The Odyssey Book IX Lines 222-299 by Homer (Greek Text) Lyrics
The Odyssey – Homer – as translated by Samuel Butler
Book IX – lines 222-299
--- Intro –--
At this point in the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men has just escaped from the lotus-eaters. Odysseus gathers some goats, then chooses the 12 of his best men and go off to meet the cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, while the rest of his crew wait near the cliffs. They enter his cave, feast on his cheese while waiting for his return and sacrifice some food as offerings to the gods. Upon Polyphemus’ arrival, Odysseus and his men are trapped in the cave by a large boulder, the door to the cave, which could only be moved by a being in stature such as a cyclops. When Polyphemus notices the humans, rather than showing hospitality towards them, he proceeds to rip apart and feast upon two of Odysseus’ men. Polyphemus denounces the gods, stating that he is stronger than all of them. At the sight of his friends being eaten, Odysseus is tempted to fight the Cyclops right then but is wise enough to calm his anger and think logically. This passage is particularly interesting because it shows quite a bit about Odysseus’s curiosity and his strong expectations of hospitality. This passage also foreshadows the impending doom that the Cyclops will receive from the gods by not showing hospitality.
--- lines 222-299 ---
"We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate others
of them, and then sat waiting till the 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 waggons 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:
"'Strangers, who are you? Where do sail from? Are you traders, or
do you sail the as rovers, with your hands against every man, and
every man's hand against you?'
"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
Troy, but by the will of Jove, 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 renown 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
fear the wrath of heaven, for we are your suppliants, and Jove takes
all respectable travellers under his protection, for he is the avenger
of all suppliants and foreigners in distress.'
"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 Jove 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 Jove, unless I am in the humour 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?'
"He said this to draw me out, but I was too cunning to be caught in
that way, so I answered with a lie; 'Neptune,' said I, 'sent my ship
on to the rocks at the far end of your country, and wrecked it. We
were driven on to them from the open sea, but I and those who are
with me escaped the jaws of death.'
"The cruel wretch vouchsafed me not one word of answer, but with a
sudden clutch he gripped up two of my men at once and dashed them
down upon the ground as though they had been puppies. Their brains
were shed upon the ground, and the earth was wet with their blood.
Then he tore them limb from limb and supped upon them. He gobbled
them up like a lion in the wilderness, flesh, bones, marrow, and entrails,
without leaving anything uneaten. As for us, we wept and lifted up
our hands to heaven on seeing such a horrid sight, for we did not
know what else to do; but when the Cyclops had filled his huge paunch,
and had washed down his meal of human flesh with a drink of neat milk,
he stretched himself full length upon the ground among his sheep,
and went to sleep. I was at first inclined to seize my sword, draw
it, and drive it into his vitals, but I reflected that if I did we
should all certainly be lost, for we should never be able to shift
the stone which the monster had put in front of the door. So we stayed
sobbing and sighing where we were till morning came.
Works Cited
"Achaeans." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"Agamemnon (Greek Mythology)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Ed. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
Baldwin, Anna. "Cyclopes." Cyclopes. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
Braff, Johanna L. "Animal Similes and Gender in the "Odyssey" and "Oresteia"." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Homer. "The Internet Classics Archive | The Odyssey by Homer." The Internet Classics Archive | The Odyssey by Homer. Trans. Samuel Butler. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"MYCENAEAN AGE (600 - 1100 BC)." Ancient Greece. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
"P998 Sacrificium." LacusCurtius • Greek and Roman Sacrifices (Smith's Dictionary, 1875). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"The Value of Hospitality." The Value of Hospitality. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
Book IX – lines 222-299
--- Intro –--
At this point in the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men has just escaped from the lotus-eaters. Odysseus gathers some goats, then chooses the 12 of his best men and go off to meet the cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, while the rest of his crew wait near the cliffs. They enter his cave, feast on his cheese while waiting for his return and sacrifice some food as offerings to the gods. Upon Polyphemus’ arrival, Odysseus and his men are trapped in the cave by a large boulder, the door to the cave, which could only be moved by a being in stature such as a cyclops. When Polyphemus notices the humans, rather than showing hospitality towards them, he proceeds to rip apart and feast upon two of Odysseus’ men. Polyphemus denounces the gods, stating that he is stronger than all of them. At the sight of his friends being eaten, Odysseus is tempted to fight the Cyclops right then but is wise enough to calm his anger and think logically. This passage is particularly interesting because it shows quite a bit about Odysseus’s curiosity and his strong expectations of hospitality. This passage also foreshadows the impending doom that the Cyclops will receive from the gods by not showing hospitality.
--- lines 222-299 ---
"We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate others
of them, and then sat waiting till the 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 waggons 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:
"'Strangers, who are you? Where do sail from? Are you traders, or
do you sail the as rovers, with your hands against every man, and
every man's hand against you?'
"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
Troy, but by the will of Jove, 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 renown 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
fear the wrath of heaven, for we are your suppliants, and Jove takes
all respectable travellers under his protection, for he is the avenger
of all suppliants and foreigners in distress.'
"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 Jove 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 Jove, unless I am in the humour 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?'
"He said this to draw me out, but I was too cunning to be caught in
that way, so I answered with a lie; 'Neptune,' said I, 'sent my ship
on to the rocks at the far end of your country, and wrecked it. We
were driven on to them from the open sea, but I and those who are
with me escaped the jaws of death.'
"The cruel wretch vouchsafed me not one word of answer, but with a
sudden clutch he gripped up two of my men at once and dashed them
down upon the ground as though they had been puppies. Their brains
were shed upon the ground, and the earth was wet with their blood.
Then he tore them limb from limb and supped upon them. He gobbled
them up like a lion in the wilderness, flesh, bones, marrow, and entrails,
without leaving anything uneaten. As for us, we wept and lifted up
our hands to heaven on seeing such a horrid sight, for we did not
know what else to do; but when the Cyclops had filled his huge paunch,
and had washed down his meal of human flesh with a drink of neat milk,
he stretched himself full length upon the ground among his sheep,
and went to sleep. I was at first inclined to seize my sword, draw
it, and drive it into his vitals, but I reflected that if I did we
should all certainly be lost, for we should never be able to shift
the stone which the monster had put in front of the door. So we stayed
sobbing and sighing where we were till morning came.
Works Cited
"Achaeans." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"Agamemnon (Greek Mythology)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Ed. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
Baldwin, Anna. "Cyclopes." Cyclopes. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
Braff, Johanna L. "Animal Similes and Gender in the "Odyssey" and "Oresteia"." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Homer. "The Internet Classics Archive | The Odyssey by Homer." The Internet Classics Archive | The Odyssey by Homer. Trans. Samuel Butler. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"MYCENAEAN AGE (600 - 1100 BC)." Ancient Greece. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .
"P998 Sacrificium." LacusCurtius • Greek and Roman Sacrifices (Smith's Dictionary, 1875). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .
"The Value of Hospitality." The Value of Hospitality. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .