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The Odyssey of Homer
The Odyssey of Homer

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By 751? BCE-651? BCE Homer • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Odyssey of Homer
Context Illustration Reading 43/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.
Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”
DAY 37 (Book xv).
Is spent by Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut.
Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Odyssey of Homer

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 43/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 211–215

Line 1
Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.
Line 2
Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”
Line 3
DAY 37 (Book xv).
Line 4
Is spent by Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut.
Line 5
Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Athene noun US /ˌæˈθiːn/

(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva

From this reading “Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bidding noun US /ˈbɪdɪŋ/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading “Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mindful adjective US /ˈmaɪndfəl/

bearing in mind; attentive to

From this reading “Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Odysseus noun US /oʊˈdɪsiəs/

(Greek mythology) a famous mythical Greek hero; his return to Ithaca after the siege of Troy was described in the Odyssey

From this reading “Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reaches noun US /ˈriːtʃəz/

plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective

From this reading “Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recognise verb US /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/

show approval or appreciation of

From this reading “Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
resided verb US /rɪˈzaɪdɪd/

past form of “reside” — make one's home in a particular place or community

From this reading “Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
waking adjective US /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/

Risen from sleep; conscious.

From this reading “Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.””

Velmora curated lexicon

All words in this reading · 51

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

37

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading DAY 37 (Book xv).

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AthenenounUS /ˌæˈθiːn/

(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
biddingnounUS /ˈbɪdɪŋ/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BooknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading DAY 37 (Book xv).

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Is spent by Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DAYnounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading DAY 37 (Book xv).

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Eumaeus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Pending verification
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
goesnounUS /ɡoʊz/

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
half-way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.

Pending verification
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hutnounUS /hʌt/

temporary military shelter

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Is spent by Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Lacedaemon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Pending verification
mindfuladjectiveUS /ˈmaɪndfəl/

bearing in mind; attentive to

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OdysseusnounUS /oʊˈdɪsiəs/

(Greek mythology) a famous mythical Greek hero; his return to Ithaca after the siege of Troy was described in the Odyssey

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Pherae

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.

Pending verification
Pylos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.

Pending verification
reachesnounUS /ˈriːtʃəz/

plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective

From this reading Telemachus reaches Pherae, half-way to Pylos.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recogniseverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/

show approval or appreciation of

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
residedverbUS /rɪˈzaɪdɪd/

past form of “reside” — make one's home in a particular place or community

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sleptverbUS /slept/

inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading Is spent by Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swineherd's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Pending verification
Telemachus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Pending verification
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wakingadjectiveUS /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/

Risen from sleep; conscious.

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora curated lexicon
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Athene then goes to Lacedaemon, to bring back Telemachus, who has now resided there for a month.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading Odysseus won the heart of Eumaeus, who of course did not recognise him, and slept in the swineherd’s hut, while Athene was waking Telemachus, in Lacedaemon, and bidding him “be mindful of his return.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
xvnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading DAY 37 (Book xv).

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer by 751? BCE-651? BCE Homer holds 263 sentences, grouped into 53 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer contain?

Chapter 1 holds 263 sentences of The Odyssey of Homer, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer by 751? BCE-651? BCE Homer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 263 sentences, grouped into 53 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Odyssey of Homer?

Work through the 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 53 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Odyssey of Homer

Common questions about reading The Odyssey of Homer by 751? BCE-651? BCE Homer on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Odyssey of Homer?

Yes. All 5081 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Odyssey of Homer is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Odyssey of Homer take to read?

About 423 minutes of reading across 1017 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Odyssey of Homer section by section

How to work through The Odyssey of Homer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Odyssey of Homer to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Odyssey of Homer

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Odyssey of Homer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Weary
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Odyssey of Homer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Space
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Odyssey of Homer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lulled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Odyssey of Homer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Circe
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Odyssey of Homer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.