The Odyssey summary

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
"Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove -
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return.
"Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will - sing for our time too."
Thus begins the great, epic poem the "Odyssey" by Homer. In this introductory paragraph Homer calls for the muse of poetry to help him in reciting properly the story of brave Odysseus. It is, as the paragraph reads, the tale of a man who has overcome many enduring experiences since the Trojan War in his attempt of reaching home.
The tale opens with a div...