Day 55: A Sojourn Among the Ethiopians and a Voyage to Chrysa

Lines 425-35
δωδεκάτῃ δέ τοι αὖτις ἐλεύσεται Οὐλυμπόνδε,
καὶ τοτ' ἔπειτά τοι εἶμι Διὸς ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ,
καί μιν γουνάσομαι, καί μιν πείσεσθαι ὀίω."

ὧς ἄρα φωνήσας' ἀπεβήσετο, τὸν δὲ λίπ' αὐτοῦ
χωόμενον κατὰ θυμὸν ἐυζώνοιο γυναίκος,
τήν ῥα βίῃ ἀέκοντος ἀπηύρων. αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἐς Χρύσην ἵκανεν ἄγων ἱερὴν ἑκατόμβην.

οἱ δ' ὅτε δὴ λιμένος πολυβενθέος ἐντὸς ἵκοντο,
ἱστία μὲν στείλαντο, θέσαν δ' ἐν νηὶ μελαίνῃ,
ἱστὸν δ' ἱστοδόκῃ πέλασαν προτόνοισιν ὑφέντες
καρπαλίμως, τὴν δ' εἰς ὅρμον προέρεσσαν ἐρετμοῖς.


Then on the twelfth day I will go anew to Olympus for you,
And I go thereupon to the house of Zeus paved with bronze,
Then I shall grasp his knees, and I think this will persuade him."

Thus she spoke and then departed, and left him there,
Enraged at heart over a wasp waisted woman,
Whom they took from him by force,
Against his will. Then Odysseus came to Chrysa
Leading a sacred hecatomb.

And when they came within a harbor so very deep,
They furled the sail, and put it in the black ship,
Then drew it into its receiver, quickly letting down the sail
With rope, and rowed the oars on to anchor.



Homer has a great way of putting everything into perspective here when he gives voice to Achilles thoughts as his goddess mother heads off to Olympus. All this trouble over a pretty girl that they took from him by force...