[32] πόδα νηὸς ἐνώμων, ‘I was ever managing the sheet of my ship.’ The “πόδες” (see Appendix) are two ropes, at the two lower corners of the sail, which were used to draw the sail to one side or the other, according to the set of the wind. Here only one is mentioned, because, as the ship is running before the wind, the sail remains nearly at the same angle; and all that Odysseus had to do was just so to trim his sail, as to make the most of his wind (compare “ἵνα θᾶσσον ἱκοίμεθα”), and perhaps to be on his guard against a possible squall. Cp. Soph. Ant.715“ὅστις ναὸς ἐγκρατῆ πόδα”
“τείνας ὑπείκει μηδὲν, ὑπτίοις κάτω”“στρέψας τὸ λοιπὸν σέλμασιν ναυτίλλεται”. The Schol. on this passage gives a double interpretation of πόδα, either (1) the rope that pulls round the sail-yard, “τὸν μεταγωγὸν τοῦ κέρατος κάλων”, or (2) the rudder itself, sc. “πηδάλιον”. The use of “νωμᾶν” may seem to support this interpretation, as we have “οἰήια νωμᾶν” in Hom. Od.12. 218, and “οἴακα νωμᾶν” S. c. T. 3; but it is doubtful whether “πούς” ever bears this meaning.
