40 camel grass

40

camel grass, reed

駱駝草

Cymbopogon schoenanthus

禾本科

Poaceae

σχοῖνος

總是千鈞一髮，然後雅典娜出手助Odysseus。第五卷最後一段(382-493行)，我們看見英雄最變成狗熊，落難到了極致，但是，永不放棄的精神，值得讚揚。

   Odysseus在洶湧的波濤當中漂浮二天兩夜，多次瀕臨死亡邊緣，第三天風暴停下，他看見遠方的陸地，一開始還猶豫，但雅典娜不斷幫助他，他也轉向河神祈求，鼓足勇氣，使盡力氣，游到河口，在爬到駱駝草叢，陸地了，安全了，Odysseus親吻大地。但謹慎的他，衡量此地寒冷，可能也有怪獸，所以逼自己再往前走，一直到兩株枝葉交叉的橄欖樹前，用落葉堆床，孤身獨居荒郊野外，就這樣睡著了。

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0135%3Abook%3D5%3Acard%3D451

ὣς φάθ᾽, ὁ δ᾽ αὐτίκα παῦσεν ἑὸν ῥόον, ἔσχε δὲ κῦμα,

πρόσθε δέ οἱ ποίησε γαλήνην, τὸν δ᾽ ἐσάωσεν

ἐς ποταμοῦ προχοάς. ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄμφω γούνατ᾽ ἔκαμψε

χεῖράς τε στιβαράς. ἁλὶ γὰρ δέδμητο φίλον κῆρ.

ᾤδεε δὲ χρόα πάντα, θάλασσα δὲ κήκιε πολλὴ

ἂν στόμα τε ῥῖνάς θ᾽: ὁ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἄπνευστος καὶ ἄναυδος

κεῖτ᾽ ὀλιγηπελέων, κάματος δέ μιν αἰνὸς ἵκανεν.

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἄμπνυτο καὶ ἐς φρένα θυμὸς ἀγέρθη,

καὶ τότε δὴ κρήδεμνον ἀπὸ ἕο λῦσε θεοῖο.

καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐς ποταμὸν ἁλιμυρήεντα μεθῆκεν,

ἂψ δ᾽ ἔφερεν μέγα κῦμα κατὰ ῥόον, αἶψα δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἰνὼ

δέξατο χερσὶ φίλῃσιν: ὁ δ᾽ ἐκ ποταμοῖο λιασθεὶς

σχοίνῳ ὑπεκλίνθη, κύσε δὲ ζείδωρον ἄρουραν.

(Odyssey 5. 451-463)

http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey5.htm

At once the god held back his flow, 

checked the waves, calmed the water up ahead of him,

and brought him safely to the river mouth. Both knees bent,

he let his strong hands fall—the sea had crushed his spirit.

All his skin was swollen, sea water flowed in streams

up in his mouth and nose. He lay there breathless,

without a word, hardly moving—quite overcome

with terrible exhaustion. But when he revived

and spirit moved back into his heart, he untied

the veil the goddess gave him and let the river 

take it as it flowed out to the sea. A great wave

carried it downstream, and then without delay

Ino’s friendly hands retrieved it. But Odysseus

turned from the river, sank down in the rushes,

and kissed life-giving earth.

  

σχοῖνος, camel grass, reed: Cymbopogon schoenanthus

下面圖片與資料出處: http://plantillustrations.org/illustration.php?id_illustration=191967

Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Sprengel var. versicolor [as Andropogon schoenanthus L. var. versicolor]

hemp like grass, Motiya grass

Wood, J.M., Evans, M.S., Natal plants, vol. 2: t. 124 (1899-1904)

下面圖片與資料出處: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYSC8