Question

one is a sharp mountain piercing the sky, with stormcloud round the peak dissolving never, not in the brightest summer, to show heaven’s azure there, nor in the fall. no mortal man could scale it, nor so much as land there, not with twenty hands and feet, so sheer the cliffs are as of polished stone. midway that height, a cavern full of mist opens toward erebus and evening. skirting this in the lugger, great odysseus, your master bowman, shooting from the deck, would come short of the cavemouth with his shaft; paraphrase the first obstacle.

Explanation:

The first obstacle is a sharp mountain with ever - present stormclouds around its peak. It's so steep that no human can climb it, and its cliffs are as smooth as polished stone. Mid - height, there's a misty cavern opening towards the underworld.

Answer:

The first obstacle is a towering, sharp mountain encircled by unyielding stormclouds at its peak. Its cliffs are sheer like polished stone, making it impossible for any person to scale. Halfway up, there is a mist - filled cavern that leads towards the realm of darkness.