Attack of the Laestrygonians and Loss of the Fleet — Odyssey §10.72-10.145 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ἔρρʼ ἐκ νήσου θᾶσσον, ἐλέγχιστε ζωόντων·

'Begone from the island quickly, most shameful of living men!

οὐ γάρ μοι θέμις ἐστὶ κομιζέμεν οὐδʼ ἀποπέμπειν

For it is not right for me to entertain or to send on his way

ἄνδρα τόν, ὅς κε θεοῖσιν ἀπέχθηται μακάρεσσιν·

a man who is hated by the blessed gods.

ἔρρε, ἐπεὶ ἄρα θεοῖσιν ἀπεχθόμενος τόδʼ ἱκάνεις.

Begone, since indeed you come here hated by the gods.'

ὣς εἰπὼν ἀπέπεμπε δόμων βαρέα στενάχοντα.

So saying, he sent me away from his halls, groaning heavily.

ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω πλέομεν ἀκαχήμενοι ἦτορ.

Thence we sailed onward, grieving in our heart.

τείρετο δʼ ἀνδρῶν θυμὸς ὑπʼ εἰρεσίης ἀλεγεινῆς

And the spirit of the men was worn out by the grievous rowing,

ἡμετέρῃ ματίῃ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι φαίνετο πομπή.

through our own folly, since the escort was no longer in sight.

ἑξῆμαρ μὲν ὁμῶς πλέομεν νύκτας τε καὶ ἦμαρ,

For six days we sailed alike, both night and day,

ἑβδομάτῃ δʼ ἱκόμεσθα Λάμου αἰπὺ πτολίεθρον,

and on the seventh day we came to the lofty stronghold of Lamus,

Τηλέπυλον Λαιστρυγονίην, ὅθι ποιμένα ποιμὴν¹

Telepylus of the Laestrygonians, where herdsman hails herdsman

ἠπύει εἰσελάων, ὁ δέ τʼ ἐξελάων ὑπακούει.

as he drives in his flock, and the other driving forth answers him.

ἔνθα κʼ ἄυπνος ἀνὴρ δοιοὺς ἐξήρατο μισθούς²,

There an sleepless man might have earned double wages,

τὸν μὲν βουκολέων, τὸν δʼ ἄργυφα μῆλα νομεύων·

the one by herding cattle, the other by pasturing white sheep;

ἐγγὺς γὰρ νυκτός τε καὶ ἤματός εἰσι κέλευθοι.

for the paths of night and day are close together.

ἔνθʼ ἐπεὶ ἐς λιμένα κλυτὸν ἤλθομεν, ὃν πέρι πέτρη

There, when we came into the famous harbor, around which a sheer rock

ἠλίβατος τετύχηκε διαμπερὲς ἀμφοτέρωθεν,

runs continuously on both sides,

ἀκταὶ δὲ προβλῆτες ἐναντίαι ἀλλήλῃσιν

and projecting cliffs opposite to one another

ἐν στόματι προύχουσιν, ἀραιὴ δʼ εἴσοδός ἐστιν,

stretch out at the mouth, and the entrance is narrow;

ἔνθʼ οἵ γʼ εἴσω πάντες ἔχον νέας ἀμφιελίσσας.

there they all steered their curved ships inside.

αἱ μὲν ἄρʼ ἔντοσθεν λιμένος κοίλοιο δέδεντο

These indeed were moored inside the hollow harbor,

πλησίαι· οὐ μὲν γάρ ποτʼ ἀέξετο κῦμά γʼ ἐν αὐτῷ,

close to one another; for never did a wave swell within it,

οὔτε μέγʼ οὔτʼ ὀλίγον, λευκὴ δʼ ἦν ἀμφὶ γαλήνη·

neither great nor small, but a bright calm was all around.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν οἶος σχέθον ἔξω νῆα μέλαιναν,

But I alone held my black ship outside,

αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιῇ, πέτρης ἐκ πείσματα δήσας·

there at the very edge, binding the mooring-ropes to a rock.

ἔστην δὲ σκοπιὴν ἐς παιπαλόεσσαν ἀνελθών.

And I stood, having climbed up to a rugged lookout-point.

ἔνθα μὲν οὔτε βοῶν οὔτʼ ἀνδρῶν φαίνετο ἔργα,

There appeared no works of oxen or of men,

καπνὸν δʼ οἶον ὁρῶμεν ἀπὸ χθονὸς ἀίσσοντα.

but we only saw smoke rising up from the land.

δὴ τότʼ ἐγὼν ἑτάρους προΐειν πεύθεσθαι ἰόντας,

Then indeed I sent forth companions to go and find out

οἵ τινες ἀνέρες εἶεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ σῖτον ἔδοντες,

what men they were that eat bread upon the land,

ἄνδρε δύω κρίνας, τρίτατον κήρυχʼ ἅμʼ ὀπάσσας.

choosing two men, and sending a herald with them as a third.

οἱ δʼ ἴσαν ἐκβάντες λείην ὁδόν, ᾗ περ ἄμαξαι

And they went, having disembarked, along a level road, by which wagons

ἄστυδʼ ἀφʼ ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων καταγίνεον ὕλην,

carried wood down to the city from the high mountains;

κούρῃ δὲ ξύμβληντο πρὸ ἄστεος ὑδρευούσῃ,

and they met a girl before the city, drawing water,

θυγατέρʼ ἰφθίμῃ Λαιστρυγόνος Ἀντιφάταο.

the noble daughter of the Laestrygonian Antiphates.

ἡ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐς κρήνην κατεβήσετο καλλιρέεθρον

She had gone down to the fair-flowing spring

Ἀρτακίην· ἔνθεν γὰρ ὕδωρ προτὶ ἄστυ φέρεσκον·

Artacia, from which they were wont to carry water to the city;

οἱ δὲ παριστάμενοι προσεφώνεον ἔκ τʼ ἐρέοντο

and they, standing near, spoke to her and asked

ὅς τις τῶνδʼ εἴη βασιλεὺς καὶ οἷσιν ἀνάσσοι·

who was the king of these people, and over whom he ruled;

ἡ δὲ μάλʼ αὐτίκα πατρὸς ἐπέφραδεν ὑψερεφὲς δῶ.

and she straightway showed them the high-roofed house of her father.

οἱ δʼ ἐπεὶ εἰσῆλθον κλυτὰ δώματα, τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα

But when they entered the famous house, they found his wife,

εὗρον, ὅσην τʼ ὄρεος κορυφήν³, κατὰ δʼ ἔστυγον αὐτήν.

as huge as a mountain peak, and they loathed her.

ἡ δʼ αἶψʼ ἐξ ἀγορῆς ἐκάλει κλυτὸν Ἀντιφατῆα,

And she straightway called from the assembly the famous Antiphates,

ὃν πόσιν, ὃς δὴ τοῖσιν ἐμήσατο λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον.

her husband, who indeed devised for them a lamentable destruction.

αὐτίχʼ ἕνα μάρψας ἑτάρων ὡπλίσσατο δεῖπνον·

Straightway he seized one of my companions and prepared his meal;

τὼ δὲ δύʼ ἀίξαντε φυγῇ ἐπὶ νῆας ἱκέσθην.

but the other two sprang up in flight and came to the ships.

αὐτὰρ ὁ τεῦχε βοὴν διὰ ἄστεος· οἱ δʼ ἀίοντες

But he raised a cry through the city; and hearing it,

φοίτων ἴφθιμοι Λαιστρυγόνες ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος,

the mighty Laestrygonians came thronging from every side,

μυρίοι, οὐκ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐοικότες, ἀλλὰ Γίγασιν.

countless, not like men, but Giants.

οἵ ῥʼ ἀπὸ πετράων ἀνδραχθέσι χερμαδίοισιν

And they threw from the rocks with stones as big as a man could carry;

βάλλον· ἄφαρ δὲ κακὸς κόναβος κατὰ νῆας ὀρώρει

and straightway an evil din arose throughout the ships,

ἀνδρῶν τʼ ὀλλυμένων νηῶν θʼ ἅμα ἀγνυμενάων·

of men perishing and ships being broken all at once;

ἰχθῦς δʼ ὣς πείροντες ἀτερπέα δαῖτα φέροντο.

and spearing them like fish they carried them away for a loathsome feast.

ὄφρʼ οἱ τοὺς ὄλεκον λιμένος πολυβενθέος ἐντός,

While they were slaying them within the deep harbor,

τόφρα δʼ ἐγὼ ξίφος ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ

meanwhile I drew my sharp sword from beside my thigh

τῷ ἀπὸ πείσματʼ ἔκοψα νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο.

and with it cut the mooring-ropes of my dark-prowed ship.

αἶψα δʼ ἐμοῖς ἑτάροισιν ἐποτρύνας ἐκέλευσα

And quickly I urged my companions and ordered them

ἐμβαλέειν κώπῃς, ἵνʼ ὑπὲκ κακότητα φύγοιμεν·

to fall to their oars, that we might escape from our evil plight;

οἱ δʼ ἅλα πάντες ἀνέρριψαν, δείσαντες ὄλεθρον.

and they all tossed up the sea, fearing destruction.

ἀσπασίως δʼ ἐς πόντον ἐπηρεφέας φύγε πέτρας

And gladly my ship escaped into the open sea from the overhanging rocks;

νηῦς ἐμή· αὐτὰρ αἱ ἄλλαι ἀολλέες αὐτόθʼ ὄλοντο.

but the other ships perished there all together.

ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω πλέομεν ἀκαχήμενοι ἦτορ,

Thence we sailed onward, grieving in our heart,

ἄσμενοι ἐκ θανάτοιο, φίλους ὀλέσαντες ἑταίρους.

glad to have escaped from death, though we had lost our dear companions.

Αἰαίην δʼ ἐς νῆσον ἀφικόμεθʼ· ἔνθα δʼ ἔναιε

And we came to the Aeaean island; and there dwelt

Κίρκη ἐυπλόκαμος, δεινὴ θεὸς αὐδήεσσα,

fair-tressed Circe, a dread goddess of human speech,

αὐτοκασιγνήτη ὀλοόφρονος Αἰήταο·

own sister of the dark-minded Aeetes;

ἄμφω δʼ ἐκγεγάτην φαεσιμβρότου Ἠελίοιο

and both were sprung from Helius, who gives light to mortals,

μητρός τʼ ἐκ Πέρσης, τὴν Ὠκεανὸς τέκε παῖδα.

and from their mother Perse, whom Oceanus begot as his child.

ἔνθα δʼ ἐπʼ ἀκτῆς νηὶ κατηγαγόμεσθα σιωπῇ

There we brought our ship to land on the shore in silence,

ναύλοχον ἐς λιμένα, καί τις θεὸς ἡγεμόνευεν.

into a sheltering harbor, and some god was our guide.

ἔνθα τότʼ ἐκβάντες δύο τʼ ἤματα καὶ δύο νύκτας

There indeed we disembarked and for two days and two nights

κείμεθʼ ὁμοῦ καμάτῳ τε καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἔδοντες.

we lay, eating our hearts with weariness and sorrow together.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τρίτον ἦμαρ ἐυπλόκαμος τέλεσʼ Ἠώς,

But when fair-tressed Dawn indeed brought to fulfillment the third day,

καὶ τότʼ ἐγὼν ἐμὸν ἔγχος ἑλὼν καὶ φάσγανον ὀξὺ

then indeed I took my spear and my sharp sword

Syntax notes3 items

10.82ὅθι ποιμένα ποιμὴν
The description of herdsmen greeting each other as one drives in his flock and the other drives out illustrates the continuous labor and extremely short nights in this polar-like region where the paths of day and night are close (§10.86).
10.84ἔνθα κʼ ἄυπνος ἀνὴρ δοιοὺς ἐξήρατο μισθούς
The combination of the particle κεν with the indicative aorist ἐξήρατο presents a past contrafactual condition: 'there an sleepless man would have earned double wages' (which is impossible for humans).
10.113ὅσην τʼ ὄρεος κορυφήν
A comparative elliptical construction where the relative adjective ὅσην (feminine accusative) directly introduces the object of comparison ὄρεος κορυφήν (accusative noun phrase), meaning '(a wife) as huge as a mountain peak is.'

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:10.72-10.145