Vocabulary in Ulysses

A “scepter” is an ornamented wand or staff held by a monarch or other ruler as a symbol of authority or sovereignty, usually for ceremonial purposes. In ancient Greece, scepters were primarily used by respected individuals, gods, and rulers.

To “scud” means to move rapidly as if being driven to move forward. Ulysses is recalling a memory of being caught in a downpour during a sea storm.

The noun “lees” is another word for the sediment that settles at the bottom of wine barrels during the fermentation process. To “drink life to the lees” is another way of saying that one “lives life to the fullest.” Ulysses further engages with the metaphor of drinking in line 16 when he remembers having “drunk delight of battle” in his younger days. In this context, Ulysses suggests that he truly lived life in his younger days, whereas now he is unsatisfied.

The verb phrase “to mete and dole” means to give or measure out. Ulysses rules over a “savage race,” doling out laws to subjects who do not care about who he is.