13 quotes
a man clothed in huge strength,
a savage with no understanding of either justice or laws.
The Odyssey (2018)
never yet among mortal mankind have there been men
who plot such arrogant and reckless violence as these do.
The Odyssey (2018)
She climbed a tall staircase in the house, taking
in her sturdy hand a cunningly forged key, finely
made of bronze; and the handle on it was of ivory.
The Odyssey (2018)
Sun-god, of course you must continue to shine on the immortals,
and on mortal men who live on the grain-giving ploughland.
As for these men, I shall at once hurl a shining thunderbolt at
their swift ship, and smash it in pieces out on the wine-dark sea.
The Odyssey (2018)
The first to rise to his feet was Leodes, son of Oenops,
who interpreted their sacrifices, and always sat furthest away,
next to the fine mixing-bowl; he was the only one who hated
the suitors' reckless deeds, and was indignant with them all.
The Odyssey (2018)
But when on my way through the sacred valleys I had nearly
reached the great house of Circe, skilled in many drugs,
Hermes of the golden rod fell in with me as I was walking
towards the house, in the likeness of a young man whose beard
is just coming, which is the most charming time of youth.
The Odyssey (2018)
Amphinomus . . . went back through the house, troubled in spirit
and shaking his head, because in his heart he could foresee evil.
Even so he did not escape death; he too was bound fast by Athena,
to be overcome by Telemachus' hands and the force of his spear.
The Odyssey (2018)
But now circumspect Penelope had another idea: to appear
before the suitors, men of violent insolence, since she had
learned that they were plotting death for her son in the halls.
Medon the herald had heard their scheming and had told her this.
The Odyssey (2018)
They came at dawn, as many as leaves or flowers that appear
in season; and then an evil fate from Zeus stood close to us,
ill-fated as we were, and caused us to suffer many torments.
The Odyssey (2018)
This translation . . . does not claim to be ‘poetic’; my aim has been to use a straightforward English register and to keep closely to the Greek, allowing Homeric directness and power to speak for itself.
The Odyssey (2018)
Athena came and stood next to Odysseus, Laertes' son,
and urged him to go round the suitors and collect crusts, to
find out which were right-minded and which lawless;
even so, she did not intend that any should escape ruin.
The Odyssey (2018)
"There now; I have revealed the token to you. I do not know,
lady, if this bed of mine is still firmly planted or if some man
has now cut through the tree's base and moved it elsewhere."
So he spoke, and her heart and knees at once went slack,
as she recognized the sure token Odysseus had revealed to her.
The Odyssey (2018)
. . . may the gods grant you all that you desire in your heart,
and may they bestow on you a husband, a house, and good
harmony of minds; there is nothing better or more powerful
than this, when a man and his wife keep house in sympathy
of mind — a great grief to their enemies, but a joy to those who
wish them well; and they themselves are highly esteemed.
The Odyssey (2018)