§5.1Ἠὼς δʼ ἐκ λεχέων παρʼ ἀγαυοῦ Τιθωνοῖο §5.2ὤρνυθʼ, ἵνʼ ἀθανάτοισι φόως φέροι ἠδὲ βροτοῖσιν· §5.3οἱ δὲ θεοὶ θῶκόνδε καθίζανον, ἐν δʼ ἄρα τοῖσι
And Dawn rose from her bed from beside lordly Tithonus, to bring light to immortals and to mortal men; and the gods were sitting in council, and among them
§5.4Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, οὗ τε κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον.
Zeus who thunders on high, whose power is greatest.
And Athena was telling them of the many griefs of Odysseus, remembering them; for it was a care to her that he was in the dwelling of the nymph.
§5.7Ζεῦ πάτερ ἠδʼ ἄλλοι μάκαρες θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες, §5.8μή τις ἔτι πρόφρων ἀγανὸς καὶ ἤπιος ἔστω §5.9σκηπτοῦχος βασιλεύς, μηδὲ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα εἰδώς, §5.10ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ χαλεπός τʼ εἴη καὶ αἴσυλα ῥέζοι· §5.11ὡς οὔ τις μέμνηται Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο §5.12λαῶν οἷσιν ἄνασσε, πατὴρ δʼ ὣς ἤπιος ἦεν.
"Father Zeus, and you other blessed gods who are forever, let no sceptre-bearing king henceforth be kind and gentle with all his heart, nor let him mind justice in his mind, but let him ever be harsh and work unrighteousness; since no one remembers godlike Odysseus of the people whom he ruled, and he was gentle as a father.
§5.13ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ἐν νήσῳ κεῖται κρατέρʼ ἄλγεα πάσχων §5.14νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, ἥ μιν ἀνάγκῃ §5.15ἴσχει· ὁ δʼ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι·
But he lies in an island, suffering strong griefs, in the halls of the nymph Calypso, who by force keeps him; and he cannot return to his native land.
For he has no oared ships and no companions who might speed him on his way over the broad back of the sea.
§5.18νῦν αὖ παῖδʼ ἀγαπητὸν ἀποκτεῖναι μεμάασιν §5.19οἴκαδε νισόμενον· ὁ δʼ ἔβη μετὰ πατρὸς ἀκουὴν §5.20ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην ἠδʼ ἐς Λακεδαίμονα δῖαν. §5.21τὴν δʼ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·
And now again they are eager to slay his beloved son as he returns home; for he has gone to seek tidings of his father to sacred Pylos and to divine Lacedaemon." Then Zeus, the gatherer of the clouds, answered her and said:
§5.22τέκνον ἐμόν, ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
"My child, what word has escaped the barrier of your teeth?
For did you not yourself plan this counsel, that Odysseus should indeed return and take vengeance on those men?
§5.25Τηλέμαχον δὲ σὺ πέμψον ἐπισταμένως, δύνασαι γάρ, §5.26ὥς κε μάλʼ ἀσκηθὴς ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκηται, §5.27μνηστῆρες δʼ ἐν νηὶ· παλιμπετὲς ἀπονέωνται. §5.28ἦ ῥα καὶ Ἑρμείαν, υἱὸν φίλον, ἀντίον ηὔδα· §5.29Ἑρμεία, σὺ γὰρ αὖτε τά τʼ ἄλλα περ ἄγγελός ἐσσι, §5.30νύμφῃ ἐυπλοκάμῳ εἰπεῖν νημερτέα βουλήν, §5.31νόστον Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὥς κε νέηται §5.32οὔτε θεῶν πομπῇ οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων·
But do you convoy Telemachus wisely, for you have the power, that he may reach his native land quite unscathed, and the suitors in their ship may sail back disappointed." He spoke, and addressed Hermes, his beloved son, saying: "Hermes, since you are our messenger at other times as well, declare to the fair-tressed nymph our unerring counsel, even the return of stout-hearted Odysseus, how he shall return, neither with the guidance of gods nor of mortal men; but on a well-bound raft, suffering woes, on the twentieth day he shall come to fertile Scheria, to the land of the Phaeacians, who are near of kin to the gods.
§5.33ἀλλʼ ὅ γʼ ἐπὶ σχεδίης πολυδέσμου πήματα πάσχων §5.34ἤματί κʼ εἰκοστῷ Σχερίην ἐρίβωλον ἵκοιτο, §5.35Φαιήκων ἐς γαῖαν, οἳ ἀγχίθεοι γεγάασιν, §5.36οἵ κέν μιν περὶ κῆρι θεὸν ὣς τιμήσουσιν, §5.37πέμψουσιν δʼ ἐν νηὶ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν, §5.38χαλκόν τε χρυσόν τε ἅλις ἐσθῆτά τε δόντες, §5.39πόλλʼ, ὅσʼ ἂν οὐδέ ποτε Τροίης ἐξήρατʼ Ὀδυσσεύς, §5.40εἴ περ ἀπήμων ἦλθε, λαχὼν ἀπὸ ληίδος αἶσαν.
They shall honor him in their hearts like a god, and speed him on his way in a ship to his dear native land, giving him bronze and gold and raiment in abundance, more than Odysseus would ever have brought away from Troy, if he had come home unscathed, having won his share of the spoil.
§5.41ὣς γάρ οἱ μοῖρʼ ἐστὶ φίλους τʼ ἰδέειν καὶ ἱκέσθαι §5.42οἶκον ἐς ὑψόροφον καὶ ἑὴν ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν.
For on this wise it is his fate to see his friends, and to return to his high-roofed home and to his native land."
§5.43ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε διάκτορος ἀργεϊφόντης.
So he spoke, and the messenger, Argeiphontes, did not disobey.
§5.44αὐτίκʼ ἔπειθʼ ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο καλὰ πέδιλα, §5.45ἀμβρόσια χρύσεια, τά μιν φέρον ἠμὲν ἐφʼ ὑγρὴν §5.46ἠδʼ ἐπʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν ἅμα πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο.
Straightway then he bound under his feet his beautiful sandals, ambrosial, golden, which bore him both over the wet and over the limitless land, swift as the breath of the wind.
§5.47εἵλετο δὲ ῥάβδον, τῇ τʼ ἀνδρῶν ὄμματα θέλγει, §5.48ὧν ἐθέλει, τοὺς δʼ αὖτε καὶ ὑπνώοντας ἐγείρει.
And he took his wand, with which he lulls the eyes of men, whomever he wills, and others again who are asleep he awakens.
§5.49τὴν μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχων πέτετο κρατὺς ἀργεϊφόντης.
With this in his hands the strong Argeiphontes flew.
§5.50Πιερίην δʼ ἐπιβὰς ἐξ αἰθέρος ἔμπεσε πόντῳ· §5.51σεύατʼ ἔπειτʼ ἐπὶ κῦμα λάρῳ ὄρνιθι ἐοικώς, §5.52ὅς τε κατὰ δεινοὺς κόλπους ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο §5.53ἰχθῦς ἀγρώσσων πυκινὰ πτερὰ δεύεται ἅλμῃ· §5.54τῷ ἴκελος πολέεσσιν ὀχήσατο κύμασιν Ἑρμῆς.
And light upon Pieria, he leapt from the upper air into the sea, and then he sped over the wave like a gull, which down the dread gulfs of the barren sea hunting for fish, wets its thick plumage in the brine; like to it, Hermes rode over the many waves.
§5.55ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τὴν νῆσον ἀφίκετο τηλόθʼ ἐοῦσαν, §5.56ἔνθʼ ἐκ πόντου βὰς ἰοειδέος ἤπειρόνδε §5.57ἤιεν, ὄφρα μέγα σπέος ἵκετο, τῷ ἔνι νύμφη §5.58ναῖεν ἐυπλόκαμος· τὴν δʼ ἔνδοθι τέτμεν ἐοῦσαν.
But when indeed he came to the island which lay afar, then, stepping forth from the violet sea onto the land, he went until he came to a great cave, wherein the nymph of the fair tresses dwelt; and he found her within.
§5.59πῦρ μὲν ἐπʼ ἐσχαρόφιν μέγα καίετο, τηλόσε δʼ ὀδμὴ §5.60κέδρου τʼ εὐκεάτοιο θύου τʼ ἀνὰ νῆσον ὀδώδει §5.61δαιομένων· ἡ δʼ ἔνδον ἀοιδιάουσʼ ὀπὶ καλῇ §5.62ἱστὸν ἐποιχομένη χρυσείῃ κερκίδʼ ὕφαινεν.
A great fire was burning on the hearth, and from afar the fragrance of split cedar and arbor-vitae wafted throughout the island as they burned; and she within was singing with a sweet voice, as she went to and fro before the loom, weaving with a golden shuttle.
And a wood grew luxuriant around the cave, alder and poplar and sweet-smelling cypress.
§5.65ἔνθα δέ τʼ ὄρνιθες τανυσίπτεροι εὐνάζοντο, §5.66σκῶπές τʼ ἴρηκές τε τανύγλωσσοί τε κορῶναι §5.67εἰνάλιαι, τῇσίν τε θαλάσσια ἔργα μέμηλεν.
Therein roosted birds with long wings, owls and hawks and long-tongued crows of the sea, whose business is in the waters.
And right there, trailing over the hollow cave, a garden vine grew luxuriantly, rich with clusters.
And four fountains in order flowed with clear water, near to one another, but turned each a different way.
§5.72ἀμφὶ δὲ λειμῶνες μαλακοὶ ἴου ἠδὲ σελίνου
And all around soft meadows of violet and parsley