And I saw Tantalus too, bearing endless torture.
He stood erect in a pool as the water lapped his chin –
parched, he tried to drink, but he could not reach the surface,
no, time and again the old man stooped, craving a sip,
time and again the water vanished, swallowed down,
laying bare the caked black earth at his feet –
some spirit drank it dry. And over his head
leafy trees dangled their fruit from high aloft,
pomegranates and pears, and apples glowing red,
succulent figs and olives swelling sleek and dark,
but as soon as the old man would strain to clutch them fast
a gust would toss them up to the lowering dark clouds.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 11, lines 669-680. Odysseus sees a group of sinners being punished in the underworld, including Tantalus. Tantalus’ punishment may be seen as fitting justice for his terrible crime. He tried to serve his own son diced and cooked in a stew at a feast with the gods. For that he was punished by Zeus to spend eternity starving and thirsty in Hades. He was placed in a pool of fresh water with branches of succulent fruits hanging overhead. Each time he tries to drink the water, it recedes. Every time he attempts to grab to fruit, it goes out of his reach. This scene also features the theme of temptation, a recurring one throughout the poem.