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[290] ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι … κακότητος, ‘but I promise that I will yet drive him to his heart's content along the road of misery.’ Cp. Il.19. 423“οὐ λήξω πρὶν Τρῶας ἅδην ἐλάσαι πολέμοιο”. In this rendering κακότητος is a local genitive, as in “ἐπειγόμενος ὁδοῖο, διαπρῆξαι πεδίοιο”, etc. But other commentators take ἅδην as a real accusative, as if from “ἅδη”, ‘satiety,’ in which case “ἐλάσαι ἅδην” will mean ‘to drive him to satiety,’ “κακότητος” being directly dependent upon “ἅδην”. The translation given here may be taken as combining the substantival and adverbial force of the word. Cobet, Miscell. Crit. p. 309, proposes to read “ἑάαν” from “ἑῶ” to ‘satiate.’ But this seems to make tautology with “ἅδην”, and it loses the particular liveliness of the phrase “ἐλάαν” in the mouth of Poseidon, who appeared on the scene with his “καλλίτριχες ἵπποι”, inf. 380.

Homer's Odyssey. W. Walter Merry. James Riddell. D. B. Monro. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1886-1901.

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