The Gift of Moly and the Subjugation of Circe — Odyssey §10.288-10.355 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ἔρχευ, ὅ κέν τοι κρατὸς ἀλάλκῃσιν¹ κακὸν ἦμαρ.

"Go, that it may ward off the evil day from your head.

πάντα δέ τοι ἐρέω ὀλοφώια δήνεα Κίρκης.

And I will tell you all the baneful wiles of Circe.

τεύξει τοι κυκεῶ, βαλέει δʼ ἐν φάρμακα σίτῳ.

She will mix a potion for you, and will cast drugs into the food.

ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὣς θέλξαι σε δυνήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐάσει

But even so she will not be able to enchant you, for

φάρμακον ἐσθλόν, ὅ τοι δώσω, ἐρέω δὲ ἕκαστα.

the potent herb that I shall give you will not allow it; and I will tell you everything.

ὁππότε κεν Κίρκη σʼ ἐλάσῃ περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ,

When Circe shall strike you with her long wand,

δὴ τότε σὺ ξίφος ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ

even then do you draw your sharp sword from beside your thigh

Κίρκῃ ἐπαῖξαι, ὥς τε κτάμεναι² μενεαίνων.

and rush upon Circe as if you were eager to slay her.

ἡ δέ σʼ ὑποδείσασα κελήσεται εὐνηθῆναι·

And she will shrink from you in fear and bid you lie with her;

ἔνθα σὺ μηκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀπανήνασθαι³ θεοῦ εὐνήν,

then do you no longer refuse the bed of the goddess,

ὄφρα κέ τοι λύσῃ θʼ ἑτάρους αὐτόν τε κομίσσῃ·

that she may set free your companions and welcome yourself.

ἀλλὰ κέλεσθαί μιν μακάρων μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι,

But bid her swear a great oath by the blessed gods

μή τί τοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο,

that she will plot no other evil harm against yourself,

μή σʼ ἀπογυμνωθέντα κακὸν καὶ ἀνήνορα θήῃ.

lest she make you weak and unmanned when you are stripped."

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας πόρε φάρμακον ἀργεϊφόντης

So spoke Argeiphontes and gave me the herb,

ἐκ γαίης ἐρύσας, καί μοι φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἔδειξε.

drawing it from the ground, and showed me its nature.

ῥίζῃ μὲν μέλαν ἔσκε, γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον ἄνθος·

It was black at the root, but its flower was like milk;

μῶλυ δέ μιν καλέουσι θεοί· χαλεπὸν δέ τʼ ὀρύσσειν

moly the gods call it. It is hard for mortal men

ἀνδράσι γε θνητοῖσι, θεοὶ δέ τε πάντα δύνανται.

to dig up, but the gods have power over all things.

Ἑρμείας μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον

Hermes then departed to high Olympus

νῆσον ἀνʼ ὑλήεσσαν, ἐγὼ δʼ ἐς δώματα Κίρκης

through the wooded island, but I went to the house of Circe,

ἤια, πολλὰ δέ μοι κραδίη πόρφυρε κιόντι.

and my heart was darkly troubling me as I went.

ἔστην δʼ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι θεᾶς καλλιπλοκάμοιο·

And I stood at the gates of the fair-haired goddess;

ἔνθα στὰς ἐβόησα, θεὰ δέ μευ ἔκλυεν αὐδῆς.

there standing I called, and the goddess heard my voice.

ἡ δʼ αἶψʼ ἐξελθοῦσα θύρας ὤιξε φαεινὰς

She straightway came out and opened the shining doors

καὶ κάλει· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἑπόμην ἀκαχήμενος ἦτορ.

and called me; and I followed with a heavy heart.

εἷσε δέ μʼ εἰσαγαγοῦσα ἐπὶ θρόνου ἀργυροήλου

She led me in and seated me on a silver-studded throne,

καλοῦ δαιδαλέου· ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν ἦεν·

beautiful and elaborately wrought, and beneath was a footstool for my feet.

τεῦχε δέ μοι κυκεῶ χρυσέῳ δέπαι, ὄφρα πίοιμι,

And she prepared a potion for me in a golden cup, that I might drink,

ἐν δέ τε φάρμακον ἧκε, κακὰ φρονέουσʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ.

and put a drug therein, with evil purpose in her heart.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δῶκέν τε καὶ ἔκπιον, οὐδέ μʼ ἔθελξε,

But when she had given it and I had drunk it off, and it enchanted me not,

ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν·

she struck me with her wand and spoke and addressed me, saying:

ἔρχεο νῦν συφεόνδε, μετʼ ἄλλων λέξο ἑταίρων.

"Go now to the stye, and lie with the rest of your companions."

ὣς φάτʼ, ἐγὼ δʼ ἄορ ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ

So she spoke, but I drew my sharp sword from beside my middle

Κίρκῃ ἐπήιξα ὥς τε κτάμεναι μενεαίνων.

and rushed upon Circe as if I were eager to slay her.

ἡ δὲ μέγα ἰάχουσα ὑπέδραμε καὶ λάβε γούνων,

With a loud cry she slipped beneath my blade and clasped my knees,

καί μʼ ὀλοφυρομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·

and with lamentation spoke to me winged words:

τίς πόθεν εἰς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες;

"Who and whence are you among men? Where is your city and your parents?

θαῦμά μʼ ἔχει ὡς οὔ τι πιὼν τάδε φάρμακʼ ἐθέλχθης·

Wonder holds me that you drank these drugs and were not enchanted.

οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τις ἄλλος ἀνὴρ τάδε φάρμακʼ ἀνέτλη,

For no other man has ever withstood these drugs,

ὅς κε πίῃ καὶ πρῶτον ἀμείψεται ἕρκος ὀδόντων.

whoever drank them and let them pass the barrier of his teeth.

σοὶ δέ τις ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀκήλητος νόος ἐστίν.

But you have a mind in your breast that cannot be enchanted.

ἦ σύ γʼ Ὀδυσσεύς ἐσσι πολύτροπος, ὅν τέ μοι αἰεὶ

Surely you are Odysseus of many wiles, who Argeiphontes of the golden wand

φάσκεν ἐλεύσεσθαι χρυσόρραπις ἀργεϊφόντης,

always told me would come,

ἐκ Τροίης ἀνιόντα θοῇ σὺν νηὶ μελαίνῃ.

as he came from Troy with his swift black ship.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ κολεῷ μὲν ἄορ θέο, νῶι δʼ ἔπειτα

But come, put up your sword into its sheath, and then

εὐνῆς ἡμετέρης ἐπιβείομεν, ὄφρα μιγέντε

let us go up into our bed, so that mingling

εὐνῇ καὶ φιλότητι πεποίθομεν ἀλλήλοισιν.

in bed and in love we may trust one another."

ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·

So she spoke, but I answered her and said:

ὦ Κίρκη, πῶς γάρ με κέλεαι σοὶ ἤπιον εἶναι,

"O Circe, how can you bid me be gentle to you,

ἥ μοι σῦς μὲν ἔθηκας ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑταίρους,

who have turned my companions into swine in your halls,

αὐτὸν δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἔχουσα δολοφρονέουσα κελεύεις

and now keeping me here with guileful intent you bid me

ἐς θάλαμόν τʼ ἰέναι καὶ σῆς ἐπιβήμεναι εὐνῆς,

go into your chamber and go up into your bed,

ὄφρα με γυμνωθέντα κακὸν καὶ ἀνήνορα θήῃς⁴.

that you may make me weak and unmanned when I am stripped?

οὐδʼ ἂν ἐγώ γʼ ἐθέλοιμι τεῆς ἐπιβήμεναι εὐνῆς,

I would not be willing to go up into your bed

εἰ μή μοι τλαίης γε, θεά, μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι

unless you would deign, goddess, to swear a great oath

μή τί μοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο.

that you will plot no other evil harm against myself."

ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀπώμνυεν, ὡς ἐκέλευον.

So I spoke, and she straightway swore the oath as I bade.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον,

But when she had sworn and completed the oath,

καὶ τότʼ ἐγὼ Κίρκης ἐπέβην περικαλλέος εὐνῆς.

then at last I went up into the beautiful bed of Circe.

ἀμφίπολοι δʼ ἄρα τέως μὲν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι πένοντο

Meanwhile four handmaidens were busied in the halls,

τέσσαρες, αἵ οἱ δῶμα κάτα δρήστειραι ἔασι·

who are her servants in her house.

γίγνονται δʼ ἄρα ταί γʼ ἔκ τε κρηνέων ἀπό τʼ ἀλσέων

They are born of the springs and of the groves

ἔκ θʼ ἱερῶν ποταμῶν, οἵ τʼ εἰς ἅλαδε προρέουσι.

and of the sacred rivers that flow forth into the sea.

τάων ἡ μὲν ἔβαλλε θρόνοις ἔνι ῥήγεα καλὰ

One of them threw beautiful purple rugs upon the thrones

πορφύρεα καθύπερθʼ, ὑπένερθε δὲ λῖθʼ ὑπέβαλλεν·

above, and beneath she spread linen cloths;

ἡ δʼ ἑτέρη προπάροιθε θρόνων ἐτίταινε τραπέζας

another drew up silver tables before the thrones

ἀργυρέας, ἐπὶ δέ σφι τίθει χρύσεια κάνεια·

and set upon them golden baskets.

Syntax notes4 items

10.288ὅ κέν τοι κρατὸς ἀλάλκῃσιν
The relative pronoun ὅ refers to the antecedent φάρμακον. Combined with κέν and the subjunctive ἀλάλκῃσιν (third person singular with epic long vowel ending), it expresses purpose or future expectation.
10.295κτάμεναι
An aorist infinitive of the verb κτείνω (to kill) with the epic ending -μεναι. It is used with the adverbial phrase ὥς τε (as if) and the present participle μενεαίνων (eagerly desiring) to modify Odysseus's simulated intention.
10.297ἀπανήνασθαι
An imperative infinitive (infinitive of command) which expresses a direct command ("do not refuse") without depending on a main verb. The same construction is found in ἐπαῖξαι (l. 293) and κέλεσθαι (l. 299).
10.341θήῃς
Subjunctive in a purpose clause introduced by the conjunction ὄφρα (in order that). It is the second person singular aorist active subjunctive of the verb τίθημι (Homeric form corresponding to Attic θῇς).

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:10.288-10.355