Odysseus for making false tales!
-
How works the accusative here?12. πυκνοὺς καὶ θαμέας, τὸ μέλαν δρυὸς ἀμφικεάσσας: -
I don't get the meaning, why κερδοσύνη? What was the clever thing thatἐξαπίνης δ᾽ Ὀδυσῆα ἴδον κύνες ὑλακόμωροι.
30. οἱ μὲν κεκλήγοντες ἐπέδραμον: αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἕζετο κερδοσύνη, σκῆπτρον δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρός.
Odysseus did against the dogs? He sat down? I don't understand. The
next verses are indeed a contrafactual of what would have happened if
the swineherd were not there (so it was thanks to the swineherd and not to his cunning that he was saved):
ἔνθα κεν ᾧ πὰρ σταθμῷ ἀεικέλιον πάθεν ἄλγος:
33. ἀλλὰ συβώτης ὦκα ποσὶ κραιπνοῖσι μετασπὼν
ἔσσυτ᾽ ἀνὰ πρόθυρον, σκῦτος δέ οἱ ἔκπεσε χειρός. -
54. ὑπέδεξο
ὑπεδέξω? -
Is this common in Homer? I don't remember any other instance where he55. τὸν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφης, Εὔμαιε συβῶτα:
refers to a character in the second person (excepting the muse). I can
see that the nominative of Εὔμαιος would not feet the meter, but still
then... couldn't he just choose another name for the swineherd ? Or
just change the whole verse by:
Or, if I can inspire myself:τὸν δ᾽ ἠμείβετ᾽ ἔπειτα συβώτης, ὄρχαμος ἀνδρῶν:
Just joking (the swineherd shows himself very skeptic about theτὸν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη Εὔμαιος ἄπιστος
returning of Odysseus through all the chapter). -
The speaker is the swineherd. τοῦ is Odysseus. I don't understand the61. οἱ νέοι. ἦ γὰρ τοῦ γε θεοὶ κατὰ νόστον ἔδησαν,
62. ὅς κεν ἔμ᾽ ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει καὶ κτῆσιν ὄπασσεν,
grammar connection between ἔδησαν and κατὰ νόστον, I would expect the
genitive. -
The whole passage is a contrafactual given by the swineherd, about62. ὅς κεν ἔμ᾽ ἐνδυκέως ἐφίλει καὶ κτῆσιν ὄπασσεν,
63. οἶκόν τε κλῆρόν τε πολυμνήστην τε γυναῖκα,
64. οἷά τε ᾧ οἰκῆϊ ἄναξ εὔθυμος ἔδωκεν,
65. ὅς οἱ πολλὰ κάμῃσι, θεὸς δ᾽ ἐπὶ ἔργον ἀέξῃ,
66. ὡς καὶ ἐμοὶ τόδε ἔργον ἀέξεται, ᾧ ἐπιμίμνω.
67. τῷ κέ με πόλλ᾽ ὤνησεν ἄναξ, εἰ αὐτόθ᾽ ἐγήρα:
what his lord Odysseus would do (in contrast with his current lords,
the suitors) if he were there. But I didn't understand 65-66: ὅς seems
the antecedent of ἔμ᾽, οἱ refers to Odysseus, but I'm not sure about
θεὸς δ᾽ ἐπὶ ἔργον ἀέξῃ...ἐπιμίμνω. How should I read it? -
78. κίρνη
κίρνα? (contraction of αε) -
How do you explain κέ?96. ἦ γάρ οἱ ζωή γ᾽ ἦν ἄσπετος: οὔ τινι τόσση
97. ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων, οὔτ᾽ ἠπείροιο μελαίνης
98. οὔτ᾽ αὐτῆς Ἰθάκης: οὐδὲ ξυνεείκοσι φωτῶν
99. ἔστ᾽ ἄφενος τοσσοῦτον: ἐγὼ δέ κέ τοι καταλέξω. -
How would you explain γάρ inside an interrogation?καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα:
115. ‘ὦ φίλε, τίς γάρ σε πρίατο κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖσιν,
ὧδε μάλ᾽ ἀφνειὸς καὶ καρτερὸς ὡς ἀγορεύεις;
(Context: Odysseus inquiring the swineherd about his master,
i.e. about himself). -
All the vagabonds that come to Penelope/Telemachus, say to them that122. ‘ὦ γέρον, οὔ τις κεῖνον ἀνὴρ ἀλαλήμενος ἐλθὼν
123. ἀγγέλλων πείσειε γυναῖκά τε καὶ φίλον υἱόν,
124. ἀλλ᾽ ἄλλως κομιδῆς κεχρημένοι ἄνδρες ἀλῆται
125. ψεύδοντ᾽, οὐδ᾽ ἐθέλουσιν ἀληθέα μυθήσασθαι.
they have seen Odysseus, in order to be well received by them.
a. I think that the first clause is a potential optative. Then, should
not be there an ἄν particle? (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ythp%3D434).
b. Should not ψεύδοντ᾽ be active? -
176. χέρηα
χερείονα (from χερείων)? -
How should I read ἐξ Ἰθάκης?180. ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην: τὸν δὲ μνηστῆρες ἀγαυοὶ
181. οἴκαδ᾽ ἰόντα λοχῶσιν, ὅπως ἀπὸ φῦλον ὄληται
182. νώνυμον ἐξ Ἰθάκης Ἀρκεισίου ἀντιθέοιο. -
ἐόντι? (dat. of advantage, in apposition with νῶιν)εἴη μὲν νῦν νῶϊν ἐπὶ χρόνον ἠμὲν ἐδωδὴ
ἠδὲ μέθυ γλυκερὸν κλισίης ἔντοσθεν ἐοῦσι, -
By the context, it seems that the meaning of ἐδύσαντο here is that207. ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι τὸν κῆρες ἔβαν θανάτοιο φέρουσαι
208. εἰς Ἀΐδαο δόμους: τοὶ δὲ ζωὴν ἐδύσαντο
209. παῖδες ὑπέρθυμοι καὶ ἐπὶ κλήρους ἐβάλοντο,
they "divided" the property (ζωή) of his father after he died. But as
far as I know, δύω has not that meaning... -
ἕλεσκον [τόν]? I'm not sure about the use of αἱρέω here in the context220. ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρώτιστος ἐπάλμενος ἔγχει ἕλεσκον
221. ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν.
of a battle: does it mean "to capture" the enemy? Neither I understand
the general clause (ὅ τέ μοι εἴξειε πόδεσσιν), what is the meaning of
εἴκω here? -
"I myself know well about the return of my lord, who was much hated by365. μαψιδίως ψεύδεσθαι; ἐγὼ δ᾽ εὖ οἶδα καὶ αὐτὸς
366. νόστον ἐμοῖο ἄνακτος, ὅ τ᾽ ἤχθετο πᾶσι θεοῖσι
367. πάγχυ μάλ᾽, ὅττι μιν οὔ τι μετὰ Τρώεσσι δάμασσαν
368. ἠὲ φίλων ἐν χερσίν, ἐπεὶ πόλεμον τολύπευσε.
all the gods, that (ὅττι) they didn't slay him among the Trojans, nor
in the arms of his friends, when he endured then war".
a. This doesn't seem to have any sense. If the gods hate him, why they
let him live? How should I take ὅττι here?
b. Maybe here is another puzzle for Ruijgh? (I'm referring to ὅ τ᾽
ἤχθετο πᾶσι θεοῖσι). -
459. συβώτεω
συβώτου? -
Odysseus had just proposed to the swineherd to send to kill him if itτὸν δ᾽ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσεφώνεε δῖος ὑφορβός:
‘ξεῖν᾽, οὕτω γάρ κέν μοι ἐϋκλείη τ᾽ ἀρετή τε
εἴη ἐπ᾽ ἀνθρώπους ἅμα τ᾽ αὐτίκα καὶ μετέπειτα,
ὅς σ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἐς κλισίην ἄγαγον καὶ ξείνια δῶκα,
405. αὖτις δὲ κτείναιμι φίλον τ᾽ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἑλοίμην:
πρόφρων κεν δὴ ἔπειτα Δία Κρονίωνα λιτοίμην.
νῦν δ᾽ ὥρη δόρποιο: τάχιστά μοι ἔνδον ἑταῖροι
εἶεν, ἵν᾽ ἐν κλισίῃ λαρὸν τετυκοίμεθα δόρπον.’
comes to be that he is lying about his master. So the swineherd
answers with this kind of ironic potential optative (οὕτω γάρ μοι
ἐϋκλείη τ᾽ ἀρετή τε εἴη...).
But I don't see any place to γάρ here. Merry explains it as a γάρ with
an unexpressed apodosis, but he doesn't say too much. I imagine that
the swineherd had regarded that the proposal of Odysseus was so
obviously scandalous that it not even deserves to be refused, so he
just interrupt himself with νῦν δ᾽, leaving the refusal sentence
elliptical(?) -
Should not be a present participle? (Since it express in which way heεὐξάμενός τι ἔπος ἐρέω: οἶνος γὰρ ἀνώγει
speak to him: i.e. praying. -
How should understand πειρητίζω here? In which sense is he going to460. εἴ πώς οἱ ἐκδὺς χλαῖναν πόροι, ἤ τιν᾽ ἑταίρων
ἄλλον ἐποτρύνειεν, ἐπεί ἑο κήδετο λίην:
test the swineherd?
Indeed, I'm a little confused about all this αἶνος of Odysseus
(462-506), what it has to do with his purpose of acquiring some
clothes (or his purpose of "test" the swineherd)? And why he ends the
story with:
(Which is repeated on 468), when it was not thanks to his force nor503. ὣς νῦν ἡβώοιμι βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη:
his empedos that he acquired the clothes, but because of the cunning
of Odysseus.
Here is the whole passage:
νὺξ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ σκοτομήνιος, ὗε δ᾽ ἄρα Ζεὺς
πάννυχος, αὐτὰρ ἄη Ζέφυρος μέγας αἰὲν ἔφυδρος.
τοῖς δ᾽ Ὀδυσεὺς μετέειπε, συβώτεω πειρητίζων,
460. εἴ πώς οἱ ἐκδὺς χλαῖναν πόροι, ἤ τιν᾽ ἑταίρων
ἄλλον ἐποτρύνειεν, ἐπεί ἑο κήδετο λίην:
‘κέκλυθι νῦν, Εὔμαιε καὶ ἄλλοι πάντες ἑταῖροι,
εὐξάμενός τι ἔπος ἐρέω: οἶνος γὰρ ἀνώγει
ἠλεός, ὅς τ᾽ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ μάλ᾽ ἀεῖσαι
465. καί θ᾽ ἁπαλὸν γελάσαι, καί τ᾽ ὀρχήσασθαι ἀνῆκε,
καί τι ἔπος προέηκεν ὅ περ τ᾽ ἄρρητον ἄμεινον.
ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ πρῶτον ἀνέκραγον, οὐκ ἐπικεύσω.
εἴθ᾽ ὣς ἡβώοιμι βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη,
ὡς ὅθ᾽ ὑπὸ Τροίην λόχον ἤγομεν ἀρτύναντες.
470. ἡγείσθην δ᾽ Ὀδυσεύς τε καὶ Ἀτρεΐδης Μενέλαος,
τοῖσι δ᾽ ἅμα τρίτος ἄρχον ἐγών: αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἄνωγον.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἱκόμεσθα ποτὶ πτόλιν αἰπύ τε τεῖχος,
ἡμεῖς μὲν περὶ ἄστυ κατὰ ῥωπήϊα πυκνά,
ἂν δόνακας καὶ ἕλος, ὑπὸ τεύχεσι πεπτηῶτες
475. κείμεθα. νὺξ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπῆλθε κακὴ Βορέαο πεσόντος,
πηγυλίς: αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε χιὼν γένετ᾽ ἠΰτε πάχνη,
ψυχρή, καὶ σακέεσσι περιτρέφετο κρύσταλλος.
ἔνθ᾽ ἄλλοι πάντες χλαίνας ἔχον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας,
εὗδον δ᾽ εὔκηλοι, σάκεσιν εἰλυμένοι ὤμους:
480. αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ χλαῖναν μὲν ἰὼν ἑτάροισιν ἔλειπον
ἀφραδίῃς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐφάμην ῥιγωσέμεν ἔμπης,
ἀλλ᾽ ἑπόμην σάκος οἶον ἔχων καὶ ζῶμα φαεινόν.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ τρίχα νυκτὸς ἔην, μετὰ δ᾽ ἄστρα βεβήκει,
καὶ τότ᾽ ἐγὼν Ὀδυσῆα προσηύδων ἐγγὺς ἐόντα
485. ἀγκῶνι νύξας: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐμμαπέως ὑπάκουσε:
‘διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ,
οὔ τοι ἔτι ζωοῖσι μετέσσομαι, ἀλλά με χεῖμα
δάμναται: οὐ γὰρ ἔχω χλαῖναν: παρά μ᾽ ἤπαφε δαίμων
οἰοχίτων᾽ ἔμεναι: νῦν δ᾽ οὐκέτι φυκτὰ πέλονται.’
490. ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δ᾽ ἔπειτα νόον σχέθε τόνδ᾽ ἐνὶ θυμῷ,
οἷος κεῖνος ἔην βουλευέμεν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι:
φθεγξάμενος δ᾽ ὀλίγῃ ὀπί με πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε:
‘σίγα νῦν, μή τίς σευ Ἀχαιῶν ἄλλος ἀκούσῃ.’
ἦ καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀγκῶνος κεφαλὴν σχέθεν εἶπέ τε μῦθον:
495. ‘κλῦτε, φίλοι: θεῖός μοι ἐνύπνιον ἦλθεν ὄνειρος.
λίην γὰρ νηῶν ἑκὰς ἤλθομεν: ἀλλά τις εἴη
εἰπεῖν Ἀτρεΐδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονι, ποιμένι λαῶν,
εἰ πλέονας παρὰ ναῦφιν ἐποτρύνειε νέεσθαι.’
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, ὦρτο δ᾽ ἔπειτα Θόας, Ἀνδραίμονος υἱός,
500. καρπαλίμως, ἀπὸ δὲ χλαῖναν θέτο φοινικόεσσαν,
βῆ δὲ θέειν ἐπὶ νῆας: ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐνὶ εἵματι κείνου
κείμην ἀσπασίως, φάε δὲ χρυσόθρονος Ἠώς.
ὣς νῦν ἡβώοιμι βίη τέ μοι ἔμπεδος εἴη:
δοίη κέν τις χλαῖναν ἐνὶ σταθμοῖσι συφορβῶν,
505. ἀμφότερον, φιλότητι καὶ αἰδοῖ φωτὸς ἑῆος:
νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἀτιμάζουσι κακὰ χροῒ εἵματ᾽ ἔχοντα.’