Odyssey 5.72 · Book 5, lines 72–74
Meadows to make a god marvel
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ἀμφὶ δὲ λειμῶνες μαλακοὶ ἴου ἠδὲ σελίνου θήλεον. ἔνθα κʼ ἔπειτα καὶ ἀθάνατός περ ἐπελθὼν θηήσαιτο ἰδὼν καὶ τερφθείη φρεσὶν ᾗσιν.
And round about, soft meadows of violet and parsley were in bloom. There, then, even an immortal coming upon it would gaze in wonder at the sight and be gladdened in his own heart.
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The setting
The description of the island closes with the soft flowering meadows — and a remark on the whole scene: even a deathless god would stop and stare.
A note on this passage
The catalogue ends with the ground itself: soft meadows blossoming with violets and wild parsley, spreading on every side. Then Homer draws the whole picture together with a single sweeping claim — anyone arriving here, even a deathless god, would stop, gaze, and feel his heart lift.
The line is a device: the poet vouches for the beauty by imagining a god's reaction to it. And it is quietly aimed. In a moment we will meet the one being on the island for whom this paradise gives no joy at all — Odysseus, weeping on the shore. The place that would gladden a visiting god cannot gladden the man trapped in it. Homer sets the marvel up precisely so the hero's grief can undercut it.
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