March 1, 2021

From Gerald R. Lucas
Revision as of 16:14, 20 September 2021 by Grlucas (talk | contribs) (Additions.)

[The Lotos Eaters][1]
By: Homer

I might have made it safely home, that time,
but as I came round Malea the current
took me out to sea, and from the north
a fresh gale drove me on, past Kythera.[2]
Nine days I drifted on the teeming sea 5 (90)
before dangerous high winds. Upon the tenth
we came to the coastline of the Lotos Eaters,
who live upon that flower. We landed there
to take on water. All ships’ companies
mustered alongside for the mid-day meal. 10 (95)
Then I sent out two picked men and a runner
to learn what race of men that land sustained.
They fell in, soon enough, with Lotos Eaters,
who showed no will to do us harm, only
offering the sweet Lotos to our friends— 15 (100)
but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotos,
never cared to report, nor to return:
they longed to stay forever, browsing on
that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland.
I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, 20 (105)
tied them down under their rowing benches,
and called the rest: “All hands aboard;
come, clear the beach and no one taste
the Lotos, or you lose your hope of home.”[3]
Filing in to their places by the rowlocks 25 (110)
my oarsmen dipped their long oars in the surf,
and we moved out again on our sea faring.

Notes & Comentary

  1. ↑ From Homer (1990, Book X).
  2. ↑ To prolong the narrative and also give tantalizing glimpses of Odysseus’ goal, Homer shows Ithaca within reach, but something thwarts his attempt. Here it seems to be random—a current—but elsewhere it could be a malevolent force,like Poseidon (Hexter 1993, p. 126).
  3. ↑ Established by Odysseus here explicitly, anything that makes one lose hope of home is the antagonist in the Odyssey. The lotos becomes a strong symbol of temptation in the epic, one that echoes through Odysseus’ narrative in books 9–12 especially.

Works Cited

  • Hexter, Ralph (1993). A Guide to the Odyssey. New York: Vintage.
  • Homer (1990). The Odyssey. Translated by Fitzgerald, Robert. New York: Vintage.
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