Opening On the Cave of the Nymphs — Porphyry in Plato Scroll…
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Porphyry · Thomas Taylor
Translated by Thomas Taylor, 1812 This work is a commentary on eleven verses from Book XIII of Homer’s Odyssey. In these verses, Homer describes the cave of the water-nymphs or Naiads on the island of Ithaca. The commentary treats this as an allegory of the way in which the souls of men originate in each generation. Porphyry draws upon an eclectic mix of sources to illustrate his theme, including Plato, Zoroaster, Heraclitus, the Bible and several references from Egyptian and Chaldaean oracles. 1. WHAT DOES Homer obscurely signify by the cave in Ithaca, which he describes in the following verses? High at the head a branching olive grows And crowns the pointed cliffs with shady boughs.A cavern pleasant, though involved in night, Beneath it lies, the Naiades delight: Where bowls and urns of workmanship divine And massy beams in native marble shine; On which the Nymphs amazing webs …
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