DUTTON & CO
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
COUNTESS DOWAGER SPENCER
THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION OF THE ODYSSEY, A POEM
THAT EXHIBITS IN THE CHARACTER OF ITS HEROINE
AN EXAMPLE OF ALL DOMESTIC VIRTUE, IS WITH
EQUAL PROPRIETY AND RESPECT INSCRIBED
BY HER LADYSHIP'S MOST DEVOTED
SERVANT, THE AUTHOR.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
COUNTESS DOWAGER SPENCER
THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION OF THE ODYSSEY, A POEM
THAT EXHIBITS IN THE CHARACTER OF ITS HEROINE
AN EXAMPLE OF ALL DOMESTIC VIRTUE, IS WITH
EQUAL PROPRIETY AND RESPECT INSCRIBED
BY HER LADYSHIP'S MOST DEVOTED
SERVANT, THE AUTHOR.
Odyssey - Cowper
?
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Odyssey of Homer, by Homer
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www. gutenberg. org
Title: The Odyssey of Homer
Author: Homer
Translator: William Cowper
Release Date: January 13, 2008 [EBook #24269]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER ***
Produced by Louise Pryor, Ted Garvin and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www. pgdp. net
{Transcriber's note:
The spelling and hyphenation in the original are inconsistent, and have
not been changed. A few obvious typographical errors have been corrected,
as listed at the end of the etext. }
THE ODYSSEY
OF HOMER
_Translated by_
WILLIAM
COWPER
LONDON: PUBLISHED
by J? M? DENT? &? SONS? LTD
AND IN NEW YORK
BY E? P?
DUTTON & CO
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
COUNTESS DOWAGER SPENCER
THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION OF THE ODYSSEY, A POEM
THAT EXHIBITS IN THE CHARACTER OF ITS HEROINE
AN EXAMPLE OF ALL DOMESTIC VIRTUE, IS WITH
EQUAL PROPRIETY AND RESPECT INSCRIBED
BY HER LADYSHIP'S MOST DEVOTED
SERVANT, THE AUTHOR.
THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER
TRANSLATED INTO
ENGLISH BLANK VERSE
BOOK I
ARGUMENT
In a council of the Gods, Minerva calls their attention to Ulysses, still
a wanderer. They resolve to grant him a safe return to Ithaca. Minerva
descends to encourage Telemachus, and in the form of Mentes directs him
in what manner to proceed. Throughout this book the extravagance and
profligacy of the suitors are occasionally suggested.
Muse make the man thy theme, for shrewdness famed
And genius versatile, who far and wide
A Wand'rer, after Ilium overthrown,
Discover'd various cities, and the mind
And manners learn'd of men, in lands remote.
He num'rous woes on Ocean toss'd, endured,
Anxious to save himself, and to conduct
His followers to their home; yet all his care
Preserved them not; they perish'd self-destroy'd
By their own fault; infatuate! who devoured 10
The oxen of the all-o'erseeing Sun,
And, punish'd for that crime, return'd no more.
Daughter divine of Jove, these things record,
As it may please thee, even in our ears.
The rest, all those who had perdition 'scaped
By war or on the Deep, dwelt now at home;
Him only, of his country and his wife
Alike desirous, in her hollow grots
Calypso, Goddess beautiful, detained
Wooing him to her arms. But when, at length, 20
(Many a long year elapsed) the year arrived
Of his return (by the decree of heav'n)
To Ithaca, not even then had he,
Although surrounded by his people, reach'd
The period of his suff'rings and his toils.
Yet all the Gods, with pity moved, beheld
His woes, save Neptune; He alone with wrath
Unceasing and implacable pursued
Godlike Ulysses to his native shores.
But Neptune, now, the AEthiopians fought, 30
(The AEthiopians, utmost of mankind,
These Eastward situate, those toward the West)
Call'd to an hecatomb of bulls and lambs.
There sitting, pleas'd he banqueted; the Gods
In Jove's abode, meantime, assembled all,
'Midst whom the Sire of heav'n and earth began.
For he recall'd to mind AEgisthus slain
By Agamemnon's celebrated son
Orestes, and retracing in his thought
That dread event, the Immortals thus address'd. 40
Alas!
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www. gutenberg. org
Title: The Odyssey of Homer
Author: Homer
Translator: William Cowper
Release Date: January 13, 2008 [EBook #24269]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER ***
Produced by Louise Pryor, Ted Garvin and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www. pgdp. net
{Transcriber's note:
The spelling and hyphenation in the original are inconsistent, and have
not been changed. A few obvious typographical errors have been corrected,
as listed at the end of the etext. }
THE ODYSSEY
OF HOMER
_Translated by_
WILLIAM
COWPER
LONDON: PUBLISHED
by J? M? DENT? &? SONS? LTD
AND IN NEW YORK
BY E? P?
DUTTON & CO
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
COUNTESS DOWAGER SPENCER
THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION OF THE ODYSSEY, A POEM
THAT EXHIBITS IN THE CHARACTER OF ITS HEROINE
AN EXAMPLE OF ALL DOMESTIC VIRTUE, IS WITH
EQUAL PROPRIETY AND RESPECT INSCRIBED
BY HER LADYSHIP'S MOST DEVOTED
SERVANT, THE AUTHOR.
THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER
TRANSLATED INTO
ENGLISH BLANK VERSE
BOOK I
ARGUMENT
In a council of the Gods, Minerva calls their attention to Ulysses, still
a wanderer. They resolve to grant him a safe return to Ithaca. Minerva
descends to encourage Telemachus, and in the form of Mentes directs him
in what manner to proceed. Throughout this book the extravagance and
profligacy of the suitors are occasionally suggested.
Muse make the man thy theme, for shrewdness famed
And genius versatile, who far and wide
A Wand'rer, after Ilium overthrown,
Discover'd various cities, and the mind
And manners learn'd of men, in lands remote.
He num'rous woes on Ocean toss'd, endured,
Anxious to save himself, and to conduct
His followers to their home; yet all his care
Preserved them not; they perish'd self-destroy'd
By their own fault; infatuate! who devoured 10
The oxen of the all-o'erseeing Sun,
And, punish'd for that crime, return'd no more.
Daughter divine of Jove, these things record,
As it may please thee, even in our ears.
The rest, all those who had perdition 'scaped
By war or on the Deep, dwelt now at home;
Him only, of his country and his wife
Alike desirous, in her hollow grots
Calypso, Goddess beautiful, detained
Wooing him to her arms. But when, at length, 20
(Many a long year elapsed) the year arrived
Of his return (by the decree of heav'n)
To Ithaca, not even then had he,
Although surrounded by his people, reach'd
The period of his suff'rings and his toils.
Yet all the Gods, with pity moved, beheld
His woes, save Neptune; He alone with wrath
Unceasing and implacable pursued
Godlike Ulysses to his native shores.
But Neptune, now, the AEthiopians fought, 30
(The AEthiopians, utmost of mankind,
These Eastward situate, those toward the West)
Call'd to an hecatomb of bulls and lambs.
There sitting, pleas'd he banqueted; the Gods
In Jove's abode, meantime, assembled all,
'Midst whom the Sire of heav'n and earth began.
For he recall'd to mind AEgisthus slain
By Agamemnon's celebrated son
Orestes, and retracing in his thought
That dread event, the Immortals thus address'd. 40
Alas!
