The Odyssey
found ourselves upon the land itself; when, however, we had beached the
ships, we took down the sails, went ashore and camped upon the beach
till daybreak.
“When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, we admired the
island and wandered all over it, while the nymphs Jove’s daughters
roused the wild goats that we might get some meat for our dinner. On
this we fetched our spears and bows and arrows from the ships, and
dividing ourselves into three bands began to shoot the goats. Heaven
sent us excellent sport; I had twelve ships with me, and each ship got
nine goats, while my own ship had ten; thus through the livelong day to
the going down of the sun we ate and drank our fill, and we had plenty
of wine left, for each one of us had taken many jars full when we
sacked the city of the Cicons, and this had not yet run out. While we
were feasting we kept turning our eyes towards the land of the
Cyclopes, which was hard by, and saw the smoke of their stubble fires.
We could almost fancy we heard their voices and the bleating of their
sheep and goats, but when the sun went down and it came on dark, we
camped down upon the beach, and next morning I called a council.
“‘Stay here, my brave fellows,’ said I, ‘all the rest of you, while I
go with my ship and exploit these people myself: I want to see if they
are uncivilised savages, or a hospitable and humane race.’
“I went on board, bidding my men to do so also and loose the hawsers;
so they took their places and smote the grey 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.
“I told my men to draw the ship ashore, and stay where they were, all
but the twelve best 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, son of Euanthes, who was priest of Apollo the patron god of
Ismarus, 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 flavour. 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 nor law.
“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 ones80
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.
“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 sea 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.
“When the child of morning, rosy-fingered dawn, appeared, he again lit
his fire, milked his goats and ewes, all quite rightly, and then let
each have her own young one; as soon as he had got through with all his
work, he clutched up two more of my men, and began eating them for his
morning’s meal. Presently, with the utmost ease, he rolled the stone
away from the door and drove out his sheep, but he at once put it back
again—as easily as though he were merely clapping the lid on to a
quiver full of arrows. As soon as he had done so he shouted, and cried
‘Shoo, shoo,’ after his sheep to drive them on to the mountain; so I
was left to scheme some way of taking my revenge and covering myself
with glory.
“In the end I deemed it would be the best plan to do as follows: The
Cyclops had a great club which was lying near one of the sheep pens; it
was of green olive wood, and he had cut it intending to use it for a
staff as soon as it should be dry. It was so huge that we could only
compare it to the mast of a twenty-oared merchant vessel of large
burden, and able to venture out into open sea. I went up to this club
and cut off about six feet of it; I then gave this piece to the men and
told them to fine it evenly off at one end, which they proceeded to do,
and lastly I brought it to a point myself, charring the end in the fire
to make it harder. When I had done this I hid it under dung, which was
lying about all over the cave, and told the men to cast lots which of
them should venture along with myself to lift it and bore it into the
monster’s eye while he was asleep. The lot fell upon the very four whom
I should have chosen, and I myself made five. In the evening the wretch
came back from shepherding, and drove his flocks into the cave—this
time driving them all inside, and not leaving any in the yards; I
suppose some fancy must have taken him, or a god must have prompted him
to do so. As soon as he had put the stone back to its place against the
door, he sat down, milked his ewes and his goats all quite rightly, and
then let each have her own young one; when he had got through with all
this work, he gripped up two more of my men, and made his supper off
them. So I went up to him with an ivy-wood bowl of black wine in my
hands:
“‘Look here, Cyclops,’ said I, you have been eating a great deal of
man’s flesh, so take this and drink some wine, that you may see what
kind of liquor we had on board my ship. I was bringing it to you as a
drink-offering, in the hope that you would take compassion upon me and
further me on my way home, whereas all you do is to go on ramping and
raving most intolerably. You ought to be ashamed of yourself; how can
you expect people to come see you any more if you treat them in this
way?’
“He then took the cup and drank. He was so delighted with the taste of
the wine that he begged me for another bowl full. ‘Be so kind,’ he
said, ‘as to give me some more, and tell me your name at once. I want
to make you a present that you will be glad to have. We have wine even
in this country, for our soil grows grapes and the sun ripens them, but
this drinks like Nectar and Ambrosia all in one.’
“I then gave him some more; three times did I fill the bowl for him,
and three times did he drain it without thought or heed; then, when I
saw that the wine had got into his head, I said to him as plausibly as
I could: ‘Cyclops, you ask my name and I will tell it you; give me,
therefore, the present you promised me; my name is Noman; this is what
my father and mother and my friends have always called me.’
“But the cruel wretch said, ‘Then I will eat all Noman’s comrades