Line #.

Homer’s Words Modern Day Paraphrase

289 On the fifth, the lovely goddess launched On the fifth day, the lovely goddess sent
him from her island, him from her island,
290 once she had bathed him and decked him once she had bathed and dressed him in
out in fragrant clothes. fragrant clothes.
291 And Calypso stowed two skins aboard- And Calypso put onboard two skins- one
dark wine in one, containing dark wine,
292 the larger one held water- added a sack of the larger one held water-added a bag of
rations, food,
293 filled with her choicest meats to build his filled with her best meats to make him
strength strong
294 and summoned a wind to bear him and summoned a fair and warm wind to
onward, fair and warm. push him onward.
295 The wind lifting his spirits high, royal The wind making him confident, the
Odysseus royal Odysseus
296 spread sail-gripping the tiller, seated spread the sail-holding the rudder, sitting
astern- astern-
297 and now the master mariner steered the the master seaman steered the ship,
craft,
298 sleep never closing his eyes, forever never closing his eyes for sleep, scanning
scanning forever
299 the stars, the Pleiades and the Plowman the stars the Pleiades and the Plowman
late to set shine brightly until morning
300 and the Great Bear that mankind also calls and the Great Bear that people also calls
the Wagon: the Wagon:
301 she wheels on her axis always fixed, she wheels on her side never moving,
watching the Hunter, watching the Hunter,
302 and she alone is denied a plunge in the and only she cannot jump into the
Ocean’s baths. Ocean’s water.
303 Hers were the stars the lustrous goddess Her stars were the ones the lustrous
told him goddess told him
304 to keep hard to port as he cut across the to keep to his right as he sailed across the
sea. sea.
305 And seventeen days he sailed, making And he sailed for seventeen days with
headway well; good progress,
306 on the eighteenth, shadowy mountains and on the eighteenth day, the mountains
slowly loomed… in the distance slowly appeared…
307 the Phaeacian’s island reaching toward he is getting closer to the Phaeacian’s
him now, island,
308 over the misty breakers, rising like a over the waves, rising to him like a
shield. shield.
309 But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake But Poseidon, the god who shakes the
saw him- earth, saw him-
310 just returning home from his Ethiopian on his way home from his Ethiopian
friends, worshipers,
311 from miles away on the Solymi mountain- from on top the Solymi mountain range
range miles away
312 he spied Odysseus sailing down the sea he spied Odysseus sailing across the sea
313 and it made his fury boil even more. and it made him even more furious.
314 He shook his head and rumbled to himself He shook his head and said to himself
315 “Outrageous! Look how the gods have “Outrageous! The Gods have betrayed
changed their minds me
316 about Odysseus-while I was off with my about Odysseus- while I was away with
Ethiopians. my Ethiopians.
317 Just look at him there, nearing Phaeacia’s Look at him, getting closer to Phaeacia’s
shores shores
318 where he’s fated to escape his noose of where he is going to escape pain,
 pain
319 that’s held him until now. Still my hopes that he had until now. Still I am
ride high- confident-
320 I’ll give that man his swamping fill of I will give that man more trouble!”
trouble!”