Nausicaa Washing Clothes and the Awakening of Odysseus — Odyssey §6.68-6.134 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

οὔτε τοι ἡμιόνων φθονέω, τέκος, οὔτε τευ ἄλλου.

"I do not grudge you the mules, child, nor anything else.

ἔρχευ· ἀτάρ τοι δμῶες ἐφοπλίσσουσιν ἀπήνην

Go; and the thralls shall get ready for you the wagon,

ὑψηλὴν ἐύκυκλον, ὑπερτερίῃ ἀραρυῖαν.

high and well-wheeled, fitted with an upper frame."

ὣς εἰπὼν δμώεσσιν ἐκέκλετο, τοὶ δʼ ἐπίθοντο.

So saying, he called to the thralls, and they obeyed.

οἱ μὲν ἄρʼ ἐκτὸς ἄμαξαν ἐύτροχον ἡμιονείην

They indeed outside got ready the well-wheeled mule-wagon,

ὥπλεον, ἡμιόνους θʼ ὕπαγον ζεῦξάν θʼ ὑπʼ ἀπήνῃ·

and led up the mules and yoked them under the wagon;

κούρη δʼ ἐκ θαλάμοιο φέρεν ἐσθῆτα φαεινήν.

and the maiden brought the shining raiment from her chamber.

καὶ τὴν μὲν κατέθηκεν ἐυξέστῳ ἐπʼ ἀπήνῃ,

And she laid it down upon the well-polished wagon,

μήτηρ δʼ ἐν κίστῃ ἐτίθει μενοεικέʼ ἐδωδὴν

and her mother put in a chest satisfying food

παντοίην, ἐν δʼ ὄψα τίθει, ἐν δʼ οἶνον ἔχευεν

of every kind, and put dainties therein, and poured wine

ἀσκῷ ἐν αἰγείῳ· κούρη δʼ ἐπεβήσετʼ ἀπήνης.

in a goat-skin bottle; and the maiden mounted the wagon.

δῶκεν δὲ χρυσέῃ ἐν ληκύθῳ ὑγρὸν ἔλαιον,

And she gave her liquid olive-oil in a golden flask,

ἧος χυτλώσαιτο¹ σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισι γυναιξίν.

so that she might anoint herself with her handmaidens.

ἡ δʼ ἔλαβεν μάστιγα καὶ ἡνία σιγαλόεντα,

And she took the whip and the shining reins,

μάστιξεν δʼ ἐλάαν· καναχὴ δʼ ἦν ἡμιόνοιιν.

and whipped them to start; and there was a clatter of the two mules.

αἱ δʼ ἄμοτον τανύοντο, φέρον δʼ ἐσθῆτα καὶ αὐτήν,

They strained without ceasing, and carried the raiment and herself,

οὐκ οἴην², ἅμα τῇ γε καὶ ἀμφίπολοι κίον ἄλλαι.

not alone, but with her went other handmaidens as well.

αἱ δʼ ὅτε δὴ ποταμοῖο ῥόον περικαλλέʼ ἵκοντο,

And when they came to the beautiful stream of the river,

ἔνθʼ ἦ τοι πλυνοὶ ἦσαν ἐπηετανοί, πολὺ δʼ ὕδωρ

where indeed were washing pools ever-flowing, and much

καλὸν ὑπεκπρόρεεν μάλα περ ῥυπόωντα καθῆραι,

beautiful water welled up from beneath to cleanse what was very dirty,

ἔνθʼ αἵ γʼ ἡμιόνους μὲν ὑπεκπροέλυσαν ἀπήνης.

there they indeed unyoked the mules from under the wagon.

καὶ τὰς μὲν σεῦαν ποταμὸν πάρα δινήεντα

And they drove them along the eddying river

τρώγειν ἄγρωστιν μελιηδέα· ταὶ δʼ ἀπʼ ἀπήνης

to graze on honey-sweet clover; and they from the wagon

εἵματα χερσὶν ἕλοντο καὶ ἐσφόρεον μέλαν ὕδωρ,

took the garments in their hands, and carried them into the dark water,

στεῖβον δʼ ἐν βόθροισι θοῶς ἔριδα προφέρουσαι.

and trod them in the trenches quickly, showing rivalry.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πλῦνάν τε κάθηράν τε ῥύπα πάντα,

But when they had washed and cleansed all the dirt,

ἑξείης πέτασαν παρὰ θῖνʼ ἁλός, ἧχι μάλιστα

they spread them out in order along the shore of the sea, where most

λάιγγας ποτὶ χέρσον ἀποπλύνεσκε θάλασσα.

the sea washed the pebbles clean against the mainland.

αἱ δὲ λοεσσάμεναι καὶ χρισάμεναι λίπʼ ἐλαίῳ

And they, having bathed and anointed themselves richly with olive-oil,

δεῖπνον ἔπειθʼ εἵλοντο παρʼ ὄχθῃσιν ποταμοῖο,

then took their meal by the banks of the river,

εἵματα δʼ ἠελίοιο μένον τερσήμεναι αὐγῇ.

and waited for the garments to dry in the bright sun.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ σίτου τάρφθεν δμῳαί τε καὶ αὐτή,

But when they were satisfied with food, both the handmaidens and herself,

σφαίρῃ ταὶ δʼ ἄρʼ ἔπαιζον, ἀπὸ κρήδεμνα βαλοῦσαι·

they indeed played with a ball, having thrown off their veils;

τῇσι δὲ Ναυσικάα λευκώλενος ἤρχετο μολπῆς.

and among them white-armed Nausicaa led the song.

οἵη δʼ Ἄρτεμις εἶσι κατʼ οὔρεα ἰοχέαιρα,

And such as is Artemis, the archer-goddess, going along the mountains,

ἢ κατὰ Τηΰγετον περιμήκετον ἢ Ἐρύμανθον,

either along extremely high Taygetus or Erymanthus,

τερπομένη κάπροισι καὶ ὠκείῃς ἐλάφοισι·

delighting in wild boars and swift deer;

τῇ δέ θʼ ἅμα νύμφαι, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο,

and with her the nymphs, daughters of aegis-bearing Zeus,

ἀγρονόμοι παίζουσι, γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα Λητώ·

haunting the countryside, play, and Leto rejoices in her heart;

πασάων δʼ ὑπὲρ ἥ γε κάρη ἔχει ἠδὲ μέτωπα,

and she holds her head and brow above them all,

ῥεῖά τʼ ἀριγνώτη πέλεται, καλαὶ δέ τε πᾶσαι·

and is easily recognized, though all are beautiful;

ὣς ἥ γʼ ἀμφιπόλοισι μετέπρεπε παρθένος ἀδμής.

so indeed did she, the unwedded maiden, stand out among her handmaidens.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ ἄρʼ ἔμελλε πάλιν οἶκόνδε νέεσθαι

But when indeed she was about to return back home,

ζεύξασʼ ἡμιόνους πτύξασά τε εἵματα καλά,

having yoked the mules and folded the beautiful garments,

ἔνθʼ αὖτʼ ἄλλʼ ἐνόησε θεά, γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,

then again the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, thought of another thing,

ὡς Ὀδυσεὺς ἔγροιτο³, ἴδοι τʼ ἐυώπιδα κούρην,

so that Odysseus might awake, and see the fair-faced maiden,

ἥ οἱ Φαιήκων ἀνδρῶν πόλιν ἡγήσαιτο.

who indeed might lead him to the city of the Phaeacian men.

σφαῖραν ἔπειτʼ ἔρριψε μετʼ ἀμφίπολον βασίλεια·

Then the princess threw the ball to a handmaiden;

ἀμφιπόλου μὲν ἅμαρτε, βαθείῃ δʼ ἔμβαλε δίνῃ·

she missed the handmaiden indeed, and cast it into a deep eddy;

αἱ δʼ ἐπὶ μακρὸν ἄυσαν· ὁ δʼ ἔγρετο δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,

and they cried out aloud; and noble Odysseus awoke,

ἑζόμενος δʼ ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα καὶ κατὰ θυμόν·

and sitting up, he pondered in his mind and in his heart:

ὤ μοι ἐγώ, τέων αὖτε βροτῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἱκάνω;

"Ah me, to the land of what mortals have I come this time?

ἦ ῥʼ οἵ γʼ ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι,

Are they indeed overbearing, and wild, and unjust,

ἦε φιλόξεινοι καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής;

or hospitable to strangers, and have they a god-fearing mind?

ὥς τέ με κουράων ἀμφήλυθε θῆλυς ἀυτή·

As it were, a feminine cry of maidens surrounds me;

νυμφάων, αἳ ἔχουσʼ ὀρέων αἰπεινὰ κάρηνα

of the nymphs, who possess the steep peaks of the mountains,

καὶ πηγὰς ποταμῶν καὶ πίσεα ποιήεντα.

and the sources of rivers, and the grassy meadows.

ἦ νύ που ἀνθρώπων εἰμὶ σχεδὸν αὐδηέντων;

Am I indeed somewhere near men of human speech?

ἀλλʼ ἄγʼ ἐγὼν αὐτὸς πειρήσομαι ἠδὲ ἴδωμαι.

But come, I will myself make trial and see."

ὣς εἰπὼν θάμνων ὑπεδύσετο δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς,

So saying, noble Odysseus crept out from under the bushes,

ἐκ πυκινῆς δʼ ὕλης πτόρθον κλάσε χειρὶ παχείῃ

and from the thick wood he broke off a leafy branch with his strong hand,

φύλλων, ὡς ῥύσαιτο περὶ χροῒ μήδεα φωτός.

of leaves, that it might hide the nakedness of a man about his body.

βῆ δʼ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος ἀλκὶ πεποιθώς,

And he went forth like a mountain-bred lion trusting in his strength,

ὅς τʼ εἶσʼ ὑόμενος καὶ ἀήμενος, ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε

who goes rained upon and blown by the wind, and in him his two eyes

δαίεται· αὐτὰρ ὁ βουσὶ μετέρχεται ἢ ὀίεσσιν

blaze; and he goes among the cattle or the sheep,

ἠὲ μετʼ ἀγροτέρας ἐλάφους· κέλεται δέ ἑ γαστὴρ

or after the wild deer; and his belly bids him

μήλων πειρήσοντα⁴ καὶ ἐς πυκινὸν δόμον ἐλθεῖν·

even to go into the close homestead to make trial of the sheep;

Syntax notes4 items

6.80ἧος χυτλώσαιτο
The conjunction ἧος (Homeric form of ἕως), which usually expresses time ('until' or 'while'), is here used with the optative χυτλώσαιτο to introduce a purpose clause ('so that she might...'). The optative is due to oblique sequence after the aorist verb δῶκεν in the main clause.
6.84οὐκ οἴην
The feminine accusative singular form of the adjective οἶος ('alone', 'only'). Although at first glance it might seem to modify the nominative κούρη (the maiden), it actually modifies the accusative pronoun αὐτήν in the preceding clause (φέρον δʼ ἐσθῆτα καὶ αὐτήν, 'they carried the raiment and her'), supplementing it appositively to mean 'not her alone'.
6.113ὡς Ὀδυσεὺς ἔγροιτο
The conjunction ὡς introduces a purpose clause ('so that Odysseus might awake') with the optative ἔγροιτο (and ἴδοι). The optative is used because the main clause verb ἐνόησε is in a historical tense (aorist).
6.134πειρήσοντα
The masculine accusative singular of the future active participle. It modifies the preceding pronoun ἑ ('him', referring to the lion), not the nominative subject γαστήρ ('belly', which is feminine). The future participle expresses purpose ('in order to make trial of'), taking the genitive μήλων as its object.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:6.68-6.134