home.

Where he, though in affection overcome,

100

In judgment yet more longs to show his hopes,

His country's smoke leap from her chimney tops,

And death asks in her arms. Yet never shall

Thy lov'd heart be converted on his thrall,

²³⁴

Austere Olympius. Did not ever he,

105

In ample Troy, thy altars gratify,

And Grecians' fleet make in thy offerings swim?

O Jove, why still then burns thy wrath to him?"

The Cloud-assembler answer'd: "What words fly,

Bold daughter, from thy pale of ivory?

110

As if I ever could cast from my care

Divine Ulysses, who exceeds so far

All men in wisdom, and so oft hath given

To all th' Immortals throned in ample heaven

So great and sacred gifts? But his decrees,

115

That holds the earth in with his nimble knees,

Stand to Ulysses' longings so extreme,

For taking from the God-foe Polypheme

His only eye; a Cyclop, that excelled

All other Cyclops, with whose burden swell'd

120

The nymph Thoosa, the divine increase

Of Phorcys' seed, a great God of the seas.

She mix'd with Neptune in his hollow caves,

And bore this Cyclop to that God of waves.

For whose lost eye, th' Earth-shaker did not kill

125

Erring Ulysses, but reserves him still

In life for more death. But use we our powers,

And round about us cast these cares of ours,

⁵⁶⁷

All to discover how we may prefer

His wished retreat, and Neptune make forbear

130

His stern eye to him, since no one God can,

In spite of all, prevail, but 'gainst a man."

English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (William Cowper, 1791, ed. Southey)) — 1.44 focus

Whom answer'd then Pallas cærulean-eyed.

Oh Jove, Saturnian Sire, o'er all supreme !

And well he merited the death he found;

So perish all who shall, like him, offend.

But with a bosom anguish-rent I view

Ulysses, hapless Chief, who from his friends

Remote, affliction hath long time endured

In yonder wood-land isle, the central boss

Of Ocean. That retreat a Goddess holds,

Daughter of sapient Atlas, who the abyss

Knows to its bottom, and the pillars high

Himself upbears which separate earth from heaven.

His daughter, there, the sorrowing Chief detains,

And ever with smooth speech insidious seeks

To wean his heart from Ithaca; meantime

Ulysses, happy might he but behold

The smoke ascending from his native land,

Death covets. Canst thou not, Olympian Jove!

At last relent? Hath not Ulysses oft

With victims slain amid Achaia's fleet

Thee gratified while yet at Troy he fought?

How hath he then so deep incensed thee, Jove?

To whom the cloud-assembler God replied.

What word hath pass's thy lips, Daughter beloved?

Can I forget Ulysses? Him forget

So noble, who in wisdom all mankind

Excels, and who hath sacrificed so oft

To us whose dwelling is the boundless heaven?

Earth-circling Neptune—He it is whose wrath

Pursues him ceaseless for the Cyclops' sake

Polypheme, strongest of the giant race,

Whom of his eye Ulysses hath deprived.

For Him, Thoösa bore, Nymph of the sea

From Phorcys sprung, by Ocean's mighty power

Impregnated in caverns of the Deep.

E'er since that day, the Shaker of the shores,

Although he slay him not, yet devious drives

Ulysses from his native isle afar.

Yet come—in full assembly his return

Contrive we now, both means and prosperous end;

So Neptune shall his wrath remit, whose power

In contest with the force of all the Gods

Exerted single, can but strive in vain.

100

English (H. B. Cotterill, 1911) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (H. B. Cotterill, 1911)) — 1 focus

ODYSSEY BOOK I

SING, O Muse, of the man so wary and wise, who in far lands

Wandered whenas he had wasted the sacred town of the Trojans.

Many a people he saw and beheld their cities and customs,

Many a woe he endured in his heart as he tossed on the ocean,

Striving to win him his life and to bring home safely his comrades.

Ah but he rescued them not, those comrades, much as he wished it.

Ruined by their own act of infatuate madness they perished,

Fools that they were—who the cows of the sun-god, lord Hyperion,

Slaughtered and ate; and he took from the men their day of returning.

Sing—whence-ever the lay—sing, Zeus-born goddess, for us too!

Now were all of the rest of the Greeks who had 'scaped from destruction

Safely at home and secure from the dangers of war and the ocean,

All but the one, whom yearning in vain for his wife and his homeland

Still did the beautiful goddess, the sea-nymph lady Calypso,

Hold in her hollow caves, with a longing to make him her husband.

Ay and at last, when the year in the slow revolution of seasons

Came, in the which, as the gods had ordained, he returned to his country,

Ithaca's isle, e'en then was he nowise free from his troubles,

Though once more with his own; and the gods were touched with compassion,

All but Poseidaon, who was ever unceasingly angered

Raging at godlike Odysseus and keeping him far from his homeland.

Now was he gone to revisit the far-off Aethiop people—

Aethiop people that dwell wide-sundered, furthest of mortals,

Some where sinks Hyperion to rest, some where he ariseth.

Here he expected of rams and of oxen a solemn oblation,

Here he rejoiced as he sat at the feast. But the other immortals

Unto the mansion of Zeus the Olympian gathered together.

Then in the midst brake silence the Father of men and immortals,

Since in the depths of his heart he remembered the noble Aegisthus

Slaughtered by King Agamemnon's son, far-famous Orestes;

Mindful of him these words he addressed to the gods everlasting:

"Verily! how these mortals of earth give blame to the heaven!

Evil is sent by the gods, they affirm! It is they that in folly,

Ay in the madness of folly, o'erleaping their destiny, seek it.

Thus did Aegisthus, in spite of his fate predestined, in madness

Marry the wife of Atrides and murdered her lord at his coming.

Fully he knew of the doom that impended for this we foretold him,

Sending him Hermes, the keen-eyed Slayer of Argus, to warn him

Neither to murder the man nor his wife to solicit as suitor :

Else shall Orestes repay for his father a terrible vengeance

After the days of his youth, when he learneth to long for his homeland.

Such was the warning of Hermes, but nowise heeded Aegisthus

Well-meant counsel—and now he hath paid all reckonings fully."

Him forthwith gave answer the grey-eyed goddess Athene:

"Father of Gods, O mighty Cronion, the highest of Monarchs!

Truly he lies o'erwhelmed by a doom that he merited richly.

Thus too perish whoever of men such deed shall accomplish !

Ah but the heart in my bosom is rent for the wileful Odysseus.

Hard is his fate: long years doth he ceaselessly suffer affliction

Far from his home on a sea-girt isle: 'tis the navel of ocean,

Even this isle well-wooded, whereon hath dwelling a goddess,

Daughter of Atlas, the wizard of bale, who of every ocean

Knoweth the watery depths, and alone upholdeth the pillars

Soaring aloft and keeping the earth and heaven asunder.

This is the god whose daughter a wretched and sorrowing mortal

Keepeth, and ever with soft and with flattering words of endearment

Charms him, to make him forgetful of Ithaca's isle ; and Odysseus

Yearns to behold once more but the smoke rise eddying upward

Out of the land of his birth—and he longeth to die. But within thee

All unmoved is thy spirit, Olympian. What! did Odysseus

Ne'er by the ships of the Greeks do honour to thee with oblations,

There, on the Trojan plain? Then why so wroth at the man, Zeus?"

Her then in turn gave answer the Father who gathers the storm-clouds:

"Nay but my child, what word from the door of thy lips hath escaped thee !

How am I likely to cease to remember the godlike Odysseus,

Him who in mind all mortals excels and in giving oblation

Unto the gods everlasting who dwell in the infinite heaven?

No—but Poseidaon, Earth-girdler, stubbornly rageth,

Angered because of his son, by Odysseus bereft of his eyesight,

Even that equal of gods the immense Polyphemus, a Cyclops

Greater than all of the others. Thoösa the nymph was his mother,

Daughter of Phorcys the lord of the barren expanses of ocean.

She in the hollow caves of the sea held tryst with Poseidon.

Hence to Odysseus it haps that, albeit the King Earth-shaker

Slayeth him not, yet he maketh him wander afar from his homeland.

Come now, all of us here— let us straight take counsel together

How he shall once more win to his home; and Poseidon will surely

Cease from his wrath, for he ne'er will be able alone to oppose us,

Setting at nought and defying the will of the other immortals."

Him then again gave answer the grey-eyed goddess Athene:

"Father of all of us, mighty Cronion, the highest of Monarchs !

Seems it a thing well-pleasing to all of the blessed immortals

Thus to permit to return to his home wise-hearted Odysseus,

Then let us bid Hermeias the messenger, Slayer of Argus,

Speedily winging his flight to the far Ogygian island,

Bring to the fair-tressed nymph our will's immutable verdict,

Even that patient Odysseus return and arrive at his homeland.

Now for myself I shall visit the Ithacan island, if haply

Rousing his son still more I can light in his bosom the courage

Unto a meeting to summon the long-haired lords of Achaea,

Yea and a warning to utter to all of the suitors, who slaughter

Sheep of his thick-thronged folds and his shambling crook-horned cattle.

Then as his guide will I bring him to Sparta and Pylos the sandy,

Tidings to hear, if he can, of the homeward return of his father.

Hence too honour and fame shall he win in the land of the living."

These words uttered she bound to her ankles the beautiful sandals,

Golden, immortal, that carry her over the waters of ocean

Swift as the blast of a storm, and across earth's boundless expanses.

Then with her powerful spear bronze-bladed, of terrible keenness,

Weighty, enormous and strong—wherewith in the ranks of the battle

100

Vanquisheth all that she hateth that daughter of Zeus the Almighty—

Flashing she fell to the earth from the glittering heights of Olympus

Down, till on Ithacan land she alit by the porch of Odysseus,

E'en by the courtyard door, with the spear in her hand, and she stood there

Likened in form to a stranger, to Mentes, Taphian chieftain.

105

Then was she quickly aware of the arrogant suitors, who haply

Under the porch of the palace at draughts their minds were amusing,

Seated on skins of the cows they had slaughtered themselves for a banquet.

Busily flitting around were pages attendant and henchmen:

Some in the bowls were mixing together the wine and the water,

110

Others with sponges porous and soft were washing the tables,

Setting them forth, while others apportioned the plentiful messes.

Godlike Telemachus was the first of them all to perceive her.

Grievously troubled at heart he was sitting amidst of the suitors,

Picturing how peradventure his valiant father from somewhere

115

Suddenly coming and driving the suitors in rout from the palace

Honour again might win as the lord of his own possessions.

Dreaming thereon as he sat with the suitors, he noticed Athene.

Straight to the portal he went, for he felt sore vexed in his spirit

Seeing a stranger so long at the door, and, whenas he arrived there,

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Grasping her right and taking the bronzen spear from the goddess,

Opened in greeting his lips, and with swift-winged words he addressed her :

"Hail, O stranger! With us thou art sure of a welcome; and later,

After partaking of food, thou'lt tell us if aught thou art needing."

These words spoken, he turned and was followed by Pallas Athene.

125

Unto the high-roofed mansion he led her, and stepping within it

Leaned on the shaft of a pillar the spear he was bearing, and fixed it

Into a stand bright-polished wherein were resting the others,

Many and many a spear of the valiant-hearted Odysseus;

Then on a chair, outspreading the cover of linen, he set her:

130

Richly adorned was the chair, and below for the feet was a footstool.

Close to it set he a seat for himself rich-broidered, withdrawing

Far from the suitors, in fear that the stranger annoyed by the uproar

Loathing for food might feel, with that insolent rabble about him;

Ay and he also was fain of his long-lost father to ask him.

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Water for washing of hands by a maiden was brought in an ewer

Beautiful, golden, and over a basin of silver she poured it,

Bidding him wash; and she stationed a polished table beside him.

Then did a grave house-dame bring bread and lay it before him

Lavishly adding thereto of her stores full many a dainty.

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Carrying platters aloft came also the carver and offered

Dishes of various meats; and golden goblets he gave them,

Ofttimes filling the which passed hither and thither the henchman.

Now to the hall came crowding the arrogant suitors, and straightway

All of them sat them in order adown on the couches and armchairs.

145

Soon was the water for washing of hands poured out by the henchman,

Baskets of wheaten bread up-piled were brought by the maidens

While that the youths wreathed high with the foaming liquor the wine-bowls.

Then did they stretch forth hands to the food that was lying before them

Till, when at last they had lost all longing for meat and the wine-cup,

150

Came to the mind of the suitors the thought of a different pleasure,

Even of singing and dancing—for such is the crown of a banquet.

So, when a herald had handed a beautiful harp to the singer

Phemius (ever unwilling he sang, compelled by the suitors),

Unto the sounds of his harping his exquisite voice he uplifted.

155

Telemachus meanwhile spake low to the goddess Athene,

Holding his head right close, to be noticed of none of the others:

"List, dear stranger!—for sure at my words thou'lt never be angered—

Such are the pleasures of such !—harp-playing and dancing! No wonder,

Seeing they eat the possessions of others, nor fear the avenger!

160

Eat the possessions of him whose whitening bones peradventure

Rot in the rain on the land or roll in the waves of the ocean!

Were they to see him return some day to the Ithacan homeland,

All of them straight to the gods would pray to be lighter in running

Rather than richer endowed with the treasures of gold and of garments.

165

Nay, it is vain ! he is dead of a pitiful death, nor is longer

Comfort remaining, whoever of earth-born mortals denies it

Saying he cometh again—since dead is the day of his coming.

Come now tell me a thing that I ask thee and clearly explain it :

Who art thou? Whence dost thou come? Tell too of thy city, thy parents.

170

Whose is the vessel whereon thou art come? How haps it that sailors

Brought thee to Ithacan land? What folk did they boast to belong to,

Seeing, methinks, it was never on foot that thou hither arrivedst?

One thing further relate me exactly, for fain will I know it :

Art thou a traveller new to the land, or a friend of my father—

175

Guest peradventure? for such came ofttimes unto his homestead,

Many a one, while yet he remained in the land of the living.”

Him then in turn gave answer the grey-eyed goddess Athene:

"Well, I will tell thee of all that thou askest and truly relate it.

Mentes such is my name. Of a wise-souled father I boast me,

180

Anchialus, and myself am the prince of the Taphian sea-folk.

Now am I come to a port of thy land with my vessel and comrades

Sailing the wine-dark deep on my way to a city of strangers,

Tempsa; for copper I seek, and my cargo is glittering iron.

Yonder my ship on the side of the country afar from the city

185

Lieth in Reithron's port, by the wood-clothed Neïan headland.

Yes, it is true—we can boast to be guest-friends one of another

Even from days long past. If thou doubt'st, go ask of the grandsire,

Hero Laertes. They say that he now no more to the city

Cometh, but living afar in the uplands suffers affliction

190

Sole with an ancient crone who attends to his eating and drinking,

Placing before him his food when exhaustion cometh upon him

Weariedly creeping about on the sloping knoll of his vineyard.

Now I am here for they said he was home once more in his country,

Even thy father; but heaven, it seemeth, hath hindered his coming.

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Natheless never on earth has he perished, the godlike Odysseus:

Still he is living, methinks, mid the broad expanses of ocean,

Held on a sea-girt isle, where hostile people retain him,

Savages, forcing him all unwillingly still to remain there.

Nay, I will venture to speak as a prophet—for deep in my bosom

200

Heaven hath planted a thought that I feel to be sure of fulfilment,

Though I am neither at all a diviner or augur unerring—

Verily not much longer afar from his well-loved homeland

Still shall he stay, not e'en though fetters of iron constrain him:

Sure he will plan his escape—such master of many devices.

205

Now come tell me a thing that I ask thee and clearly explain it,

Whether indeed (as thy stature proclaims) thou art child of Odysseus.

Marvellous both of thy head and thy beautiful eyes is the likeness

Unto the man that I knew when we oft held converse together,

Ere he embarked for the land of the Trojans, whither so many

210

Others, chiefs of the Argives, in hollow vessels departed.

Since then ne'er did I see him again, nor was seen by Odysseus."

Her sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer:

"Well, Sir stranger, the truth will I tell thee and clearly relate it.

Ever my mother hath called me the child of Odysseus. For my part

215

How can I know? Not the wisest of sons can discover his father.

Would that my fortune had made me the child of a happier mortal,

Son of a man whom age finds living in peace in his homestead!

Elsewise heaven hath will'd it: the most ill-fated of all men,

He, as they say, is my sire. Thus far can I answer thy question."

220

Him then again gave answer the grey-eyed goddess Athene:

"Surely for thee is the heaven no nameless race in the future

Keeping in store for a son so worthy of Penelopeia.

Now come, tell me a thing that I ask thee and clearly explain it :

What doth this banqueting mean? and this crowd? Why needful thy presence ?

225

Hold they a wedding? or bout? No club-collation it seemeth:

Such is the insolent licence in which they appear to indulge them

Banqueting here in thy hall! Just cause for a man to be angered,

Were but a sensible person to see such shameful proceeding!"

Her sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer:

230

"Since, O stranger, thou fain wouldst hear of this matter and learn it,

Once did the house of my sire seem like to be rich and be blameless, —

Like to remain what it was while here in his home he was living.

Other, alas, was the will of immortals who plotted his ruin.

Lo, they have made him to vanish—as utterly vanished hath no man

235

Ever before. Nay, e'en for his death ne'er thus had I sorrowed,

Had he but met it amidst of his mates in the land of the Trojans,

Or in the arms of his friends, when he wound to an ending the warfare.

Then had the hosts of Achaea erected a tomb to his honour;

Yea and for me for his son he had left great glory behind him.

240

Ah but the spirits of storm to a death inglorious swept him,

Vanished, unseen and unheard of; and nothing but mourning and anguish

Me he bequeathed! Nor now do I sorrow and make lamentation

Only for him; for the gods send other and grievous afflictions.

All of the chief of the men who as princes rule in the islands,

245

Samos and Dulichium and the woodlands rich of Zacynthus,

Ay and as many besides as in rock-bound Ithaca lord it,

All come wooing my mother and wasting the wealth of the homestead.

She dares neither reject their hateful proposals of marriage,

Nor can she end it; and thus do the men, consuming, devouring,

250

Ruin my home—me too will they soon o'erwhelm in its ruin."

Then in exceeding displeasure again spake Pallas Athene:

"Nay by the gods, right sorely thou need'st that the absent Odysseus

Come to thee quickly and lay strong hands on the impudent suitors!

Would that I saw him this moment in front of the door of the palace

255

Suddenly stand—with his helmet and shield and a couple of lances—

Such as he was in the days when mine eyes first lighted upon him

Making him merry and quaffing his wine in the hall of my homestead,

Newly from Ephyra come—from the town of the Mermerid Ilus.

Even to such far land had he sailed in his swift-winged vessel

260

Seeking a drug right deadly of which he was fain to possess him—

Poison, to smear on the tips of his bronze-shod arrows; but Ilus

Gave it him not, for he shrank from the wrath of the gods everlasting.

Yet from my father he gat it, who loved him in marvellous fashion.

O that he came—e'en such an Odysseus—to visit the suitors,

265

Bringing on all of them speedy perdition and nuptials of anguish!

Nay but we know not the truth; on the knees of the gods it is lying,

Whether he ever shall come, or shall come no more, to avenge him

Here in the halls of his home; but do thou take thought, I exhort thee,

How to eject from the hall of thy palace this rabble of suitors.

270

Now mark well what I say, and give it thy earnest attention.

Summon to-morrow to come to a council the princely Achaeans;

Make to them all an announcement and call on the gods to be witness.

Order the suitors from here to disperse each one to his homestead;

While for thy mother—if truly her heart be enamoured of wedlock,

275

Send her again to her home—to the house of her powerful father.

There can her parents arrange for the wedding and settle the presents,

All of the wealth that is wont with a well-loved daughter to follow.

Now for thyself—such plan I suggest: 'twere wise to accept it.

Manning with twice ten rowers a vessel—thy goodliest galley—

280

Start on the quest for thy sire, who so long is afar and unheard of.

Haply an earth-born man shall inform thee, or haply shall Rumour,

Daughter of Zeus, who on earth is the busiest bringer of tidings.

Firstly betake thee to Pylos, the godlike Nestor to question.

Thence seek Sparta, the court of the fair-haired prince Menelaus:

285

He was the last to return of the bronzen-coated Achaeans.

Shouldst thou be told of thy father as living and homeward returning,

Surely for one year more thou'lt bear with the waste of thy substance.

Should they report him as perished and gone from the land of the living,

Quickly return, and regaining the well-loved home of thy fathers

290

Straightway build him a tomb, and funeral offerings offer

Many and rich, as is meet, and thy mother bestow on a husband.

Then, when at last these things are duly fulfilled and accomplished,

Hold thou counsel at once with the thoughts and the feelings within thee

How to be quit of the suitors, and here in the hall of thy homestead

295

Slay them by craft or by open assault. No more it beseems thee

Childish thoughts to indulge, for thy age no longer is childish.

Surely thou know'st of the fame that was won by the noble Orestes:

How he is praised by the nations for killing his father's assassin,

Crafty Aegisthus, who murdered his sire, great King Agamemnon.

300

Also do thou, dear lad, as in form thou art comely and stalwart,

Show thee courageous and win thee a name in the age that is coming!

Now I am fain to descend once more to my swift-winged vessel,

Where are waiting my men, and, I doubt not, chafe at my absence.

Take thou thought for thyself and attend to the counsel I gave thee."

305

Her sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer:

"Verily, stranger, with kindly intent these words thou hast uttered,

Like to a father advising his son. I shall never forget them.

Yet, I bursts, remain, though eager to haste on thy journey!

Stay till refreshed with a bath, and the heart in thy bosom contented,

310

Back to thy ship thou returnest with gladness, bearing a present

Rare in its worth and its beauty—a present to keep as an heirloom;

Such will I give thee—the gift of a friend to a friend that he loveth."

Him forthwith gave answer the grey-eyed goddess Athene:

"Nay, no longer withhold me! I yearn me away on my journey.

315

Touching thy present—whatever thy heart shall enjoin thee to give me—

Give it when back I am coming, to carry it straight to my homeland.

Choose it as rare as thou willst; it will gain thee another as goodly."

These words spoken, departed the grey-eyed goddess Athene,

Flitting away as a bird by the roof-hole. Deep in his bosom

320

Courage and manly resolve she had planted, and roused a remembrance

Keener than erst of his sire; and he marked the emotion within him

Greatly astonied in spirit, suspecting a deity's presence.

Then to the suitors he went and the strength of a god was upon him.

Here was the minstrel beginning to sing, and the suitors in silence

325

Listening sat; and he sang of the homeward return of the Grecians,

Pitiful story of woes inflicted by Pallas Athene.

Now in her upper apartment the wise-souled Penelopeia,

Daughter of Icarius, was aware of the wonderful singing.

Straightway leaving her room by the high-built stair she descended ;

330

Neither alone did she go; two maidens followed behind her.

So when at last she had come to the suitors, that fairest of women

Stood by the post of the door of the massively builded apartment,

Holding in front of her cheeks soft folds of her glistering head-dress.

There as she stood, with a trusty attendant on this and on that side,

335

Suddenly bursting in tears to the godlike bard she addressed her:

"Phemius, many another enrapturing story thou knowest,

Deeds of immortals and men—themes often by singers recounted.

Such be thy song as thou sitt'st with the guests. Let them listen in silence

Quaffing the wine. But desist, I beseech, from the strain thou art singing,

340

Pitiful story, that ever the heart in the depths of my bosom

Woundeth—for me hath befallen an inconsolable sorrow;

Such was the well-loved lord that I mourn—nor can ever forget him—

One whose fame is abroad through Hellas and midmost Argos.”

Her sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer:

345

"Wherefore, mother, prevent that the sweet-voiced singer delight us

E'en as his spirit is moved? It is never the singer, believe me,

Bringeth us bale; it is Zeus that is guilty thereof; he allotteth

Every mortal that liveth on bread what fortune he willeth.

Nor do I blame that he singeth the pitiful fates of the Argives,

350

Seeing that ever by mortals the more extolled is a singer

Singing the song that the newest resounds in the ears of the people.

Therefore harden thy heart and thy mind with the courage to listen.

'Twas not Odysseus alone that was reft of the day of returning

Back from the Trojan land; there perished many another.

355

Now to thy chamber return and attend to thine own occupation,

Even the loom and the distaff, and order thy maiden attendants

Busily keep to their tasks; we men will attend to the talking,

All of us—chiefly myself; it is I that am lord of the household."

Full of amazement she turned her to go to the women's apartment,

360

Hiding the masterful words of her son deep down in her bosom.

So to her upper apartment ascending with maiden attendants

Here she lamented Odysseus her well-loved husband, till gently

Slumber was poured on her lids by the grey-eyed goddess Athene.

Now in the shadowy hall loud clamour arose of the suitors,

365

Each one uttering prayers to the gods to possess her in marriage,

Till sage Telemachus spake out and began to address them:

"Hearken, my mother's suitors—outrageous and riotous brawlers!

Now let us fall to the feast and be merry—but boisterous uproar

Keep we afar! It is pleasant to list to the song of a minstrel

370

Such as this singer of mine; for in voice he is like an immortal.

Early to-morrow I ask you to come to the place of the council,

All of you. There shall I make you an open and plain declaration,

Bidding you quit these halls. Ye can seek your junketings elsewhere.

Feed on your own! Go feasting in turn each one with the other!

375

Should it however appear to your minds more pleasant and better

Thus to devour the possession of others, nor fear the avenger,

Waste as ye will!—but the gods everlasting I call to my succour,

Hoping that heaven will grant such deeds to receive retribution.

Then in this selfsame hall shall ye perish—and none shall avenge you."

380

Thus did he speak, and the men all biting their lips in amazement

Marvelled at Telemachus and the valiant words he had spoken.

Then spake Antinous, Eupeithes' son, and addressed him:

"Verily, Telemachus, it is heaven itself that hath taught thee

Such big blustering vaunts, such impudent boldness of language.

385

Never Cronion, I trust, would choose for the Ithacan island

Thee as a king—though truly thou claimest the right to inherit!"

Him sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer :

"Antinous—and I trust at my words thou'lt never be angered—

E'en this honour—if offered by Zeus—I am ready to bear it.

390

Deemest thou ruling the worst of the evils that mortals inherit ?

Nay—to be ruler is never an evil; for quickly the homestead

Richer and richer becomes and the man held higher in honour.

Many another however among the Achaeans is chieftain

Here in the rock-bound Ithacan isle, both aged and younger.

395

One of them haply will gain him the title—as dead is Odysseus.

But, for myself, I intend to be master and lord of my household,

Lord of my servants of all that the sword of Odysseus hath won me."

Forthwith Polybus' son, Prince Eurymachus, made answer :

"Telemachus, on the knees of the gods everlasting it lieth

400

Who as the king of the Ithacan island shall rule the Achaeans.

Hold thou fast to thy own! be the master and lord of thy household!

Never shall any be found that shall venture with force to assail thee,

Seeking to ruin thy home—while Ithaca stands as a nation.

Now, good friend, I am fain to examine thee touching this stranger.

405

Whence arrived is the man? What folk doth he boast to belong to?

Where is his land, and his kin? Where lies the domain of his homestead?

Came he perchance some tidings to bring of thy father's returning?

Travels he hither in hope some want of his own to provide for?

How of a sudden he rose and was gone! in a moment was vanished,

410

Ere we had made us acquainted! yet seemed not a churl in appearance!"

Him sage Telemachus addressing in turn gave answer:

"Eurymachus, clean gone is the hope of my father's returning,

Nor do I further believe in reports, where'er they may come from,

Nor divination consider of aught—such tales as my mother

415

Hears from the lips of diviners she calls to the house and examines.

This is an ancient guest of my household. He cometh from Taphos.

Mentes—such is his name. Of a wise-souled father he boasts him,

Anchialus, and himself is the prince of the Taphian sea-folk."

Thus did he speak; but he knew in his heart 'twas a goddess immortal.

420

Now to the joys of the dance and the pleasures of singing they turned them,

Making them merry, and thus they awaited the coming of even;

Nor was the merriment over when come was the darkness of even;

Then at the last they departed to sleep, each one to his homestead.

Telemachus, where fronting the fair-built court was his chamber

425

(Builded aloft was the room in a site with a beautiful prospect)

Thither betook him to bed, while deep in his spirit he pondered.

Thither with torches ablaze attended him also the trusty

Eurycleia, the daughter of Ops, who was son of Pisenor.

Once, long since, had Laertes expended his wealth to possess her,

430

Then in her prime; and a score of his kine as the price he had given.

Honour he gave her as much as his own true wife in the household;

Nor did he make her his mistress; he shrank from the wrath of his consort.

She was the servant that carried the torches to light him; she loved him

More than the rest of the maids, and had served as the nurse to his childhood.

435

Now so soon as the door of the fair-built chamber she opened,

Seating him down on the bed, of his doublet soft he disrobed him;

This to the hands of the careful and sage old dame he entrusted.

She, when at length she had folded the tunic and skilfully smoothed it,

Hanging it up on a peg at the side of his rich-carved bedstead,

440

Went from the chamber, and pulling the door by the handle of silver

Shut it and fastened it, drawing the bolt well home with the latch-string.

Here for the livelong night, close covered with wrappings of sheep's wool,

Lying he thought of the journey that Pallas Athena had plann'd him.

Notes on the current edition

Odyssey

1. 1

2. 2

3. 1

New Alexandria Commentaries

Douglas Frame

citation of Zeus’ characterization of Odysseus’ preeminent quality, nóos

source

Gregory Nagy

The comments I offer on Odyssey Rhapsody 1 through Rhapsody 24, starting here with Rhapsody 1, were based mostly on details that derive from seven books that I indicate in the Bibliography by way of these abbreviations: BA, GMP, H24H, HC, HPC, HQ, HR, MoM, PasP, PH. Each one of these books has its own index locorum. My colleague Anita Nikkanen, an Associate Editor for this online project, tracked the sequences of Homeric verses as listed in the indices for six of these books and then summarized my comments on those verses. Following up on her meticulous work, I am in the process of converting her summaries into a form of commentary. My comments on the Odyssey as I presented them in Classical Inquiries are merely samplings of the content that I hope to contribute to the overall commentary, to which a number of other colleagues are also contributing their own comments. That said, I now proceed to offer a sampling of comments on Rhapsody 1. At this point, my comments about the beginning of the Odyssey need no further introduction of their own.

draft js image error Zeus, Athena, and Hermes (1810). Drawing by John Flaxman. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

source

Leonard Muellner

association of Ithaka with sight of fire and smoke, the etymology of Ithakē connecting it to aithein, and Odysseus’ calling himself Aithōn (comparison with Hermes, who in turn is compared with Prometheus-Ithas)

source

Homer Odyssey 1.44

A. T. Murray (Translator)

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ODYSSEY BOOK I

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