Straightway he bound beneath his feet his beautiful sandals, [45] immortal, golden, which were wont to bear him over the waters of the sea and over the boundless land swift as the blasts of the wind. And he took the wand wherewith he lulls to sleep the eyes of whom he will, while others again he awakens even out of slumber.
With this in his hand the strong Argeiphontes flew. In such wise did Hermes ride upon the multitudinous waves. A great fire was burning on the hearth, and from afar over the isle there was a fragrance [60] of cleft cedar and juniper, as they burned; but she within was singing with a sweet voice as she went to and fro before the loom, weaving with a golden shuttle.
Round about the cave grew a luxuriant wood, alder and poplar and sweet-smelling cypress, [65] wherein birds long of wing were wont to nest, owls and falcons and sea-crows with chattering tongues, who ply their business on the sea. And right there about the hollow cave ran trailing a garden vine, in pride of its prime, richly laden with clusters.
And round about soft meadows of violets and parsley were blooming. There even an immortal, who chanced to come, might gaze and marvel, and delight his soul; [75] and there the messenger Argeiphontes stood and marvelled. But when he had marvelled in his heart at all things, straightway he went into the wide cave; nor did Calypso, the beautiful goddess, fail to know him, when she saw him face to face; for not unknown are [80] the immortal gods to one another, even though one dwells in a home far away.
But the great-hearted Odysseus he found not within; for he sat weeping on the shore, as his wont had been, racking his soul with tears and groans and griefs, and he would look over the unresting sea, shedding tears. Speak what is in thy mind; my heart bids me fulfil it, [90] if fulfil it I can, and it is a thing that hath fulfillment. But follow me further, that I may set before thee entertainment. So he drank and ate, the messenger Argeiphontes.
It was Zeus who bade me come hither against my will. Nor is there at hand any city of mortals who offer to the gods sacrifice and choice hecatombs.
But it is in no wise possible for any other god to evade or make void the will of Zeus, who bears the aegis. But on the way they sinned against Athena, and she sent upon them an evil wind and long waves. Him now Zeus bids thee to send on his way with all speed, for it is not his fate to perish here far from his friends, but it is still his lot to see his friends and reach [] his high-roofed house and his native land.
Thus, when rosy-fingered Dawn took to herself Orion, ye gods that live at ease begrudged her, till in Ortygia chaste Artemis of the golden throne assailed him with her gentle 1 shafts and slew him. And even so again do ye now begrudge me, O ye gods, that a mortal man should abide with me. There all the rest of his goodly comrades perished, but as for him, the wind and the wave, as they bore him, brought him hither.
But since it is in no wise possible for any other god to evade or make void the will of Zeus who bears the aegis, let him go his way, if Zeus thus orders and commands, [] over the unresting sea. But it is not I that shall give him convoy, for I have at hand no ships with oars and no men to send him on his way over the broad back of the sea. But with a ready heart will I give him counsel, and will hide naught, that all unscathed he may return to his native land.
Him she found sitting on the shore, and his eyes were never dry of tears, and his sweet life was ebbing away, as he longed mournfully for his return, for the nymph was no longer pleasing in his sight. By night indeed he would sleep by her side perforce [] in the hollow caves, unwilling beside the willing nymph, but by day he would sit on the rocks and the sands, racking his soul with tears and groans and griefs, and he would look over the unresting sea, shedding tears.
Nay, come, hew with the axe long beams, and make a broad raft, and fasten upon it cross-planks for a deck well above it, that it may bear thee over the misty deep. And I will clothe thee with raiment, and will send a fair wind behind thee, that all unscathed thou mayest return to thy native land, if it be the will of the gods who hold broad heaven; [] for they are mightier than I both to purpose and to fulfil.
But I will not set foot on a raft in thy despite, unless thou, goddess, wilt bring thyself to swear a mighty oath that thou wilt not plot against me any fresh mischief to my hurt. Now therefore let earth be witness to this, and the broad heaven above, [] and the down-flowing water of the Styx, which is the greatest and most dread oath for the blessed gods, that I will not plot against thee any fresh mischief to thy hurt.
Nay, I have such thoughts in mind, and will give such counsel, as I should devise for mine own self, if such need should come on me. And they came to the hollow cave, the goddess and the man, [] and he sat down upon the chair from which Hermes had arisen, and the nymph set before him all manner of food to eat and drink, of such sort as mortal men eat. But she herself sat over against divine Odysseus, and before her the handmaids set ambrosia and nectar. Yet, even so fare thee well.
Howbeit if in thy heart thou knewest all the measure of woe it is thy fate to fulfil before thou comest to thy native land thou wouldest abide here and keep this house with me, and wouldest be immortal, for all thy desire to see [] thy wife for whom thou longest day by day. All Symbols Food Birds. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.
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Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Edition on The Odyssey can help. Themes All Themes. Symbols All Symbols. Theme Wheel. Everything you need for every book you read. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Odyssey , which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Her island home is exotic and lovely, and we're guessing she is too, but Odysseus has the seven-year itch and spends all his time roaming the shore and looking broken-heartedly out to sea.
Kalypso, recognizing Hermes as a God, greets him with hospitality… …Until he delivers his news. Kalypso, afraid of losing Odysseus, gets quite spiteful. She accuses the gods of hating it when immortal women like herself lie with mortal men like Odysseus. What she means, of course, is that Zeus and other immortal men sleep with mortal women all the time, and no one ever gets upset over that. She points out that she rescued Odysseus… before she decided to imprison him, that is.
Hermes wisely lets Kalypso gripe until she gets exhausted and grudgingly agrees to let Odysseus go. But Odysseus won't accept her help until she vows not to work any more magic against him. She obeys, and everything's dandy between them again. No hard feelings. Together, the couple builds a raft and supplies it with food and water. It takes them four days. Some see it as a realistic, unflinching account of the way things work in the patriarchal culture of ancient Greece: while men of the mortal world and Zeus and the other male gods can get away with promiscuous behavior, society expects females to be faithful at all times.
With this interpretation, we find ourselves naturally sympathetic to Calypso, who is making a passionate critique of social norms that are genuinely hypocritical.
The question of interpretation becomes even trickier when we consider the relationship between Penelope and Odysseus. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Odyssey! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Telemachus go to Pylos and Sparta? How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? Why does Odysseus kill the suitors? How does Penelope test Odysseus? What is happening at the beginning of The Odyssey? Why does Athena help Odysseus so much?
Why does Nestor invite Telemachus to the feast before knowing his identity? Why does Calypso allow Odysseus to leave her island?
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