| Homer, Odyssey (English) (XML Header) [genre: poetry; hexameter] [word count] [lemma count] [Hom. Od.]. | ||
| <<Hom. Od. 13.146 | Hom. Od. 13.256 (Greek English(2)) | >>Hom. Od. 13.366 |
13.217He counted his goodly coppers and
cauldrons, his gold and all his clothes, but there was nothing
missing; still he kept grieving about not being in his own country,
and wandered up and down by the shore of the sounding sea bewailing
his hard fate. Then Athena came up to him disguised as a young
shepherd of delicate and princely mien, with a good cloak folded
double about her shoulders; she had sandals on her comely feet and
held a javelin in her hand. Odysseus was glad when he saw her, and
went straight up to her.
noos towards me.
Protect these my goods, and myself too, for I embrace your knees and
pray to you as though you were a god. Tell me, then, and tell me
truly, what land and country [dêmos ] is this?
Who are its inhabitants? Am I on an island, or is this the sea board
of some continent?"
Ithaca is known even as far as Troy , which
I understand to be a long way off from this Achaean
country."
alêthês ], and made up a lying story in
the instinctive wiliness of his noos .
Ithaca ," said he,
"when I was in Crete beyond the seas, and now it seems I have reached
it with all these treasures. I have left as much more behind me for
my children, but am fleeing because I killed Orsilokhos son of
Idomeneus, the fleetest runner in Crete . I killed him because he
wanted to rob me of the spoils I had got from Troy with so much
trouble and danger both on the field of battle and by the waves of
the weary sea; he said I had not served his father loyally in the
Trojan dêmos as vassal, but had set myself up as an
independent ruler, so I lay in wait for him and with one of my
followers by the road side, and speared him as he was coming into
town from the country. It was a very dark night and nobody saw us; it
was not known, therefore, that I had killed him, but as soon as I had
done so I went to a ship and besought the owners, who were
Phoenicians, to take me on board and set me in Pylos or in Elis where
the Epeans rule, giving them as much spoil as satisfied them. They
meant no guile, but the wind drove them off their course, and we
sailed on till we came hither by night. It was all we could do to get
inside the harbor, and none of us said a word about supper though we
wanted it badly, but we all went on shore and lay down just as we
were. I was very tired and fell asleep directly, so they took my
goods out of the ship, and placed them beside me where I was lying
upon the sand. Then they sailed away to Sidonia, and I was left here
in great distress of mind."
kerdos ] even though you had a god for your
antagonist. Daring that you are, full of guile, unwearying in deceit
[apatê ], can you not drop your tricks and your
instinctive falsehood, even now that you are in your own country
again? We will say no more, however, about this, for we both of us
know craftiness [kerdos ] upon occasion - you are the
best counselor and orator among all humankind, while I for diplomacy
and crafty ways [kerdea ] have fame
[kleos ] among the gods. Did you not know Zeus’
daughter Athena - me, who have been ever with you, who kept watch
over you in all your ordeals [ponoi ], and who made the
Phaeacians take so great a liking to you? And now, again, I am come
here to talk things over with you, and help you to hide the treasure
I made the Phaeacians give you; I want to tell you about the troubles
that await you in your own house; you have got to face them, but tell
no one, neither man nor woman, that you have come home again. Bear
everything, and put up with every man's violent insolence
[biê ], without a word."
Troy , but from the day on which we went on board ship after
having sacked the city of Priam, and heaven dispersed us - from that
day, Athena, I saw no more of you, and cannot ever remember your
coming to my ship to help me in a difficulty; I had to wander on sick
and sorry till the gods delivered me from evil and I reached the
dêmos of the Phaeacians, where you encouraged me and
took me into the town. And now, I beseech you in your father's
name, tell me the truth, for I do not believe I am really back in
Ithaca . I am in some other country and you are mocking me and
deceiving me in all you have been saying. Tell me then truly, have I
really got back to my own country?"
13.228"My friend," said he, "you are the first person whom I have met with in this country; I salute you, therefore, and beg you to be well disposed in
13.236Athena answered, "Stranger, you must be very simple, or must have come from somewhere a long way off, not to know what country this is. It is a very celebrated place, and everybody knows it East and West. It is rugged and not a good driving country, but it is by no means a bad island for what there is of it. It grows any quantity of grain and also wine, for it is watered both by rain and dew; it breeds cattle also and goats; all kinds of timber grow here, and there are watering places where the water never runs dry; so, sir, the name of
13.250Odysseus was glad at finding himself, as Athena told him, in his own country, and he began to answer, but he did not speak the truth [
13.256"I heard of
13.287Such was his story, but Athena smiled and caressed him with her hand. Then she took the form of a woman, fair, stately, and wise, "He must be indeed a shifty and deceitful person," said she, "who could surpass you in all manner of craft [
13.311And Odysseus answered, "A man, goddess, may know a great deal, but you are so constantly changing your appearance that when he meets you it is a hard matter for him to know whether it is you or not. This much, however, I know exceedingly well; you were very kind to me as long as we Achaeans were fighting before
| Homer, Odyssey (English) (XML Header) [genre: poetry; hexameter] [word count] [lemma count] [Hom. Od.]. | ||
| <<Hom. Od. 13.146 | Hom. Od. 13.256 (Greek English(2)) | >>Hom. Od. 13.366 |
