Odyssey Book 12 Lines 222 to 296 Translated by David Gravolet. Lesson XXXIII ὣς ἐφάμην, οἱ δ ὦκα ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι πίθοντο. Σκύλλην δ οὐκέτ ἐμυθεόμην, ἄπρηκτον ἀνίην, μή πώς μοι δείσαντες ἀπολλήξειαν ἑταῖροι εἰρεσίης, ἐντὸς δὲ πυκάζοιεν σφέας αὐτούς. 225 καὶ τότε δὴ Κίρκης μὲν ἐφημοσύνης ἀλεγεινῆς λανθανόμην, ἐπεὶ οὔ τί μ ἀνώγει θωρήσσεσθαι: αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καταδὺς κλυτὰ τεύχεα καὶ δύο δοῦρε μάκρ ἐν χερσὶν ἑλὼν εἰς ἴκρια νηὸς ἔβαινον πρῴρης: ἔνθεν γάρ μιν ἐδέγμην πρῶτα φανεῖσθαι 230 Σκύλλην πετραίην, ἥ μοι φέρε πῆμ ἑτάροισιν. οὐδέ πῃ ἀθρῆσαι δυνάμην, ἔκαμον δέ μοι ὄσσε πάντῃ παπταίνοντι πρὸς ἠεροειδέα πέτρην. ἡμεῖς μὲν στεινωπὸν ἀνεπλέομεν γοόωντες: ἔνθεν μὲν Σκύλλη, ἑτέρωθι δὲ δῖα Χάρυβδις 235 δεινὸν ἀνερροίβδησε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ. ἦ τοι ὅτ ἐξεμέσειε, λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ πᾶσ ἀναμορμύρεσκε κυκωμένη, ὑψόσε δ ἄχνη ἄκροισι σκοπέλοισιν ἐπ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἔπιπτεν: ἀλλ ὅτ ἀναβρόξειε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ, 240 πᾶσ ἔντοσθε φάνεσκε κυκωμένη, ἀμφὶ δὲ πέτρη δεινὸν ἐβεβρύχει, ὑπένερθε δὲ γαῖα φάνεσκε ψάμμῳ κυανέη: τοὺς δὲ χλωρὸν δέος ᾕρει. ἡμεῖς μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἴδομεν δείσαντες ὄλεθρον: τόφρα δέ μοι Σκύλλη γλαφυρῆς ἐκ νηὸς ἑταίρους 245 ἓξ ἕλεθ, οἳ χερσίν τε βίηφί τε φέρτατοι ἦσαν. Thus I spoke (ἐφάμην syllabically augmented impf. 1st sg. indic. act.), and they quickly obeyed (πίθοντο aor. mid. 3rd sg. indic.) my words. And no longer did I relate (ἐμυθεόμην 1st sg. imperf. indic. dep.) Scylla, an unavoidable vexation, Lest my comrades, having feared (δείσαντες aor. part. masc. nom. pl. act.), desist (ἀπολλήξειαν aor. opt. act. 3rd pl. w/ genitive obj.) from rowing, And conceal (πυκάζοιεν pres. opt. 3rd pl. act.) (them) themselves within. And then indeed I forgot (λανθανόμην imperf. 1st sg. mid. indic.) Circe's painful command, Available at dgdissemination.wordpress.com 1
When she urged (ἀνώγει plpf. 3rd sg. w/ impf. force) me not to arm (θωρήσσεσθαι pres. mid. inf.) myself somehow, But I, having put on blessed arms and seized (καταδὺς and ἑλὼν aor. part. act. masc. nom. sg.) two blessed spears (δοῦρε dual) in my hands, Went (ἔβαινον syllabically augmented imperf. 1st sg. indic. act.) into the deck of the prow of the ship: For there I expected that Scylla of the rock to first appear (φανεῖσθαι aor. pass. inf.), Who brought pain to my companions. And not anywhere was I able (δυνάμην 1st sg. imperf. dep., athematic) to behold it, and my two eyes (ὄσσε dual) grew weary (ἔκαμον syllabically aug. aor. 3rd pl. indic. act.), Looking (παπταίνοντι pres. act. dat. part. masc. sg.) all about towards the misty rock. We sailed (ἀνεπλέομεν syllab. aug. imperf. 1st pl. indic. act.) up the strait mourning (γοόωντες = γοαοντες, pres. part. masc. nom. pl. act.): For there was Scylla, and on the other side glorious Charybdis, Awesomely swallowed down (ἀνερρυβδησε syllab. aug. aor. 3rd sg. indic. act.) the briny water of the sea. Indeed whenever she vomits forth (ἐξεμέσειε aor. opt. 3rd sg. act.) just as a kettle in much fire, All of her (πᾶσ = πασα, fem. nom. sg.) foamed up (ἀναμορμύρεσκε 3rd sg. indic. act. iterative), being stirred up(κυκωμένη = κυκαομενη, pres. nom. sg. fem. act. part.), And upward the foam fell (ἔπιπτεν syllab. aug. imperf. 3rd sg. indic. act.) on the highest rocks around. But when she swallowed up (ἀναβρόξειε aor. 3rd sg. opt. act.) the briny water of the sea, All of her appeared (φάνεσκε 3rd sg. iterative act. on aor. pass base) within, being stirred up (κυκωμένη = κυκαομενη, pres. nom. sg. fem. act. part.) awesomely, And around the rock roared, and beneath the earth appeared(φάνεσκε 3rd sg. iterative act. on aor. pass base) black with sand: And a green fear seized (ᾕρει temporally augmented imperf. 3rd sg. act. indic., contracted from αἱρεε) them. Having feared destruction, we looked towards her, Meanwhile Scylla seized (ἕλεθ = ἑλετο, aor. 3rd sg. mid. indic.) out of the hollow ship my comrades, Who were (ἦσαν imperf. 3rd pl. indic. of εἰμι) strongest with both force and hands. Lesson XXXIV σκεψάμενος δ ἐς νῆα θοὴν ἅμα καὶ μεθ ἑταίρους ἤδη τῶν ἐνόησα πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν ὑψόσ ἀειρομένων: ἐμὲ δὲ φθέγγοντο καλεῦντες ἐξονομακλήδην, τότε γ ὕστατον, ἀχνύμενοι κῆρ. 250 ὡς δ ὅτ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ ἁλιεὺς περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ ἰχθύσι τοῖς ὀλίγοισι δόλον κατὰ εἴδατα βάλλων Available at dgdissemination.wordpress.com 2
ἐς πόντον προΐησι βοὸς κέρας ἀγραύλοιο, ἀσπαίροντα δ ἔπειτα λαβὼν ἔρριψε θύραζε, ὣς οἵ γ ἀσπαίροντες ἀείροντο προτὶ πέτρας: 255 αὐτοῦ δ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι κατήσθιε κεκληγῶτας χεῖρας ἐμοὶ ὀρέγοντας ἐν αἰνῇ δηιοτῆτι: οἴκτιστον δὴ κεῖνο ἐμοῖς ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσι πάντων, ὅσσ ἐμόγησα πόρους ἁλὸς ἐξερεείνων. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πέτρας φύγομεν δεινήν τε Χάρυβδιν 260 Σκύλλην τ, αὐτίκ ἔπειτα θεοῦ ἐς ἀμύμονα νῆσον ἱκόμεθ : ἔνθα δ ἔσαν καλαὶ βόες εὐρυμέτωποι, πολλὰ δὲ ἴφια μῆλ Ὑπερίονος Ἠελίοιο. δὴ τότ ἐγὼν ἔτι πόντῳ ἐὼν ἐν νηὶ μελαίνῃ μυκηθμοῦ τ ἤκουσα βοῶν αὐλιζομενάων 265 οἰῶν τε βληχήν: καί μοι ἔπος ἔμπεσε θυμῷ μάντηος ἀλαοῦ, Θηβαίου Τειρεσίαο, Κίρκης τ Αἰαίης, ἥ μοι μάλα πόλλ ἐπέτελλε νῆσον ἀλεύασθαι τερψιμβρότου Ἠελίοιο. δὴ τότ ἐγὼν ἑτάροισι μετηύδων ἀχνύμενος κῆρ: 270 And having looked (σκεψάμενος aor. part. masc. nom. sg. indic. dep.) into the swift ship at the same time after (μεθ = μετα, not temporal) my companions, I noticed (ἐνόησα syllab. aug. aor. 1st sg. act. indic.) the hands and feet of those men already having been raised high up from above, They shouted, inviting me by name, Then for the last time, grieving in their heart(s) (κῆρ acc. of specification). As when a fisherman throwing food as bait on a projecting point, Down to those few fish with a long rod, Casts (προΐησι 3rd sg. pres. indic. act.) into the deep the horn of a land-dwelling cow, Then having caught the gasping (fish) (ἀσπαίροντα acc. sg. masc. act. pres. part.), he brought (ἔρριψε syllab. aug. aor. 3rd sg. indic. act.) it out (lit. "to the door"), Thus gasping they were brought (ἀείροντο imperf. 3rd pl. pass. indic.) to (προτὶ = προς) the rocks. And there in the doors (the mouth of the cave) she devoured them shrieking, Extending (ὀρέγοντας pres. part. masc. pl. nom. act.) their hands to me in dreadful strife. They saw with their eyes that it was most miserable (οἴκτιστον superlative) for me of all, As much as I suffered, questioning (ἐξερεείνων pres. part. masc. nom. sg. act.) passages of the sea. But when we fled the rocks and awesome Scylla and Charybdis, Then at once we arrived (ἱκόμεθ aor. 1st pl. indic. dep.) at the blameless island of a god: There were (ἔσαν 3rd pl. imperf. indic.) the noble cattle with broad foreheads, Available at dgdissemination.wordpress.com 3
And the many fat flocks of Helios of Hyperion. Then indeed I, being (ἐὼν pres. part. masc. nom. sg.) yet on the deep in a black ship, Heard (ἤκουσα temp. aug. aor. 1st sg. indic. act.) the lowing (μυκηθμοῦ onomatopoeia ) of cattle and the bleating of sheep: And the word of a blind prophet fell into my heart, Of Teiresias of Thebes, and of Circe of Aeaea, Who very much gave orders to me to avoid the island of Helios, delighter of mortals. Then indeed I spoke among (μετηύδων = μεταυδαον, 1st sg. imperf. indic. act. temp. aug.) my comrades, grieving in my heart (κῆρ acc. of specification). Lesson XXXV "κέκλυτέ μευ μύθων κακά περ πάσχοντες ἑταῖροι, ὄφρ ὑμῖν εἴπω μαντήια Τειρεσίαο Κίρκης τ Αἰαίης, ἥ μοι μάλα πόλλ ἐπέτελλε νῆσον ἀλεύασθαι τερψιμβρότου Ἠελίοιο: ἔνθα γὰρ αἰνότατον κακὸν ἔμμεναι ἄμμιν ἔφασκεν. 275 ἀλλὰ παρὲξ τὴν νῆσον ἐλαύνετε νῆα μέλαιναν." ὣς ἐφάμην, τοῖσιν δὲ κατεκλάσθη φίλον ἦτορ. αὐτίκα δ Εὐρύλοχος στυγερῷ μ ἠμείβετο μύθῳ: "σχέτλιός εἰς, Ὀδυσεῦ: περί τοι μένος, οὐδέ τι γυῖα κάμνεις: ἦ ῥά νυ σοί γε σιδήρεα πάντα τέτυκται, 280 ὅς ῥ ἑτάρους καμάτῳ ἁδηκότας ἠδὲ καὶ ὕπνῳ οὐκ ἐάᾳς γαίης ἐπιβήμεναι, ἔνθα κεν αὖτε νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ λαρὸν τετυκοίμεθα δόρπον, ἀλλ αὔτως διὰ νύκτα θοὴν ἀλάλησθαι ἄνωγας νήσου ἀποπλαγχθέντας ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ. 285 ἐκ νυκτῶν δ ἄνεμοι χαλεποί, δηλήματα νηῶν, γίνονται: πῇ κέν τις ὑπεκφύγοι αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον, ἤν πως ἐξαπίνης ἔλθῃ ἀνέμοιο θύελλα, ἢ Νότου ἢ Ζεφύροιο δυσαέος, οἵ τε μάλιστα νῆα διαρραίουσι θεῶν ἀέκητι ἀνάκτων. 290 ἀλλ ἦ τοι νῦν μὲν πειθώμεθα νυκτὶ μελαίνῃ δόρπον θ ὁπλισόμεσθα θοῇ παρὰ νηὶ μένοντες, ἠῶθεν δ ἀναβάντες ἐνήσομεν εὐρέι πόντῳ." ὣς ἔφατ Εὐρύλοχος, ἐπὶ δ ᾔνεον ἄλλοι ἑταῖροι. καὶ τότε δὴ γίγνωσκον ὃ δὴ κακὰ μήδετο δαίμων, 295 καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδων: "Hear my (μευ gen. sg. of 1st pronoun) words, comrades, though suffering bad things, So that I may tell (εἴπω 1st pres. subj. act.) you the prophecy of Teiresias and of Circe of Available at dgdissemination.wordpress.com 4
Aeaea, Who very much gave orders to me, To avoid the island of Helios, delighter of mortals: For there she said (ἔφασκεν iterative 3rd sg. indic. act.) there was a most frightful bad thing for us (ἄμμιν dat. pl. of the 1st pronoun, dat. of disadvantage). But drive (ἐλαύνετε pres. imperative 2nd pl. act.) the black ship past the island." Thus I spoke, and and their dear heart was crushed (κατεκλάσθη aor. pass. 3rd sg. indic.). And at once Eurylochus replied (ἠμείβετο temp. aug. imperf. indic. 3rd sg. dep.) to me with a loathsome word: "You are cruel, Odysseus, your wrath is over and above others, And somehow you do not grow weary in your limbs (γυῖα acc. of specification): And everything about you was made of iron (τέτυκται 3rd sg. indic. perf. pass.), Who does not allow (ἐάᾳς contracted from ἐαῃς, 2nd sg. subj. act. pres.) his comrades, having been sated with sleep and weariness, To go upon land, where again we could build (τετυκοίμεθα aor. mid. 1 pl. opt. potential opt.) a sweet meal on the sea-girt island, But in the same way you urge (ἄνωγας 2nd sg. perf. indic. act. w/ pres. force) us to wander through the swift night, Having been driven off from (ἀποπλαγχθέντας aor. pass. part. masc. acc. pl.) the island, on the hazy deep. And out of the night (at nightfall) there are (γίνονται = γίγνονται)difficult winds, destructions of ships: And in what way could someone flee (ὑπεκφύγοι 3rd sg. aor. opt. act.) utter destruction, If storms of either the harsh-blowing south wind or of the west wind, Suddenly come (ἔλθῃ 3rd sg. aor. subj. act.) somehow, which (winds) especially tear a ship into pieces, Against the will of the gods? But somehow let us now obey (πειθώμεθα pres. 1st pl. mid. hortatory subj.) the dark night, And let us prepare (ὁπλισόμεσθα aor. hortatory subj. 1st pl. mid.) a meal, remaining (μένοντες pres. part. masc. nom. pl.) on the swift ship: And in the morning, having gone up (ἀναβάντες aor. part. masc. nom. pl. act.), we will launch (ἐνήσομεν 1st pl. fut. indic. act.) the ship on the broad sea." Thus spoke Eurylochus, and the other comrades consented (ᾔνεον temp. aug. imperf. 3rd pl. indic. act., originally αἰνεον). And then I indeed knew that (ὃ = that) a divinity contrived bad things indeed, And having lifted up my voice, I addressed (προσηύδων contracted and temp. aug. from προσαυδαον, 1st sg. imperf. indic. act.) him winged words. Available at dgdissemination.wordpress.com 5