The Odyssey: Book 5 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSR CTRDHUNVWXWLYZA2CJLC B2FC2LED2CB2E2B2QF2H G2H2WWI2WJ2K2EFVELVL 2H2RWF2M2WRN2EEEO2B2 P2WWNIEQ2LWBRWQ2RER2 F2S2EHEB2EQTTLBT2EU2 V2ELEWTM2B2LUW2HL

And now as Dawn rose from her couch beside Tithonus harbinger ofA
light alike to mortals and immortals the gods met in council and withB
them Jove the lord of thunder who is their king Thereon MinervaC
began to tell them of the many sufferings of Ulysses for she pitiedD
him away there in the house of the nymph CalypsoE
Father Jove said she and all you other gods that live inF
everlasting bliss I hope there may never be such a thing as a kindG
and well disposed ruler any more nor one who will govern equitably IH
hope they will be all henceforth cruel and unjust for there is notI
one of his subjects but has forgotten Ulysses who ruled them asJ
though he were their father There he is lying in great pain in anK
island where dwells the nymph Calypso who will not let him go and heL
cannot get back to his own country for he can find neither shipsM
nor sailors to take him over the sea Furthermore wicked people areN
now trying to murder his only son Telemachus who is coming homeO
from Pylos and Lacedaemon where he has been to see if he can get newsP
of his fatherQ
What my dear are you talking about replied her father did youR
not send him there yourself because you thought it would help UlyssesS
to get home and punish the suitors Besides you are perfectly able toR
protect Telemachus and to see him safely home again while theC
suitors have to come hurry skurrying back without having killed himT
When he had thus spoken he said to his son Mercury Mercury youR
are our messenger go therefore and tell Calypso we have decreedD
that poor Ulysses is to return home He is to be convoyed neither byH
gods nor men but after a perilous voyage of twenty days upon a raftU
he is to reach fertile Scheria the land of the Phaeacians who areN
near of kin to the gods and will honour him as though he were oneV
of ourselves They will send him in a ship to his own country andW
will give him more bronze and gold and raiment than he would haveX
brought back from Troy if he had had had all his prize money andW
had got home without disaster This is how we have settled that heL
shall return to his country and his friendsY
Thus he spoke and Mercury guide and guardian slayer of Argus didZ
as he was told Forthwith he bound on his glittering golden sandalsA2
with which he could fly like the wind over land and sea He took theC
wand with which he seals men's eyes in sleep or wakes them just asJ
he pleases and flew holding it in his hand over Pieria then heL
swooped down through the firmament till he reached the level of theC
sea whose waves he skimmed like a cormorant that flies fishingB2
every hole and corner of the ocean and drenching its thick plumage inF
the spray He flew and flew over many a weary wave but when at lastC2
he got to the island which was his journey's end he left the seaL
and went on by land till he came to the cave where the nymph CalypsoE
livedD2
He found her at home There was a large fire burning on theC
hearth and one could smell from far the fragrant reek of burningB2
cedar and sandal wood As for herself she was busy at her loomE2
shooting her golden shuttle through the warp and singingB2
beautifully Round her cave there was a thick wood of alder poplarQ
and sweet smelling cypress trees wherein all kinds of great birds hadF2
built their nests owls hawks and chattering sea crows that occupyH
their business in the waters A vine loaded with grapes was trainedG2
and grew luxuriantly about the mouth of the cave there were also fourH2
running rills of water in channels cut pretty close together andW
turned hither and thither so as to irrigate the beds of violets andW
luscious herbage over which they flowed Even a god could not helpI2
being charmed with such a lovely spot so Mercury stood still andW
looked at it but when he had admired it sufficiently he went insideJ2
the caveK2
Calypso knew him at once for the gods all know each other noE
matter how far they live from one another but Ulysses was not withinF
he was on the sea shore as usual looking out upon the barren oceanV
with tears in his eyes groaning and breaking his heart for sorrowE
Calypso gave Mercury a seat and said Why have you come to see meL
Mercury honoured and ever welcome for you do not visit me oftenV
Say what you want I will do it for be you at once if I can and if itL2
can be done at all but come inside and let me set refreshment beforeH2
youR
As she spoke she drew a table loaded with ambrosia beside him andW
mixed him some red nectar so Mercury ate and drank till he had hadF2
enough and then saidM2
We are speaking god and goddess to one another one another andW
you ask me why I have come here and I will tell you truly as youR
would have me do Jove sent me it was no doing of mine who couldN2
possibly want to come all this way over the sea where there are noE
cities full of people to offer me sacrifices or choice hecatombsE
Nevertheless I had to come for none of us other gods can crossE
Jove nor transgress his orders He says that you have here the mostO2
ill starred of alf those who fought nine years before the city of KingB2
Priam and sailed home in the tenth year after having sacked it OnP2
their way home they sinned against Minerva who raised both wind andW
waves against them so that all his brave companions perished andW
he alone was carried hither by wind and tide Jove says that you areN
to let this by man go at once for it is decreed that he shall notI
perish here far from his own people but shall return to his houseE
and country and see his friends againQ2
Calypso trembled with rage when she heard this You gods sheL
exclaimed to be ashamed of yourselves You are always jealous andW
hate seeing a goddess take a fancy to a mortal man and live withB
him in open matrimony So when rosy fingered Dawn made love toR
Orion you precious gods were all of you furious till Diana went andW
killed him in Ortygia So again when Ceres fell in love with IasionQ2
and yielded to him in a thrice ploughed fallow field Jove came toR
hear of it before so long and killed Iasion with his thunder boltsE
And now you are angry with me too because I have a man here I foundR2
the poor creature sitting all alone astride of a keel for Jove hadF2
struck his ship with lightning and sunk it in mid ocean so that allS2
his crew were drowned while he himself was driven by wind and wavesE
on to my island I got fond of him and cherished him and had set myH
heart on making him immortal so that he should never grow old all hisE
days still I cannot cross Jove nor bring his counsels to nothingB2
therefore if he insists upon it let the man go beyond the seasE
again but I cannot send him anywhere myself for I have neitherQ
ships nor men who can take him Nevertheless I will readily give himT
such advice in all good faith as will be likely to bring himT
safely to his own countryL
Then send him away said Mercury or Jove will be angry withB
you and punish you 'T2
On this he took his leave and Calypso went out to look for UlyssesE
for she had heard Jove's message She found him sitting upon the beachU2
with his eyes ever filled with tears and dying of sheerV2
home sickness for he had got tired of Calypso and though he wasE
forced to sleep with her in the cave by night it was she not heL
that would have it so As for the day time he spent it on the rocksE
and on the sea shore weeping crying aloud for his despair andW
always looking out upon the sea Calypso then went close up to himT
saidM2
My poor fellow you shall not stay here grieving and frettingB2
your life out any longer I am going to send you away of my own freeL
will so go cut some beams of wood and make yourself a large raftU
with an upper deck that it may carry you safely over the sea I willW2
put bread wine and water on board to save you from starving IH
will also give you clothes and will send you a fair wind tL

Homer



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