seanjonesbw wrote:It's worth noting that we don't just have the narrative here but also Odysseus' own interpretation of this event later at 7.292-6:
τὴν ἱκέτευσʼ· ἡ δʼ οὔ τι νοήματος ἤμβροτεν ἐσθλοῦ,
ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἔλποιο νεώτερον ἀντιάσαντα
ἐρξέμεν· αἰεὶ γάρ τε νεώτεροι ἀφραδέουσιν.
ἥ μοι σῖτον ἔδωκεν ἅλις ἠδʼ αἴθοπα οἶνον
καὶ λοῦσʼ ἐν ποταμῷ καί μοι τάδε εἵματʼ ἔδωκε.
Indeed we do although I am not sure what it really adds to our discussion of Xenia. Indeed, immediately following this we have 7.302-7 in which Odysseus falsifies his account of what happened by saying it was his idea not to come directly to Alcinous.
"τὸν δ᾿ ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς·
“ἥρως, μή τοι τοὔνεκ᾿ ἀμύμονα νείκεε κούρην·
ἡ μὲν γάρ μ᾿ ἐκέλευε σὺν ἀμφιπόλοισιν ἕπεσθαι,
ἀλλ᾿ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔθελον δείσας αἰσχυνόμενός τε, 305
μή πως καὶ σοὶ θυμὸς ἐπισκύσσαιτο ἰδόντι·
δύσζηλοι γάρ τ᾿ εἰμὲν ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλ᾿ ἀνθρώπων.”
We can return to this when we discuss book 7 but whether you regard this as a simple inconsistency or a "tactful falsehood" as Hainsworth puts it, it is a reminder not to take what Odysseus says at face value.
In this context I would like to mention line 201:
201 οὐκ ἔσθ ̓ οὗτος ἀνὴρ διερὸς βροτὸς οὐδὲ γένηται,
202 ὅς κεν Φαιήκων ἀνδρῶν ἐς γαῖαν ἵκηται
203 δηϊοτῆτα φέρων· μάλα γὰρ φίλοι ἀθανάτοισιν.
I was interested to see that the Loeb translates διερὸς with its post homeric meaning (wet, liquid) as slippery.
"There is no mortal man so slippery, nor will there ever be one, as to come to the land of the Phaeacians bringing hostility, for we are very dear to the immortals."
Hainsworth observes on this line that "διερὸς: a notorious gloss." and explains the usual way of taking it.
Those who like to be "purist" deprive themselves here of the playful possibilities of turning this line into something perhaps more than it can bear, but which is to me irresistible. Whilst Odysseus may not be overtly hostile his visit is not without tragedy for those Phaeacians who are turned to stone.
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt. Turpissima tamen est iactura, quae per neglegentiam fit. Et si volueris attendere, maxima pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, magna nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.