July 1, 2021: Difference between revisions
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but listen closely to what I tell you now | but listen closely to what I tell you now | ||
and god himself will bring it back to mind. | and god himself will bring it back to mind. | ||
First you will raise the island of the Sirens,{{refn|Despite the many depictions of the Sirens as mermaids or other mythological, sometimes winged, creatures, they are never described by Homer. There are two of them, and they, like Circe, live on an island. Also unlike popular depictions, they do not physically engage would-be victims, but attempt to lure them to their death. They might be best though of as “anonymous and shapeless Demons of High Noon” with “no exact mythology shape or nature” ({{ | First you will raise the island of the Sirens,{{refn|Despite the many depictions of the Sirens as mermaids or other mythological, sometimes winged, creatures, they are never described by Homer. There are two of them, and they, like Circe, live on an island. Also unlike popular depictions, they do not physically engage would-be victims, but attempt to lure them to their death. They might be best though of as “anonymous and shapeless Demons of High Noon” with “no exact mythology shape or nature” ({{harvnb|Germain|1962|p=92}}).}} | ||
those creatures who spellbind any man alive, {{ln|5 (45)}} | those creatures who spellbind any man alive, {{ln|5 (45)}} | ||
whoever comes their way. Whoever draws too close, | whoever comes their way. Whoever draws too close, | ||
off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air | off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air{{refn|Notice the qualifiers here, ''too close'' and ''off guard'' seem to suggest a limit to the Sirens’ song. Indeed, in order to be tempted, one’s guard must be down to some extent. }} | ||
no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, | no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, | ||
no happy children beaming up at their father’s face.{{refn|As is clear repeatedly throughout the ''Odyssey'' and established by Odysseus himself in his recounting of “[[The Lotos Eaters]],” their goal is to reach home, and anything that delays them from that task—especially those things that tempt their desires—would be evil. The Sirens represent a temptation, but of what?<br />{{Sp}}These images of the wife and children should be particularly resonant for Odysseus, especially coming from Circe, the woman who kept Odysseus in thrall for a year in his ''flawless bed of love''.}} | no happy children beaming up at their father’s face.{{refn|As is clear repeatedly throughout the ''Odyssey'' and established by Odysseus himself in his recounting of “[[The Lotos Eaters]],” their goal is to reach home, and anything that delays them from that task—especially those things that tempt their desires—would be evil. The Sirens represent a temptation, but of what?<br />{{Sp}}These images of the wife and children should be particularly resonant for Odysseus, especially coming from Circe, the woman who kept Odysseus in thrall for a year in his ''flawless bed of love''.}} | ||
The high, thrilling song of the Sirens will transfix him, {{ln|10 (50)}} | The high, thrilling song of the Sirens will transfix him, {{ln|10 (50)}} | ||
lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses | lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses | ||
rotting away, rags of skin shriveling on their bones . . . | rotting away, rags of skin shriveling on their bones . . .{{refn|Just how the ''transfixed'' men die is unknown: starvation, poison, drowning, sunstroke are all options, as none are specifically supported by the text ({{harvnb|Germain|1962|p=92}}). Regardless, the horror here is dying on an alien shore and never seeing home again. I like how this description ends with an ellipsis, suggesting that Circe trails off, emphasizing the true horror of the situation and leaving both Odysseus and the audience to speculate about the weight of her words. This is almost cinematic: image a camera panning over an island wasteland of bones shrouded in mist, the music threatening and lulling as something moves beyond the camera range. }} | ||
Race straight past that coast! Soften some beeswax | Race straight past that coast! Soften some beeswax | ||
and stop your shipmates’ ears so none can hear, | and stop your shipmates’ ears so none can hear, | ||
none of the crew, but if ''you'' are bent on hearing, {{ln|15 (55)}} | none of the crew, but if ''you'' are bent on hearing,{{refn|Here, Circe seems to be subtly encouraging Odysseus to listen, whether as revenge for leaving her or to give him some implied benefit. Indeed, one of Odysseus’ dominant characteristics is his curiosity, so she may know him so well, she anticipates his desire—''heart’s content'' below.}} {{ln|15 (55)}} | ||
have them tie you hand and foot in the swift ship, | have them tie you hand and foot in the swift ship, | ||
erect at the mast-block, lashed by ropes to the mast | erect at the mast-block, lashed by ropes to the mast | ||
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</poem><br />{{center|[ . . . ]}}<br /> | </poem><br />{{center|[ . . . ]}}<br /> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| {{int|Circe tells Odysseus about more trials, specifically Scylla and Charybdis and the cattle on the Island of the Sun which he must leave unharmed or their ship will be destroyed and all his crew will be lost. Odysseus and his | | {{int|Circe tells Odysseus about more trials, specifically Scylla and Charybdis and the cattle on the Island of the Sun which he must leave unharmed or their ship will be destroyed and all his crew will be lost. Odysseus and his men set sail the next day.}}<br /> | ||
<poem> | <poem> | ||
At last, and sore at heart, I told my shipmates, | At last, and sore at heart, I told my shipmates, | ||
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{{sp}}So I informed my shipmates point by point, {{ln|35 (180)}} | {{sp}}So I informed my shipmates point by point, {{ln|35 (180)}} | ||
all the while our trim ship was speeding toward | all the while our trim ship was speeding toward | ||
the Sirens’ island, driven on by the brisk wind. | the Sirens’ island, driven on by the brisk wind.{{refn|The wind might be Poseidon’s doing, to push Odysseus into danger, as well as its falling—by some ''mysterious power''—in an instant as soon as they are within ear’s shot of the Sirens’ island. Or, it could be an effect of the Sirens’ magic.}} | ||
But then-the wind fell in an instant, | But then-the wind fell in an instant, | ||
all glazed to a dead calm . . . | all glazed to a dead calm . . .{{refn|Again, an ominous ellipsis that leaves the details to our imagination. The wind failing also presages the ship’s landing on Helios’ island later in the book. Yet, these men are not ''off guard'' and are ready for this encounter because of Circe’s and Odysseus’ warnings.}} | ||
a mysterious power hushed the heaving swells. {{ln|40 (185)}} | a mysterious power hushed the heaving swells. {{ln|40 (185)}} | ||
The oarsmen leapt to their feet, struck the sail, | The oarsmen leapt to their feet, struck the sail, | ||
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was racing past and 'burst into their high, thrilling song: | was racing past and 'burst into their high, thrilling song: | ||
“Come closer, famous Odysseus-Achaea’s pride and glory- {{ln|55 (200)}} | “Come closer, famous Odysseus-Achaea’s pride and glory- {{ln|55 (200)}} | ||
moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song! | moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song!{{refn|The Sirens’ know Odysseus, just as they seem to know about the Trojan war below. Their song here is a temptation sung for him specifically, to make him betray his essential destiny ({{harvnb|Germain|1962|p=93}}).}} | ||
Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft | Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft | ||
until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips, | until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips, | ||
and once he hears to his heart's content sails on, a wiser man. | and once he hears to his heart's content sails on, a wiser man.{{refn|Greater knowledge or wisdom seems to be the Sirens’ temptation.}} | ||
We know all the pains that the Greeks and Trojans once endured {{ln|60 (205)}} | We know all the pains that the Greeks and Trojans once endured {{ln|60 (205)}} | ||
on the spreading plain of Troy when the gods willed it so— | on the spreading plain of Troy when the gods willed it so— | ||
all that comes to pass on the fertile earth, we know it all!” | all that comes to pass on the fertile earth, we know it all!”{{refn|There is it: they ''know it all''—just what Odysseus seems to want. In another way, this could also be a promise of how to cope after war, or the way to bring a reconciliation to the devastation it wrought. This could also be an archetypal knowledge of the workings of the universe, something that was promised to Adam and Even in Eden by the Serpent ({{harvnb|Germain|1962|p=92}}). }} | ||
{{Sp}}So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air | {{Sp}}So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air | ||
Revision as of 08:12, 20 September 2021
Odysseus and his crew return to Circe’s island after their trip to the Underworld. Odysseus tells Circe of his experiences, and she warns him of what lies ahead on his journey. “Your descent to the dead is over, true, [ . . . ] |
Circe tells Odysseus about more trials, specifically Scylla and Charybdis and the cattle on the Island of the Sun which he must leave unharmed or their ship will be destroyed and all his crew will be lost. Odysseus and his men set sail the next day. At last, and sore at heart, I told my shipmates, |
Notes & Comentary
- ↑ From the Odyssey, Book 12 (Homer 1996, pp. 272–277).
- ↑ Despite the many depictions of the Sirens as mermaids or other mythological, sometimes winged, creatures, they are never described by Homer. There are two of them, and they, like Circe, live on an island. Also unlike popular depictions, they do not physically engage would-be victims, but attempt to lure them to their death. They might be best though of as “anonymous and shapeless Demons of High Noon” with “no exact mythology shape or nature” (Germain 1962, p. 92).
- ↑ Notice the qualifiers here, too close and off guard seem to suggest a limit to the Sirens’ song. Indeed, in order to be tempted, one’s guard must be down to some extent.
- ↑ As is clear repeatedly throughout the Odyssey and established by Odysseus himself in his recounting of “The Lotos Eaters,” their goal is to reach home, and anything that delays them from that task—especially those things that tempt their desires—would be evil. The Sirens represent a temptation, but of what?
These images of the wife and children should be particularly resonant for Odysseus, especially coming from Circe, the woman who kept Odysseus in thrall for a year in his flawless bed of love. - ↑ Just how the transfixed men die is unknown: starvation, poison, drowning, sunstroke are all options, as none are specifically supported by the text (Germain 1962, p. 92). Regardless, the horror here is dying on an alien shore and never seeing home again. I like how this description ends with an ellipsis, suggesting that Circe trails off, emphasizing the true horror of the situation and leaving both Odysseus and the audience to speculate about the weight of her words. This is almost cinematic: image a camera panning over an island wasteland of bones shrouded in mist, the music threatening and lulling as something moves beyond the camera range.
- ↑ Here, Circe seems to be subtly encouraging Odysseus to listen, whether as revenge for leaving her or to give him some implied benefit. Indeed, one of Odysseus’ dominant characteristics is his curiosity, so she may know him so well, she anticipates his desire—heart’s content below.
- ↑ Actually, this is not what she said, but she does give him the idea to listen on line 15 above.
- ↑ The wind might be Poseidon’s doing, to push Odysseus into danger, as well as its falling—by some mysterious power—in an instant as soon as they are within ear’s shot of the Sirens’ island. Or, it could be an effect of the Sirens’ magic.
- ↑ Again, an ominous ellipsis that leaves the details to our imagination. The wind failing also presages the ship’s landing on Helios’ island later in the book. Yet, these men are not off guard and are ready for this encounter because of Circe’s and Odysseus’ warnings.
- ↑ The Sirens’ know Odysseus, just as they seem to know about the Trojan war below. Their song here is a temptation sung for him specifically, to make him betray his essential destiny (Germain 1962, p. 93).
- ↑ Greater knowledge or wisdom seems to be the Sirens’ temptation.
- ↑ There is it: they know it all—just what Odysseus seems to want. In another way, this could also be a promise of how to cope after war, or the way to bring a reconciliation to the devastation it wrought. This could also be an archetypal knowledge of the workings of the universe, something that was promised to Adam and Even in Eden by the Serpent (Germain 1962, p. 92).
Works Cited
- Homer (1996). The Odyssey. Translated by Fagles, Robert. New York: Penguin.
- Germain, Gabriel (1962). "The Sirens and the Temptation of Knowledge". In Steiner, George; Fagles, Robert. Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.
