A Reading Course in Homeric Greek, Book 2

A Reading Course in Homeric Greek

88. NOTES

55f. ἐπὴν...ἐλάσωσιν ... ἀγορεύσω : Future More Vivid construction (§247a in Book 1).

57 ὁπποτέρῃ δή τοι ὁδὸς ἔσσεται : This clause is the object of ἀγορεύσω. Understand ὁδῷ

with ὁπποτέρῃ (“....(by) which (way) of the two your way will be.”).

58 βουλεύειν : inf. for impt. ἀμφοτέρωθεν here means that Circe will tell Odysseus about the

two alternative routes.

59 αὐτὰς : the rocks.

61 Πλαγκτὰς : These are the overhanging πέτραι mentioned in 59. θεοὶ μάκαρες καλέουσι :

This is not the only place in Homer where we are told that the gods have a special name for

something, but usually we are also given the name that mortals use (e.g., Iliad 20. 74, where

the River Scamander is called Xanthos by the gods). τάς (= the overhanging πέτραι) is the

direct object of καλέουσι, and Πλαγκτὰς is the predicate to τάς.

63 ταί = αἵ, whose antecedent is πέλειαι τρήρωνες.

64 καὶ : “even.” τῶν is gen. of separation or the whole after ἀφαιρεῖται (“takes away (one dove)

from/ of these (doves)”).

65 ἄλλην : supply πελείαν. ἐνίησι : See New Grammar, §89, below. πατὴρ : i.e., Zeus.

ἐναρίθμιον εἶναι is predicative with ἄλλην.

69 κείνῃ : “by that route (ὁδῷ).” παρέπλω : 3 sg. 2 aor. of παρα-πλώω.

70 πᾶσι μέλουσα : “being of concern to all (men)” probably referring to the fame or popularity

of the story (the voyage of the Argo to claim the Golden Fleece). παρ’ Αἰήταο πλέουσα :

“sailing back from Aeetes,” i.e., from Colchis, where Aeetes ruled and had the Golden

Fleece. The Argo escaped this danger, in other words, on its return voyage. This passage is

taken as evidence that the voyage of the Argonauts was a model for the Homeric Odysseus’

travels, and that the Argo’s saga pre-dates Homer. In mythical chronology, the voyage of

the Argo occurred one generation before the adventures of Odysseus.

71 κε τὴν ... βάλεν : A Contrary to Fact construction (“would have thrown her [the Argo]”).

See §91 in Book 1. The subject of βάλεν is κύματα in 68.

89. NEW GRAMMAR: Present Indicative, Infinitive, and Participle Active of ἵημι I send

Refer to §473 (Book 1) for the Imperfect Indicative Active of ἵημι.

1 sg. ἵημι

2 sg. ἵης

3 sg. ἵησι

1 pl. ἵεμεν

2 pl. ἵετε

3 pl. ἱᾶσι

Infinitive ἱέναι, ̔ῑέμεναι

Participle ἱείς, ἱεῖσα, ἱέν