Odyssey 9.181 · Book 9, lines 181–186

The cave above the sea

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τὸν χῶρον ἀφικόμεθʼ ἐγγὺς ἐόντα, ἔνθα δʼ ἐπʼ ἐσχατιῇ σπέος εἴδομεν ἄγχι θαλάσσης, ὑψηλόν, δάφνῃσι κατηρεφές. ἔνθα δὲ πολλὰ μῆλʼ, ὄιές τε καὶ αἶγες, ἰαύεσκον· περὶ δʼ αὐλὴ ὑψηλὴ δέδμητο κατωρυχέεσσι λίθοισι μακρῇσίν τε πίτυσσιν ἰδὲ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισιν.

But when at last we reached the place, as it drew near, there at the edge we saw a cave close to the sea, lofty, roofed over with laurels. And there many flocks — sheep and goats — used to sleep; and around it a high courtyard had been built with deep-set stones and tall pines and high-crowned oaks.

Word by word

ἀλλʼall’butὅτεhótewhenδὴdḕ(at last)τὸνtòntheχῶρονchôronplaceἀφικόμεθʼaphikómeth’we reachedἐγγὺςengýsnearἐόνταeónta(being),ἔνθαénthathereδʼd’(and)ἐπʼep’atἐσχατιῇeschatiêithe edgeσπέοςspéosa caveεἴδομενeídomenwe sawἄγχιánchiclose toθαλάσσηςthalássēsthe sea,ὑψηλόνhypsēlónlofty,δάφνῃσιdáphnēisiwith laurelsκατηρεφέςkatērephésroofed over.ἔνθαénthathereδὲdè(and)πολλὰpollàmanyμῆλʼmêl’flocks,ὄιέςóiéssheepτεte(both)καὶkaìandαἶγεςaîgesgoats,ἰαύεσκονiaúeskonused to sleep·περὶperìaroundδʼd’(and)αὐλὴaulḕa courtyardὑψηλὴhypsēlḕhighδέδμητοdédmētohad been builtκατωρυχέεσσιkatōrychéessiwith deep-setλίθοισιlíthoisistonesμακρῇσίνmakrêisíntallτεteandπίτυσσινpítyssinpinesἰδὲidèandδρυσὶνdrysìnoaksὑψικόμοισινhypsikómoisinhigh-crowned.

The setting

Odysseus's tale of the Cyclops continues. His ships have beached near the land of the Cyclopes; now his party crosses over and comes upon a great cave by the shore — the giant's dwelling.

A note on this passage

The lines are pure approach and description. The men reach a lofty cave at the water's edge, its mouth shaded by laurel, and around it a walled yard of quarried stone, pine and oak, where sheep and goats are penned for the night. It is a careful, unhurried picture of a place.

What unsettles is how ordinary the husbandry is. This is not a lair but a working farm — a stone fold, flocks bedded down, tall trees for a wall. Homer builds the homestead in full before he lets the monster inside it, so that the horror to come will land against something almost domestic. The keeper of these flocks will keep men the same way.

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Odyssey 9.181 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/9.181/