The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original — Page 1
THE GODS IN COUNCIL—MINERVA'S VISIT TO ITHACA—THE CHALLENGE FROM TELEMACHUS TO THE SUITORS.
GLI DEI IN CONSIGLIO—LA VISITA DI MINERVA A ITACA—LA SFIDA DI TELEMACO AI PRETENDENTI.
Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.
Raccontami, o Musa, di quell'ingegnoso eroe che viaggiò lontano e in lungo e in largo dopo aver saccheggiato la famosa città di Troia.
Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home.
Molte città egli visitò, e molti furono i popoli di cui conobbe i costumi e le usanze; inoltre soffrì molto per mare nel tentativo di salvare la propria vita e di ricondurre i suoi uomini sani e salvi a casa; ma per quanto si adoperasse non riuscì a salvarli, poiché essi perirono per la loro stessa insensata follia nel mangiare il bestiame del dio del Sole Iperione; così il dio impedì loro di fare mai ritorno a casa.
Tell me, too, about all these things, oh daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them.
Raccontami anche di tutte queste cose, o figlia di Giove, da qualunque fonte tu le conosca.
So now all who escaped death in battle or by shipwreck had got safely home except Ulysses, and he, though he was longing to return to his wife and country, was detained by the goddess Calypso, who had got him into a large cave and wanted to marry him.
Così ormai tutti coloro che erano scampati alla morte in battaglia o per naufragio erano tornati sani e salvi a casa, tranne Ulisse, il quale, pur desiderando ardentemente tornare dalla moglie e in patria, era trattenuto dalla dea Calipso, che lo aveva accolto in una grande grotta e voleva sposarlo.
But as years went by, there came a time when the gods settled that he should go back to Ithaca; even then, however, when he was among his own people, his troubles were not yet over; nevertheless all the gods had now begun to pity him except Neptune, who still persecuted him without ceasing and would not let him get home.
Ma con il passare degli anni giunse il momento in cui gli dei stabilirono che egli dovesse tornare a Itaca; anche allora, tuttavia, quando si trovava tra la sua gente, le sue disgrazie non erano ancora finite; ciononostante tutti gli dei avevano ormai cominciato ad aver pietà di lui, tranne Nettuno, che continuava a perseguitarlo senza sosta e non gli permetteva di tornare a casa.
Vocabulary
- CONSIGLIO
- kon-SIL-yo — Council, meeting, or piece of advice
- VISITA
- VEE-zee-ta — A visit or inspection to a place or person
- MINERVA
- mee-NER-va — Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, and strategy
- ITACA
- EE-ta-ka — Ithaca, the Greek island home of Odysseus
- SFIDA
- SFEE-da — A challenge, dare, or competitive contest
- TELEMACO
- te-LE-ma-ko — Telemachus, the son of Odysseus in Homer
- PRETENDENTI
- pre-ten-DEN-tee — Suitors or claimants seeking someone's hand or title
- Raccontami
- rak-KON-ta-mee — Tell me; imperative form of 'raccontare'
- Musa
- MOO-za — Muse, divine source of artistic inspiration in mythology
- ingegnoso
- in-jen-YO-zo — Clever, ingenious, resourceful in finding solutions
- eroe
- e-RO-e — Hero, a person of great courage or fame
- viaggiò
- vyad-JO — He/she traveled; past tense of 'viaggiare'
- lontano
- lon-TA-no — Far, distant, a great distance away
- lungo
- LOON-go — Long; here used in idiom 'in lungo e largo'
- largo
- LAR-go — Wide, broad; used in 'in lungo e largo' (far and wide)
- dopo
- DO-po — After, following a previous event or time
- saccheggiato
- sak-ked-JA-to — Plundered, looted, ransacked a city or place
- famosa
- fa-MO-za — Famous, well-known, celebrated by many people
- città
- chit-TA — City, a large urban settlement or town
- Troia
- TRO-ya — Troy, the ancient city besieged in Greek mythology
- Molte
- MOL-te — Many; feminine plural adjective indicating large quantity
- egli
- EL-yi — He; third-person masculine singular pronoun (formal)
- visitò
- vee-zee-TO — He/she visited; past tense of 'visitare'
- molti
- MOL-tee — Many; masculine plural adjective indicating large quantity
- popoli
- PO-po-lee — Peoples, nations, or groups of people
- cui
- kwee — Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'whom', or 'which'
- conobbe
- ko-NOB-be — He/she knew or came to know; past tense 'conoscere'
- costumi
- kos-TOO-mee — Customs, habits, or traditional practices of a people
- usanze
- oo-ZAN-tse — Customs, usages, or established social practices
- inoltre
- in-OL-tre — Furthermore, moreover, in addition to what was said
- soffrì
- sof-FREE — He/she suffered; past tense of 'soffrire'
- molto
- MOL-to — Much, a lot; adverb or adjective of quantity
- mare
- MA-re — Sea, ocean; large body of salt water
- tentativo
- ten-ta-TEE-vo — Attempt, try, or effort to accomplish something
- salvare
- sal-VA-re — To save, rescue, or preserve from danger
- propria
- PRO-prya — Own; possessive adjective meaning one's own
- vita
- VEE-ta — Life; the state of being alive
- ricondurre
- ree-kon-DOOR-re — To bring back, lead back to a place or person
- uomini
- WO-mee-nee — Men; plural of 'uomo' (man)
- sani
- SA-nee — Healthy, well; plural adjective meaning in good health
- salvi
- SAL-vee — Safe; plural adjective meaning out of danger
- casa
- KA-za — Home, house; one's place of residence
- quanto
- KWAN-to — How much, however much; used in concessive clauses
- adoperasse
- a-do-pe-RAS-se — He/she strove, worked hard; subjunctive of 'adoperarsi'
- riuscì
- ryoo-SHEE — He/she managed, succeeded; past tense 'riuscire'
- salvarli
- sal-VAR-lee — To save them; infinitive 'salvare' with clitic 'li'
- poiché
- poy-KE — Because, since; causal conjunction explaining a reason
- essi
- ES-see — They; third-person plural pronoun (formal written Italian)
- perirono
- pe-REE-ro-no — They perished; past tense of 'perire' (to die)
- stessa
- STES-sa — Same, herself; feminine adjective emphasizing identity
- insensata
- in-sen-SA-ta — Senseless, foolish, lacking reason or good judgment
- follia
- fol-LEE-a — Madness, folly, reckless or irrational behavior
- mangiare
- man-JA-re — To eat; basic verb for consuming food
- bestiame
- bes-TYA-me — Livestock, cattle; farm animals kept for use
- dio
- DEE-o — God; a divine being or deity
- Sole
- SO-le — Sun; the star at the center of our solar system
- Iperione
- ee-pe-RYO-ne — Hyperion, titan god of the sun in Greek mythology
- così
- ko-ZEE — So, thus, therefore; adverb indicating consequence
- impedì
- im-pe-DEE — He/she prevented, hindered; past tense 'impedire'
- fare
- FA-re — To do, to make; fundamental action verb
- mai
- mai — Never, ever; adverb of time or negation
- ritorno
- ree-TOR-no — Return, coming back to a place or person
- anche
- AN-ke — Also, too, even; additive conjunction or adverb
- tutte
- TOOT-te — All; feminine plural adjective meaning every one
- queste
- KWES-te — These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- cose
- KO-ze — Things; plural of 'cosa' (thing, matter)
- figlia
- FEE-lya — Daughter; female offspring of a parent
- Giove
- JO-ve — Jupiter (Jove), king of the Roman gods
- qualunque
- kwa-LOON-kwe — Whatever, whichever; indefinite adjective of any kind
- fonte
- FON-te — Source, spring; origin of information or water
- conosca
- ko-NOS-ka — You know; present subjunctive of 'conoscere'
- Così
- ko-ZEE — So, thus; adverb beginning a narrative consequence
- ormai
- or-MAI — By now, already; adverb indicating a reached state
- tutti
- TOOT-tee — All, everyone; masculine plural adjective or pronoun
- coloro
- ko-LO-ro — Those (people); third-person plural demonstrative pronoun
- scampati
- skam-PA-tee — Escaped, survived; past participle of 'scampare'
- morte
- MOR-te — Death; the end of life
- battaglia
- bat-TAL-ya — Battle, fight; a military engagement or conflict
- naufragio
- naw-FRA-jo — Shipwreck; the destruction or sinking of a ship
- tornati
- tor-NA-tee — Returned; past participle plural of 'tornare'
- tranne
- TRAN-ne — Except, apart from; preposition excluding one item
- Ulisse
- oo-LIS-se — Ulysses (Odysseus), the hero of Homer's epic
- quale
- KWA-le — Which, who; relative pronoun referring to a person
- pur
- pur — Even though, although; concessive particle (short form)
- desiderando
- de-zee-de-RAN-do — Desiring, wishing; gerund of 'desiderare'
- ardentemente
- ar-den-te-MEN-te — Ardently, fervently, with great passion or longing
- tornare
- tor-NA-re — To return, go back to a previous place
- moglie
- MOL-ye — Wife; a woman joined to a man in marriage
- patria
- PA-trya — Homeland, fatherland; one's native country or region
- trattenuto
- trat-te-NOO-to — Held back, detained; past participle of 'trattenere'
- dea
- DE-a — Goddess; a female divine being
- Calipso
- ka-LIP-so — Calypso, the nymph who detained Odysseus on her island
- accolto
- ak-KOL-to — Welcomed, received; past participle of 'accogliere'
- grande
- GRAN-de — Great, large, big; adjective of size or importance
- grotta
- GROT-ta — Cave, grotto; a natural hollow in rock or earth
- voleva
- vo-LE-va — He/she wanted; imperfect tense of 'volere'
- sposarlo
- spo-ZAR-lo — To marry him; infinitive 'sposare' with clitic 'lo'
- passare
- pas-SA-re — To pass, go by; often used with time passing
- anni
- AN-nee — Years; plural of 'anno' (year)
- giunse
- JOON-se — He/she arrived; past tense of 'giungere'
- momento
- mo-MEN-to — Moment, instant; a brief or important point in time
- dei
- DE-ee — Gods; plural of 'dio', or 'of the' (masculine plural)
- stabilirono
- sta-bee-LEE-ro-no — They established, decided; past tense 'stabilire'
- dovesse
- do-VES-se — He/she should; imperfect subjunctive of 'dovere'
- Itaca
- EE-ta-ka — Ithaca; island home of Odysseus in Greek mythology
- allora
- al-LO-ra — Then, at that time; temporal or consequential adverb
- tuttavia
- tut-ta-VEE-a — Nevertheless, however; adversative conjunctive adverb
- quando
- KWAN-do — When; temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb
- trovava
- tro-VA-va — He/she found himself; imperfect tense of 'trovarsi'
- tra
- tra — Among, between; preposition indicating position or relation
- gente
- JEN-te — People, folk; a group of persons collectively
- disgrazie
- diz-GRAT-sye — Misfortunes, miseries; plural of 'disgrazia'
- ancora
- an-KO-ra — Still, yet; adverb indicating continuation or incompletion
- finite
- fee-NEE-te — Finished, ended; past participle plural of 'finire'
- ciononostante
- cho-no-nos-TAN-te — Nevertheless, notwithstanding; strong concessive connector
- cominciato
- ko-min-CHA-to — Started, begun; past participle of 'cominciare'
- pietà
- pye-TA — Pity, compassion; feeling of sorrow for another's suffering
- Nettuno
- net-TOO-no — Neptune, Roman god of the sea (Poseidon in Greek)
- continuava
- kon-tee-noo-A-va — He/she kept on; imperfect tense of 'continuare'
- perseguitarlo
- per-se-gwee-TAR-lo — To persecute him; 'perseguitare' with clitic 'lo'
- senza
- SEN-tsa — Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- sosta
- SOS-ta — Stop, pause, rest; cessation of movement or activity
- permetteva
- per-met-TE-va — He/she allowed; imperfect tense of 'permettere'
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →