"Odyssey", Homer,
Book V, lines 73-98

Translator for this passage: Johnston, Ian. "Odyssey." April, 2010.
This online edition was prepared by: Cheyenne Trujillo


"He [Hermes] found her there,
a huge fire blazing in her hearth—from far away
the smell of split cedar and burning sandal wood [75]
spread across the island. With her lovely voice
Calypso sang inside the cave, as she moved
back and forth before her loom—she was weaving
with a golden shuttle. All around her cave
trees were in bloom, alder and sweet-smelling cypress, [80]
and poplar, too, with long-winged birds nesting there—
owls, hawks, and chattering sea crows, who spend their time
out on the water. A garden vine, fully ripe
and rich with grapes, trailed through the hollow cave.
From four fountains, close to each other in a row, [85]
clear water flowed in various directions,
and all around soft meadows spread out in full bloom
with violets and parsley. Even a god,
who lives forever, coming there, would be amazed
to see it, and his heart would fill with pleasure. [90]
The killer of Argus, god’s messenger, stood there,
marvelling at the sight. But once his spirit
had contemplated all these things with wonder,
he went inside the spacious cave. And Calypso,
that lovely goddess, when she saw him face to face, [95]
was not ignorant of who he was, for the gods
are not unknown to one another, even though
the home of some immortal might be far away."