| Homer, Odyssey (English) (XML Header) [genre: poetry; hexameter] [word count] [lemma count] [Hom. Od.]. | ||
| <<Hom. Od. 9.142 | Hom. Od. 9.216 (Greek English(2)) | >>Hom. Od. 9.307 |
9.177"I went on board, bidding my men
to do so also and loose the hawsers; so they took their places and
smote the gray sea with their oars. When we got to the land, which
was not far, there, on the face of a cliff near the sea, we saw a
great cave overhung with laurels. It was a station for a great many
sheep and goats, and outside there was a large yard, with a high wall
round it made of stones built into the ground and of trees both pine
and oak. This was the abode of a huge monster who was then away from
home shepherding his flocks. He would have nothing to do with other
people, but led the life of an outlaw. He was a horrid creature, not
like a human being at all, but resembling rather some crag that
stands out boldly against the sky on the top of a high
mountain.
krînô ] among them, who were to go along
with myself. I also took a goatskin of sweet black wine which had
been given me by Maron, Apollo son of Euanthes, who was priest of
Apollo the patron god of Ismaros, and lived within the wooded
precincts of the temple. When we were sacking the city we respected
him, and spared his life, as also his wife and child; so he made me
some presents of great value - seven talents of fine gold, and a bowl
of silver, with twelve jars of sweet wine, unblended, and of the most
exquisite flavor. Not a man nor maid in the house knew about it, but
only himself, his wife, and one housekeeper: when he drank it he
mixed twenty parts of water to one of wine, and yet the fragrance
from the mixing-bowl was so exquisite that it was impossible to
refrain from drinking. I filled a large skin with this wine, and took
a wallet full of provisions with me, for my mind misgave me that I
might have to deal with some savage who would be of great strength,
and would respect neither right [dikê ] nor
law.
Cyclops should come in with his sheep. When he came, he
brought in with him a huge load of dry firewood to light the fire for
his supper, and this he flung with such a noise on to the floor of
his cave that we hid ourselves for fear at the far end of the cavern.
Meanwhile he drove all the ewes inside, as well as the she-goats that
he was going to milk, leaving the males, both rams and he-goats,
outside in the yards. Then he rolled a huge stone to the mouth of the
cave - so huge that two and twenty strong four-wheeled wagons would
not be enough to draw it from its place against the doorway. When he
had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due
course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half
the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers, but the other half he
poured into bowls that he might drink it for his supper. When he had
got through with all his work, he lit the fire, and then caught sight
of us, whereon he said:
Troy , but by the will of
Zeus, and stress of weather, we have been driven far out of our
course. We are the people of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, who has won
infinite kleos throughout the whole world, by sacking so great
a city and killing so many people. We therefore humbly pray you to
show us some hospitality, and otherwise make us such presents as
visitors may reasonably expect. May your excellency give reverence
[aidôs ] to the gods, for we are your suppliants,
and Zeus takes all respectable travelers under his protection, for he
is the avenger of all suppliants and foreigners in
distress.’
9.193"I told my men to draw the ship ashore, and stay where they were, all but the twelve best [
9.216"We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold. They were kept in separate flocks; first there were the hoggets, then the oldest of the younger lambs and lastly the very young ones all kept apart from one another; as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked, were swimming with whey. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see the owner himself, in the hope that he might give me a present. When, however, we saw him my poor men found him ill to deal with.
9.231"We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate others of them, and then sat waiting till the
9.252"‘Strangers, who are you? Where do sail from? Are you traders, or do you sail the sea as rovers, with your hands against every man, and every man's hand against you?’
9.256"We were frightened out of our senses by his loud voice and monstrous form, but I managed to say, ‘We are Achaeans on our way home from
9.272"To this he gave me but a pitiless answer, ‘Stranger,’ said he, ‘you are a fool, or else you know nothing of this country. Talk to me, indeed, about fearing the gods or shunning their anger? We Cyclopes do not care about Zeus or any of your blessed gods, for we are ever so much stronger than they. I shall not spare either yourself or your companions out of any regard for Zeus, unless I am in the humor for doing so. And now tell me where you made your ship fast when you came on shore. Was it round the point, or is she lying straight off the land?’
| Homer, Odyssey (English) (XML Header) [genre: poetry; hexameter] [word count] [lemma count] [Hom. Od.]. | ||
| <<Hom. Od. 9.142 | Hom. Od. 9.216 (Greek English(2)) | >>Hom. Od. 9.307 |
