questions with Book 10. I'm still waiting West's commentary from
Amazon I hope it arrives to Argentina before Odysseus arrives to
Ithaca, for I've just ordered the second volume. Still then, that is
not the end, but there are usually a lot of difficulties awaiting to
the at the post office. I'm reading with Merry's commentary for the
moment.
-
How would you explain the imperfect here?17. ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δὴ καὶ ἐγὼν ὁδὸν ᾔτεον ἠδ᾽ ἐκέλευον
18. πεμπέμεν, οὐδέ τι κεῖνος ἀνήνατο, τεῦχε δὲ πομπήν. -
I've checked two translations, and it called my atention that the28. ἐννῆμαρ μὲν ὁμῶς πλέομεν νύκτας τε καὶ ἦμαρ
singular of ἦμαρ seems to be neglected:
"For nine days we sailed, night and day alike"
Couldn't be just "nine nights and one day"?Nine days and nine nights did we sail, -
I'd expect ὅτι instead of εἴ (introducing an indef. rel. clause).65. ἦ μέν σ᾽ ἐνδυκέως ἀπεπέμπομεν, ὄφρ᾽ ἀφίκοιο
πατρίδα σὴν καὶ δῶμα καὶ εἴ πού τοι φίλον ἐστίν.’ -
προΐειν => προίην?100. δὴ τότ᾽ ἐγὼν ἑτάρους προΐειν πεύθεσθαι ἰόντας
(imperf. 1st. sg.) -
How would you explain the tense of ὄρνυμι here? I think that I've122. βάλλον: ἄφαρ δὲ κακὸς κόναβος κατὰ νῆας ὀρώρει
already seen a similar use of the pluperfect before: I feel it as if
it were referring to something that happened so fast that the narrator
had no time to narrate its process, but only its
fulfillment. Something like "And just in a moment a dreadful din had
aroused".
Something similar happens at 388 with βεβήκει:
"So I spoke, and Circe (by this time) had already gone and opened the383. ‘ὦ Κίρκη, τίς γάρ κεν ἀνήρ, ὃς ἐναίσιμος εἴη,
384. πρὶν τλαίη πάσσασθαι ἐδητύος ἠδὲ ποτῆτος,
385. πρὶν λύσασθ᾽ ἑτάρους καὶ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι;
386. ἀλλ᾽ εἰ δὴ πρόφρασσα πιεῖν φαγέμεν τε κελεύεις,
387. λῦσον, ἵν᾽ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδω ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους.
387. ὣς ἐφάμην, Κίρκη δὲ διὲκ μεγάροιο βεβήκει
sties". Note how the immediacy of her action is denoted by the
pluperfect.
Would you take the pluperfect this way? -
Shouldn't ἐμβαλέειν be passive? "I bade my comrades throw themselves128. αἶψα δ᾽ ἐμοῖς ἑτάροισιν ἐποτρύνας ἐκέλευσα
129. ἐμβαλέειν κώπῃς, ἵν᾽ ὑπὲκ κακότητα φύγοιμεν
to the oars". -
The subject of the first clause are the comrades of Odysseus. He has179. ἐκ δὲ καλυψάμενοι παρὰ θῖν᾽ ἁλὸς ἀτρυγέτοιο
180. θηήσαντ᾽ ἔλαφον: μάλα γὰρ μέγα θηρίον ἦεν.
surprised them with a huge deer that he have just hunted. I don't know
how to read ἐκ...καλυψάμενοι: why were they hidden in the first place? -
"They wept aloud [...] but no profit became from their tears (lit. poured199. κλαῖον δὲ λιγέως θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντες:
200. ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γάρ τις πρῆξις ἐγίγνετο μυρομένοισιν.
[tears])". But I don't understand what explains γάρ.
I've tried to explain it thus: if μυρομένοισιν is metonymically
referring to their pains in general, and not their present tears, then
they are weeping because all their pains were in vain. What do you
think?
The verse is repeated on 568, but I've the same question there
likewise. -
Why is πεπληγυῖα perfect, instead of aorist? "She struck them with her237. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δῶκέν τε καὶ ἔκπιον, αὐτίκ᾽ ἔπειτα[fn:33]
238. ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα κατὰ συφεοῖσιν ἐέργνυ.
bolt and put them into the sties". -
Could explain me the form of ἐέρχατο?239. οἱ δὲ συῶν μὲν ἔχον κεφαλὰς φωνήν τε τρίχας τε
240. καὶ δέμας, αὐτὰρ νοῦς ἦν ἔμπεδος, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ.
241. ὣς οἱ μὲν κλαίοντες ἐέρχατο, τοῖσι δὲ Κίρκη -
280. ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα μοι φῦ χειρί, ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε
Which is the meaning of φύω here?
A similar use appears in this book at 397:
397. ἔγνωσαν δέ μ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι ἔφυν τ᾽ ἐν χερσὶν ἕκαστος. -
Hermes gives to Odysseus a φάρμακον that will protect him from287. τῆ, τόδε φάρμακον ἐσθλὸν ἔχων ἐς δώματα Κίρκης
288. ἔρχευ, ὅ κέν τοι κρατὸς ἀλάλκῃσιν κακὸν ἦμαρ.
Circe's one. I'm not sure how to translate ἀλάλκῃσιν: I would expect
it to take a separative genitive, instead of an accusative, and I'd
expect a future indicative tense, instead of subjunctive. -
Could you explain the form of κυκεῶ?290. τεύξει τοι κυκεῶ, βαλέει δ᾽ ἐν φάρμακα σίτῳ. -
Hermes gives instructions to Odysseus about how he should behave with297. ἔνθα σὺ μηκέτ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπανήνασθαι θεοῦ εὐνήν,
298. ὄφρα κέ τοι λύσῃ θ᾽ ἑτάρους αὐτόν τε κομίσσῃ:
299. ἀλλὰ κέλεσθαί μιν μακάρων μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι,
300. μή τί τοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο,
301. μή σ᾽ ἀπογυμνωθέντα κακὸν καὶ ἀνήνορα θήῃ.
Circe in order to free his comrades. I had problems with the last
verse: how should I take τίθημι + acc.?
The verse reappears at 341, where the facts actually take place, but
it doesn't help. -
λέξο => λέξεο / λέξου?320.‘ἔρχεο νῦν συφεόνδε, μετ᾽ ἄλλων λέξο ἑταίρων.’ -
How should I take the double οὐδέ?327. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τις ἄλλος ἀνὴρ τάδε φάρμακ᾽ ἀνέτλη,
328. ὅς κε πίῃ καὶ πρῶτον ἀμείψεται ἕρκος ὀδόντων.
I only know two meanings for ἀμείβω: to reply, and to exchange. But
neither seems to apply here. -
σῦς => σύας? (for it goes with ἑταίρους plural).338. ἥ μοι σῦς μὲν ἔθηκας ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑταίρους -
I'd like to read θυμὸν ἔδων as making a contrast with βρώμη: thus, heθυμὸν ἔδων, βρώμης δ᾽ οὐχ ἅπτεαι οὐδὲ ποτῆτος;
would be so sorrowful that he consumes his own heart instead of the
food. I've seen ἔδω + θυμόν before referring to someone's sadness, as
a formula, but maybe this is one case of "standard phraseology
modified" by Homer to fit the particular situation. Here the
"modification" would be just to put the formula near βρομή, making
certain humorous contrast. I've read this idea more than once, at Mark
Edwards' book, and also on Garvie's, but I'm never sure when it
applies and when not. For example here, I don't know for sure if ἔδω +
θυμόν is actually a formula (I think I've only seen it twice). -
I'd expect φυλάσσω to be in the subjunctive mode, and with no κέν, as431. ‘ἆ δειλοί, πόσ᾽ ἴμεν; τί κακῶν ἱμείρετε τούτων;
432. Κίρκης ἐς μέγαρον καταβήμεναι, ἥ κεν ἅπαντας
433. ἢ σῦς ἠὲ λύκους ποιήσεται ἠὲ λέοντας,
434. οἵ κέν οἱ μέγα δῶμα φυλάσσοιμεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ,
a primary purpose clause. -
Why is λέλειπτο in the pluperfect tense?447. οὐδὲ μὲν Εὐρύλοχος κοίλῃ παρὰ νηὶ λέλειπτο, -
πέποσθε => πεπόνθατε?465. θυμὸς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, ἐπεὶ ἦ μάλα πολλὰ πέποσθε.’ -
I didn't understand the expression περὶ δ᾽ ἔτραπον ὧραι μηνῶν469. ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἐνιαυτὸς ἔην, περὶ δ᾽ ἔτραπον ὧραι
470. μηνῶν φθινόντων, περὶ δ᾽ ἤματα μακρὰ τελέσθη,
φθινόντων. Which are the "decaying months"? Does this genitive go with
ὧραι or it is a separative genitive? -
εἰς + gen.? I'd expect ἐκ.502. εἰς Ἄϊδος δ᾽ οὔ πώ τις ἀφίκετο νηὶ μελαίνῃ.’ -
How is γουνόομαι connected with its accusative? Is it the same as withπολλὰ δὲ γουνοῦσθαι νεκύων ἀμενηνὰ κάρηνα,
εὔχομαι + acc.?
I have the same question below with λίσσομαι:
526. αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν εὐχῇσι λίσῃ κλυτὰ ἔθνεα νεκρῶν, -
How should I read φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἀρηρώς?551. Ἐλπήνωρ δέ τις ἔσκε νεώτατος, οὔτε τι λίην
552. ἄλκιμος ἐν πολέμῳ οὔτε φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἀρηρώς: -
Should not χρησομένους be dative, since it is in apposition with ἧμιν?563. ἔρχεσθ᾽: ἄλλην δ᾽ ἧμιν ὁδὸν τεκμήρατο Κίρκη,
564. εἰς Ἀίδαο δόμους καὶ ἐπαινῆς Περσεφονείης
565. ψυχῇ χρησομένους Θηβαίου Τειρεσίαο.’ -
I didn't understand the sense of the last verse.571. τόφρα δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ οἰχομένη Κίρκη παρὰ νηὶ μελαίνῃ
572. ἀρνειὸν κατέδησεν ὄιν θῆλύν τε μέλαιναν,
573. ῥεῖα παρεξελθοῦσα: τίς ἂν θεὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα
574. ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδοιτ᾽ ἢ ἔνθ᾽ ἢ ἔνθα κιόντα;