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Homer · Odyssey §13.151-13.223

Petrification of the Phaeacian Ship and Odysseus' Awakening

Passage 91 of 173 · Greek

Summary

Poseidon turns the returning Phaeacian ship into stone near their harbor, prompting Alcinous to recognize the ancient prophecy and offer sacrifices to appease the god. Odysseus awakens on Ithaca but cannot recognize his homeland due to a mist cast by Athena, who then approaches him disguised as a young shepherd.

§13.151ῥαῖσαι, ἵνʼ ἤδη σχῶνται, ἀπολλήξωσι δὲ πομπῆς §13.152ἀνθρώπων, μέγα δέ σφιν ὄρος πόλει ἀμφικαλύψαι. §13.153τὸν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς· §13.154ὢ πέπον, ὡς μὲν ἐμῷ θυμῷ δοκεῖ εἶναι ἄριστα, §13.155ὁππότε κεν δὴ πάντες ἐλαυνομένην προΐδωνται §13.156λαοὶ ἀπὸ πτόλιος, θεῖναι λίθον ἐγγύθι γαίης §13.157νηῒ θοῇ ἴκελον, ἵνα θαυμάζωσιν ἅπαντες §13.158ἄνθρωποι, μέγα δέ σφιν ὄρος πόλει ἀμφικαλύψαι. §13.159αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τό γʼ ἄκουσε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων,
to shatter it, so that they may now hold back and cease from escorting men, and to overshadow their city with a great mountain.” Then Zeus, the cloud-gatherer, answered him and said: “Friend, as seems best to my mind, the best thing is this: whenever all the people look out from the city and see her speeding on, then turn her into a stone near the land, resembling a swift ship, so that all men may wonder, and overshadow their city with a great mountain.” Now when Poseidon, the Earth-shaker, heard this, he went on his way to Scheria, where the Phaeacians dwell.
§13.160βῆ ῥʼ ἴμεν ἐς Σχερίην, ὅθι Φαίηκες γεγάασιν. §13.161ἔνθʼ ἔμενʼ· ἡ δὲ μάλα σχεδὸν ἤλυθε ποντοπόρος νηῦς
There he waited; and the seafaring ship came very near, swiftly speeding on.
§13.162ῥίμφα διωκομένη· τῆς δὲ σχεδὸν ἦλθʼ ἐνοσίχθων, §13.163ὅς μιν λᾶαν ἔθηκε καὶ ἐρρίζωσεν ἔνερθε §13.164χειρὶ καταπρηνεῖ ἐλάσας· ὁ δὲ νόσφι βεβήκει.
And the Earth-shaker drew near her, and turned her into a stone, and rooted her below, striking her with the flat of his hand; and then he went his way.
§13.165οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔπεα πτερόεντʼ ἀγόρευον §13.166Φαίηκες δολιχήρετμοι, ναυσίκλυτοι ἄνδρες.
And they spoke winged words to one another, the Phaeacians of the long oars, men famous for their ships.
§13.167ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον· §13.168ὤ μοι, τίς δὴ νῆα θοὴν ἐπέδησʼ ἐνὶ πόντῳ §13.169οἴκαδʼ ἐλαυνομένην;
And thus would one say, looking at his neighbor: “Ah me! Who has tethered our swift ship in the sea as she was speeding home?
καὶ δὴ προὐφαίνετο πᾶσα. §13.170ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε· τὰ δʼ οὐκ ἴσαν ὡς ἐτέτυκτο.
And indeed she was all in plain sight.” Thus they would say; but they did not know how these things had been done.
§13.171τοῖσιν δʼ Ἀλκίνοος ἀγορήσατο καὶ μετέειπεν· §13.172ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δή με παλαίφατα θέσφαθʼ ἱκάνει §13.173πατρὸς ἐμοῦ, ὃς ἔφασκε Ποσειδάωνʼ ἀγάσασθαι §13.174ἡμῖν, οὕνεκα πομποὶ ἀπήμονές εἰμεν ἁπάντων.
Then Alcinous spoke among them and said: “Ah, surely the ancient prophecies of my father are come upon me, who said that Poseidon was wroth with us because we are harmless escorts to all men.
§13.175φῆ ποτὲ Φαιήκων ἀνδρῶν περικαλλέα, νῆα, §13.176ἐκ πομπῆς ἀνιοῦσαν, ἐν ἠεροειδέϊ πόντῳ §13.177ῥαισέμεναι, μέγα δʼ ἧμιν ὄρος πόλει ἀμφικαλύψειν.
He said that some day a beautiful ship of the Phaeacian men, as she was returning from her escort on the misty sea, should be shattered, and that a great mountain should overshadow our city.
§13.178ὣς ἀγόρευʼ ὁ γέρων· τὰ δὲ δὴ νῦν πάντα τελεῖται.
So the old man spoke, and now all these things are being fulfilled.
§13.179ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ, ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα πάντες· §13.180πομπῆς μὲν παύσασθε βροτῶν, ὅτε κέν τις ἵκηται §13.181ἡμέτερον προτὶ ἄστυ· Ποσειδάωνι δὲ ταύρους §13.182δώδεκα κεκριμένους ἱερεύσομεν, αἴ κʼ ἐλεήσῃ, §13.183μηδʼ ἡμῖν περίμηκες ὄρος πόλει ἀμφικαλύψῃ. §13.184ὣς ἔφαθʼ, οἱ δʼ ἔδεισαν, ἑτοιμάσσαντο δὲ ταύρους.
But come, let us all obey as I shall say: cease from escorting mortal men, whenever anyone comes to our city; and let us sacrifice to Poseidon twelve chosen bulls, if he may perchance have pity, and not overshadow our city with a towering mountain.” So he spoke, and they were afraid, and prepared the bulls.
§13.185ὣς οἱ μέν ῥʼ εὔχοντο Ποσειδάωνι ἄνακτι §13.186δήμου Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες, §13.187ἑσταότες περὶ βωμόν.
Thus they were praying to lord Poseidon, the leaders and rulers of the people of the Phaeacians, standing around the altar.
ὁ δʼ ἔγρετο δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς §13.188εὕδων ἐν γαίῃ πατρωΐῃ, οὐδέ μιν ἔγνω, §13.189ἤδη δὴν ἀπεών· περὶ γὰρ θεὸς ἠέρα χεῦε §13.190Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη, κούρη Διός, ὄφρα μιν αὐτὸν §13.191ἄγνωστον τεύξειεν ἕκαστά τε μυθήσαιτο, §13.192μή μιν πρὶν ἄλοχος γνοίη ἀστοί τε φίλοι τε, §13.193πρὶν πᾶσαν μνηστῆρας ὑπερβασίην ἀποτῖσαι.
Meanwhile noble Odysseus awoke from sleep in his native land, but he did not recognize it, having been long away; for the goddess, Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, had poured a mist around him, so that she might make him unknown, and tell him everything, lest his wife or townsfolk or friends should know him before he had made the suitors pay for all their transgressions.
§13.194τοὔνεκʼ ἄρʼ ἀλλοειδέα φαινέσκετο πάντα ἄνακτι, §13.195ἀτραπιτοί τε διηνεκέες λιμένες τε πάνορμοι §13.196πέτραι τʼ ἠλίβατοι καὶ δένδρεα τηλεθόωντα.
Therefore all things seemed strange to the lord: the long paths, the harbors offering safe anchorage, the steep cliffs, and the flourishing trees.
§13.197στῆ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀναΐξας καί ῥʼ εἴσιδε πατρίδα γαῖαν· §13.198ᾤμωξέν τʼ ἄρ ἔπειτα καὶ ὣ πεπλήγετο μηρὼ §13.199χερσὶ καταπρηνέσσʼ, ὀλοφυρόμενος δʼ ἔπος ηὔδα·
He sprang up and stood, and looked upon his native land, and then he groaned and smote his thighs with the flat of his hands, and spoke with lamentation: “Woe is me!
§13.200ὤ μοι ἐγώ, τέων αὖτε βροτῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἱκάνω;
To the land of what mortals am I come now?
§13.201ἦ ῥʼ οἵ γʼ ὑβρισταί τε καὶ ἄγριοι οὐδὲ δίκαιοι, §13.202ἦε φιλόξεινοι, καί σφιν νόος ἐστὶ θεουδής;
Are they insolent and savage and unjust, or are they hospitable, and have they a god-fearing mind?
§13.203πῇ δὴ χρήματα πολλὰ φέρω τάδε;
Whither shall I carry all these treasures?
πῇ τε καὶ αὐτὸς §13.204πλάζομαι;
And whither do I myself wander?
αἴθʼ ὄφελον μεῖναι παρὰ Φαιήκεσσιν §13.205αὐτοῦ· ἐγὼ δέ κεν ἄλλον ὑπερμενέων βασιλήων §13.206ἐξικόμην, ὅς κέν μʼ ἐφίλει καὶ ἔπεμπε νέεσθαι.
Would that they had remained with the Phaeacians there; then I might have come to some other of the mighty kings who would have welcomed me and sent me on my way.
§13.207νῦν δʼ οὔτʼ ἄρ πῃ θέσθαι ἐπίσταμαι, οὐδὲ μὲν αὐτοῦ §13.208καλλείψω, μή πώς μοι ἕλωρ ἄλλοισι γένηται.
But now I know not where to store them, nor indeed here will I leave them, lest they become a prey to others.
§13.209ὢ πόποι, οὐκ ἄρα πάντα νοήμονες οὐδὲ δίκαιοι
Ah!
§13.210ἦσαν Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες, §13.211οἵ μʼ εἰς ἄλλην γαῖαν ἀπήγαγον, ἦ τέ μʼ ἔφαντο §13.212ἄξειν εἰς Ἰθάκην εὐδείελον, οὐδʼ ἐτέλεσσαν.
No wise and just men, then, were the leaders and rulers of the Phaeacians, who have brought me to a strange land; they said indeed that they would bring me to clear-seen Ithaca, but they have not fulfilled their word.
§13.213Ζεὺς σφέας τίσαιτο ἱκετήσιος, ὅς τε καὶ ἄλλους §13.214ἀνθρώπους ἐφορᾷ καὶ τίνυται ὅς τις ἁμάρτῃ.
May Zeus of the suppliants requite them, who also watches over all other men and punishes whoever does wrong.
§13.215ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ τὰ χρήματʼ ἀριθμήσω καὶ ἴδωμαι, §13.216μή τί μοι οἴχωνται κοίλης ἐπὶ νηὸς ἄγοντες. §13.217ὣς εἰπὼν τρίποδας περικαλλέας ἠδὲ λέβητας §13.218ἠρίθμει καὶ χρυσὸν ὑφαντά τε εἵματα καλά.
But come, let me count the treasures and see lest they have gone and taken anything away in their hollow ship.” So saying, he counted the beautiful tripods and caldrons, and the gold, and the beautiful woven garments.
§13.219τῶν μὲν ἄρʼ ὀύ τι πόθει· ὁ δʼ ὀδύρετο πατρίδα γαῖαν §13.220ἑρπύζων παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης, §13.221πόλλʼ ὀλοφυρόμενος.
Of these he missed nothing; but he wept for his native land, walking along the shore of the loud-sounding sea, lamenting sorely.
σχεδόθεν δέ οἱ ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη, §13.222ἀνδρὶ δέμας εἰκυῖα νέῳ, ἐπιβώτορι μήλων, §13.223παναπάλῳ, οἷοί τε ἀνάκτων παῖδες ἔασι,
And Athena drew near him, in the likeness of a young man, a shepherd of sheep, one exceeding delicate, such as are the sons of kings,

Notes

  1. §13.151ῥαῖσαι — An infinitive depending on the verb ἐθέλω ("I wish") from the previous chunk (line 149), continuing Poseidon's statement of his desire to shatter the ship.
  2. §13.158ἀμφικαλύψαι — An infinitive depending on the main clause ὡς ... δοκεῖ εἶναι ἄριστα ("as seems best to my mind", line 154) and standing in parallel with θεῖναι ("to turn into stone", line 156), showing that Zeus approves (or suggests) Poseidon's desire to overshadow the city with a mountain.
  3. §13.189περὶ γὰρ θεὸς ἠέρα χεῦε — A causal clause explaining the reason for οὐδέ μιν ἔγνω ("nor did he recognize it", line 188). The conjunction γάρ introduces the supernatural cause, alongside his long absence (ἤδη δὴν ἀπεών), that Athena had poured a mist around him (ἠέρα χεῦε).
  4. §13.204αἴθʼ ὄφελον — The particle of wishing αἴθε combined with ὄφελον (the historical tense of ὀφείλω) and followed by the infinitive (μεῖναι) expresses an unattainable wish in the past ("would that they had remained").

Cite this passage

Homer, Odyssey §13.151-13.223. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:13.151-13.223

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