William Morris Archive

by Peter Wright

Page 421, Line 158. the harebell bloom. Tr. correctly, ’hyacinthino’: wild hyacinth.

 

Page 423, Line 190. a thicket. ‘thamnos’: rather a bush.

 

Page 424, Lines 232-8. This elaborated simile recalls fittingly, near the close of his adventures, Odysseus’ escape from his shipwreck near the beginning of his return in Book v.

 

Page 425, Line 246. The horses’ names, tr. Gleamer and Glitterer, are Lampos and Phaethon, from the same roots as the names of the Sun’s daughters in Book xii.

 

Page 426, Line 296. An ancient critic, perhaps disappointed with the jejune summary of Odysseus’ adventures which follows in lines 310-341, held that the genuine work of Homer ended here. However, given the frequent substantial references to Odysseus’ father Laertes earlier in the epic, an encounter of recognition between father and son, to add to those with Telemachus and Penelope is surely required.

 

Page 429, Line 369. The Greek apparently specifies that they put on breastplates (‘thorakes’).