Odyssey 9.491 · Book 9, lines 491–493
Safely out, he calls back
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ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ δὶς τόσσον ἅλα πρήσσοντες ἀπῆμεν, καὶ τότε δὴ Κύκλωπα προσηύδων· ἀμφὶ δʼ ἑταῖροι μειλιχίοις ἐπέεσσιν ἐρήτυον ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος·
But when at last we were twice as far, traversing the sea, just then I called to the Cyclops; and around me my comrades, one from every side, tried to check me with gentle words.
Word by word
The setting
The ship has pulled well clear of the shore. At the point of safety, Odysseus decides to shout back at the giant, and his crew try to stop him.
A note on this passage
A hinge, then a mistake begun. The formula 'but when at last' marks the turn: the ship is now twice the old distance out, safely away. And exactly there, safe, Odysseus opens his mouth to call back to the Cyclops. His men crowd around, trying to talk him down.
The undercurrent is that danger is past and he reaches for it anyway. Nothing forces the taunt; the sea is won. The crew's soft, restraining words set up the confrontation to come — the whole disaster of the second half of the book grows from a free choice made at the moment of safety.
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