The Adventures of Odysseus and The Tales of Troy

wsers of the ship. Then Circe the Enchantress took my hand, and, ma

comes near the Sirens without knowing their ways and hears the sound of their voices-never again shall that man see wife or child, or have joy o

nded to hear, let thy company bind thee hand and foot to the mast. And if thou shalt beseech them to loose thee, then must they

goes that way. And round these rocks the planks of ships and the bodies of men are tossed by waves of the sea and storms of fire. One ship only ever passed that way

e middle of it there is a cave, and that cave is the den of a monster named Scylla. This monster has six necks and on each neck there is a hideous head. She holds her heads ov

. She sits there sucking down the water and spouting it forth. Mayst thou not be near when she sucks the water down, for then nothing could save thee. Keep nearer t

There the Cattle of the Sun graze with immortal nymphs to guard them. If them comest to that Island, do no hurt to tho

roused my men. Speedily they went aboard, and, having taken their seats upon the benches, struck the water with th

Then I covered the ears of my men, and they bound me upright to the mast of the ship. The wind dropped and the sea became calm as though a god had stilled the wat

m our own lips the voice sweet as a honeycomb, and hath joy of it, and gone on his way a wiser man. We know all things-all the travail the Greeks had in the war

loose me, but they bound me the tighter, and bent to their oars and rowed on. When we had gone p

the sea. My company threw down their oars in terror. I went amongst them to hearten them

men when they saw Charybdis gulping down the sea. But as we drove by, the monster Scylla seized six of my company-the hardiest of the men who were with me. As they were lifted up in the mouths of her six heads the

le we were yet on the ship I heard the lowing of the Cattle of the Sun. I spoke to my co

thin them at that sentence, and Eury

gth beyond measure. But is thy heart, too, of iron that thou wilt not suffer thy companions to set f

e was greater than mine. Then said I, "Swear to me a mighty oath, one and all of yo

pring of fresh water, and the men got their supper ready. Having eaten their supper they fel

nd blew a hurricane. So we stayed upon the Island and the days and the weeks went by. When the corn we had brought

hunger is far the worst. Rather than die of hunger let us drive off the best cattle from the herds of the Sun. Then, if the go

. It was then that I awakened from my sleep. As I came down to the ship the smell of the roasting flesh came

e seventh day the winds ceased to blow. Then we went to the ship

that cloud the sea was darkened. The West Wind came in a rush, and the mast broke, and, in breaking, struck off the head of the pilot, and he

, at the rising of the sun? I found myself near Charybdis. My ship was sucked down. But I caught the branches of the fig tree that grew out of the rock and hung to it like a bat. There I staye

dwells. She took me to her dwelling and treated me kindly. But why tell the remainder of my toils? To thee, O Ki