The Odyssey of Homer, with the Hymns, Epigrams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice/The Odyssey/Book 12

by Homer

BOOK XII.

 

ARGUMENT.

He relates his return from the infernal regions to Circe's island, and her advice respecting his return home. How he escaped the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. His arrival in Sicily, where his companions, having eaten the oxen of the Sun, were shipwrecked and lost; he concludes by relating his arrival, alone, carried on the mast of his ship, at the island of Calypso.

"But when the ship left the stream of the river Ocean, and came back to the wave of the wide-wayed sea, to the island of Ææa, where are the abodes and dancing-places^[1] of Aurora, the mother of dawn, and the risings of the sun: having come here, we drew up our ship on the sands, and we ourselves disembarked upon the shore of the sea. Here lying down to sleep we awaited divine morning: but when the mother of dawn, rosy-fingered morning, appeared, then I sent forward my companions to the house of Circe, to bring the corpse, the dead Elpenor. And immediately cutting trunks, where the shore projected the farthest, we buried [him] in sorrow, shedding the warm tear. But when the corpse was burnt, and the arms of the dead, having built a tomb, and having erected a column over it, we fixed the well-fitted oar at the top of the tomb.

"We indeed went through every thing; nor yet returning from Hades did we escape Circe, but she came very quickly, hastening: and her female attendants with her brought bread, and much flesh, and dark-red wine. And she, the divine one of goddesses, standing in the middle of us, addressed us:

"'Wretched ones! who alive have come under the house of Pluto, twice dead, when other men die but once. But come, eat food and drink wine here through the whole day; and ye shall sail together with morn appearing; but I will show you the way; and will instruct you in every thing; that ye may not grieve at all, suffering harm either on the sea or on land by some grievous bad counsel.'

"Thus she spoke; but our noble mind was forthwith persuaded. Thus, then, during the whole day until sun-set, we sat feasting on abundant flesh and sweet wine; but when the sun had sunk, and darkness came on, they indeed slept near the cables of the ship; but she, taking me by the hand, at a distance from my dear companions, made me sit down, and reclined opposite,^[2] and inquired every thing of me; and I related all things rightly to her. And then indeed venerable Circe addressed me with words:

"'All these things indeed have thus been performed; but do thou listen, how I will tell thee, and a deity himself will make thee remember it. First indeed thou wilt come to the Sirens, who charm all men, whoever comes to them. Whosoever through ignorance has approached and heard the voice of the Sirens, by no means do his wife and infant children stand near him when he returns home, nor do they rejoice. But the Sirens, sitting in a meadow, soothe him with a shrill song, and around there is a large heap of bones of men rotting, and skins waste away round about. But sail beyond; and anoint the ears of thy companions, moulding sweet wax, lest any one of the others should hear; but do thou thyself hear, if thou wilt. Let them bind thee hands and feet in the swift ship, upright in the mast hole; and let cables be bound from it; that, delighted, thou mayest hear the voice of the Sirens: but if thou entreatest thy companions, and biddest them loose thee, let them then bind thee in still more bonds. But when thy companions shall have sailed beyond these, then I cannot tell thee accurately which will afterwards be thy way; but do thou thyself consider in thy mind; but I will tell thee of both ways. There indeed are lofty rocks; and near them the vast wave of dark Amphitrite resounds; the blessed gods call them the Wanderers; here nor birds pass by, nor timid doves, which carry ambrosia to father Jove; but the smooth rock always takes away some one of them, but the father sends another to make up the number. From this not yet has any ship of men escaped, whichever has come to it; but the wave of the sea and the storms of destructive fire take away planks of ships and bodies of men together. That sea-traversing ship alone has sailed by it, Argo, a care unto all, which sailed from Æetes: and now perhaps it^[3] would have quickly dashed it there against mighty rocks, but Juno sent it on, since Jason was dear [to her]. But as to the two rocks,^[4] the one reaches the wide heaven with its sharp top, and a dark-grey cloud surrounds it: this indeed never withdraws,^[5] nor does a clear sky ever possess its top, either in the summer or in the autumn; nor could a mortal man ascend it, or descend, not if he had twenty hands and feet; for the rock is smooth, like unto one polished around. But in the middle of the rock there is a shadowy cave towards the west, turned to Erebus;^[6] where do thou, O illustrious Ulysses, direct thy hollow ship. Nor could a young man darting an arrow from a bow from a hollow ship reach the deep cave. Here Scylla dwells, shrieking out terribly; her voice indeed is as of a new-born whelp, but she herself is a vast monster; nor would any rejoice seeing [her], not even if a god should meet her. She has twelve slender^[7] feet in all; and she has six very long necks; and on each there is a terrific head, and in it three rows of teeth, thick and frequent, full of black death. She is sunk in the middle through her hollow cave: and she holds forth her heads out of the terrible abyss, and fishes there, watching about the rock, for dolphins, and dogs, and if she can any where take a larger whale, which deep-groaning Amphitrite feeds in countless numbers. By whom unharmed never at any time do sailors boast that they have fled by in their ship; but snatching a man with each of her heads from a dark-prowed ship, she bears him away. But thou wilt see the other rock lower, O Ulysses, each near to the other; and thou couldst reach it with an arrow. In this there is a large wild fig-tree flourishing with leaves; under this divine Charybdis sucks in black water. For thrice in a day she sends it out, and thrice she sucks it in terribly: mayest thou not come thither when she is gulping it; for not even Neptune could free thee from ill. But by all means sailing to the rock of Scylla, drive thy ship quickly beyond; since it is much better to regret^[8] six companions in a ship, than all together.'

"Thus she spoke; but I answering addressed her; 'Come then, tell me this truly, O goddess; if I can by any means escape out from destructive Charybdis, should I be revenged upon her, when she has harmed my companions?'

"Thus I spoke; but she, the divine one of goddesses, immediately answered: 'O wretched one, are warlike deeds and labour still a care to thee? nor wilt thou yield to the immortal gods? She is not indeed mortal, but is an immortal evil, terrible, and difficult, and fierce, nor to be fought with. Nor is there any defence; it is best to flee from her: for if thou shouldst delay, arming thyself, by the rock, I fear lest again attacking thee she would reach thee with so many heads, and would take away so many^[9] men. But sail on very quickly and call for help to Cratæis, the mother of Scylla, who brought her forth a destruction to mortals, who will immediately hinder her from attacking thee afterwards.

"'And thou wilt come to the island Trinacria;^[10] where are fed many oxen and fat sheep of the Sun,^[11] seven herds of oxen, and as many beautiful flocks of sheep, and fifty in each; but there is no increase of them, nor do they ever perish; but goddesses are their shepherdesses, the fair-haired nymphs, Phæthusa, and Lampetie, whom divine Neæra bore to the sun who journeys above. Whom having nourished and brought them forth, their venerable mother sent them away to the Trinacrian island, to dwell afar off, to guard their father's sheep and crumpled-horned oxen. If thou leavest these unharmed, and carest for thy return, thou mayest yet come to Ithaca, although suffering evils; but if thou harmest them, then I foretell to thee destruction to thy ship and thy companions; and although thou shouldst thyself escape, thou wilt return late, in misfortune, having lost all thy companions.'

"Thus she spoke; but golden-throned morning immediately came. The divine one of goddesses then went away through the island; but I, going to my ship, excited my companions to embark themselves, and to loose the halsers. But they immediately went on board, and sat down on the benches, and sitting in order they smote the hoary sea with their oars. Then the fair-haired Circe, an awful goddess, possessing human speech, sent a prosperous gale behind our dark-prowed ship, that filled the sails, an excellent companion. Immediately having got ready all our tackle in the ship, we sat down; and the wind and the helmsman directed it. Then sorrowing in my heart, I addressed my companions:

"'O my friends, it is not fit that one or two only should know the oracles, which Circe, divine one of goddesses, has spoken unto me; but I will tell you, that being aware we may either die, or avoiding it may escape death and Fate. First she commands us to shun the voice of the divine Sirens, and their flowery mead; she ordered me alone to hear their voice; but do ye bind me in a difficult bond, that I may remain there firmly, upright in the mast-hole: and let cables be fastened from it. But if I entreat you, and command you to loose me, do ye then press me with still more bonds.'

"I indeed telling every thing, related it to my companions: but in the mean time the well-made ship came quickly to the island of the Sirens; for a harmless prosperous gale urged it on. Immediately then the wind ceased, and there was a windless calm, and a deity hushed the winds to sleep. And my companions rising up, furled the sails of the ship, and placed them in the hollow ship; and they sitting on their oars, whitened the water with their polished blades of fir. But I having cut in small pieces a large circle of wax with the sharp brass, pressed it with my strong hands: and the wax immediately became warm, for the great force compelled it, and the shining of the sun, the king, the son of Him that journeys on high: and I anointed it in turn upon the ears of all my companions. But they bound me both hands and feet together in the ship, upright in the mast-hole, and they fastened cables from it; and they themselves sitting down smote the hoary sea with their oars. But when we were so far distant as one makes himself heard shouting out, going on swiftly, the ship passing the sea quickly, driving near, did not escape them, but they prepared a tuneful song.

"'Come hither, O much-praised Ulysses, great glory of the Grecians, stop thy ship, that thou mayest hear our voice; for no one has yet passed by here in a black ship, before he has heard the sweet voice from our mouths; but he goes away delighted, and acquainted with more things. For we ken all things, whatever the Grecians and Trojans suffered by the will of the gods in spacious Troy; and we know whatever things are done in the food-abounding earth.'

"Thus they spoke, uttering a sweet sound; but my heart wished to hear them, and I ordered my companions to loose me, nodding with my eye-brows; but they falling forward rowed; and Perimedes and Eurylochus immediately rising, bound me with more bonds, and pressed me still more. But when it passed by them, and we no longer heard the voice of the Sirens, nor their song, my beloved companions immediately took away the wax, which I anointed on their ears, and loosed me from the bonds. But when we had now left the island, immediately I saw smoke and a vast wave, and heard a noise. The oars flew from the hands of them terrified; and all making a noise [went] down the stream; but the ship was stopped there, since they no longer urged the extended oars with their hands. But I went through the ship, and incited my companions with mild words, standing near each man:

"'O my friends, we are not by any means ignorant of misfortunes. This evil indeed does not come greater upon us than when the Cyclops shut us in his hollow cave by powerful force; but we escaped even from thence by my valour, and counsel and prudence; and I think that you will some time remember^[12] these things. But now come, let us all obey, as I direct; do ye smite the deep billow of the sea with your oars, sitting on the benches, if Jove will by chance grant us to escape from and avoid this death. But to thee I order thus, O helmsman, and lay it up in thy mind, since thou art managing the rudder of the hollow ship; keep the ship off from this smoke and wave; and do thou observe the rock, lest rushing out thence she escape thy notice, and thou cast us into evil.'

"Thus I spoke; and they quickly obeyed my words. But I did not speak of Scylla, an unavoidable^[13] evil, lest my companions, terrified, should cease from rowing, and huddle themselves within. And then I forgot the terrible command of Circe, for she ordered me not to arm myself; but I, having put on my noble arms, and taking two long spears in my hands, went to the deck of the ship's prow; for I expected that rocky Scylla, who brought harm to my companions, would appear from thence first. Nor could I perceive her any where; but my eyes toiled, looking every where to the dark rock. And we sailed through the strait, mourning, for on one side was Scylla, and on the other divine Charybdis terribly sucked in the briny water of the sea. When she vomited it out, it all murmured, bubbling up as a cauldron on a large fire, and the foam fell on high upon both the lofty rocks. But when she drank up the briny water of the sea, it all appeared bubbling up within; and thundered terribly about the rock, and the earth appeared below with azure^[14] sand; and pale fear seized them. We indeed looked to this, fearing destruction. And Scylla in the mean time took six of my companions from the hollow ship, who were best in their hands and their strength. And looking to the swift ship and to my companions at the same time, I now perceived the feet and hands above of them raised on high; and calling out, they addressed me by my name, there for the last time, sorrowing at heart. As when on a jutting rock a fisherman with a very long rod throwing food as a snare for little fishes, sends the horn of a rustic ox into the sea, and then snatching it [a fish] up, throws it out panting; so they panting were raised up to the rocks: and there at the door she fed upon them crying out, stretching out their hands to me in dreadful calamity. That of a truth was the most miserable of all the things that I witnessed with mine eyes, whatever I suffered, searching out the ways of the sea.

"But when we escaped the rocks, both terrible Charybdis and Scylla, we came immediately afterwards to the blameless island of the god; there were beautiful oxen with wide foreheads, and many fat sheep of the Sun that journeys above. Then I, still going on the sea in a black ship, heard the lowing of oxen in stalls, and the bleating of sheep: and there came into my mind the word of the blind prophet, Theban Tiresias, and of Ææan Circe, who charged me very often to avoid the island of the mortal-rejoicing Sun. Then I addressed my companions, sorrowing in my heart:

"'Hear my words, O companions, although suffering evils, that I may tell you the oracles of Tiresias, and of Ææan Circe, who charged me very often to avoid the island of the Sun that journeys above; for she said that from hence would be a most terrible evil unto us. But drive the black ship beyond the island.'

"Thus I spoke; but their dear heart was broken down. And Eurylochus immediately answered me with a harsh speech; 'Thou art severe, O Ulysses; thou hast exceeding might, nor art thou fatigued as to your limbs; surely all of them are of iron, [since] thou dost not suffer thy companions, wearied out with toil, and [oppressed with] sleep,^[15] to go upon the land, where we may again prepare an agreeable supper in the sea-girt island; but thou commandest us to wander in vain through the swift night, straying from the island in the misty sea. During the nights troublesome winds arise, the destruction of ships: how could any one escape from utter destruction, if a storm of wind should by chance come on a sudden, either from the South or hard-blowing West, which especially destroy ships, against the will of the gods, who are kings? But let us indeed now obey black night, and let us get ready supper, remaining near the swift ship; and, embarking in the morning, let us enter on the wide sea.'

"Thus spoke Eurylochus; and my other companions approved: and then I knew that the deity meditated evils: and addressing him I spoke winged words:

"'O Eurylochus, surely now ye compel me much, being alone; but come, all of you, now swear a strong oath to me, if we find any herd of oxen, or great flock of sheep, no one will kill either ox, or even sheep, through his infatuation: but quiet do ye eat the food which immortal Circe gave us.'

"Thus I spoke; and they immediately swore as I commanded: but when they had sworn and finished the oath, we stationed the well-made ship in the hollow port, near the sweet water: and my companions went out of the ship, and then skilfully prepared supper. But when they had taken away the desire of drinking and eating, then calling to mind their dear companions whom Scylla eat, having taken them out from the black ship, they wept; and sweet sleep came upon them weeping. But when it was the third part of the night, and the stars went down, cloud-collecting Jove raised against us a strong wind, with a mighty whirlwind, and covered earth and heaven at the same time with clouds; and night arose from heaven. But when the mother of dawn, rosy-fingered morning, appeared, we moored our ship, drawing it into a hollow cave; there were the beautiful dancing-places and the seats of Nymphs; and then I, having formed an assembly, spoke unto them all:

"'O my friends, there is food and drink in the swift ship; but let us abstain from the oxen, lest we suffer any thing. For these are the oxen and fat sheep of a dread god, the Sun, who overlooks all things, and hears all things.'

"Thus I spoke; and their noble mind was persuaded. But the South wind blew without ceasing for a whole month, nor was there any other wind afterwards except the East and South. But they, whilst they had food and red wine, so long abstained from the oxen, being desirous of life: but when all the provisions were now consumed out of the ship, then wandering of necessity they followed after booty, fish and birds, acceptable, whatever came to their hands, with crooked hooks: but hunger wore down their belly. Then I went away through the island, that I might pray to the gods, if any one would show me the way to return. But when now I avoided my companions, going through the island, having washed my hands where there was a shelter from the wind, I made vows to all the gods who inhabit Olympus: and they poured sweet sleep over my eyebrows. But Eurylochus was the beginner of evil counsel unto my companions.

"'Hear my words, O companions, although suffering evils: all deaths are hateful to wretched mortals; but, through hunger, it is most miserable to die and draw on one's fate. But come, having driven away the best of the oxen of the Sun, we will sacrifice to the immortals who possess the wide heaven. But if we come to Ithaca, our father-land, we will immediately build a rich temple to the Sun, who journeys on high, where we may place many and excellent images. But if by any means wrathful on account of the straight-horned oxen, he should wish to destroy our ship, and the other gods follow, I had rather at once lose my life gaping in the wave, than waste away any longer, remaining on a desert island.'

"Thus spoke Eurylochus; and my other companions approved. But immediately having driven the best of the oxen of the Sun from near at hand, (for the beautiful black oxen, with their broad foreheads, pastured not far away from the dark-prowed ship,) they stood around them, and prayed to the gods, having cropped the tender leaves of a lofty-tressed oak; for they had not white barley on the well-benched ship.

"But when they had prayed, and slain and skinned them, they cut off the thighs, and covered them with fat, doubling them, and they set the raw parts upon them: nor had they wine to make libations over the burnt sacrifices, but making libations with water, they roasted all the entrails. But when they had burnt the thighs, and tasted the bowels, they cut up the other parts, and fixed them on spits: and then sweet sleep rushed away from my eyebrows: and I hastened to the swift ship and the shore of the sea. But as I was now going near the ship rowed on both sides, then the sweet vapour of the fat came upon me: and mourning, I cried out to the immortal gods:

"'O father Jove, and ye other blessed gods, who exist for ever, certainly ye laid me to sleep in a pitiless sleep, to my harm, but my companions remaining here have devised a heinous deed.'

"But quickly to the Sun, who journeys above, came Lampetia, wearing a large garment, as a messenger, that we (my companions) had slain his oxen. And he immediately addressed the immortals, enraged at heart:

"'O father Jove, and ye other blessed gods, who exist for ever, punish the companions of Ulysses, the son of Laertes, who have insolently slain mine oxen, in which I rejoiced both coming to the starry heaven, and turning back again to earth from heaven. But if they do not repay me a proper return for my oxen, I will go down to Pluto's, and will shine amongst the dead.'

"But him cloud-collecting Jove answering addressed: 'O Sun, do thou by all means shine amongst the immortals and mortal men, over the fruitful plain. And then I, striking a little their swift ship with a white thunderbolt, will quickly cleave it in the middle of the dark sea.'

"But these things I heard from fair-haired Calypso; and she said that she had heard them from the messenger Mercury. But when I came to the ship and the sea, I chided them one after another, standing near them, nor could we find any remedy; for the oxen were now dead. Then the gods immediately showed prodigies to them; the skins crawled, and the flesh lowed on the spits, both roast and raw; and there was a voice as of oxen. For six days then my beloved companions feasted, driving away the best of the oxen of the Sun: but when Jove, the son of Saturn, brought on the seventh day, then the wind ceased raging with a tempest: and we, straightway embarking, committed ourselves to the wide sea: having erected the mast and drawn up the white sails.

"But when we had now left the island, nor did any other land appear, but the heaven and the sea, then the son of Saturn reared an azure cloud above the hollow ship; and the sea became dark beneath it. But it ran for no very long time; for immediately came the clamouring West wind, rushing with a mighty tempest: and the storm of the wind broke both the cables of the mast; and the mast fell backwards, and all the tackle was thrown in confusion into the hold; and he struck the head of the helmsman backward in the ship, and broke all the bones of his head together; and he fell like unto a diver from the deck, and his noble mind left his bones; and Jove thundered together, and hurled a thunderbolt upon the ship: and it was entirely whirled round, stricken with the thunderbolt of Jove, and it was filled with sulphur; and my companions fell from the ship. And they, like unto gulls, were borne on the waves around the black ship; for the deity took away their return. But I kept going about through the ship, until the storm loosed the sides from the keel; and the wave bore it along naked.^[16] And it broke out the mast at the keel: but a thong was thrown upon it, made from the skin of an ox. With this I bound both together, the keel and the mast: and sitting upon them I was borne by the destructive winds.

"Then indeed the West wind ceased raging with a storm, and quickly the South wind came on, bringing grief to my mind, that I should again measure my way to destructive Charybdis. I was borne along during the whole night; and together with the rising sun I came to the rock of Scylla, and terrible Charybdis. She gulped up the briny water of the sea; but I, raised on high to the lofty fig-tree, held clinging to it, as a bat, nor could I any where either fix myself firmly with my feet, or ascend: for the roots were far off, and the branches were wide apart, and both long and vast, and they overshadowed Charybdis. But I held without ceasing, until she vomited out again the mast and keel; and it came late to me wishing for it: as late as a man has risen from the forum to go to supper, adjudging many contests of disputing youths, so late these planks appeared from Charybdis. And I put down my feet, and my hands over them, to be carried along, and I fell with a noise in the middle on the long planks, and sitting upon them, I rowed with my hands. Nor did the father of men and of gods permit Scylla to behold me any more; for I could not have escaped bitter destruction. From thence I was borne along nine days; but in the tenth night the gods drove me to the island Ogygia; where fair-haired Calypso dwelt, an awful goddess, possessing human speech, who received me kindly, and took care of me. Why should I recount these things to thee? for I have already related them yesterday in thine house, to thee and thy illustrious wife; but it is hateful to me to recount again things that have been told full plainly."

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1. I prefer taking χοροῖσι in this sense, although "dances" is by no means unsuitable. See my note on Æsch. Ag. p. 95, n. 3, ed. Bohn.
2. So Clarke and Cowper, but I think the Scholiast is more correct in explaining it, spoke to.
3. Viz. the wave.
4. Put for τῶν δὲ δύα σκοπέλων. See Thiersch, Gk. Gr. § 276, 6, referred to by Loewe, and my note on Æsch. Prom. p. 8, ed. Bohn.
5. So in Il. Β. 179, ἀλλ' ἴθι νῦν κατὰ λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν, μηδέ τ' ἐρώει. See Buttm. Lexil. p. 310, sq.
6. With this periphrasis for the West we may not inaptly compare ἕσπερος θεὸς for Hades in Soph. Œd. T. 177.
7. λεπτοί, ἤ παραιωρούμενοι καὶ ἀσθενεῖς. Eust.
8. Neatly expressed by Virg. Æn. i. 221, "Amissos longo socios sermone requirunt." Cf. 309, μνησάμενοι δὴ ἔπειτα φίλους ἔκλαιον ἑταίρους.
9. i. e. as many as before.
10. i. e. Sicily, "Triquetris insulæ" in Lucretius.
11. Cf. i. 8, sqq.
12. Cf. Virg. Æn. i. 202, sqq.
13. ἄπρηκτον is equivalent ἄπορον, ἀμήχανον.
14. Probably a pale, greenish grey is the colour meant.
15. I follow Clarke's interpretation. See Loewe.
16. So Horace, "nudum remigio latus."