Greek original · Literature
Ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa
“Tell me, Muse, of the man.”
Homer, Odyssey 1.1
Meaning
What does “Andra moi ennepe, Mousa” mean?
The famous opening of the Odyssey: the poet asks the Muse to tell the story of Odysseus, the man of many turns.
Origin
The story behind it
This line also starts the history of Latin literature: around 240 BC Livius Andronicus translated the Odyssey into Latin, beginning Virum mihi, Camena, insece versutum.
Greek and Latin
From Greek to Latin
The Greek originalἌνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa
The Latin versionVirum mihi, Camena, insece versutum
Livius Andronicus’ Latin version, one of the oldest surviving lines of Latin poetry.
Pronunciation
How to say it
Roughly AN-dra moy EN-ne-peh, MOO-sa.
When to use it
How to use it today
A beautiful line for a bookshop, a travel journal, a writing desk or a classics graduation.
- Greek
- Ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα
- Transliteration
- Andra moi ennepe, Mousa
- English
- Tell me, Muse, of the man.
- Latin
- Virum mihi, Camena, insece versutum
- Source
- Homer, Odyssey 1.1
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