Homer

'The Odyssey is a poem of extraordinary pleasures: it is a salt-caked, storm-tossed, wine-dark treasury of tales, of many twists and turns, like life itself' Guardian The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - ship-wrecks, battles, monsters and the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon - Odysseus must use his bravery and cunning to reach his homeland and overcome the obstacles that, even there, await him. E. V. Rieu's translation of The Odyssey was the very first Penguin Classic to be published, and has itself achieved classic status. Translated by E. V. RIEU Revised translation by D. C. H. RIEU With an Introduction by PETER JONES

Penguin Classics

The Odyssey

里森

As for my arrival in Ithaca, I came with my own ship and crew across the wine-dark sea. 

Lukas

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

— 1 Corinthians 13:11, King James Version.

You are no longer a child: you must put childish thoughts away. 

this is the most beautiful, poetically written translator's note i've ever read 

avarni

rid themselves of the hope that one might chisel a more perfect poem out of the rough marble of the text we have.

i'm so obsessed with athena and everything she represents. all her aspects are so perfectly opposing yet complimentary. being the goddess of weaving and of war seem contradictory, but ships cannot sail to troy without sails. she creates and destroys. she is also the god of industrialisation and computing and yes i will die on that hill. 

Her skill in weaving clothing for domestic use sits uneasily with her ability to weave deception and military strategy for the tapestry of war.

There is a stranger outside your house. Invite him inside. Do not ask questions. Wait. Let him sit on a comfortable chair and warm himself beside your fire. Let him eat and drink until he is satisfied. Be patient. When he is finished, he will tell his story. Listen carefully. It may not be as you expect.

I traveled with my ship and my companions over the wine-dark sea to foreign lands

Athena looked at him with sparkling eyes. Penelope, you and your sons will make a name in history, since you are so clever. 

So every day she wove the mighty cloth, and then at night by torchlight, she unwove it.

this is just genuinely good life advice  

Many birds go flying in sunlight, and not all are meaningful.

Meanwhile, bright-eyed Athena had a plan.

The Odyssey quotes

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