Singing Homer
Singing Homer Podcast
Homer's Odyssey δ 4.554-70
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Homer's Odyssey δ 4.554-70

Recording and translation © A. P. David 2022.

Greek text hyperlinked to lexica via Perseus (perseus.tufts.edu):

ὣς ἐφάμην, δέ μ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν:

‘‘υἱὸς Λαέρτεω, Ἰθάκῃ ἔνι οἰκία ναίων:

τὸν δ᾽ ἴδον ἐν νήσῳ θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντα,

νύμφης ἐν μεγάροισι Καλυψοῦς, μιν ἀνάγκῃ

ἴσχει: δ᾽ οὐ δύναται ἣν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι:

οὐ γάρ οἱ πάρα νῆες ἐπήρετμοι καὶ ἑταῖροι,

οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπ᾽ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.

σοι δ᾽ οὐ θέσφατόν ἐστι, διοτρεφὲς Μενέλαε,

Ἄργει ἐν ἱπποβότῳ θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν,

ἀλλά σ᾽ ἐς Ἠλύσιον πεδίον καὶ πείρατα γαίης

ἀθάνατοι πέμψουσιν, ὅθι ξανθὸς Ῥαδάμανθυς,

τῇ περ ῥηίστη βιοτὴ πέλει ἀνθρώποισιν:

οὐ νιφετός, οὔτ᾽ ἂρ χειμὼν πολὺς οὔτε ποτ᾽ ὄμβρος,

ἀλλ᾽ αἰεὶ Ζεφύροιο λιγὺ πνείοντος ἀήτας

Ὠκεανὸς ἀνίησιν ἀναψύχειν ἀνθρώπους:

οὕνεκ᾽ ἔχεις Ἑλένην καί σφιν γαμβρὸς Διός ἐσσι.’’

ὣς εἰπὼν ὑπὸ πόντον ἐδύσετο κυμαίνοντα.

Samuel Butler’s translation with certain names Hellenised:

“‘The third man,’ he answered, ‘is Odysseus who dwells in Ithaca. I can see him in an island sorrowing bitterly in the house of the nymph Calypso, who is keeping him prisoner, and he cannot reach his home for he has no ships nor sailors to take him over the sea. As for your own end, Menelaus, you shall not die in Argos, but the gods will take you to the Elysian plain, which is at the ends of the world. There fair haired Rhadamanthus reigns, and men lead an easier life than any where else in the world, for in Elysium there falls not rain, nor hail, nor snow, but Oceanus breathes ever with a West wind that sings softly from the sea, and gives fresh life to all men. This will happen to you because you have married Helen, and are Zeus’s son in law.’

“As he spoke he dived under the waves …

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Singing Homer
Singing Homer Podcast
A performance of Homer's Odyssey in ancient Greek, with texts.
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