The Revelation of Odysseus' Name and Polyphemus' Curse — Odyssey §9.495-9.566 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ὃς καὶ νῦν πόντονδε βαλὼν βέλος ἤγαγε νῆα

'Who even now by throwing his missile into the sea brought the ship back

αὖτις ἐς ἤπειρον, καὶ δὴ φάμεν αὐτόθʼ ὀλέσθαι.

to the land, and indeed we thought we would perish there.

εἰ δὲ φθεγξαμένου τευ ἢ αὐδήσαντος ἄκουσε¹,

And if he had heard anyone making a sound or speaking,

σύν κεν ἄραξʼ ἡμέων κεφαλὰς καὶ νήια δοῦρα

he would have dashed our heads and the ship's timbers together

μαρμάρῳ ὀκριόεντι βαλών· τόσσον γὰρ ἵησιν.

by throwing a jagged stone; for so far does he hurl.'

ὣς φάσαν, ἀλλʼ οὐ πεῖθον ἐμὸν μεγαλήτορα θυμόν,

So they spoke, but they did not persuade my great-hearted spirit,

ἀλλά μιν ἄψορρον προσέφην κεκοτηότι θυμῷ·

but I addressed him back with an angry heart:

Κύκλωψ, αἴ κέν τίς σε καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων

'Cyclops, if any one of mortal men

ὀφθαλμοῦ εἴρηται ἀεικελίην ἀλαωτύν,

should ask you about the shameful blinding of your eye,

φάσθαι² Ὀδυσσῆα πτολιπόρθιον ἐξαλαῶσαι,

say that Odysseus, the sacker of cities, blinded you,

υἱὸν Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκίʼ ἔχοντα.

the son of Laertes, who has his home in Ithaca.'

ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μʼ οἰμώξας ἠμείβετο μύθῳ·

So I spoke, and he with a groan answered me:

ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δή με παλαίφατα θέσφαθʼ ἱκάνει.

'Alas, indeed, the ancient prophecies have come upon me.

ἔσκε τις ἐνθάδε μάντις ἀνὴρ ἠύς τε μέγας τε,

There was once a prophet here, a good and great man,

Τήλεμος Εὐρυμίδης, ὃς μαντοσύνῃ ἐκέκαστο

Telemus, son of Eurymus, who excelled in prophecy

καὶ μαντευόμενος κατεγήρα Κυκλώπεσσιν·

and grew old prophesying among the Cyclopes.

ὅς μοι ἔφη τάδε πάντα τελευτήσεσθαι ὀπίσσω,

He told me that all these things would be fulfilled in the future,

χειρῶν ἐξ Ὀδυσῆος ἁμαρτήσεσθαι ὀπωπῆς.

that I should lose my sight at the hands of Odysseus.

ἀλλʼ αἰεί τινα φῶτα μέγαν καὶ καλὸν ἐδέγμην

But I always expected that some tall and handsome man

ἐνθάδʼ ἐλεύσεσθαι, μεγάλην ἐπιειμένον ἀλκήν·

would come here, clothed in great strength;

νῦν δέ μʼ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἄκικυς

but now, a man who is small, good-for-nothing, and weak

ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀλάωσεν, ἐπεί μʼ ἐδαμάσσατο οἴνῳ.

has blinded me of my eye, after subduing me with wine.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε δεῦρʼ, Ὀδυσεῦ, ἵνα τοι πὰρ ξείνια θείω

But come here, Odysseus, so that I may set guest-gifts before you,

πομπήν τʼ ὀτρύνω δόμεναι κλυτὸν ἐννοσίγαιον·

and urge the famous Earth-shaker to give you an escort;

τοῦ γὰρ ἐγὼ πάϊς εἰμί, πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς εὔχεται εἶναι.

for I am his son, and he declares himself to be my father.

αὐτὸς δʼ, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσʼ, ἰήσεται, οὐδέ τις ἄλλος

And he himself, if he wishes, will heal me, and no other,

οὔτε θεῶν μακάρων οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων.

either of the blessed gods or of mortal men.'

ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·

So he spoke, but I answered him and said:

αἲ γὰρ δὴ ψυχῆς τε καὶ αἰῶνός σε δυναίμην³

'Would that I were able to strip you of your life and breath

εὖνιν ποιήσας πέμψαι δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω,

and send you into the house of Hades,

ὡς οὐκ ὀφθαλμόν γʼ ἰήσεται οὐδʼ ἐνοσίχθων.

as surely as not even the Earth-shaker will heal your eye!'

ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα Ποσειδάωνι ἄνακτι

So I spoke, and he then prayed to the lord Poseidon,

εὔχετο χεῖρʼ ὀρέγων εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα·

stretching out his hands to the starry heaven:

κλῦθι, Ποσείδαον γαιήοχε κυανοχαῖτα,

'Hear me, Poseidon, earth-enfolder, dark-haired one,

εἰ ἐτεόν γε σός εἰμι, πατὴρ δʼ ἐμὸς εὔχεαι εἶναι,

if indeed I am truly yours, and you declare yourself to be my father,

δὸς μὴ Ὀδυσσῆα πτολιπόρθιον οἴκαδʼ ἱκέσθαι

grant that Odysseus, the sacker of cities, may not reach home,

υἱὸν Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκίʼ ἔχοντα.

the son of Laertes, who has his home in Ithaca.

ἀλλʼ εἴ οἱ μοῖρʼ ἐστὶ φίλους τʼ ἰδέειν καὶ ἱκέσθαι

But if it is his fate to see his friends and reach

οἶκον ἐυκτίμενον καὶ ἑὴν ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν,

his well-built house and his own fatherland,

ὀψὲ κακῶς ἔλθοι, ὀλέσας ἄπο πάντας ἑταίρους,

let him come late and in evil plight, after losing all his companions,

νηὸς ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίης, εὕροι δʼ ἐν πήματα οἴκῳ.

on a foreign ship, and let him find trouble in his house.'

ὣς ἔφατʼ εὐχόμενος, τοῦ δʼ ἔκλυε κυανοχαίτης.

So he spoke in prayer, and the dark-haired god heard him.

αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ ἐξαῦτις πολὺ μείζονα λᾶαν ἀείρας

But the monster once more lifted a far larger stone and

ἧκʼ ἐπιδινήσας, ἐπέρεισε δὲ ἶνʼ ἀπέλεθρον,

hurled it, spinning it around, and he put immeasurable strength into the throw,

κὰδʼ δʼ ἔβαλεν μετόπισθε νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο

and cast it down just behind the dark-prowed ship,

τυτθόν, ἐδεύησεν δʼ οἰήιον ἄκρον ἱκέσθαι.

by a little, and it missed reaching the tip of the rudder.

ἐκλύσθη δὲ θάλασσα κατερχομένης ὑπὸ πέτρης·

And the sea surged up under the falling rock;

τὴν δὲ πρόσω φέρε κῦμα, θέμωσε δὲ χέρσον ἱκέσθαι.

and the wave bore the ship forward, and forced it to reach the shore.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τὴν νῆσον ἀφικόμεθʼ, ἔνθα περ ἄλλαι

But when indeed we came to the island, where the other

νῆες ἐύσσελμοι μένον ἁθρόαι, ἀμφὶ δʼ ἑταῖροι

well-benched ships were waiting together, and around them

ἥατʼ ὀδυρόμενοι, ἡμέας ποτιδέγμενοι αἰεί,

our companions sat mourning, constantly expecting us,

νῆα μὲν ἔνθʼ ἐλθόντες ἐκέλσαμεν ἐν ψαμάθοισιν,

coming there we ran our ship upon the sands,

ἐκ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ βῆμεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.

and we ourselves stepped out upon the shore of the sea.

μῆλα δὲ Κύκλωπος γλαφυρῆς ἐκ νηὸς ἑλόντες

And taking the sheep of the Cyclops out of the hollow ship,

δασσάμεθʼ, ὡς μή τίς μοι ἀτεμβόμενος κίοι ἴσης.

we divided them, so that no one might go deprived of an equal share.

ἀρνειὸν δʼ ἐμοὶ οἴῳ ἐυκνήμιδες ἑταῖροι

But to me alone, when the sheep were being divided, my well-greaved companions

μήλων δαιομένων δόσαν ἔξοχα· τὸν δʼ ἐπὶ θινὶ

gave the ram as a special prize; and sacrificing him on the shore

Ζηνὶ κελαινεφέι Κρονίδῃ, ὃς πᾶσιν ἀνάσσει,

to Zeus of the dark clouds, the son of Cronos, who rules over all,

ῥέξας μηρίʼ ἔκαιον· ὁ δʼ οὐκ ἐμπάζετο ἱρῶν,

I burned the thigh-pieces. But he did not care for the sacrifices,

ἀλλʼ ὅ γε μερμήριξεν ὅπως ἀπολοίατο πᾶσαι

but instead he was planning how all my well-benched ships

νῆες ἐύσσελμοι καὶ ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι.

and my trusty companions might perish.

ὣς τότε μὲν πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα

So then for the whole day until the going down of the sun

ἥμεθα δαινύμενοι κρέα τʼ ἄσπετα καὶ μέθυ ἡδύ·

we sat feasting on abundant meat and sweet wine;

ἦμος δʼ ἠέλιος κατέδυ καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἦλθε,

but when the sun went down and darkness came on,

δὴ τότε κοιμήθημεν ἐπὶ ῥηγμῖνι θαλάσσης.

then indeed we lay down to sleep on the shore of the sea.

ἦμος δʼ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,

And when early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,

δὴ τότʼ ἐγὼν ἑτάροισιν ἐποτρύνας ἐκέλευσα

then indeed I aroused my companions and ordered them

αὐτούς τʼ ἀμβαίνειν ἀνά τε πρυμνήσια λῦσαι·

to go on board themselves and to loose the stern cables.

οἱ δʼ αἶψʼ εἴσβαινον καὶ ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον,

And they straightway went on board and sat down at the rowing benches,

ἑξῆς δʼ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.

and sitting in order, they struck the grey sea with their oars.

ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω πλέομεν ἀκαχήμενοι ἦτορ,

Thence we sailed onward, grieved in heart,

ἄσμενοι ἐκ θανάτοιο, φίλους ὀλέσαντες ἑταίρους.

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

Syntax notes3 items

9.497εἰ δὲ φθεγξαμένου τευ ἢ αὐδήσαντος ἄκουσε
A past counterfactual condition. The protasis (εἰ with the indicative aorist ἤκουσε) is answered by the apodosis (κεν with the indicative aorist σύν ... ἄραξε).
9.504φάσθαι
An infinitive used for an imperative (infinitivus pro imperio). It functions independently of the main verb in the preceding clause as a direct command to the second person: 'say!'.
9.523αἲ γὰρ δὴ ψυχῆς τε καὶ αἰῶνός σε δυναίμην
The optative δυναίμην, introduced by the conjunction αἲ γὰρ, expresses an unattainable wish in the present ('would that I were able').

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:9.495-9.566