ODYSSEY 5

Dawn arose from her couch beside glorious Tithonus, to bring light to the immortals and to mortal men; and the gods took their seats in assembly, and among them was Zeus who thunders on high, whose power is greatest of all. To them Athena spoke of the many sorrows of Odysseus, calling them to mind; for she was troubled for him, held fast in the nymph’s halls.

"Father Zeus, and all you other blessed gods who live forever, let no sceptred king be kind and gentle any longer, nor bear righteousness in his heart, but let him always be harsh and do wrongful deeds, seeing that no one remembers the divine Odysseus among the people he ruled, and for whom he was a gentle father. Instead, he lies on an island, suffering grievous pains in the halls of the nymph Calypso, who by force detains him; and he cannot reach his own native land, for he has no oared ships and no companions to carry him over the broad back of the sea. And now, what is more, they are bent on killing his beloved son as he journeys homeward; for he went to learn word of his father, to sacred Pylos and to divine Lacedaemon."

Then Zeus the cloud-gatherer answered her and said: "My child, what a word has escaped the barrier of your teeth! Was it not you yourself who devised this very plan, so that Odysseus might return and take vengeance on those men? As for Telemachus, guide him with your skill, for you are able, so that he may reach his native land quite unscathed, and the suitors may come sailing back in their ship, their purpose thwarted."

So he spoke, and turned to Hermes, his dear son, and said: "Hermes, since you are in all other matters our messenger, go and speak to the fair-tressed nymph our steadfast decree, the return of steadfast Odysseus, and how he is to journey home, with no escort of gods, nor of mortal men. No, he shall go on a stoutly-bound raft, suffering hardships, and on the twentieth day he shall reach fertile Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians, who are kinsmen of the gods. They will honour him in their hearts as if he were a god, and will send him in a ship to his own dear native land, giving him bronze and gold and clothing in abundance, more than Odysseus would ever have taken from Troy, had he returned unharmed with his share of the spoils. For so it is his destiny to see his friends and to reach his high-roofed house and his own native land."

So he spoke, and the messenger, the slayer of Argus, did not disobey. Straightway he bound upon his feet the beautiful sandals, ambrosial, golden, that carried him over the waters and over the boundless earth with the speed of the wind's breath. And he took up the wand with which he charms the eyes of men, whomever he wishes, and awakens others from their sleep. With this in his hand, the mighty slayer of Argus took flight. Stepping upon Pieria, he plunged from the upper air into the sea, and then sped over the waves like a bird, a cormorant, which, through the terrifying gulfs of the barren sea, hunts for fish, dipping its dense plumage in the brine. In such a likeness, Hermes rode upon the multitude of waves.

But when at last he reached the far-distant island, he stepped from the violet-hued sea onto the land and walked on, until he came to a great cave, where the nymph with the lovely braids dwelt; and he found her within. A great fire was burning on the hearth, and far off the scent of cloven cedar and of thyme spread over the island as they burned. And inside, with her sweet voice, she was singing,

and moving before her loom, she wove with a golden shuttle.

And a wood grew lushly around the cave, alder and poplar and sweet-smelling cypress.

Therein long-winged birds had their nests, owls and hawks and long-tongued sea-crows, which have their business upon the waters. And there, stretched about the hollow cave, was a thriving garden vine, which blossomed with clusters of grapes. And four fountains in a row were flowing with clear water, close to one another, but turned in different directions. And all around soft meadows of violets and parsley were blooming. There, indeed, even an immortal, chancing upon it, would have gazed in wonder and felt delight in his heart.

There the messenger, the slayer of Argus, stood and gazed. But when he had admired all things to his heart's content, he went at once into the wide cave. And facing him, Calypso, brightest of goddesses, did not fail to know him; for the immortal gods are no strangers to one another, not even one who dwells in a home far away. But he did not find great-hearted Odysseus within; he sat weeping on the shore, where he had sat before, tormenting his soul with tears and groans and sorrows, and he would gaze out over the barren sea, shedding tears. But Calypso, brightest of goddesses, questioned Hermes, having seated him on a chair shining and splendid.

"Why, Hermes of the golden wand, have you come to me, you who are revered and dear? For you have not visited often in the past. Speak what is on your mind; my heart bids me fulfill it, if I am able to fulfill it, and if it is a thing that can be fulfilled. [But follow me further, so I may offer you hospitality.]"

So speaking, the goddess set a table before him, piling it with ambrosia, and mixed the red nectar; and so he drank and ate, the messenger, the slayer of Argus. But when he had dined and satisfied his spirit with food, then at last he answered her and spoke these words:

"You, a goddess, ask me, a god, why I have come; and so I shall tell you the truth of the matter, since you command it. It was Zeus who ordered me to come here against my will; for who would willingly race across such a vast expanse of salt water, immense as it is? Nor is there any city of mortals nearby, who make sacrifices to the gods and offer them choice hecatombs. But in no way is it possible for any other god to transgress or make void the will of aegis-bearing Zeus. He says that you have with you a man most wretched of all, of those men who around the city of Priam fought for nine years, and in the tenth sacked the city and departed for home. But on their return they offended Athena, who raised up an evil wind and long waves against them. There all his other noble companions perished, but him the wind and waves carried and cast here. It is this man whom Zeus now bids you to send away with all speed, for it is not his fate to perish here, far from his friends, but it is his destiny still to see his friends and to reach his high-roofed house and his own native land."

So he spoke, and Calypso, brightest of goddesses, shuddered, and raising her voice she spoke winged words to him:

"You are cruel, you gods, and jealous beyond all others, you who begrudge goddesses sleeping with mortal men openly, if any should make one her dear husband. So it was when rosy-fingered Dawn took Orion; you gods who live at ease begrudged her this, until in Ortygia, chaste Artemis of the golden throne, assailed and slew him with her gentle arrows. And so it was when fair-tressed Demeter, yielding to her heart, lay in love and union with Iasion in a thrice-ploughed fallow field; nor was Zeus long without hearing of it, and he slew him, striking him with a gleaming thunderbolt. And so again now, you gods, you begrudge me that a mortal man is with me. It was I who saved him as he bestrode the keel all alone, after Zeus with a gleaming thunderbolt had struck and shattered his swift ship in the midst of the wine-dark sea. There all his other noble companions perished, but him the wind and waves carried and cast here. Him I loved and cherished, and I vowed to make him immortal and ageless for all his days. But since there is no way for any other god to transgress or make void the will of aegis-bearing Zeus, let him go, if that one urges and commands him, out upon the barren sea. But I shall not send him, for my part; for I have no oared ships and no companions who might carry him over the broad back of the sea. But I will freely give him counsel and will not hide how he may reach his native land quite unscathed."

Then the messenger, the slayer of Argus, spoke to her in turn: "Send him away now, just so, and have regard for the wrath of Zeus, lest he grow angry and bear you a grudge hereafter."

Having spoken thus, the mighty slayer of Argus departed, and the revered nymph went to great-hearted Odysseus, now that she had heard the message of Zeus. She found him sitting on the shore; his eyes were never dry of tears, and his sweet life was wasting away as he lamented his return, for the nymph no longer pleased him. And yet, he would spend his nights, to be sure, by necessity in the hollow caves, an unwilling man beside a willing goddess. But by day he would sit on the rocks and the sea-strands, [tormenting his soul with tears and groans and sorrows,] and gaze out over the barren sea, shedding tears. Standing close beside him, the brightest of goddesses spoke:

"Ill-fated man, grieve no more here, nor let your life waste away; for now I will send you forth with all my heart. Come, then, cut long timbers and fashion with bronze a wide raft; and build a high deck upon it, so that it may carry you over the misty sea. And I myself shall place within it bread and water and red wine to your heart's content, to keep hunger from you, and I shall clothe you in garments, and send a fair wind behind you, so that you may reach your native land quite unscathed, if the gods who hold the wide heavens so will it, for they are mightier than I to devise and to decree."

So she spoke, and the much-enduring, divine Odysseus shuddered, and raising his voice he spoke winged words to her:

"In this, goddess, you are planning something else, and not my safe passage, when you bid me cross the great gulf of the sea on a raft, a thing of terror and peril, which not even the well-balanced, swift-faring ships can cross, exulting in the wind of Zeus. Nor would I, against your will, set foot upon a raft, unless you would consent, goddess, to swear a great oath that you are not plotting some new and evil bane for me."

So he spoke, and Calypso, brightest of goddesses, smiled, and she caressed him with her hand, and spoke a word, and called him by name:

"Truly you are a rogue, and your thoughts are not foolish, that you have taken it into your head to speak such a word. Let this be my witness now: the earth and the wide heaven above, and the down-flowing water of the Styx, which is the greatest and most terrible oath for the blessed gods, that I am not plotting some new and evil bane for you. But I am thinking and planning for you those very things that I would devise for myself, should such need ever come upon me. For my mind is righteous, nor is my own heart made of iron in my breast, but is full of pity."

Having spoken thus, the brightest of goddesses led the way quickly, and he followed in the footsteps of the goddess. The goddess and the man arrived at the hollow cave, and he for his part sat down upon the chair from which Hermes had risen, and the nymph set before him all manner of food, to eat and to drink, such things as mortal men consume. But she herself sat down opposite divine Odysseus, and for her, the handmaids set out ambrosia and nectar. And they put forth their hands to the good things that lay ready before them. But when they had taken their pleasure in food and drink, it was Calypso, brightest of goddesses, who first began to speak:

"Zeus-born son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices, so then you wish to go at once to your home, to your own dear native land? Farewell to you, even so. But if you only knew in your heart how many woes it is your fate to fill to the brim, before you reach your native land, you would remain here with me and keep this house, and you would be immortal, however much you long to see your wife, for whom you are ever yearning day after day. Surely I claim to be no worse than she,

neither in form nor in stature, since it is in no way fitting for mortal women to contend with immortals in form and beauty."

Then Odysseus of many wiles answered her and said: "Revered goddess, do not be wroth with me for this; I myself know full well that circumspect Penelope is,< compared to you, of lesser grace in beauty and in stature, to behold; for she is a mortal, while you are immortal and ageless. But even so, I wish and I yearn all my days to return to my home and see the day of my homecoming. And if some god should shatter my raft on the wine-dark sea, I shall endure it, with a long-suffering heart in my breast. For already I have suffered much and laboured much on the waves and in war; let this be added to the rest."

So he spoke, and the sun set and darkness came on. And the two of them went into the recess of the hollow cave and took their pleasure in love, remaining beside each other.

But when the early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, at once Odysseus put on a cloak and a tunic, and the nymph herself put on a great, shining white robe, delicate and lovely, and cast about her waist a beautiful golden girdle, and a veil over her head. And then she began to plan the passage of great-hearted Odysseus. She gave him a great axe, well-fitted to his hands, of bronze, sharpened on both sides; and in it was a beautiful handle of olive wood, firmly set. And then she gave him a well-polished adze. She led the way to the edge of the island, where tall trees grew, alder and poplar, and pine that reached to the heavens, long-seasoned and bone-dry, that would float lightly for him. And when she had shown him where the tall trees grew, Calypso, brightest of goddesses, returned to her dwelling, while he set to cutting timbers, and his work went swiftly. He felled twenty trees in all, and trimmed them with the bronze, and skillfully smoothed them and made them true to the line. Meanwhile Calypso, brightest of goddesses, brought him augers; and he bored all the timbers and fitted them to each other, and with pegs and joints he hammered the raft together. As wide as a man well-skilled in carpentry will trace the hull of a broad cargo ship, so wide did Odysseus make his raft. And he set up the deck-beams, fitting them to the close-set ribs, and completed it with long gunwales. He fashioned a mast in it, and a yardarm fitted to it, and he also made a rudder with which to steer. And he fenced it all around with wickerwork of osier branches to be a defence against the waves, and heaped up much wood as ballast. Meanwhile Calypso, brightest of goddesses, brought him cloth to make the sails, and he fashioned these skillfully as well. And he fastened in it the braces and halyards and sheets, and then with levers he dragged it down into the divine sea.

It was the fourth day, and all his work was finished. On the fifth, the divine Calypso sent him from the island, after she had bathed him and clothed him in fragrant garments. The goddess placed on board a skin of dark wine, one, and another, a great one, of water, and provisions too in a leather sack, and put in it many dainties to his heart's content. And she sent forth a harmless and gentle breeze. Joyfully, divine Odysseus spread his sails to the wind. And he steered skillfully with the rudder as he sat; nor did sleep fall upon his eyelids, as he gazed upon the Pleiades and late-setting Boötes, and the Bear, which men also call the Wain, which turns in its place and watches Orion, and alone has no part in the baths of Ocean. For Calypso, brightest of goddesses, had instructed him to sail the sea keeping this constellation on his left hand. For seventeen days he sailed, crossing the sea, and on the eighteenth the shadowy mountains of the land of the Phaeacians appeared, where it lay nearest to him; and it looked like a shield on the misty sea.

But the mighty Earth-shaker, returning from the Ethiopians, spied him from afar from the mountains of the Solymi; for he appeared to him sailing upon the sea. And he grew angrier still in his heart, and shaking his head, he spoke to his own spirit:

"Ah, so the gods have indeed changed their counsel concerning Odysseus, while I was among the Ethiopians. And here he is, near the land of the Phaeacians, where it is his fate to escape the great coil of misery that has come upon him. But still I think I shall drive him to a surfeit of misfortune."

So saying, he gathered the clouds and, grasping his trident in his hands, he stirred up the sea. He roused all the squalls of all the winds, and with clouds he covered over the land and sea alike; and night rushed down from the sky. Together the East Wind and the South Wind clashed, and the tempestuous West Wind and the North, born in the bright air, rolling a mighty wave. And then Odysseus's knees grew weak and his own heart melted, and in anguish he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:

"Oh, miserable man that I am! What will become of me in the end? I fear that all the goddess spoke was true, she who said that on the sea, before I reached my native land, I would have my fill of sorrows. And now all this is coming to pass. With what clouds Zeus crowns the wide heaven! He has stirred up the sea, and the squalls of all the winds rage on. Now my utter destruction is certain. Thrice-blessed, four times-blessed were the Danaans who perished then in wide Troy, doing favour for the sons of Atreus! Would that I had died and met my fate on that day when the Trojans in their multitudes cast their bronze-tipped spears at me, over the body of the fallen son of Peleus. Then I would have had burial rites, and the Achaeans would have carried my fame; but now it is my lot to be taken by a wretched death."

Just as he spoke, a great wave crashed down upon him from above, rushing on horribly, and it spun the raft around. Far from the raft he himself fell, and the rudder he let go from his hands. And in its midst the mast was snapped by a terrible gust of clashing winds that came upon it, and far off the sail and the yardarm fell into the sea. The wave held him under the water for a long time, and he could not come up quickly from under the great rush of the wave, for the garments which divine Calypso gave him weighed him down. But at last he came up, and spat from his mouth the bitter brine, which streamed in abundance from his head. But not even so did he forget his raft, weary though he was, but lunging after it through the waves he seized it, and sat in the middle of it, avoiding the end that is death. And the great wave carried it along its current, here and there. As when in autumn the North Wind carries thistles over the plain, and they cling densely to one another, so the winds carried his raft over the sea, here and there. Sometimes the South Wind would toss it to the North Wind to be driven, and sometimes the East Wind would yield it to the West Wind to pursue.

But the daughter of Cadmus, fair-ankled Ino, saw him, Leucothea, who was once a mortal of human speech, but now in the salt depths of the sea has a share of divine honor. She pitied Odysseus, wandering and suffering sorrows, and like a shearwater on the wing she rose from the depths, and settled on the raft and spoke a word to him:

"Ill-fated man, why has Poseidon the Earth-shaker hated you so terribly, that he plants so many evils for you? Yet he will not destroy you utterly, for all his rage. But do just as I say, for you seem to me not without sense. Strip off these clothes and leave the raft for the winds to carry, and swimming with your hands, strive for your return to the land of the Phaeacians, where it is your fate to escape. Here, take this veil and stretch it beneath your breast; it is immortal. You need have no fear of suffering or perishing. But when with your hands you have grasped the mainland, untie it and cast it into the wine-dark sea far from the land, and turn yourself away."

So speaking, the goddess gave him the veil, and she herself plunged back into the surging sea like a shearwater, and the dark wave closed over her. But the much-enduring, divine Odysseus was left to ponder, and in anguish he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:

"Woe is me! I fear some immortal is weaving a new snare for me, who bids me to abandon my raft.

But I will not obey yet, since with my own eyes I saw the land, where she said I might find escape, was far away. So I will do this, which seems to me to be the best course: as long as the timbers hold together in their joints, I will remain here and endure the suffering of my pains. But when the wave has shattered my raft, I will swim, since there is nothing better to devise."

While he was weighing these things in his mind and in his heart, Poseidon the Earth-shaker raised up a great wave, terrible and grievous and overarching, and drove it against him. As a strong wind shakes a heap of dry chaff, and scatters it one way and another, so the wave scattered the raft's long timbers. But Odysseus straddled a single beam, as if riding a horse, and stripped off the garments that divine Calypso had given him. At once he stretched the veil beneath his breast, and he plunged headfirst into the sea, with his arms outstretched, eager to swim. And the mighty Earth-shaker saw him, and shaking his head, he spoke to his own spirit:

"So, now, after suffering many evils, wander over the sea until you mix with men cherished by Zeus. But not even so do I think you will make light of your misery."

Having spoken thus, he whipped his fair-maned horses and came to Aegae, where his glorious halls are.

But Athena, daughter of Zeus, planned otherwise. She bound the paths of the other winds, and commanded them all to cease and be lulled to sleep. But she stirred up the swift North Wind, and broke the waves before it, until the Zeus-born Odysseus should mingle with the oar-loving Phaeacians, having escaped death and the fates.

For two nights and two days he was driven on the solid wave, and many times his heart foresaw destruction. But when fair-tressed Dawn brought about the third day, then at last the wind ceased and a windless calm set in. And he saw the land nearby, gazing very keenly, lifted up by a great wave. And as the sight of a father's life is welcome to his children, when he has lain in sickness suffering grievous pains, long wasting away, and a hateful demon has afflicted him, but then, to their joy, the gods release him from his suffering, so welcome to Odysseus did the land and the wood appear, and he swam on, striving to set his feet upon the land. But when he was as far off as a man's shout can be heard, he heard the thunder of the sea against the reefs— for the great wave thundered against the dry land, bellowing horribly, and all was veiled in the sea's spray. For there were no harbors to shelter ships, nor any roadsteads, but only jutting headlands and reefs and crags.— And then Odysseus's knees grew weak and his own heart melted, and in anguish he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:

"Woe is me! Though Zeus has granted me to see the land I had despaired of, and though I have cut through and crossed this great gulf, no way out of the grey sea appears. For outside are sharp crags, and around them the wave boils and roars, and a smooth cliff runs straight up, and the sea is deep close in, so there is no way for my feet to find a firm stand and escape my misery. I fear that as I try to land a great wave will seize me and dash me against the stony cliff, and my attempt will be in vain. And if I swim on further, in hope of finding sloping shores and harbors of the sea, I fear that a squall may snatch me up again and carry me, groaning heavily, out to the fish-filled sea, or a god may send some great monster against me from the salt depths, such as glorious Amphitrite breeds in abundance. For I know how the glorious Earth-shaker hates me."

While he was weighing these things in his mind and in his heart, a great wave carried him toward the rugged shore. There his skin would have been stripped off, and his bones shattered together, had not the bright-eyed goddess Athena put a thought in his mind. Lunging forward with both hands, he seized a rock, and clung to it, groaning, until the great wave had passed. And so he escaped that one, but the backwash in its turn struck him as it rushed back, and cast him far out into the sea. And as, when an octopus is dragged from its lair, many pebbles cling fast to its suckers, so from his strong hands, against the rocks, strips of skin were torn away. And the great wave covered him over. There, then, the wretched Odysseus would have perished against his fate, had not bright-eyed Athena given him prudence. Rising from the wave that roared toward the shore, he swam along outside it, looking toward the land to see if he might find sloping shores and harbors of the sea. But when, as he swam, he came to the mouth of a fair-flowing river, there the place seemed best to him, smooth of rocks, and there was shelter from the wind. He felt the river flowing forth and prayed to it in his heart:

"Hear me, lord, whoever you are. To you, much-prayed-for, I come, fleeing from the sea and the threats of Poseidon. He is revered even by the immortal gods, any man who comes as a wanderer, as I now come to your stream and to your knees after much suffering. But take pity, lord; I declare myself to be your suppliant."

So he spoke, and the river at once checked its current, and held back its wave, and made a calm before him, and brought him safely into the river's mouth. And he bent both his knees and his sturdy arms, for his spirit was broken by the salt sea. His whole flesh was swollen, and much sea water gushed from his mouth and nostrils. And so, breathless and speechless, he lay, barely stirring, and a terrible weariness came upon him. But when he revived and his spirit returned to his breast, then at last he untied from himself the veil of the goddess. And he let it fall into the salt-flowing river, and a great wave carried it back down the stream, and at once Ino received it in her dear hands. But he, turning away from the river, sank down among the reeds and kissed the life-giving earth. And in anguish he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:

"Woe is me, what am I to suffer? What will become of me in the end? If I keep watch through the wearisome night in the riverbed, I fear that the bitter frost and the fresh dew together may overcome my spirit, exhausted from faintness; and the breeze from a river blows cold before the dawn. But if I climb the slope to the shady wood and lay me down to sleep in the dense thickets, in case the chill and weariness should leave me, and sweet sleep should come upon me, I fear I may become spoil and prey for wild beasts."

As he pondered, this seemed to him to be the better course. He set out to go to the wood, and found it near the water, in a place with a clear view. He went in under two bushes that grew from the same place: one a wild olive, the other an olive. Through them the force of the wet-blowing winds could not pierce, nor ever did the shining sun strike them with its rays, nor could the rain pass straight through, so densely did they grow intertwined with one another. Beneath these Odysseus crept. And at once with his own hands he scraped together a bed broad and wide, for there was a great shedding of leaves there, enough to shelter two or three men in the winter season, however harsh it might be. Seeing this, the much-enduring, divine Odysseus was glad, and he lay down in the middle, and heaped the fallen leaves over him. And as a man on a remote farm, who has no neighbors nearby, hides a firebrand in the black embers, preserving the seed of fire, so that he need not seek it from elsewhere, so Odysseus covered himself with leaves. And upon his eyes Athena shed sleep, that she might release him very quickly from his grievous toil, closing his dear eyelids.

ὈΔΎΣΣΕΙΑ 5

Ἠὼς δ' ἐκ λεχέων παρ' ἀγαυοῦ Τιθωνοῖο
ὤρνυθ', ἵν' ἀθανάτοισι φόως φέροι ἠδὲ βροτοῖσιν·
οἱ δὲ θεοὶ θῶκόνδε καθίζανον, ἐν δ' ἄρα τοῖσι
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, οὗ τε κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον.
τοῖσι δ' Ἀθηναίη λέγε κήδεα πόλλ' Ὀδυσῆος
μνησαμένη· μέλε γάρ οἱ ἐὼν ἐν δώμασι νύμφης·

«Ζεῦ πάτερ ἠδ' ἄλλοι μάκαρες θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες,
μή τις ἔτι πρόφρων ἀγανὸς καὶ ἤπιος ἔστω
σκηπτοῦχος βασιλεύς, μηδὲ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα εἰδώς,
ἀλλ' αἰεὶ χαλεπός τ' εἴη καὶ αἴσυλα ῥέζοι,
ὡς οὔ τις μέμνηται Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο
λαῶν, οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δ' ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.
ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐν νήσῳ κεῖται κρατέρ' ἄλγεα πάσχων,
νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ
ἴσχει· ὁ δ' οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι·
οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,
οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπ' εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.
νῦν αὖ παῖδ' ἀγαπητὸν ἀποκτεῖναι μεμάασιν
οἴκαδε νισόμενον· ὁ δ' ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν
ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην ἠδ' ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν.»

τὴν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·
«τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτον μὲν ἐβούλευσας νόον αὐτή,
ὡς ἦ τοι κείνους Ὀδυσεὺς ἀποτείσεται ἐλθών;
Τηλέμαχον δὲ σὺ πέμψον ἐπισταμένως, δύνασαι γάρ,
ὥς κε μάλ' ἀσκηθὴς ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηται,
μνηστῆρες δ' ἐν νηῒ παλιμπετὲς ἀπονέωνται.»

ἦ ῥα, καὶ Ἑρμείαν, υἱὸν φίλον, ἀντίον ηὔδα·
«Ἑρμεία· σὺ γὰρ αὖτε τά τ' ἄλλα περ ἄγγελός ἐσσι·
νύμφῃ ἐϋπλοκάμῳ εἰπεῖν νημερτέα βουλήν,
νόστον Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὥς κε νέηται,
οὔτε θεῶν πομπῇ οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων·
ἀλλ' ὅ γ' ἐπὶ σχεδίης πολυδέσμου πήματα πάσχων
ἤματι εἰκοστῷ Σχερίην ἐρίβωλον ἵκοιτο,
Φαιήκων ἐς γαῖαν, οἳ ἀγχίθεοι γεγάασιν·
οἵ κέν μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσουσι,
πέμψουσιν δ' ἐν νηῒ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν,
χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε ἅλις ἐσθῆτά τε δόντες,
πόλλ', ὅσ' ἂν οὐδέ ποτε Τροίης ἐξήρατ' Ὀδυσσεύς,
εἴ περ ἀπήμων ἦλθε, λαχὼν ἀπὸ ληΐδος αἶσαν.
ὣς γάρ οἱ μοῖρ' ἐστὶ φίλους τ' ἰδέειν καὶ ἱκέσθαι
οἶκον ἐς ὑψόροφον καὶ ἑὴν ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν.»

ὣς ἔφατ', οὐδ' ἀπίθησε διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης.
αὐτίκ' ἔπειθ' ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα,
ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια, τά μιν φέρον ἠμὲν ἐφ' ὑγρὴν
ἠδ' ἐπ' ἀπείρονα γαῖαν ἅμα πνοιῇσ' ἀνέμοιο.
εἵλετο δὲ ῥάβδον, τῇ τ' ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει,
ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δ' αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει·
τὴν μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχων πέτετο κρατὺς Ἀργεϊφόντης.
Πιερίην δ' ἐπιβὰς ἐξ αἰθέρος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ·
σεύατ' ἔπειτ' ἐπὶ κῦμα λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς,
ὅς τε κατὰ δεινοὺς κόλπους ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο
ἰχθῦς ἀγρώσσων πυκινὰ πτερὰ δεύεται ἅλμῃ·
τῷ ἴκελος πολέεσσιν ὀχήσατο κύμασιν Ἑρμῆς.

ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ τὴν νῆσον ἀφίκετο τηλόθ' ἐοῦσαν,
ἔνθ' ἐκ πόντου βὰς ἰοειδέος ἤπειρόνδε
ἤϊεν, ὄφρα μέγα σπέος ἵκετο, τῷ ἔνι νύμφη
ναῖεν ἐϋπλόκαμος· τὴν δ' ἔνδοθι τέτμεν ἐοῦσαν.
πῦρ μὲν ἐπ' ἐσχαρόφιν μέγα καίετο, τηλόσε δ' ὀδμὴ
κέδρου τ' εὐκεάτοιο θύου τ' ἀνὰ νῆσον ὀδώδει
δαιομένων· ἡ δ' ἔνδον ἀοιδιάουσ' ὀπὶ καλῇ
ἱστὸν ἐποιχομένη χρυσείῃ κερκίδ' ὕφαινεν.
ὕλη δὲ σπέος ἀμφὶ πεφύκει τηλεθόωσα,
κλήθρη τ' αἴγειρός τε καὶ εὐώδης κυπάρισσος.

ἔνθα δέ τ' ὄρνιθες τανυσίπτεροι εὐνάζοντο,
σκῶπές τ' ἴρηκές τε τανύγλωσσοί τε κορῶναι
εἰνάλιαι, τῇσίν τε θαλάσσια ἔργα μέμηλεν.
ἡ δ' αὐτοῦ τετάνυστο περὶ σπείους γλαφυροῖο
ἡμερὶς ἡβώωσα, τεθήλει δὲ σταφυλῇσι.
κρῆναι δ' ἑξείης πίσυρες ῥέον ὕδατι λευκῷ,
πλησίαι ἀλλήλων τετραμμέναι ἄλλυδις ἄλλη.
ἀμφὶ δὲ λειμῶνες μαλακοὶ ἴου ἠδὲ σελίνου
θήλεον. ἔνθα κ' ἔπειτα καὶ ἀθάνατός περ ἐπελθὼν
θηήσαιτο ἰδὼν καὶ τερφθείη φρεσὶν ᾗσιν.

ἔνθα στὰς θηεῖτο διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα ἑῷ θηήσατο θυμῷ,
αὐτίκ' ἄρ' εἰς εὐρὺ σπέος ἤλυθεν. οὐδέ μιν ἄντην
ἠγνοίησεν ἰδοῦσα Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων·
οὐ γάρ τ' ἀγνῶτες θεοὶ ἀλλήλοισι πέλονται
ἀθάνατοι, οὐδ' εἴ τις ἀπόπροθι δώματα ναίει.
οὐδ' ἄρ' Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα ἔνδον ἔτετμεν,
ἀλλ' ὅ γ' ἐπ' ἀκτῆς κλαῖε καθήμενος, ἔνθα πάρος περ,
δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων
πόντον ἐπ' ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων.
Ἑρμείαν δ' ἐρέεινε Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
ἐν θρόνῳ ἱδρύσασα φαεινῷ σιγαλόεντι·

«τίπτε μοι, Ἑρμεία χρυσόῤῥαπι, εἰλήλουθας,
αἰδοῖός τε φίλος τε; πάρος γε μὲν οὔ τι θαμίζεις.
αὔδα ὅ τι φρονέεις· τελέσαι δέ με θυμὸς ἄνωγεν,
εἰ δύναμαι τελέσαι γε καὶ εἰ τετελεσμένον ἐστίν.
[ἀλλ' ἕπεο προτέρω, ἵνα τοι πὰρ ξείνια θείω.]»

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασα θεὰ παρέθηκε τράπεζαν
ἀμβροσίης πλήσασα, κέρασσε δὲ νέκταρ ἐρυθρόν·
αὐτὰρ ὁ πῖνε καὶ ἦσθε διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δείπνησε καὶ ἤραρε θυμὸν ἐδωδῇ,
καὶ τότε δή μιν ἔπεσσιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν·

«εἰρωτᾷς μ' ἐλθόντα θεὰ θεόν· αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τοι
νημερτέως τὸν μῦθον ἐνισπήσω· κέλεαι γάρ.
Ζεὺς ἐμέ γ' ἠνώγει δεῦρ' ἐλθέμεν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα·
τίς δ' ἂν ἑκὼν τοσσόνδε διαδράμοι ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ
ἄσπετον; οὐδέ τις ἄγχι βροτῶν πόλις, οἵ τε θεοῖσιν
ἱερά τε ῥέζουσι καὶ ἐξαίτους ἑκατόμβας.
ἀλλὰ μάλ' οὔ πως ἔστι Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο
οὔτε παρεξελθεῖν ἄλλον θεὸν οὔθ' ἁλιῶσαι.
φησί τοι ἄνδρα παρεῖναι ὀϊζυρώτατον ἄλλων,
τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ ἄστυ πέρι Πριάμοιο μάχοντο
εἰνάετες, δεκάτῳ δὲ πόλιν πέρσαντες ἔβησαν
οἴκαδ'· ἀτὰρ ἐν νόστῳ Ἀθηναίην ἀλίτοντο,
ἥ σφιν ἐπῶρσ' ἄνεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ κύματα μακρά.
ἔνθ' ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἀπέφθιθεν ἐσθλοὶ ἑταῖροι,
τὸν δ' ἄρα δεῦρ' ἄνεμός τε φέρων καὶ κῦμα πέλασσε.
τὸν νῦν σ' ἠνώγειν ἀποπεμπέμεν ὅττι τάχιστα·
οὐ γάρ οἱ τῇδ' αἶσα φίλων ἀπονόσφιν ὀλέσθαι,
ἀλλ' ἔτι οἱ μοῖρ' ἐστὶ φίλους τ' ἰδέειν καὶ ἱκέσθαι
οἶκον ἐς ὑψόροφον καὶ ἑὴν ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν.»

ὣς φάτο, ῥίγησεν δὲ Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
καί μιν φωνήσασ' ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

«σχέτλιοί ἐστε, θεοί, ζηλήμονες ἔξοχον ἄλλων,
οἵ τε θεαῖσ' ἀγάασθε παρ' ἀνδράσιν εὐνάζεσθαι
ἀμφαδίην, ἤν τίς τε φίλον ποιήσετ' ἀκοίτην.
ὣς μὲν ὅτ' Ὠρίων' ἕλετο ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
τόφρα οἱ ἠγάασθε θεοὶ ῥεῖα ζώοντες,
ἕως μιν ἐν Ὀρτυγίῃ χρυσόθρονος Ἄρτεμις ἁγνὴ
οἷσ' ἀγανοῖσι βέλεσσιν ἐποιχομένη κατέπεφνεν.
ὣς δ' ὁπότ' Ἰασίωνι ἐϋπλόκαμος Δημήτηρ,
ᾧ θυμῷ εἴξασα, μίγη φιλότητι καὶ εὐνῇ
νειῷ ἔνι τριπόλῳ· οὐδὲ δὴν ἦεν ἄπυστος
Ζεύς, ὅς μιν κατέπεφνε βαλὼν ἀργῆτι κεραυνῷ.
ὣς δ' αὖ νῦν μοι ἄγασθε, θεοί, βροτὸν ἄνδρα παρεῖναι.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼν ἐσάωσα περὶ τρόπιος βεβαῶτα
οἶον, ἐπεί οἱ νῆα θοὴν ἀργῆτι κεραυνῷ
Ζεὺς ἐλάσας ἐκέασσε μέσῳ ἐνὶ οἴνοπι πόντῳ.
ἔνθ' ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες ἀπέφθιθεν ἐσθλοὶ ἑταῖροι,
τὸν δ' ἄρα δεῦρ' ἄνεμός τε φέρων καὶ κῦμα πέλασσε.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ φίλεόν τε καὶ ἔτρεφον ἠδὲ ἔφασκον
θήσειν ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀγήραον ἤματα πάντα.
ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ οὔ πως ἔστι Διὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο
οὔτε παρεξελθεῖν ἄλλον θεὸν οὔθ' ἁλιῶσαι,
ἐῤῥέτω, εἴ μιν κεῖνος ἐποτρύνει καὶ ἀνώγει,
πόντον ἐπ' ἀτρύγετον. πέμψω δέ μιν οὔ πῃ ἐγώ γε·
οὐ γάρ μοι πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,
οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπ' εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.
αὐτάρ οἱ πρόφρων ὑποθήσομαι οὐδ' ἐπικεύσω,
ὥς κε μάλ' ἀσκηθὴς ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηται.»

τὴν δ' αὖτε προσέειπε διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης·
«οὕτω νῦν ἀπόπεμπε, Διὸς δ' ἐποπίζεο μῆνιν,
μή πώς τοι μετόπισθε κοτεσσάμενος χαλεπήνῃ.»

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη κρατὺς Ἀργεϊφόντης·
ἡ δ' ἐπ' Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα πότνια νύμφη
ἤϊ', ἐπεὶ δὴ Ζηνὸς ἐπέκλυεν ἀγγελιάων.
τὸν δ' ἄρ' ἐπ' ἀκτῆς εὗρε καθήμενον· οὐδέ ποτ' ὄσσε
δακρυόφιν τέρσοντο, κατείβετο δὲ γλυκὺς αἰὼν
νόστον ὀδυρομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη.
ἀλλ' ἦ τοι νύκτας μὲν ἰαύεσκεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ
ἐν σπέεσι γλαφυροῖσι παρ' οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ·
ἤματα δ' ἂμ πέτρῃσι καὶ ἠϊόνεσσι καθίζων
[δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων]
πόντον ἐπ' ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων.
ἀγχοῦ δ' ἱσταμένη προσεφώνεε δῖα θεάων·

«κάμμορε, μή μοι ἔτ' ἐνθάδ' ὀδύρεο, μηδέ τοι αἰὼν
φθινέτω· ἤδη γάρ σε μάλα πρόφρασσ' ἀποπέμψω.
ἀλλ' ἄγε δούρατα μακρὰ ταμὼν ἁρμόζεο χαλκῷ
εὐρεῖαν σχεδίην· ἀτὰρ ἴκρια πῆξαι ἐπ' αὐτῆς
ὑψοῦ, ὥς σε φέρῃσιν ἐπ' ἠεροειδέα πόντον.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ σῖτον καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ οἶνον ἐρυθρὸν
ἐνθήσω μενοεικέ', ἅ κέν τοι λιμὸν ἐρύκοι,
εἵματά τ' ἀμφιέσω· πέμψω δέ τοι οὖρον ὄπισθεν,
ὥς κε μάλ' ἀσκηθὴς σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηαι,
αἴ κε θεοί γ' ἐθέλωσι, τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσιν,
οἵ μευ φέρτεροί εἰσι νοῆσαί τε κρῆναί τε.»

ὣς φάτο, ῥίγησεν δὲ πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,
καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

«ἄλλο τι δὴ σύ, θεά, τόδε μήδεαι οὐδέ τι πομπήν,
ἥ με κέλεαι σχεδίῃ περάαν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης,
δεινόν τ' ἀργαλέον τε· τὸ δ' οὐδ' ἐπὶ νῆες ἐῖσαι
ὠκύποροι περόωσιν, ἀγαλλόμεναι Διὸς οὔρῳ.
οὐδ' ἂν ἐγώ γ' ἀέκητι σέθεν σχεδίης ἐπιβαίην,
εἰ μή μοι τλαίης γε, θεά, μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι
μή τί μοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο.»

ὣς φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
χειρί τέ μιν κατέρεξεν ἔπος τ' ἔφατ' ἔκ τ' ὀνόμαζεν·

«ἦ δὴ ἀλιτρός γ' ἐσσὶ καὶ οὐκ ἀποφώλια εἰδώς,
οἷον δὴ τὸν μῦθον ἐπεφράσθης ἀγορεῦσαι.
ἴστω νῦν τόδε γαῖα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε
καὶ τὸ κατειβόμενον Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, ὅς τε μέγιστος
ὅρκος δεινότατός τε πέλει μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι,
μή τί τοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο.
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν νοέω καὶ φράσσομαι, ἅσσ' ἂν ἐμοί περ
αὐτῇ μηδοίμην, ὅτε με χρειὼ τόσον ἵκοι·
καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ νόος ἐστὶν ἐναίσιμος, οὐδέ μοι αὐτῇ
θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι σιδήρεος, ἀλλ' ἐλεήμων.»

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασ' ἡγήσατο δῖα θεάων
καρπαλίμως· ὁ δ' ἔπειτα μετ' ἴχνια βαῖνε θεοῖο.
ἷξον δὲ σπεῖος γλαφυρὸν θεὸς ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνήρ·
καί ῥ' ὁ μὲν ἔνθα καθέζετ' ἐπὶ θρόνου, ἔνθεν ἀνέστη
Ἑρμείας, νύμφη δ' ἐτίθει πάρα πᾶσαν ἐδωδήν,
ἔσθειν καὶ πίνειν, οἷα βροτοὶ ἄνδρες ἔδουσιν·
αὐτὴ δ' ἀντίον ἷζεν Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο,
τῇ δὲ παρ' ἀμβροσίην δμῳαὶ καὶ νέκταρ ἔθηκαν.
οἱ δ' ἐπ' ὀνείαθ' ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τάρπησαν ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος,
τοῖσ' ἄρα μύθων ἦρχε Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων·

«διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν' Ὀδυσσεῦ,
οὕτω δὴ οἶκόνδε φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν
αὐτίκα νῦν ἐθέλεις ἰέναι; σὺ δὲ χαῖρε καὶ ἔμπης.
εἴ γε μὲν εἰδείης σῇσι φρεσίν, ὅσσα τοι αἶσα
κήδε' ἀναπλῆσαι, πρὶν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι,
ἐνθάδε κ' αὖθι μένων σὺν ἐμοὶ τόδε δῶμα φυλάσσοις
ἀθάνατός τ' εἴης, ἱμειρόμενός περ ἰδέσθαι
σὴν ἄλοχον, τῆς τ' αἰὲν ἐέλδεαι ἤματα πάντα.
οὐ μέν θην κείνης γε χερείων εὔχομαι εἶναι,

οὐ δέμας οὐδὲ φυήν, ἐπεὶ οὔ πως οὐδὲ ἔοικε
θνητὰς ἀθανάτῃσι δέμας καὶ εἶδος ἐρίζειν.»

τὴν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·
«πότνα θεά, μή μοι τόδε χώεο· οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
πάντα μάλ', οὕνεκα σεῖο περίφρων Πηνελόπεια
εἶδος ἀκιδνοτέρη μέγεθός τ' εἰσάντα ἰδέσθαι·
ἡ μὲν γὰρ βροτός ἐστι, σὺ δ' ἀθάνατος καὶ ἀγήρως.
ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧς ἐθέλω καὶ ἐέλδομαι ἤματα πάντα
οἴκαδέ τ' ἐλθέμεναι καὶ νόστιμον ἦμαρ ἰδέσθαι.
εἰ δ' αὖ τις ῥαίῃσι θεῶν ἐνὶ οἴνοπι πόντῳ,
τλήσομαι ἐν στήθεσσιν ἔχων ταλαπενθέα θυμόν·
ἤδη γὰρ μάλα πολλὰ πάθον καὶ πολλὰ μόγησα
κύμασι καὶ πολέμῳ· μετὰ καὶ τόδε τοῖσι γενέσθω.»

ὣς ἔφατ', ἠέλιος δ' ἄρ' ἔδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθεν·
ἐλθόντες δ' ἄρα τώ γε μυχῷ σπείους γλαφυροῖο
τερπέσθην φιλότητι, παρ' ἀλλήλοισι μένοντες.

Πρότυπο:Anchofrἦμος δ' ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
αὐτίχ' ὁ μὲν χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε ἕννυτ' Ὀδυσσεύς,
αὐτὴ δ' ἀργύφεον φᾶρος μέγα ἕννυτο νύμφη,
λεπτὸν καὶ χαρίεν, περὶ δὲ ζώνην βάλετ' ἰξυῖ
καλὴν χρυσείην, κεφαλῇ δ' ἐφύπερθε καλύπτρην.
καὶ τότ' Ὀδυσσῆϊ μεγαλήτορι μήδετο πομπήν·
δῶκε μέν οἱ πέλεκυν μέγαν, ἄρμενον ἐν παλάμῃσι,
χάλκεον, ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἀκαχμένον· αὐτὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ
στειλειὸν περικαλλὲς ἐλάϊνον, εὖ ἐναρηρός·
δῶκε δ' ἔπειτα σκέπαρνον ἐΰξοον· ἦρχε δ' ὁδοῖο
νήσου ἐπ' ἐσχατιήν, ὅθι δένδρεα μακρὰ πεφύκει,
κλήθρη τ' αἴγειρός τ', ἐλάτη τ' ἦν οὐρανομήκης,
αὖα πάλαι, περίκηλα, τά οἱ πλώοιεν ἐλαφρῶς.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ δεῖξ' ὅθι δένδρεα μακρὰ πεφύκει,
ἡ μὲν ἔβη πρὸς δῶμα Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
αὐτὰρ ὁ τάμνετο δοῦρα· θοῶς δέ οἱ ἤνυτο ἔργον.
εἴκοσι δ' ἔκβαλε πάντα, πελέκκησεν δ' ἄρα χαλκῷ,
ξέσσε δ' ἐπισταμένως καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνε.
τόφρα δ' ἔνεικε τέρετρα Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων·
τέτρηνεν δ' ἄρα πάντα καὶ ἥρμοσεν ἀλλήλοισι,
γόμφοισιν δ' ἄρα τήν γε καὶ ἁρμονίῃσιν ἄρασσεν.
ὅσσον τίς τ' ἔδαφος νηὸς τορνώσεται ἀνὴρ
φορτίδος εὐρείης, εὖ εἰδὼς τεκτοσυνάων,
τόσσον ἐπ' εὐρεῖαν σχεδίην ποιήσατ' Ὀδυσσεύς.
ἴκρια δὲ στήσας, ἀραρὼν θαμέσι σταμίνεσσι,
ποίει· ἀτὰρ μακρῇσιν ἐπηγκενίδεσσι τελεύτα.
ἐν δ' ἱστὸν ποίει καὶ ἐπίκριον ἄρμενον αὐτῷ·
πρὸς δ' ἄρα πηδάλιον ποιήσατο, ὄφρ' ἰθύνοι.
φράξε δέ μιν ῥίπεσσι διαμπερὲς οἰσυΐνῃσι,
κύματος εἶλαρ ἔμεν· πολλὴν δ' ἐπεχεύατο ὕλην.
τόφρα δὲ φάρε' ἔνεικε Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
ἱστία ποιήσασθαι· ὁ δ' εὖ τεχνήσατο καὶ τά.
ἐν δ' ὑπέρας τε κάλους τε πόδας τ' ἐνέδησεν ἐν αὐτῇ,
μοχλοῖσιν δ' ἄρα τήν γε κατείρυσεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν.

τέτρατον ἦμαρ ἔην, καὶ τῷ τετέλεστο ἅπαντα·
τῷ δ' ἄρα πέμπτῳ πέμπ' ἀπὸ νήσου δῖα Καλυψώ,
εἵματά τ' ἀμφιέσασα θυώδεα καὶ λούσασα.
ἐν δέ οἱ ἀσκὸν ἔθηκε θεὰ μέλανος οἴνοιο
τὸν ἕτερον, ἕτερον δ' ὕδατος μέγαν, ἐν δὲ καὶ ᾖα
κωρύκῳ, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄψα τίθει μενοεικέα πολλά·
οὖρον δὲ προέηκεν ἀπήμονά τε λιαρόν τε.
γηθόσυνος δ' οὔρῳ πέτασ' ἱστία δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς.
αὐτὰρ ὁ πηδαλίῳ ἰθύνετο τεχνηέντως
ἥμενος· οὐδέ οἱ ὕπνος ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ἔπιπτε
Πληϊάδας τ' ἐσορῶντι καὶ ὀψὲ δύοντα Βοώτην
Ἄρκτον θ', ἣν καὶ ἄμαξαν ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν,
ἥ τ' αὐτοῦ στρέφεται καί τ' Ὠρίωνα δοκεύει,
οἴη δ' ἄμμορός ἐστι λοετρῶν Ὠκεανοῖο·
τὴν γὰρ δή μιν ἄνωγε Καλυψώ, δῖα θεάων,
ποντοπορευέμεναι ἐπ' ἀριστερὰ χειρὸς ἔχοντα.
ἑπτὰ δὲ καὶ δέκα μὲν πλέεν ἤματα ποντοπορεύων,
ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῃ δ' ἐφάνη ὄρεα σκιόεντα
γαίης Φαιήκων, ὅθι τ' ἄγχιστον πέλεν αὐτῷ·
εἴσατο δ' ὡς ὅτε ῥινὸν ἐν ἠεροειδέϊ πόντῳ.

τὸν δ' ἐξ Αἰθιόπων ἀνιὼν κρείων ἐνοσίχθων
τηλόθεν ἐκ Σολύμων ὀρέων ἴδεν· εἴσατο γάρ οἱ
πόντον ἐπιπλείων. ὁ δ' ἐχώσατο κηρόθι μᾶλλον,
κινήσας δὲ κάρη προτὶ ὃν μυθήσατο θυμόν·

«ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δὴ μετεβούλευσαν θεοὶ ἄλλως
ἀμφ' Ὀδυσῆϊ ἐμεῖο μετ' Αἰθιόπεσσιν ἐόντος·
καὶ δὴ Φαιήκων γαίης σχεδόν, ἔνθα οἱ αἶσα
ἐκφυγέειν μέγα πεῖραρ ὀϊζύος, ἥ μιν ἱκάνει.
ἀλλ' ἔτι μέν μίν φημι ἅδην ἐλάαν κακότητος.»

ὣς εἰπὼν σύναγεν νεφέλας, ἐτάραξε δὲ πόντον
χερσὶ τρίαιναν ἑλών· πάσας δ' ὀρόθυνεν ἀέλλας
παντοίων ἀνέμων, σὺν δὲ νεφέεσσι κάλυψε
γαῖαν ὁμοῦ καὶ πόντον· ὀρώρει δ' οὐρανόθεν νύξ.
σὺν δ' εὖρός τε νότος τ' ἔπεσον ζέφυρός τε δυσαὴς
καὶ βορέης αἰθρηγενέτης, μέγα κῦμα κυλίνδων.
καὶ τότ' Ὀδυσσῆος λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ,
ὀχθήσας δ' ἄρα εἶπε πρὸς ὃν μεγαλήτορα θυμόν·

«ὤ μοι ἐγὼ δειλός, τί νύ μοι μήκιστα γένηται;
δείδω μὴ δὴ πάντα θεὰ νημερτέα εἶπεν,
ἥ μ' ἔφατ' ἐν πόντῳ, πρὶν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι,
ἄλγε' ἀναπλήσειν· τὰ δὲ δὴ νῦν πάντα τελεῖται.
οἵοισιν νεφέεσσι περιστέφει οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν
Ζεύς, ἐτάραξε δὲ πόντον, ἐπισπέρχουσι δ' ἄελλαι
παντοίων ἀνέμων· νῦν μοι σῶς αἰπὺς ὄλεθρος.
τρὶς μάκαρες Δαναοὶ καὶ τετράκις, οἳ τότ' ὄλοντο
Τροίῃ ἐν εὐρείῃ, χάριν Ἀτρεΐδῃσι φέροντες.
ὡς δὴ ἐγώ γ' ὄφελον θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν
ἤματι τῷ ὅτε μοι πλεῖστοι χαλκήρεα δοῦρα
Τρῶες ἐπέῤῥιψαν περὶ Πηλεΐωνι θανόντι.
τῶ κ' ἔλαχον κτερέων, καί μευ κλέος ἦγον Ἀχαιοί·
νῦν δέ με λευγαλέῳ θανάτῳ εἵμαρτο ἁλῶναι.»

ὣς ἄρα μιν εἰπόντ' ἔλασεν μέγα κῦμα κατ' ἄκρης,
δεινὸν ἐπεσσύμενον, περὶ δὲ σχεδίην ἐλέλιξε.
τῆλε δ' ἀπὸ σχεδίης αὐτὸς πέσε, πηδάλιον δὲ
ἐκ χειρῶν προέηκε· μέσον δέ οἱ ἱστὸν ἔαξε
δεινὴ μισγομένων ἀνέμων ἐλθοῦσα θύελλα·
τηλοῦ δὲ σπεῖρον καὶ ἐπίκριον ἔμπεσε πόντῳ.
τὸν δ' ἄρ' ὑπόβρυχα θῆκε πολὺν χρόνον, οὐδὲ δυνάσθη
αἶψα μάλ' ἀνσχεθέειν μεγάλου ὑπὸ κύματος ὁρμῆς·
εἵματα γάρ ἑ βάρυνε, τά οἱ πόρε δῖα Καλυψώ.
ὀψὲ δὲ δή ῥ' ἀνέδυ, στόματος δ' ἐξέπτυσεν ἅλμην
πικρήν, ἥ οἱ πολλὴ ἀπὸ κρατὸς κελάρυζεν.
ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὧς σχεδίης ἐπελήθετο, τειρόμενός περ,
ἀλλὰ μεθορμηθεὶς ἐνὶ κύμασιν ἐλλάβετ' αὐτῆς,
ἐν μέσσῃ δὲ καθῖζε τέλος θανάτου ἀλεείνων.
τὴν δ' ἐφόρει μέγα κῦμα κατὰ ῥόον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα.
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ὀπωρινὸς βορέης φορέῃσιν ἀκάνθας
ἂμ πεδίον, πυκιναὶ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλῃσιν ἔχονται.
ὣς τὴν ἂμ πέλαγος ἄνεμοι φέρον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα·
ἄλλοτε μέν τε νότος βορέῃ προβάλεσκε φέρεσθαι,
ἄλλοτε δ' αὖτ' εὖρος ζεφύρῳ εἴξασκε διώκειν.

τὸν δὲ ἴδεν Κάδμου θυγάτηρ, καλλίσφυρος Ἰνώ,
Λευκοθέη, ἣ πρὶν μὲν ἔην βροτὸς αὐδήεσσα,
νῦν δ' ἁλὸς ἐν πελάγεσσι θεῶν ἐξέμμορε τιμῆς.
ἥ ῥ' Ὀδυσῆ' ἐλέησεν ἀλώμενον, ἄλγε' ἔχοντα·
αἰθυίῃ δ' εἰκυῖα ποτῇ ἀνεδύσετο λίμνης,
ἷζε δ' ἐπὶ σχεδίης καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε·

«κάμμορε, τίπτε τοι ὧδε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων
ὠδύσατ' ἐκπάγλως, ὅτι τοι κακὰ πολλὰ φυτεύει;
οὐ μὲν δή σε καταφθείσει, μάλα περ μενεαίνων.
ἀλλὰ μάλ' ὧδ' ἕρξαι, δοκέεις δέ μοι οὐκ ἀπινύσσειν·
εἵματα ταῦτ' ἀποδὺς σχεδίην ἀνέμοισι φέρεσθαι
κάλλιπ', ἀτὰρ χείρεσσι νέων ἐπιμαίεο νόστου
γαίης Φαιήκων, ὅθι τοι μοῖρ' ἐστὶν ἀλύξαι.
τῆ δέ, τόδε κρήδεμνον ὑπὸ στέρνοιο τανύσσαι
ἄμβροτον· οὐδέ τί τοι παθέειν δέος οὐδ' ἀπολέσθαι.
αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν χείρεσσιν ἐφάψεαι ἠπείροιο,
ἂψ ἀπολυσάμενος βαλέειν εἰς οἴνοπα πόντον
πολλὸν ἀπ' ἠπείρου, αὐτὸς δ' ἀπονόσφι τραπέσθαι.»

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασα θεὰ κρήδεμνον ἔδωκεν,
αὐτὴ δ' ἂψ ἐς πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντα
αἰθυίῃ εἰκυῖα· μέλαν δέ ἑ κῦμ' ἐκάλυψεν.
αὐτὰρ ὁ μερμήριξε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,
ὀχθήσας δ' ἄρα εἶπε πρὸς ὃν μεγαλήτορα θυμόν·

«ὤ μοι ἐγώ, μή τίς μοι ὑφαίνῃσιν δόλον αὖτε
ἀθανάτων, ὅ τέ με σχεδίης ἀποβῆναι ἀνώγει.

ἀλλὰ μάλ' οὔ πω πείσομ', ἐπεὶ ἑκὰς ὀφθαλμοῖσι
γαῖαν ἐγὼν ἰδόμην, ὅθι μοι φάτο φύξιμον εἶναι.
ἀλλὰ μάλ' ὧδ' ἕρξω, δοκέει δέ μοι εἶναι ἄριστον·
ὄφρ' ἂν μέν κεν δούρατ' ἐν ἁρμονίῃσιν ἀρήρῃ,
τόφρ' αὐτοῦ μενέω καὶ τλήσομαι ἄλγεα πάσχων·
αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν δή μοι σχεδίην διὰ κῦμα τινάξῃ,
νήξομ', ἐπεὶ οὐ μέν τι πάρα προνοῆσαι ἄμεινον.»

εἷος ὁ ταῦθ' ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν,
ὦρσε δ' ἐπὶ μέγα κῦμα Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων,
δεινόν τ' ἀργαλέον τε, κατηρεφές, ἤλασε δ' αὐτόν.
ὡς δ' ἄνεμος ζαὴς ᾔων θημῶνα τινάξῃ
καρφαλέων, τὰ μὲν ἄρ τε διεσκέδασ' ἄλλυδις ἄλλῃ,
ὣς τῆς δούρατα μακρὰ διεσκέδασ'. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἀμφ' ἑνὶ δούρατι βαῖνε, κέληθ' ὡς ἵππον ἐλαύνων,
εἵματα δ' ἐξαπέδυνε, τά οἱ πόρε δῖα Καλυψώ.
αὐτίκα δὲ κρήδεμνον ὑπὸ στέρνοιο τάνυσσεν,
αὐτὸς δὲ πρηνὴς ἁλὶ κάππεσε, χεῖρε πετάσσας,
νηχέμεναι μεμαώς. ἴδε δὲ κρείων ἐνοσίχθων,
κινήσας δὲ κάρη προτὶ ὃν μυθήσατο θυμόν·

«οὕτω νῦν κακὰ πολλὰ παθὼν ἀλόω κατὰ πόντον,
εἰς ὅ κεν ἀνθρώποισι διοτρεφέεσσι μιγήῃς.
ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὧς σε ἔολπα ὀνόσσεσθαι κακότητος.»

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἵμασεν καλλίτριχας ἵππους,
ἵκετο δ' εἰς Αἰγάς, ὅθι οἱ κλυτὰ δώματ' ἔασιν.

αὐτὰρ Ἀθηναίη, κούρη Διός, ἄλλ' ἐνόησεν·
ἦ τοι τῶν ἄλλων ἀνέμων κατέδησε κελεύθους,
παύσασθαι δ' ἐκέλευσε καὶ εὐνηθῆναι ἅπαντας·
ὦρσε δ' ἐπὶ κραιπνὸν βορέην, πρὸ δὲ κύματ' ἔαξεν,
εἷος ὃ Φαιήκεσσι φιληρέτμοισι μιγείη
διογενὴς Ὀδυσεύς, θάνατον καὶ κῆρας ἀλύξας.

ἔνθα δύω νύκτας δύο τ' ἤματα κύματι πηγῷ
πλάζετο, πολλὰ δέ οἱ κραδίη προτιόσσετ' ὄλεθρον.
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ τρίτον ἦμαρ ἐϋπλόκαμος τέλεσ' Ἠώς,
καὶ τότ' ἔπειτ' ἄνεμος μὲν ἐπαύσατο ἠδὲ γαλήνη
ἔπλετο νηνεμίη· ὁ δ' ἄρα σχεδὸν εἴσιδε γαῖαν
ὀξὺ μάλα προϊδών, μεγάλου ὑπὸ κύματος ἀρθείς.
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ
πατρός, ὃς ἐν νούσῳ κεῖται κρατέρ' ἄλγεα πάσχων,
δηρὸν τηκόμενος, στυγερὸς δέ οἱ ἔχραε δαίμων,
ἀσπάσιον δ' ἄρα τόν γε θεοὶ κακότητος ἔλυσαν,
ὣς Ὀδυσῆ' ἀσπαστὸν ἐείσατο γαῖα καὶ ὕλη,
νῆχε δ' ἐπειγόμενος ποσὶν ἠπείρου ἐπιβῆναι.
ἀλλ' ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆν, ὅσσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας,
καὶ δὴ δοῦπον ἄκουσε ποτὶ σπιλάδεσσι θαλάσσης· -
ῥόχθει γὰρ μέγα κῦμα ποτὶ ξερὸν ἠπείροιο
δεινὸν ἐρευγόμενον, εἴλυτο δὲ πάνθ' ἁλὸς ἄχνῃ·
οὐ γὰρ ἔσαν λιμένες νηῶν ὀχοί, οὐδ' ἐπιωγαί,
ἀλλ' ἀκταὶ προβλῆτες ἔσαν σπιλάδες τε πάγοι τε· -
καὶ τότ' Ὀδυσσῆος λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ,
ὀχθήσας δ' ἄρα εἶπε πρὸς ὃν μεγαλήτορα θυμόν·

«ὤ μοι, ἐπεὶ δὴ γαῖαν ἀελπέα δῶκεν ἰδέσθαι
Ζεύς, καὶ δὴ τόδε λαῖτμα διατμήξας ἐπέρησα,
ἔκβασις οὔ πῃ φαίνεθ' ἁλὸς πολιοῖο θύραζε·
ἔκτοσθεν μὲν γὰρ πάγοι ὀξέες, ἀμφὶ δὲ κῦμα
βέβρυχεν ῥόθιον, λισσὴ δ' ἀναδέδρομε πέτρη,
ἀγχιβαθὴς δὲ θάλασσα, καὶ οὔ πως ἔστι πόδεσσι
στήμεναι ἀμφοτέροισι καὶ ἐκφυγέειν κακότητα·
μή πώς μ' ἐκβαίνοντα βάλῃ λίθακι ποτὶ πέτρῃ
κῦμα μέγ' ἁρπάξαν· μελέη δέ μοι ἔσσεται ὁρμή.
εἰ δέ κ' ἔτι προτέρω παρανήξομαι, ἤν που ἐφεύρω
ἠϊόνας τε παραπλῆγας λιμένας τε θαλάσσης,
δείδω μή μ' ἐξαῦτις ἀναρπάξασα θύελλα
πόντον ἐπ' ἰχθυόεντα φέρῃ βαρέα στενάχοντα,
ἠέ τί μοι καὶ κῆτος ἐπισσεύῃ μέγα δαίμων
ἐξ ἁλός, οἷά τε πολλὰ τρέφει κλυτὸς Ἀμφιτρίτη·
οἶδα γὰρ ὥς μοι ὀδώδυσται κλυτὸς ἐννοσίγαιος.»

εἷος ὁ ταῦθ' ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν,
τόφρα δέ μιν μέγα κῦμα φέρεν τρηχεῖαν ἐπ' ἀκτήν.
ἔνθα κ' ἀπὸ ῥινοὺς δρύφθη, σὺν δ' ὀστέ' ἀράχθη,
εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θῆκε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·
ἀμφοτέρῃσι δὲ χερσὶν ἐπεσσύμενος λάβε πέτρης,
τῆς ἔχετο στενάχων, εἷος μέγα κῦμα παρῆλθε.
καὶ τὸ μὲν ὣς ὑπάλυξε, παλιῤῥόθιον δέ μιν αὖτις
πλῆξεν ἐπεσσύμενον, τηλοῦ δέ μιν ἔμβαλε πόντῳ.
ὡς δ' ὅτε πουλύποδος θαλάμης ἐξελκομένοιο
πρὸς κοτυληδονόφιν πυκιναὶ λάϊγγες ἔχονται,
ὣς τοῦ πρὸς πέτρῃσι θρασειάων ἀπὸ χειρῶν
ῥινοὶ ἀπέδρυφθεν· τὸν δὲ μέγα κῦμ' ἐκάλυψεν.
ἔνθα κε δὴ δύστηνος ὑπὲρ μόρον ὤλετ' Ὀδυσσεύς,
εἰ μὴ ἐπιφροσύνην δῶκε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·
κύματος ἐξαναδύς, τά τ' ἐρεύγεται ἤπειρόνδε,
νῆχε παρέξ, ἐς γαῖαν ὁρώμενος, εἴ που ἐφεύροι
ἠϊόνας τε παραπλῆγας λιμένας τε θαλάσσης.
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ ποταμοῖο κατὰ στόμα καλλιρόοιο
ἷξε νέων, τῇ δή οἱ ἐείσατο χῶρος ἄριστος,
λεῖος πετράων, καὶ ἐπὶ σκέπας ἦν ἀνέμοιο·
ἔγνω δὲ προρέοντα καὶ εὔξατο ὃν κατὰ θυμόν·

«κλῦθι, ἄναξ, ὅτις ἐσσί· πολύλλιστον δέ σ' ἱκάνω
φεύγων ἐκ πόντοιο Ποσειδάωνος ἐνιπάς.
αἰδοῖος μέν τ' ἐστὶ καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν,
ἀνδρῶν ὅς τις ἵκηται ἀλώμενος, ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ νῦν
σόν τε ῥόον σά τε γούναθ' ἱκάνω πολλὰ μογήσας.
ἀλλ' ἐλέαιρε, ἄναξ· ἱκέτης δέ τοι εὔχομαι εἶναι.»

ὣς φάθ', ὁ δ' αὐτίκα παῦσεν ἑὸν ῥόον, ἔσχε δὲ κῦμα,
πρόσθε δέ οἱ ποίησε γαλήνην, τὸν δ' ἐσάωσεν
ἐς ποταμοῦ προχοάς. ὁ δ' ἄρ' ἄμφω γούνατ' ἔκαμψε
χεῖράς τε στιβαράς· ἁλὶ γὰρ δέδμητο φίλον κῆρ·
ᾤδεε δὲ χρόα πάντα, θάλασσα δὲ κήκιε πολλὴ
ἂν στόμα τε ῥῖνάς θ'· ὁ δ' ἄρ' ἄπνευστος καὶ ἄναυδος
κεῖτ' ὀλιγηπελέων, κάματος δέ μιν αἰνὸς ἵκανεν.
ἀλλ' ὅτε δή ῥ' ἄμπνυτο καὶ ἐς φρένα θυμὸς ἀγέρθη,
καὶ τότε δὴ κρήδεμνον ἀπὸ ἕο λῦσε θεοῖο.
καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐς ποταμὸν ἁλιμυρήεντα μεθῆκεν,
ἂψ δ' ἔφερεν μέγα κῦμα κατὰ ῥόον, αἶψα δ' ἄρ' Ἰνὼ
δέξατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν· ὁ δ' ἐκ ποταμοῖο λιασθεὶς
σχοίνῳ ὑπεκλίνθη, κύσε δὲ ζείδωρον ἄρουραν.
ὀχθήσας δ' ἄρα εἶπε πρὸς ὃν μεγαλήτορα θυμόν·

«ὤ μοι ἐγώ, τί πάθω; τί νύ μοι μήκιστα γένηται;
εἰ μέν κ' ἐν ποταμῷ δυσκηδέα νύκτα φυλάσσω,
μή μ' ἄμυδις στίβη τε κακὴ καὶ θῆλυς ἐέρση
ἐξ ὀλιγηπελίης δαμάσῃ κεκαφηότα θυμόν·
αὔρη δ' ἐκ ποταμοῦ ψυχρὴ πνέει ἠῶθι πρό.
εἰ δέ κεν ἐς κλειτὺν ἀναβὰς καὶ δάσκιον ὕλην
θάμνοισ' ἐν πυκινοῖσι καταδράθω, εἴ με μεθείη
ῥῖγος καὶ κάματος, γλυκερὸς δέ μοι ὕπνος ἐπέλθοι,
δείδω μὴ θήρεσσιν ἕλωρ καὶ κύρμα γένωμαι.»

ὣς ἄρα οἱ φρονέοντι δοάσσατο κέρδιον εἶναι·
βῆ ῥ' ἴμεν εἰς ὕλην· τὴν δὲ σχεδὸν ὕδατος εὗρεν
ἐν περιφαινομένῳ. δοιοὺς δ' ἄρ' ὑπήλυθε θάμνους
ἐξ ὁμόθεν πεφυῶτας· ὁ μὲν φυλίης, ὁ δ' ἐλαίης.
τοὺς μὲν ἄρ' οὔτ' ἀνέμων διάη μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων,
οὔτε ποτ' ἠέλιος φαέθων ἀκτῖσιν ἔβαλλεν,
οὔτ' ὄμβρος περάασκε διαμπερές· ὣς ἄρα πυκνοὶ
ἀλλήλοισιν ἔφυν ἐπαμοιβαδίς· οὓς ὑπ' Ὀδυσσεὺς
δύσετ'. ἄφαρ δ' εὐνὴν ἐπαμήσατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν
εὐρεῖαν· φύλλων γὰρ ἔην χύσις ἤλιθα πολλή,
ὅσσον τ' ἠὲ δύω ἠὲ τρεῖς ἄνδρας ἔρυσθαι
ὥρῃ χειμερίῃ, εἰ καὶ μάλα περ χαλεπαίνοι.
τὴν μὲν ἰδὼν γήθησε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,
ἐν δ' ἄρα μέσσῃ λέκτο, χύσιν δ' ἐπεχεύατο φύλλων.
ὡς δ' ὅτε τις δαλὸν σποδιῇ ἐνέκρυψε μελαίνῃ
ἀγροῦ ἐπ' ἐσχατιῆς, ᾧ μὴ πάρα γείτονες ἄλλοι,
σπέρμα πυρὸς σῴζων, ἵνα μή ποθεν ἄλλοθεν αὕοι,
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς φύλλοισι καλύψατο. τῷ δ' ἄρ' Ἀθήνη
ὕπνον ἐπ' ὄμμασι χεῦ', ἵνα μιν παύσειε τάχιστα
δυσπονέος καμάτοιο, φίλα βλέφαρ' ἀμφικαλύψας.


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