The Odyssey

Chapter 9 In answer to the King, this is how Odysseus, the man of many resources, began his tale:“Lord Alcinous, my most worshipful prince, it is indeed a lovely thing to hear a bard such as yours, with a voice like the gods’. I myself feel that there is nothing more delightful than when the […]

Chapter 8 As soon as the fresh Dawn had decked herself in crimson, the divine King Alcinous left his bed and conducted Odysseus, the royal sacker of cities, who had risen at the same time, to the place by the ships where the Phaeacians held their Assemblies; and there they sat down side by side

Chapter 7 While the much-enduring Odysseus was praying in Athene’s grove, the two sturdy mules brought the princess to the city. When she reached her father’s palace, she drew up at the entrance, and her handsome brothers gathered round her, un-harnessed the mules from the cart and carried the clothes indoors. She herself retired to

Chapter 6 While the noble, much-enduring Odysseus, conquered by sleep and worn out by his exertions, lay resting there, Athene came to the country of the Phaeacians and entered their city. These Phaeacians had once lived in the broad lands of Hyper­eie, and been neighbours to the Cyclopes, a quarrelsome people, who took advantage of

Chapter 5 When dawn had risen from the bed where she sleeps with the Lord Tithonus, to bring daylight to the immortals and to men, the gods sat down in assembly, and were joined by Zeus the Thunderer, the greatest of them all. The imprisonment of Odysseus in Calypso’s home was heavy on Athene’s heart,

Chapter 4 And so they came to the rolling lands of Lacedaemon, deep in the hills, and drove up to the palace of the illustrious Menelaus. They found him entertaining a large company of retainers in his house to celebrate the weddings of his son and of the princess, his daughter. He was sending the

Chapter 3 Leaving the waters of the splendid East, the Sun leapt up into the firmament to bring light to the immortals and to men who plough the earth and perish. The travellers now came to Pylos, the stately citadel of Neleus, where they found the people on the sea-beach sacrificing jet-black bulls to Poseidon,

Chapter 2 As soon as Dawn with her rose-tinted hands had lit the East, Odysseus’ son put on his clothes and got up from his bed. He slung a sharp sword from his shoulder, bound a stout pair of sandals on his comely feet and strode from his bedroom looking like a god. He at

Chapter 1 The hero of the tale which I beg the Muse to help me tell is that re­sourceful man who roamed the wide world after he had sacked the holy citadel of Troy. He saw the cities of many peoples and he learnt their ways. He suffered many hardships on the high seas in