Ancient Greek · The Wanderings

Ὀδυσσείας κ

Book 10. Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe

Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds, and his crew opens it in sight of Ithaca. The Laestrygonians sink eleven ships. Circe turns his men into pigs.

573 lines · 71 notes

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Then we came to the Aeolian island; there dwelt
Metre
Αἰολίηνἐςνῆσον‖ἀφικόμεθἔνθαἔναιεν
ΑἰολίηνAeolianΑἰολίη · accusative singular feminine nounmodifies νῆσον
δandδέ · particlecoordinating word
ἐςtoεἰς · prepositionpreposition
νῆσονislandνῆσος · accusative singular feminine nounobject of ἐς
ἀφικόμεθwe cameἀφικνέομαι · aorist middle indicative, 1st plural verbmain verb
Aorist middle 1st plural: narrator's 'we' voice marking the crew's arrival.
ἔνθαthereἔνθα · adverbadverbial to ,
δandδέ · particlecoordinating word
ἔναιενdweltναίω · imperfect active indicative, 3rd singular verbmain verb
Imperfect of ναίω: habitual/ongoing 'used to dwell there'.
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Aeolus son of Hippotas, dear to the immortal gods,
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on a floating island; and all around it ran a wall
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of unbreakable bronze, and a sheer cliff rose up.
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Twelve children of his are born in the halls,
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six daughters and six sons in the bloom of youth;
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and there he gave his daughters to his sons to be their wives.
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Always beside their dear father and honored mother
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they feast, and countless good things lie before them,
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and by day the house, fragrant with roasting meat, echoes through the court
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with its din; but at night, beside their modest wives,
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they sleep on coverlets and on corded bedsteads.
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To their city and fair halls, then, we came.
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For a whole month he welcomed me and asked about everything,
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Ilium and the ships of the Argives and the return of the Achaeans;
Wordnostos: the homecoming Nostos means the journey home, the great theme of the Odyssey. The whole poem turns on Odysseus's nostos.
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and I told him all of it in due order.
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But when at last I asked for passage and bade him
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send me on, he did not refuse, but arranged my journey.
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He flayed the hide of a nine-year-old ox and gave it to me as a sack,
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and in it he bound fast the paths of the blustering winds;
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for the son of Cronos had made him steward of the winds,
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to still them or to rouse whichever he wished.
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In the hollow ship he tied it down with a shining cord,
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of silver, so that not even a little might leak out;
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but for me he sent forth the breath of the West Wind to blow,
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to carry the ships and us along; yet it was not meant
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to be fulfilled, for by our own folly we were undone.
WordBy our own folly A recurring Odyssean theme: men ruined not by fate alone but by their own thoughtlessness. The dative plural names the cause.
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For nine days alike we sailed, by night and by day,
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and on the tenth our native land at last came into view,
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and being near we could see men tending their fires.
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Then sweet sleep came over me, worn out as I was,
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for I had always worked the ship's sheet and given it to no one
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else of my comrades, so we might reach our native land the sooner;
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but my comrades were talking with one another,
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and said I was carrying home gold and silver,
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gifts from great-hearted Aeolus son of Hippotas.
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And one would speak, glancing at his neighbor:
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"Now look how this man is loved and honored by all
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people, whatever city and land he comes to.
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Many fine treasures he carries off from Troy,
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out of the spoils, while we, having traveled the same road,
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are coming home with empty hands;
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and now Aeolus has given him these things, in his kindness
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and friendship. Come, let us quickly see what they are,
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how much gold and silver is in the sack."
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So they spoke, and the evil counsel of my comrades prevailed;
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they loosed the sack, and all the winds rushed out.
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At once the storm seized them and bore them out to sea,
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weeping, away from their native land. But as for me,
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I awoke and pondered in my noble heart
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whether to fling myself from the ship and perish in the sea,
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or to bear it in silence and still remain among the living.
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But I endured and stayed, and covering my head I lay
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down in the ship. The ships were borne by the cruel blast of wind
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back to the Aeolian island, and my comrades groaned.
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There we stepped onto the mainland and drew water,
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and at once my comrades took their meal beside the swift ships.
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But when we had tasted food and drink,
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then taking a herald and a comrade with me
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I went to the glorious halls of Aeolus; and I found him
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feasting beside his wife and his children.
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Coming into the house, by the doorposts on the threshold
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we sat down; and they marveled in their hearts and asked:
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"How have you come, Odysseus? What evil power has assailed you?
GrammarVocative of address Odysseus's name appears in the vocative case, the form used to call out to or address someone directly.
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Surely we sent you off with care, that you might reach
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your native land and home, and wherever else is dear to you."
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So they spoke, but I answered with grieving heart:
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"My evil comrades ruined me, and along with them cruel
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sleep. But mend this, my friends, for the power is in you."
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So I spoke, appealing to them with gentle words,
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but they fell silent; and the father answered with a word:
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"Begone from the island at once, vilest of living men!
GrammarImperative: begone Aeolus drives Odysseus off with a curt command. The imperative mood gives a direct order.
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It is not right for me to help or send on his way
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a man who is hated by the blessed gods;
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begone, since you come here hated by the gods."
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So saying, he sent me from his house, groaning heavily.
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From there we sailed onward, grieving in our hearts.
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And the men's spirit was worn down by the painful rowing,
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through our own folly, since no fair passage showed any longer.
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For six days alike we sailed, by night and by day,
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and on the seventh we came to the steep citadel of Lamos,
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Telepylus of the Laestrygonians, where herdsman to herdsman
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calls as he drives in, and the other, driving out, answers him.
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There a man who needed no sleep could earn a double wage,
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one for herding cattle, one for pasturing the white sheep;
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for the paths of night and day lie close together.
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There, when we came to the famous harbor, around which a cliff
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rises sheer, unbroken on both sides,
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and jutting headlands facing one another
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stand out at the mouth, and the entrance is narrow,
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there the others all brought their curved ships inside.
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These were moored within the hollow harbor,
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close together; for never did a wave rise within it,
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neither great nor small, but a clear calm lay all around;
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but I alone held my black ship outside,
GrammarOdysseus stands apart The nominative adjective "alone" (oios) marks Odysseus's caution: he keeps his ship outside the trap that will doom the others.
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there at the very edge, fastening the cables to a rock;
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and I climbed up to a rugged lookout and stood.
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There no works of oxen or of men appeared,
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only smoke we saw rising up from the earth.
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Then I sent comrades ahead to go and learn
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what manner of men, eating bread, dwelt on that land,
WordBread-eating men "Eaters of bread" is a Homeric way of saying ordinary, civilized humans, as opposed to monsters or the gods.
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choosing two men, and sending a herald as a third.
GrammarThe dual number "Two men" uses the dual, a special grammatical number Homer keeps for natural pairs. Greek has singular, dual, and plural.
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They went, stepping out onto a smooth road by which wagons
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brought down timber to the town from the high mountains,
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and before the town they met a girl drawing water,
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the strong daughter of the Laestrygonian Antiphates.
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She had gone down to the fair-flowing spring,
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Artacia; for from there they carried water to the town.
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Standing beside her they spoke and asked
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who was the king of these people and over whom he ruled;
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And at once she pointed out her father's high-roofed house.
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But when they entered the glorious halls, they found his wife,
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huge as a mountain peak, and they were filled with horror at her.
Wordshuddered with loathing The verb στυγέω conveys not mere fear but revulsion and dread, the same root that gives the river Styx its name.
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She at once called out from the assembly her famous Antiphates,
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her husband, who then plotted a grim destruction for them.
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Straightaway he seized one of my comrades and made him his meal;
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but the other two leapt up and fled, and reached the ships.
Grammardual verb for the two men The ending -σθην is third-person dual aorist: Homer keeps the two surviving scouts grammatically paired throughout the line.
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Then he raised a war-cry through the town, and hearing it
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the mighty Laestrygonians came thronging from every side,
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countless, not like men but like Giants.
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They hurled down from the cliffs boulders a man could barely lift,
Wordman-burdening stones ἀνδραχθής literally means "a load for a man" — rocks so heavy that one man could scarcely carry a single one.
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and at once a hideous din arose among the ships,
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of men being killed and of ships being smashed together;
Grammargenitive present participles Both participles are genitive plural, describing the men and ships whose dying and shattering make the din. The present tense pictures the action as ongoing.
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and spearing them like fish they carried them off, a grim feast.
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While they were destroying my men inside the deep harbor,
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meanwhile I drew the sharp sword from beside my thigh
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and with it cut the cables of my dark-prowed ship.
Worddark-prowed A standing epithet for ships, "with prow of dark blue," referring to the painted or pitch-coated bow.
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At once I urged on my comrades and commanded them
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to fall to the oars, so we might escape from disaster;
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and they all churned up the sea, fearing destruction.
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Gladly out to the open sea, away from the overhanging rocks,
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fled my ship; but all the rest were destroyed together there.
Grammaraorist middle of perishing ὄλοντο is aorist middle, here intransitive: "they perished." The middle voice expresses the ships and men undergoing their own destruction.
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From there we sailed onward, grieving at heart,
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glad to be alive past death, but having lost dear comrades.
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We came to the island of Aeaea; and there dwelt
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Circe of the lovely braids, dread goddess of human speech,
Wordspeaking with human voice αὐδήεσσα marks a divine being who speaks in mortal language, a recurring epithet for goddesses like Circe and Calypso who interact directly with men.
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own sister of Aeetes, whose mind is set on ruin;
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both were born of the Sun who gives light to mortals
Grammardual perfect of birth ἐκγεγάτην is third-person dual perfect: "the two of them were born," keeping Circe and Aeetes paired as a sibling pair.
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and of their mother Perse, whom Ocean fathered as his child.
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There we brought our ship to land along the shore in silence,
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into a sheltering harbor, and some god guided us.
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There then, having disembarked, for two days and two nights
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we lay still, eating our hearts with weariness and pains.
Wordeating one's heart A vivid Homeric idiom: grief is figured as inwardly devouring the spirit. The image of consuming sorrow is literal in the Greek.
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But when fair-braided Dawn brought the third day to its close,
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then I took up my spear and my sharp sword
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and went swiftly up from the ship to a lookout point,
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in hope I might see the works of men and hear their voices.
Grammaroptatives of purpose Both verbs are aorist optatives after εἴ πως, expressing the purpose Odysseus hoped for: "if somehow I might see and learn."
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I stood, having climbed up to a rugged lookout,
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and smoke appeared to me, rising from the broad-pathed earth,
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in Circe's halls, through the dense thickets and the woods.
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Then I pondered in my mind and heart
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whether to go and inquire, since I had seen the flickering smoke.
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And as I thought it over, this seemed the better course:
Wordthe more profitable course κέρδιον is the comparative of the adjective tied to κέρδος, "gain": Odysseus weighs what is most advantageous, a hallmark of his calculating mind.
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to go first to the swift ship and the shore of the sea,
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to give my comrades their meal and send some ahead to inquire.
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But when, going on, I was near the curved ship,
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then some god took pity on me as I went alone,
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who sent a great high-antlered stag right into my path.
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It was coming down toward the river from its woodland pasture
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to drink, for the sun's heat had taken hold of it.
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As it came out, I struck it along the spine, in the middle of the back;
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the bronze spear passed straight through it,
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and it fell with a bleat in the dust, and the life flew from it.
Grammartmesis: the spirit flew off The preverb ἀπό is split from its verb (ἔπτατο, aorist of πέτομαι), a Homeric construction called tmesis. The life literally "flies away" from the dying animal.
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Setting my foot on it, I drew the bronze spear from the wound
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and pulled it out; then I laid the spear down on the ground
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and left it there; meanwhile I plucked twigs and withies,
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and a rope about a fathom long, well-twisted at both ends,
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I plaited, and bound together the feet of the monstrous beast,
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and went, carrying it slung round my neck, toward the dark ship,
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leaning on my spear, since there was no way to bear it on my shoulder
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with the other hand; for it was a very great beast.
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I threw it down before the ship, and roused my comrades
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with gentle words, standing beside each man:
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"Friends, for all our grief we will not yet go down
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into the house of Hades before our fated day arrives.
Wordthe fated day μόρσιμον ("appointed by fate") with ἦμαρ marks the destined day of death. The image of a fixed day allotted to each life is central to Homeric thought.
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Come then, while there is food and drink in the swift ship,
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let us think of eating, and not waste away with hunger."
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So I spoke, and they quickly obeyed my words,
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and uncovering their heads along the shore of the barren sea
Wordthe barren sea ἀτρύγετος, a fixed epithet of the sea, means "unharvested" or "fruitless" — the sea yields no crop to those who cross it.
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they marveled at the stag; for it was a very great beast.
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But when they had taken their fill of gazing with their eyes,
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they washed their hands and prepared a glorious feast.
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So then all day long until the setting of the sun
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we sat feasting on abundant meat and sweet wine.
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But when the sun went down and darkness came on,
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then we lay down to sleep on the breaking surf of the sea.
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And when early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
Grammarrosy-fingered Dawn The most famous of Homer's formulaic epithets, marking daybreak. Such fixed phrases fit the dactylic hexameter and recur identically throughout the poems.
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then I called an assembly and spoke among them all:
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"Hear my words, comrades, for all the evils you have suffered.
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Friends, we do not know where the darkness lies, nor where the dawn,
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nor where the sun that gives light to mortals goes beneath the earth,
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nor where it rises; but let us consider quickly
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whether any plan is still left. I think there is none.
Wordcunning plan μῆτις denotes resourceful cunning, the quality that defines Odysseus (polymētis). Even he admits here that no clever scheme presents itself.
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For I saw, having climbed up to a rugged lookout,
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an island, around which the boundless sea lies like a crown;
Wordwreathed around The verb (perfect of στεφανόω, "to crown") pictures the sea as a garland encircling the low-lying island.
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and it lies low; and smoke in the middle of it
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I saw with my eyes, through dense thickets and woods."
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So I spoke, and their dear hearts were broken within them,
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remembering the deeds of the Laestrygonian Antiphates
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and the violence of the great-hearted, man-eating Cyclops.
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They wept shrilly, shedding swelling tears;
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but no good came of their lamenting.
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Then I divided all my well-greaved comrades
Wordwell-greaved ἐυκνήμις, "with fine greaves," is a standard epithet for the Achaeans, referring to the bronze shin-guards of their armor.
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into two groups, and I gave a leader to each;
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of the one I myself was leader, and of the other godlike Eurylochus.
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Quickly we shook the lots in a bronze-fitted helmet,
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and out leapt the lot of great-hearted Eurylochus.
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He set out to go, and with him twenty-two comrades,
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weeping; and they left us behind, wailing.
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In the glades they found the well-built halls of Circe,
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made of polished stones, in a place open to view all round;
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around it were mountain wolves and lions,
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which she herself had bewitched, since she gave them evil drugs.
Wordbewitched, charmed θέλγω is the verb of magical enchantment that pervades the Circe episode, used of spells that subdue both beasts and men.
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These did not rush upon the men, but instead
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stood up, fawning with their long tails.
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As when dogs fawn about their master coming from a feast,
Grammarepic simile marker ὡς δʼ ὅτε ("as when") with the subjunctive introduces a Homeric simile, here likening the tame beasts to dogs greeting their returning master.
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for he always brings them tidbits to please their hearts,
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so the strong-clawed wolves and lions fawned about my men;
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but they were afraid, when they saw the dreadful monsters.
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They stood in the forecourt of the lovely-braided goddess,
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And within they heard Circe singing in a lovely voice,
GrammarGenitive participle The present participle 'singing' is genitive, agreeing with Circe, the source of the sound they heard. Verbs of hearing often take a genitive of the thing heard.
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as she paced before her great immortal loom, such webs as goddesses make,
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delicate and graceful and gleaming work.
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Polites was first among them to speak, a leader of men,
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who was dearest to me of my companions and most trustworthy:
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"Friends, inside someone pacing at a great loom
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is singing sweetly, and the whole floor echoes with it,
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a goddess or a woman. Come, let us call out at once."
GrammarHortatory subjunctive The first-person plural subjunctive 'let us call out' is used to urge a shared action. The particle θᾶσσον ('quickly') sharpens the urging.
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So he spoke, and they called out, raising their voices.
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At once she came out, opened the shining doors,
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and called them in; and they all followed, foolishly;
WordThrough ignorance The dative plural 'in their ignorance' marks the men's fatal cluelessness; they have no idea what awaits them. The poet underscores the contrast with cautious Eurylochus in the next line.
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but Eurylochus held back, suspecting it was a trap.
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She led them in and seated them on chairs and high seats,
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and for them she stirred up cheese and barley meal and pale honey
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into Pramnian wine; but into the food she mixed
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baleful drugs, so that they might wholly forget their native land.
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But after she had given it and they drank it down, at once
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she struck them with her wand and penned them in the pigsties.
GrammarPerfect participle πεπληγυῖα is a perfect participle 'having struck,' formed with reduplication of the stem. It marks the completed blow whose effect (their transformation) now holds.
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They had the heads of pigs, the voice, the bristles,
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and the body, but their mind stayed firm, as it was before.
WordMind unchanged The horror of the spell is that their noos (mind, awareness) remains human and intact inside the animal body. The same word recurs at line 329 of Odysseus's 'unenchantable' mind.
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So they were penned in, weeping, and Circe threw before them
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acorns and ilex-mast and cornel fruit
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to eat, such as ground-bedded swine always feed on.
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Eurylochus came back at once to the swift black ship
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to bring word of his companions and their bitter fate.
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But he could not utter a single word, though he longed to,
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stricken in his heart by great anguish; and his eyes
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filled with tears, and his spirit was set on wailing.
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But when we had all questioned him in our amazement,
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then at last he told the destruction of the other companions:
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"We went, as you ordered, through the thickets, glorious Odysseus,
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and we found in the glens a fine house, well-built
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of polished stones, in a place open to view.
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There someone, pacing at a great loom, was singing clearly,
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a goddess or a woman; and they called out, raising their voices.
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At once she came out, opened the shining doors,
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and called them in; and they all followed, foolishly;
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but I held back, suspecting it was a trap.
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Then they all vanished together, and not one of them
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came back out; and I sat watching a long while."
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So he spoke; and I slung my silver-studded sword
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over my shoulders, a great bronze blade, and my bow as well;
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and I ordered him to lead me back by that same road.
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But he clasped my knees with both his hands and begged,
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and weeping he spoke to me winged words:
GrammarWinged words This formulaic epithet for speech, 'winged words,' recurs throughout Homer. The image is of words flying swiftly from speaker to hearer.
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"Do not lead me there against my will, god-nurtured one, but leave me here.
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For I know that you will neither come back yourself nor bring any other
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of your companions. No, with these men here, quickly
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let us flee; for we might still escape the day of doom."
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So he spoke; but I answered him and said:
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"Eurylochus, you may stay right here in this place,
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eating and drinking beside the hollow black ship;
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but I will go, for hard necessity is upon me."
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So saying I went up from the ship and the sea.
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But when, on my way, I was about to come up through the sacred glens
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and reach the great house of Circe, rich in drugs,
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there Hermes of the golden wand met me
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as I went toward the house, looking like a young man,
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in the first down of his beard, with the loveliest grace of youth.
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He took my hand and clasped it, spoke and called me by name:
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"Where now again, poor wretch, are you going alone through the hilltops,
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ignorant of the land? Your companions, there in Circe's house,
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are penned like swine, holding their close-built lairs.
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Have you come here to set them free? I tell you, you will not
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return yourself either; you will stay right where the others are.
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But come, I will deliver you from these evils and save you.
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Here, take this potent drug and go into Circe's house
GrammarHomeric 'here, take it!' τῆ is an old interjection used when handing something over, equivalent to 'here!' It belongs to the elevated, archaic register of Homeric speech.
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with it: it will ward off the day of doom from your head.
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And I will tell you all the deadly schemes of Circe.
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She will mix you a potion and put drugs in the food;
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but even so she will not be able to bewitch you, for it will not allow it,
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this potent drug I will give you. And I will tell you each thing.
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When Circe strikes at you with her long wand,
GrammarIndefinite temporal clause 'Whenever she strikes' uses the subjunctive with κεν to mark a future, conditional event. Greek regularly uses the subjunctive for an anticipated 'when' that has not yet happened.
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then draw your sharp sword from beside your thigh
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and rush at Circe as though eager to kill her.
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She, in terror, will then invite you to her bed;
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and do not at that point refuse the goddess's bed,
GrammarInfinitive as command Homer uses the infinitive 'to refuse' with a negative as a forceful instruction: 'do not refuse.' The infinitive frequently stands in for an imperative in such directives.
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so that she may free your companions and care for you yourself.
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But bid her swear the great oath of the blessed gods,
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that she will plot no other evil harm against you,
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lest, stripping you bare, she make you a coward and unmanned."
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So speaking, the Slayer of Argos handed me the drug,
WordSlayer of Argos This is a standing epithet of Hermes; the traditional sense is 'Argos-slayer,' after the many-eyed guardian Argos he killed. It is used here in place of his name.
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pulling it out of the ground, and showed me its nature.
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At the root it was black, but its flower was like milk.
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The gods call it moly; and it is hard to dig up
WordMoly Moly is the magical plant Hermes gives Odysseus as protection against Circe's drugs. Its 'divine' name and milk-white flower mark it as no ordinary herb.
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for mortal men, at least; but the gods can do all things.
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Then Hermes departed to high Olympus
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over the wooded island, and I went on toward Circe's house;
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and as I walked my heart darkened with many thoughts.
WordA churning heart The verb porphyro literally evokes the dark heaving of the sea; applied to the heart it means it surged and brooded with anxious thought.
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I stood at the doors of the fair-haired goddess;
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standing there I called out, and the goddess heard my voice.
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At once she came out, opened the shining doors,
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and called me in; and I followed, grieved in my heart.
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She led me in and seated me on a silver-studded chair,
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a fine, intricately wrought one, with a footstool beneath my feet;
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and she made me a potion in a golden cup, for me to drink,
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and into it she put a drug, scheming evil in her heart.
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But after she had given it and I drank it down, and it did not bewitch me,
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she struck me with her wand, spoke, and called me by name:
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"Off to the pigsty now! Lie down with the rest of your companions!"
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So she spoke; but I drew my sharp sword from beside my thigh
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and rushed at Circe as though eager to kill her.
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But she, shrieking loudly, ran beneath the stroke and clasped my knees,
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and weeping she spoke to me winged words:
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"Who are you, and from where among men? Where is your city, and your parents?
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Amazement holds me, that you drank these drugs and were not bewitched.
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For no other man at all has withstood these drugs
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once he drank and they passed the barrier of his teeth.
GrammarThe fence of the teeth 'The barrier of the teeth' is a recurring Homeric phrase for the mouth, the line that words or drink cross. Here it marks the point past which Circe's potion always wins, but did not with Odysseus.
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But in your breast there is a mind that cannot be enchanted.
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Surely you are Odysseus of many turns, whom always
WordOf many turns polytropos, the famous opening epithet of Odysseus, means both 'much-traveled' and 'of many shifts/wiles.' Circe recognizes him by exactly the cunning that defeated her magic.
331
would come here, said Hermes of the golden wand, the slayer of Argus,
GrammarFuture infinitive ἐλεύσεσθαι is the future infinitive of ἔρχομαι, in indirect statement after φάσκεν: Hermes kept saying that Odysseus would come.
332
coming back from Troy with his swift black ship.
333
But come now, put your sword back in its sheath, and let the two of us then
GrammarDual pronoun νῶι is the dual of the first-person pronoun, 'we two', matching μιγέντε below: Circe speaks of herself and Odysseus as a pair.
334
go up into our bed, so that, once joined
GrammarDual aorist participle μιγέντε is a dual aorist passive participle of μίγνυμι, 'the two of us having been joined'; the dual carries through Circe's invitation.
335
in love and the bed, we may trust each other.
336
So she spoke, but answering her I said:
337
Circe, how can you ask me to be gentle with you,
338
you who turned my comrades into swine in your halls,
339
and now, holding me here, with treachery in mind you bid me
GrammarParticiple of intent δολοφρονέουσα, 'plotting guile / with treachery in mind', is a present participle describing Circe's manner as she gives the command (κελεύεις).
340
go into your chamber and climb into your bed,
341
so that, once you have me stripped, you may make me a coward and unmanned.
342
No, I would not be willing to climb into your bed,
GrammarPotential optative ἐθέλοιμι with ἂν is a potential optative: 'I would not be willing'. Homer uses the optative to frame a refusal hedged on a condition.
343
unless you would consent, goddess, to swear me a great oath
344
that you will plot no other evil harm against me.
345
So I spoke, and at once she swore the oath, as I demanded.
346
Then, when she had sworn and completed the oath,
347
I climbed at last into Circe's surpassingly beautiful bed.
348
Meanwhile four handmaids busied themselves in the halls,
349
the ones who are her serving-women throughout the house;
350
they are born from the springs and from the groves
351
and from the sacred rivers that flow down to the sea.
352
One of them threw fine coverings over the chairs,
353
purple ones on top, and beneath she spread linen cloths;
354
another drew up silver tables before the chairs
355
and set golden baskets upon them;
356
a third mixed honey-sweet wine in a silver
357
mixing-bowl, the sweet wine, and dealt out golden cups;
358
the fourth brought water and kindled a great fire
359
under a large tripod, and the water grew warm.
360
Then, when the water boiled in the gleaming bronze,
361
she sat me in a bath and washed me from the great tripod,
362
mixing it to a pleasant warmth, over my head and shoulders,
363
until she had taken the spirit-wasting weariness from my limbs.
WordSpirit-wasting θυμοφθόρος literally means 'destroying the thumos (life-spirit)'; here it characterizes a weariness so deep it wears down the heart, not only the body.
364
And when she had bathed me and anointed me richly with oil,
365
she threw a fine cloak about me, and a tunic,
366
and led me in and sat me on a silver-studded chair,
367
beautiful and intricately wrought, with a footstool for my feet;
368
a handmaid brought water for washing in a pitcher,
369
a beautiful golden one, and poured it over a silver basin,
370
for me to wash; and she drew up a polished table beside me.
371
The honored housekeeper brought bread and set it by me,
372
laying out many dishes, freely giving of her store.
373
She urged me to eat, but it did not please my heart;
GrammarImperfect of ἁνδάνω ἥνδανε is the imperfect of ἁνδάνω ('to please'), describing Odysseus's lasting state of mind: eating 'kept not pleasing' him.
374
instead I sat with my mind elsewhere, and my heart foreboded evil.
375
When Circe noticed me sitting there, not laying
376
my hands on the food, but held by heavy grief,
WordPenthos (grief) πένθος is deep, settled grief or mourning, stronger than passing sorrow; here it grips Odysseus as he refuses to eat.
377
she came and stood near me and spoke winged words:
378
Why, Odysseus, do you sit like this, as if you were speechless,
379
eating at your own heart, and touch neither food nor drink?
WordEating one's heart The image θυμὸν ἔδων, 'devouring the thumos', is a Homeric idiom for brooding misery, consuming oneself with sorrow.
380
Do you suspect some other trick? You have no need
381
to be afraid; for already I have sworn you a binding oath.
382
So she spoke, but answering her I said:
383
Circe, what man who has any sense of right
WordRight-minded ἐναίσιμος describes a man who is fitting, just, and decent, one who keeps to what is right (αἶσα). Odysseus appeals to common standards of conduct.
384
could bear to taste food and drink
385
before he had freed his comrades and seen them with his eyes?
386
But if in good will you urge me to drink and eat,
387
set them free, so that with my eyes I may see my trusty comrades.
388
So I spoke, and Circe went out through the hall
389
with the wand in her hand, and opened the doors of the pigsty,
390
and drove them out, looking like nine-year-old fattened hogs.
391
Then they stood facing her, and she went among them
392
and anointed each one with another drug.
393
From their limbs the bristles fell away, which earlier had been grown by
394
the ruinous drug that queenly Circe had given them;
395
and they became men again, younger than they were before,
396
and far handsomer and taller to look upon.
397
They recognized me, and each one clung to my hands.
398
Over all of them came a longing to weep, and around the house
399
rang a fearful sound; even the goddess herself took pity.
400
She came and stood near me, that bright one among goddesses, and said:
401
Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
GrammarVocative of address διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη ... Ὀδυσσεῦ are all vocatives, the case of direct address; this full formula of titles is how gods and heroes hail Odysseus.
402
go now to your swift ship and the shore of the sea.
403
First of all, draw your ship up onto the land,
404
and store your goods and all your gear in the caves;
405
then come back yourself and bring your trusty comrades.
406
So she spoke, and my proud spirit was persuaded,
407
and I set off to go to the swift ship and the shore of the sea.
408
There at the swift ship I found my trusty comrades,
409
piteously lamenting, shedding warm tears.
410
As when farmyard calves around the herd of cows,
GrammarEpic simile ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἂν ('as when') opens a Homeric simile; the picture of calves leaping toward their mothers runs through several lines before returning to the men.
411
when they come to the farmyard after grazing their fill of grass,
412
all together frisk to meet them; and the pens no longer
413
hold them in, but lowing without ceasing they run about
414
their mothers; so those men, when they saw me with their eyes,
415
thronged about me in tears; and to their hearts it seemed
416
as if they had reached their homeland and the very city
417
of rugged Ithaca, where they were bred and born.
418
And lamenting they spoke winged words to me:
419
At your homecoming, Zeus-nurtured one, we rejoiced
WordNostos (homecoming) νοστήσαντι is from νοστέω, the verb behind nostos, 'homecoming', the central theme of the Odyssey. The men greet Odysseus's return as if it were the longed-for return home.
420
as if we had come back to Ithaca, our native land;
421
but come, tell us of the death of the rest of our comrades.
422
So they spoke, and I answered them with gentle words:
423
First of all let us draw the ship up onto the land,
424
and store our goods and all our gear in the caves;
425
then rouse yourselves, all of you, to follow me,
426
so that you may see your comrades in the sacred halls of Circe
427
drinking and eating; for they have abundance without end.
428
So I spoke, and quickly they obeyed my words.
429
But Eurylochus alone tried to hold all the comrades back,
430
and lifting his voice he spoke winged words to them:
431
Ah, wretched men, where are we going? Why do you crave these evils,
432
to go down into Circe's hall, who will turn us all
433
into swine, or wolves, or lions,
434
so that under compulsion we would guard her great house,
GrammarOptative in relative clause φυλάσσοιμεν is a potential/future-leaning optative ('we would guard'), expressing the dreaded outcome Eurylochus imagines if they go to Circe.
435
just as the Cyclops did, when our comrades came
436
into his courtyard, and bold Odysseus went with them;
437
for it was through his recklessness that those men too perished.
WordReckless folly ἀτασθαλίη is wanton, presumptuous recklessness, the same fault the poem condemns elsewhere. Eurylochus throws it in Odysseus's face as the cause of the men's deaths.
438
So he spoke, and I pondered within my heart
439
whether to draw the long-edged sword from beside my stout thigh,
440
and with it strike off his head and bring it to the ground,
441
close kin though he was. But my companions,
442
one from this side, one from that, held me back with soothing words:
443
"Sprung from Zeus, this man we will let be, if you command it,
GrammarVocative epithet diogenés ('sprung from Zeus') is in the vocative, addressing Odysseus directly. It is a recurring honorific epithet for heroes.
444
to stay here by the ship and guard it;
445
but lead us on to the sacred house of Circe."
446
So they spoke, and we went up from the ship and the sea.
447
Nor was Eurylochus left behind by the hollow ship,
448
but he followed, for he feared my fierce rebuke.
449
Meanwhile, in her halls, Circe had bathed the rest of my companions
450
with kindly care and anointed them richly with oil,
451
and cast about them thick wool cloaks and tunics;
452
we found them all feasting well in the halls.
453
And when they saw and recognized one another face to face,
454
they wept aloud in grief, and the house rang around with their lament.
455
Then she who is bright among goddesses stood near me and spoke:
WordBright among goddesses dia theaon, 'bright (or radiant) one among goddesses,' is a formulaic epithet here for Circe.
457
"No longer now raise this swelling lament. I myself know
458
both all the sufferings you have endured on the fish-filled sea,
459
and all the harm hostile men have done you on dry land.
460
But come now, eat your food and drink your wine,
461
until you take heart again within your breasts,
462
as when you first left your native land,
463
rugged Ithaca. Now you are worn out and dispirited,
464
forever brooding on your harsh wandering, and never is your
465
heart in good cheer, since truly you have suffered very much."
466
So she spoke, and our proud spirit was persuaded.
WordProud spirit thymos agenor, the 'proud' or 'manly spirit,' is a formulaic phrase for the inner seat of feeling and will.
467
There then, day after day for a full year,
468
we sat feasting on abundant meat and sweet wine.
469
But when a year had passed and the seasons came round again
470
as the months waned and the long days were completed,
471
then my trusty companions called me out and said:
472
"Strange man, now at last remember your native land,
Worddaimonie as address daimonie literally means 'one driven by a daimon'; in address it is an affectionate or remonstrating 'my good sir / strange man,' tone depending on context.
473
if it is fated for you to be saved and to reach
474
your high-roofed home and your native land."
475
So they spoke, and my proud spirit was persuaded.
476
So then for the whole day, until the sun went down,
477
we sat feasting on abundant meat and sweet wine.
478
But when the sun set and darkness came on,
479
they lay down to sleep throughout the shadowy halls.
480
But I, climbing into Circe's lovely bed,
481
implored her by her knees, and the goddess heard my voice;
482
and speaking out, I addressed her with winged words:
GrammarWinged words epea pteroenta, 'winged words,' is among the most frequent Homeric formulas introducing direct speech.
483
"Circe, fulfill for me the promise you gave,
484
to send me homeward; my heart now urges me on,
485
and the hearts of my companions, who wear away my dear spirit
486
with their grieving around me, whenever you happen to be away."
487
So I spoke, and at once she who is bright among goddesses answered:
488
"Sprung from Zeus, son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
GrammarResourceful Odysseus polymechanos, 'of many devices, resourceful,' is the standing epithet for Odysseus, here in the vocative as direct address.
489
no longer now stay unwilling in my house.
490
But first you must complete another journey, and reach
491
the house of Hades and dread Persephone,
492
to consult the spirit of Theban Tiresias,
Wordpsyche as departed spirit psyche here is the disembodied 'shade' or ghost of the dead, the spirit that survives in Hades, not the living breath-soul.
493
the blind seer, whose mind stays unshaken;
494
to him alone, even in death, Persephone has granted understanding,
495
to keep his wits, while the others flit about as shadows."
496
So she spoke, and my dear heart was crushed within me;
497
I wept, sitting on the bed, nor did my heart
498
wish to live any longer and look on the light of the sun.
499
But when I had had my fill of weeping and writhing,
500
then at last I answered her and said:
501
"Circe, who then will guide me on this journey?
502
No one has ever yet reached Hades in a black ship."
503
So I spoke, and at once she who is bright among goddesses answered:
504
"Sprung from Zeus, son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,
505
let no longing for a guide at your ship trouble you,
506
but set up the mast, spread the white sails,
507
and sit still; the breath of the North Wind will carry her on.
WordBoreas, the North Wind Boreas is the North Wind, here personified as the divine force driving the ship across Ocean to the land of the dead.
508
But when you have crossed through Ocean in your ship,
509
where there is a low shore and the groves of Persephone,
510
tall poplars and willows that let their fruit fall too soon,
511
there beach your ship beside deep-eddying Ocean,
512
and go yourself to the dank house of Hades.
513
There Pyriphlegethon and Cocytus flow into Acheron,
514
Cocytus, which is a branch of the water of the Styx,
515
and there is a rock, and the meeting of the two roaring rivers.
516
There then, hero, drawing close to the spot, as I bid you,
517
dig a pit, about a cubit each way,
518
and around it pour a drink-offering to all the dead:
519
first with honey mixed with milk, then with sweet wine,
520
and a third time with water; and sprinkle white barley meal over it.
521
And earnestly entreat the strengthless heads of the dead,
WordStrengthless heads amenena karena, 'feeble, strengthless heads,' is Homer's image of the powerless dead, who lack the vigor of the living.
522
vowing that when you come to Ithaca you will sacrifice a barren heifer,
523
the best you have, in your halls, and heap the pyre with fine offerings,
524
and that to Tiresias apart you will sacrifice a ram by itself,
525
an all-black one, that stands out among your flocks.
526
But when with prayers you have entreated the famous tribes of the dead,
527
then sacrifice a ram and a black ewe,
528
turning them toward Erebus, but yourself turn away,
WordErebus Erebos is the place of darkness in the underworld; turning the victims toward it directs the offering to the powers below.
529
facing toward the streams of the river. There many
530
spirits of the dead who have perished will come.
531
Then at once urge and command your companions
532
to flay the sheep that lie there slaughtered by the pitiless bronze,
533
and to burn them, and to pray to the gods,
534
to mighty Hades and dread Persephone.
535
But you yourself, drawing the sharp sword from your thigh,
536
sit there, and do not let the strengthless heads of the dead
537
come near the blood, before you have questioned Tiresias.
538
There the seer will come to you at once, leader of men,
539
who will tell you your route and the measures of your way,
540
and your homecoming, how you will travel over the fish-filled sea."
Wordnostos, the homecoming nostos is the 'homecoming' or 'return,' the central theme of the Odyssey and the goal of Odysseus's whole journey.
541
So she spoke, and at once Dawn came on her golden throne.
GrammarGolden-throned Dawn chrysothronos, 'golden-throned,' is one of the standing epithets of Dawn (Eos), part of Homer's formulaic system for marking daybreak.
542
She clothed me about with cloak and tunic for garments;
543
and the nymph herself put on a great silvery robe,
544
fine and graceful, and around her waist she cast a girdle,
545
a beautiful golden one, and on her head she set a veil.
546
But I, going through the halls, roused my companions
547
with soothing words, standing beside each man:
548
"No longer now lie sleeping in sweet slumber,
549
but let us go; for queenly Circe has told me the way."
550
So I spoke, and their proud spirit was persuaded.
551
Yet not even from there did I lead my companions away unharmed.
GrammarPredicate accusative The adjective "unharmed" agrees with the accusative "companions" but functions predicatively: he led them not-unharmed, i.e. some came to grief.
552
There was a certain Elpenor, the youngest of us, not overly
553
brave in war nor sound in his wits;
554
he, apart from the others, in the sacred halls of Circe,
555
craving the cool air, had lain down heavy with wine.
WordHeavy with wine A vivid compound participle, literally "being weighed down by wine" — drunk. It marks Elpenor's folly that will cost him his life.
556
Hearing the din and tramp of his companions stirring about,
557
he leapt up all at once and forgot in his mind
558
to go back down again by the long ladder,
559
but fell headlong straight from the roof; and his neck
560
was broken from its vertebrae, and his soul went down to Hades.
561
To the men, as they were setting out, I spoke this word:
562
"You suppose, no doubt, that you are going home, to your dear native land;
563
but Circe has marked out another road for us,
564
to the house of Hades and dread Persephone,
565
to consult the soul of Theban Tiresias."
GrammarFuture participle of purpose The future participle "to consult" expresses purpose: they go in order to consult the seer's soul. Such future participles regularly mark intention in Homer.
566
So I spoke, and their dear hearts were crushed within them,
567
and sitting down right there they wailed and tore their hair;
568
but no good came of their lamenting.
569
But when at last to the swift ship and the shore of the sea
570
we went, grieving, shedding warm tears,
571
meanwhile Circe had gone down beside the black ship
572
and tethered a ram and a black ewe,
573
passing easily by us. Who with his eyes could behold a god
574
going this way or that, if the god does not wish it?

The particulars

The text: Ὀδύσσεια, Homer. The Wanderings.
Translation: Public-domain Greek (Homer, ancient; text via the Perseus Digital Library). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
Reading aloud: Digital narration in reconstructed pronunciation, shaped to the hexameter. The complete audiobook.
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