Odyssey 3.486 · Book 3, lines 486–490

All day they run — night at Pherae

οἱ δὲ πανημέριοι σεῖον ζυγὸν ἀμφὶς ἔχοντες. δύσετό τʼ ἠέλιος σκιόωντό τε πᾶσαι ἀγυιαί, ἐς Φηρὰς δʼ ἵκοντο Διοκλῆος ποτὶ δῶμα, υἱέος Ὀρτιλόχοιο, τὸν Ἀλφειὸς τέκε παῖδα. ἔνθα δὲ νύκτʼ ἄεσαν, ὁ δὲ τοῖς πὰρ ξείνια θῆκεν.

And all day long they held the yoke steady on both sides, and shook it. The sun set, and all the ways grew dark; they came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles, son of Ortilochus, whom Alpheus begot as his son. There they passed the night, and he set guest-gifts beside them.

Word by word

οἱhoithey [the horses]δὲdè(and)πανημέριοιpanēmérioiall day longσεῖονseîonshookζυγὸνzygònthe yokeἀμφὶςamphìson both sidesἔχοντεςéchontesholding [it].δύσετόdýsetósetτʼt’(and)ἠέλιοςēéliosthe sunσκιόωντόskióōntógrew darkτεte(and)πᾶσαιpâsaiallἀγυιαίagyiaíthe ways,ἐςestoΦηρὰςPhēràsPheraeδʼd’(and)ἵκοντοhíkontothey cameΔιοκλῆοςDioklêosof Dioclesποτὶpotìtoδῶμαdômathe house,υἱέοςhyiéossonὈρτιλόχοιοOrtilóchoioof Ortilochus,τὸνtònwhomἈλφειὸςAlpheiòsAlpheusτέκεtékebegotπαῖδαpaîdaas his son.ἔνθαénthathereδὲdè(and)νύκτʼnýkt’the nightἄεσανáesanthey passed,ὁhoheδὲdè(and)τοῖςtoîsfor themπὰρpàrbesideξείνιαxeíniaguest-giftsθῆκενthêkenset.

The setting

Telemachus and Peisistratus have driven out of Pylos toward Sparta. These lines carry them through a full day's travel to their first night's lodging, the house of Diocles at Pherae.

A note on this passage

A day of travel compressed into five lines. The team labours under the yoke from dawn to dusk; the sun goes down and the roads darken; the travellers reach Pherae and the house of Diocles, and there they sleep, their host setting gifts before them. The journey is measured not in miles but in hosts and nightfalls.

The undercurrent is the machinery of xenia, working smoothly for once. Every stage of Telemachus's road is a house that takes him in; even a one-night stop earns its formula and its guest-gifts. Diocles is given a pedigree — son of Ortilochus, grandson of the river Alpheus — because in this world a host is worth naming, and hospitality is a thing that runs in a line.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Odyssey 3.486 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Odyssey — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Odyssey 3.486 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/3.486/