All 50 Uses of
cease
in
The Odyssey, by Homer (translated by: Butcher & Lang)
- The epic is a poem of complete and elaborate art, but it still bears some birthmarks, some signs of the early popular chant, out of which it sprung, as the garden-rose springs from the wild stock, When this is recognised the demand for ballad-like simplicity and 'ballad-slang' ceases to exist, and then all Homeric translations in the ballad manner cease to represent our conception of Homer.†
Book Pref.ceases = stops or discontinues
- The epic is a poem of complete and elaborate art, but it still bears some birthmarks, some signs of the early popular chant, out of which it sprung, as the garden-rose springs from the wild stock, When this is recognised the demand for ballad-like simplicity and 'ballad-slang' ceases to exist, and then all Homeric translations in the ballad manner cease to represent our conception of Homer.†
Book Pref.cease = stop or discontinue
- The date at which the poet of the Odyssey lived may be approximately determined by his consistent descriptions of a peculiar and definite condition of society, which had ceased to exist in the ninth century B.C., and of a stage of art in which Phoenician and Assyrian influences predominated.†
Book Intr.ceased = stopped or discontinued
- Then she fell a weeping, and spake unto the divine minstrel: 'Phemius, since thou knowest many other charms for mortals, deeds of men and gods, which bards rehearse, some one of these do thou sing as thou sittest by them, and let them drink their wine in silence; but cease from this pitiful strain, that ever wastes my heart within my breast, since to me above all women hath come a sorrow comfortless.†
Book 1cease = stop or discontinue
- For ere that, I trow, we sons of the Achaeans will not cease from our rough wooing, since, come what may, we fear not any man, no, not Telemachus, full of words though he be, nor soothsaying do we heed, whereof thou, old man, pratest idly, and art hated yet the more.†
Book 2
- Howbeit, though I bewail them all and sorrow oftentimes as I sit in our halls,—awhile indeed I satisfy my soul with lamentation, and then again I cease; for soon hath man enough of chill lamentation—yet for them all I make no such dole, despite my grief, as for one only, who causes me to loathe both sleep and meat, when I think upon him.†
Book 4
- But we will cease now the weeping which was erewhile made, and let us once more bethink us of our supper, and let them pour water over our hands.†
Book 4 *
- But when I had taken my fill of weeping and grovelling on the ground, then spake the ancient one of the sea, whose speech is sooth: '"No more, son of Atreus, hold this long weeping without cease, for we shall find no help therein.†
Book 4
- And the proud spirits of these twain were angered, and they made the wooers sit down together and cease from their games.†
Book 4
- Was it to tell the handmaids of divine Odysseus to cease from their work, and prepare a banquet for them?†
Book 4
- So spake she, and lulled her queen's lamentation, and made her eyes to cease from weeping.†
Book 4
- And she sent it to the house of divine Odysseus to bid Penelope, amid her sorrow and lamenting, to cease from her weeping and tearful lamentation.†
Book 4
- Biddest thou me indeed to cease from the sorrows and pains, so many that disquiet my heart and soul?†
Book 4
- Behold, she bound up the courses of the other winds, and charged them all to cease and be still; but she roused the swift North and brake the waves before him, that so Odysseus, of the seed of Zeus, might mingle with the Phaeacians, lovers of the oar, avoiding death and the fates.†
Book 5
- And now some god has cast me on this shore, that here too, methinks, some evil may betide me; for I trow not that trouble will cease; the gods ere that time will yet bring many a thing to pass.†
Book 6
- For Poseidon, shaker of the earth, stirred up the same, who roused against me the winds and stopped my way, and made a wondrous sea to swell, nor did the wave suffer me to be borne upon my raft, as I made ceaseless moan.†
Book 7ceaseless = never-endingstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaseless means without and reverses the meaning of cease. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
- From the time that we began to sup, and that the divine minstrel was moved to sing, ever since hath yonder stranger never ceased from woeful lamentation: sore grief, methinks, hath encompassed his heart.†
Book 8ceased = stopped or discontinued
- Nay, but let the minstrel cease, that we may all alike make merry, hosts and guest, since it is far meeter so.†
Book 8cease = stop or discontinue
- So he ate even as a mountain-bred lion, and ceased not, devouring entrails and flesh and bones with their marrow.†
Book 9ceased = stopped or discontinued
- And as when calves of the homestead gather round the droves of kine that have returned to the yard, when they have had their fill of pasture, and all with one accord frisk before them, and the folds may no more contain them, but with a ceaseless lowing they skip about their dams, so flocked they all about me weeping, when their eyes beheld me.†
Book 10ceaseless = never-endingstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaseless means without and reverses the meaning of cease. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
- Even so I died by a death most pitiful, and round me my company likewise were slain without ceasing, like swine with glittering tusks which are slaughtered in the house of a rich and mighty man, whether at a wedding banquet or a joint-feast or a rich clan-drinking.†
Book 11ceasing = stopping or discontinuing
- What a tower of strength fell in thy fall, and we Achaeans cease not to sorrow for thee, even as for the life of Achilles, son of Peleus!†
Book 11cease = stop or discontinue
- Then straightway the wind ceased, and lo, there was a windless calm, and some god lulled the waves.†
Book 12ceased = stopped or discontinued
- But of Scylla I told them nothing more, a bane none might deal with, lest haply my company should cease from rowing for fear, and hide them in the hold.†
Book 12cease = stop or discontinue
- Then for a whole month the South Wind blew without ceasing, and no other wind arose, save only the East and the South.†
Book 12ceasing = stopping or discontinuing
- But when Zeus, son of Cronos, had added the seventh day thereto, thereafter the wind ceased to blow with a rushing storm, and at once we climbed the ship and launched into the broad deep, when we had set up the mast and hoisted the white sails.†
Book 12ceased = stopped or discontinued
- 'Then verily the West Wind ceased to blow with a rushing storm, and swiftly withal the South Wind came, bringing sorrow to my soul, that so I might again measure back that space of sea, the way to deadly Charybdis.†
Book 12
- Howbeit, now I fain would smite a fair ship of the Phaeacians, as she comes home from a convoy on the misty deep, that thereby they may learn to hold their hands, and cease from giving escort to men; and I would overshadow their city with a great mountain.'†
Book 13cease = stop or discontinue
- Cease ye from the convoy of mortals, whensoever any shall come unto our town, and let us sacrifice to Poseidon twelve choice bulls, if perchance he may take pity, neither overshadow our city with a great mountain.'†
Book 13
- Hardy man, subtle of wit, of guile insatiate, so thou wast not even in thine own country to cease from thy sleights and knavish words, which thou lovest from the bottom of thine heart!†
Book 13
- So spake he, but Odysseus ceased not to eat flesh and drink wine right eagerly and in silence, and the while was sowing the seeds of evil for the wooers.†
Book 14ceased = stopped or discontinued
- But when it was now the third watch of the night and the stars had passed the zenith, in that hour I spake unto Odysseus who was nigh me, and thrust him with my elbow, and he listened straightway: '"Son of Laertes, of the seed of Zeus, Odysseus of many devices, verily I shall cease from among living men, for this wintry cold is slaying me, seeing that I have no mantle.†
Book 14cease = stop or discontinue
- Then the steadfast goodly Odysseus answered him: 'Oh, that thou mayst so surely be dear to father Zeus as thou art to me, in that thou didst make me to cease from wandering and dread woe!†
Book 15
- And they wailed aloud, more ceaselessly than birds, sea-eagles or vultures of crooked claws, whose younglings the country folk have taken from the nest, ere yet they are fledged.†
Book 16ceaselessly = in a manner that does not stopstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaselessly means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.
- Howbeit thou shalt surely bid them cease from their folly, exhorting them with smooth words; yet no whit will they hearken, nay for the day of their doom is at hand.†
Book 16cease = stop or discontinue
- But I bid thee cease, and command the others to do likewise.'†
Book 16
- Now when they had ceased from the work and got supper ready, they fell to feasting, and their hearts lacked not ought of the equal banquet.†
Book 16ceased = stopped or discontinued
- So soon as early Dawn shone forth, the rosy-fingered, then Telemachus, the dear son of divine Odysseus, bound beneath his feet his goodly sandals, and took up his mighty spear that fitted his grasp, to make for the city; and he spake to his swineherd, saying: 'Verily, father, I am bound for the city, that my mother may see me, for methinks that she will not cease from grievous wailing and tearful lament, until she beholds my very face.†
Book 17cease = stop or discontinue
- Even as when a man gazes on a singer, whom the gods have taught to sing words of yearning joy to mortals, and they have a ceaseless desire to hear him, so long as he will sing; even so he charmed me, sitting by me in the halls.†
Book 17ceaseless = never-endingstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaseless means without and reverses the meaning of cease. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
- Now the wooers went within laughing sweetly, and greeted him, saying: 'May Zeus, stranger, and all the other deathless gods give thee thy dearest wish, even all thy heart's desire, seeing that thou hast made that insatiate one to cease from his begging in the land!†
Book 18cease = stop or discontinue
- Go, for it is little good to sorrow always, and never cease.†
Book 18
- Moreover it beseems me not to sit weeping and wailing in another's house, for it is little good to mourn always without ceasing, lest perchance one of the maidens, or even thyself, be angry with me and say that I swim in tears, as one that is heavy with wine.'†
Book 19ceasing = stopping or discontinuing
- Nay, cease from thy lamenting, and lay up my word in thy heart; for I will tell thee without fail, and will hide nought, how but lately I heard tell of the return of Odysseus, that he is nigh at hand, and yet alive in the fat land of the men of Thesprotia, and is bringing with him many choice treasures, as he begs through the land.†
Book 19cease = stop or discontinue
- And now would the sunlight have gone down upon their sorrowing, had not Odysseus himself stayed them saying: 'Cease ye from weeping and lamentation, lest some one come forth from the hall and see us, and tell it likewise in the house.†
Book 21
- And mainly to Eurymachus I make my prayer and to the godlike Antinous, forasmuch as he has spoken even this word aright, namely, that for this present ye cease from your archery and leave the issue to the gods; and in the morning the god will give the victory to whomsoever he will.†
Book 21
- So he spake, and all the wooers laughed sweetly at him, and ceased now from their cruel anger toward Telemachus.†
Book 21ceased = stopped or discontinued
- But Telemachus, and the neatherd, and the swineherd stayed their feet from dancing, and made the women to cease, and themselves gat them to rest through the shadowy halls.†
Book 23cease = stop or discontinue
- And we strove the livelong day, nor would we ever have ceased from the fight, if Zeus had not stayed us with a tempest.†
Book 24ceased = stopped or discontinued
- 'So he spake, and the high-hearted Achaeans ceased from their flight.†
Book 24
- With both his hands he clutched the dust and ashes and showered them on his gray head, with ceaseless groaning.†
Book 24ceaseless = never-endingstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaseless means without and reverses the meaning of cease. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(cease) to stop or discontinue
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Note that the expression, cease fire means to stop doing battle such as firing funs at each other. Similarly, the noun, cease-fire, is a state of having stopped doing battle.