Lament of Silenus and Arrival of Odysseus — Euripides, Cyclops, lines 1–102, Greek & English

Ὦ Βρόμιε, διὰ σὲ μυρίους ἔχω πόνους

SILENUS: O Bromius, because of you I have countless troubles,

νῦν χὥτ’¹ ἐν ἥβῃ τοὐμὸν εὐσθένει δέμας·

both now and when my body was strong in youth.

πρῶτον μέν, ἡνίκ’ ἐμμανὴς Ἥρας ὕπο

First, indeed, when, driven mad by Hera,

Νύμφας ὀρείας ἐκλιπὼν ᾤχου τροφούς·

you left the mountain Nymphs who nursed you and fled;

ἔπειτά γ’ ἀμφὶ γηγενῆ μάχην δορὸς

and next, in the battle of the spear against the earthborn,

ἐνδέξιος σῷ ποδὶ παρασπιστὴς γεγὼς

standing on your right hand as a shield-bearing comrade,

Ἐγκέλαδον ἰτέαν εἰς μέσην θενὼν² δορὶ

and striking Enceladus with my spear right in the middle of his targe,

ἔκτεινα—φέρ’ ἴδω, τοῦτ’ ἰδὼν ὄναρ λέγω;

I slew him—let me see, did I see this in a dream and now speak of it?

οὐ μὰ Δί’, ἐπεὶ καὶ σκῦλ’ ἔδειξα βακχίῳ.

No, by Zeus, since I even showed the spoils to Bacchus.

καὶ νῦν ἐκείνων μείζον’ ἐξαντλῶ πόνον.

And now I am enduring a labor even greater than those.

ἐπεὶ γὰρ Ἥρα σοι³ γένος Τυρσηνικὸν

For when Hera stirred up against you the Tyrrhenian race

λῃστῶν ἐπῶρσεν, ὡς ὁδηθείης μακράν,

of pirates, so that you might be carried far away,

ἐγὼ πυθόμενος σὺν τέκνοισι ναυστολῶ

I, having learned of it, set sail with my children

σέθεν κατὰ ζήτησιν. ἐν πρύμνῃ δ’ ἄκρᾳ

in search of you. And at the very stern,

αὐτὸς λαβὼν ηὔθυνον ἀμφῆρες δόρυ,

I myself held and guided the two-oared helm,

παῖδες δ’ ἐρετμοῖς ἥμενοι γλαυκὴν ἅλα

while my sons, sitting at the oars, made the gray sea

ῥοθίοισι λευκαίνοντες ἐζήτουν σ’, ἄναξ.

white with foam as they sought you, O king.

ἤδη δὲ Μαλέας πλησίον πεπλευκότας⁴

But just as we had sailed near Malea,

ἀπηλιώτης ἄνεμος ἐμπνεύσας δορὶ

an east wind, blowing hard against our vessel,

ἐξέβαλεν ἡμᾶς τήνδ’ ἐς Αἰτναίαν πέτραν,

cast us out onto this rocky shore of Etna,

ἵν’ οἱ μονῶπες ποντίου παῖδες θεοῦ

where the one-eyed sons of the ocean god,

Kύκλωπες οἰκοῦσ’ ἄντρ’ ἔρημ’ ἀνδροκτόνοι.

the man-slaying Cyclopes, dwell in desolate caves.

τούτων ἑνὸς ληφθέντες ἐσμὲν ἐν δόμοις

Captured by one of them, we are in his house

δοῦλοι· καλοῦσι δ’ αὐτὸν ᾧ λατρεύομεν

as slaves; and they call him whom we serve

Πολύφημον· ἀντὶ δ’ εὐίων βακχευμάτων

Polyphemus. And instead of the joyous Bacchic revels,

ποίμνας Κύκλωπος ἀνοσίου ποιμαίνομεν.

we tend the flocks of an impious Cyclops.

παῖδες μὲν οὖν μοι κλιτύων ἐν ἐσχάτοις

So my sons, on the outermost slopes of the hills,

νέμουσι μῆλα νέα νέοι πεφυκότες,

tend the young sheep, being themselves young;

ἐγὼ δὲ πληροῦν πίστρα καὶ σαίρειν στέγας

while I, remaining behind to fill the drinking troughs and sweep the house,

μένων τέταγμαι τάσδε, τῷδε δυσσεβεῖ

am appointed to stay here as a servant of unholy banquets

Κύκλωπι δείπνων ἀνοσίων διάκονος.

for this impious Cyclops.

καὶ νῦν, τὰ προσταχθέντ’, ἀναγκαίως ἔχει

And now, as I must do what is commanded,

σαίρειν σιδηρᾷ τῇδέ μ’⁵ ἁρπάγῃ δόμους,

I must sweep the house with this iron rake,

ὡς τόν τ’ ἀπόντα δεσπότην Κύκλωπ’ ἐμὸν

so that both my absent master, the Cyclops,

καθαροῖσιν ἄντροις μῆλά τ’ ἐσδεχώμεθα.

and his sheep may be received into clean caves.

ἤδη δὲ παῖδας προσνέμοντας εἰσορῶ

But already I see my sons driving the flocks

ποίμνας. τί ταῦτα; μῶν κρότος σικινίδων

home. What is this? Is the rattle of the sikinnis-dance

ὁμοῖος ὑμῖν νῦν τε χὥτε βακχίῳ

the same for you now as when, accompanying Bacchus,

κῶμοι συνασπίζοντες Ἀλθαίας δόμους

you went to the halls of Althaea in revelry,

προσῇτ’ ἀοιδαῖς βαρβίτων σαυλούμενοι;

approaching with songs, swaying to the lyres?

παῖ⁶ γενναίων μὲν πατέρων

CHORUS: O child of noble fathers

γενναίων τ’ ἐκ τοκάδων,

and of noble mothers,

πᾷ δή μοι νίσῃ σκοπέλους;

whither, I pray, do you go from me over the cliffs?

οὐ τᾷδ’ ὑπήνεμος αὔρα

Is there not here a gentle breeze

καὶ ποιηρὰ βοτάνα;

and grassy herbage?

δινᾶέν θ’ ὕδωρ ποταμῶν

And does not the swirling water of rivers

ἐν πίστραις κεῖται πέλας ἄν-

lie in the troughs near the caves?

τρων; οὔ σοι βλαχαὶ τεκέων;

Do you not hear the bleat of your young?

—ψύττ’· οὐ τᾷδ’ οὔ; οὐ τᾷδε νεμῇ

—Shoo! Not this way, no? Will you not graze here,

κλιτὺν δροσεράν;

on the dewy slope?

ὠή, ῥίψω πέτρον τάχα σου

Ho! I shall throw a stone at you soon.

—ὕπαγ’ ὦ ὕπαγ’ ὦ κεράστα—

—Go on, oh go on, horn-bearing flock,

μηλοβότα στασιωρὸν

to the sheep-cote of the wild

Κύκλωπος ἀγροβάτα.

herdsman Cyclops.

σπαργῶντας μαστοὺς χάλασον·

Slacken your swelling udders;

δέξαι θηλαῖσι σπορὰς

receive into your teats the offspring

ἃς λείπεις ἀρνῶν θαλάμοις.

whom you leave in the lambs’ pens.

ποθοῦσί σ’ ἁμερόκοιτοι

The day-sleeping bleats of your small young

βλαχαὶ σμικρῶν τεκέων.

long for you.

εἰς αὐλὰν πότ’ ἀμφιβαλεῖς

When will you return to the fold,

ποιηροὺς λείπουσα νομοὺς

leaving the grassy pastures,

Αἰτναίων εἴσω σκοπέλων;

inside the cliffs of Etna?

—νύττ’· οὐ τᾷδ’ οὔ; οὐ τᾷδε νεμῇ

—Poke! Not this way, no? Will you not graze here,

κλιτὺν δροσεράν;

on the dewy slope?

ὠή, ῥίψω πέτρον τάχα σου

Ho! I shall throw a stone at you soon.

—ὕπαγ’ ὦ ὕπαγ’ ὦ κεράστα—

—Go on, oh go on, horn-bearing flock,

μηλοβότα στασιωρὸν

to the sheep-cote of the wild

Κύκλωπος ἀγροβάτα.

herdsman Cyclops.

οὐ τάδε Βρόμιος, οὐ τάδε χοροὶ

No Bromius is here, nor dances,

Βάκχαι τε θυρσοφόροι,

nor the thyrse-bearing Bacchae,

οὐ τυμπάνων ἀλαλαγμοὶ

no clash of cymbals

κρήναις παρ’ ὑδροχύτοις,

by the water-flowing springs,

οὐκ οἴνου χλωραὶ σταγόνες·

nor fresh drops of wine;

οὐδ’ ἐν Νύσᾳ μετὰ Νυμφᾶν

nor in Nysa with the Nymphs

ἴακχον ἴακχον ᾠδὰν

do I sing the song ‘Iacchus, Iacchus’

μέλπω πρὸς τὰν Ἀφροδίταν,

to Aphrodite,

ἃν θηρεύων πετόμαν

whom I used to pursue flying

Βάκχαις σὺν λευκόποσιν

together with the white-footed Bacchae,

ὦ φίλος·

O dear friend,

ὦ φίλε Βακχεῖε, ποῖ οἰοπολεῖς;

O dear Bacchic one, where do you wander alone,

ποῖ ξανθὰν χαίταν σείεις;

where do you shake your golden hair?

ἐγὼ δ’ ὁ σὸς πρόπολος

While I, your servant,

θητεύω Κύκλωπι

serve as a slave to the Cyclops,

τῷ μονοδέρκτᾳ δοῦλος ἀλαίνων

wandering as a slave of the one-eyed monster,

σὺν τᾷδε τράγου χλαίνᾳ μελέᾳ

in this wretched goatskin cloak,

σᾶς χωρὶς φιλίας.

apart from your friendship.

σιγήσατ’, ὦ τέκν’, ἄντρα δ’ ἐς πετρηρεφῆ

SILENUS: Be silent, my children, and tell your attendants

ποίμνας ἀθροῖσαι προσπόλους κελεύσατε.

to gather the flocks into the rock-roofed cave.

χωρεῖτ’· ἀτὰρ δὴ τίνα, πάτερ, σπουδὴν ἔχεις;

CHORUS LEADER: Go on! But indeed, father, what is your haste?

ὁρῶ πρὸς ἀκταῖς ναὸς Ἑλλάδος σκάφος

SILENUS: I see the hull of a Greek ship at the shore,

κώπης τ’ ἄνακτας σὺν στρατηλάτῃ τινὶ

and the masters of the oars with some leader

στείχοντας ἐς τόδ’ ἄντρον· ἀμφὶ δ’ αὐχέσι

coming toward this cave. And about their necks

τεύχη φέρονται κενά, βορᾶς κεχρημένοι,

they carry empty vessels, being in need of food,

κρωσσούς θ’ ὑδρηλούς. ὦ ταλαίπωροι ξένοι,

and water pitchers. O unhappy strangers,

τίνες ποτ’ εἰσίν; οὐκ ἴσασι δεσπότην

whoever can they be? They do not know what kind of master

Πολύφημον οἷός ἐστιν, ἄξενον στέγην

Polyphemus is, entering this inhospitable roof

τήνδ’ ἐμβεβῶτες καὶ Κυκλωπίαν γνάθον

and having unfortunately arrived at the man-eating

τὴν ἀνδροβρῶτα δυστυχῶς ἀφιγμένοι.

jaw of the Cyclops.

ἀλλ’ ἥσυχοι γίγνεσθ’, ἵν’ ἐκπυθώμεθα

But keep quiet, so that we may learn

πόθεν πάρεισι Σικελὸν Αἰτναῖον πάγον.

whence they have come to the Sicilian peak of Etna.

ξένοι, φράσαιτ’ ἂν νᾶμα ποτάμιον πόθεν

ODYSSEUS: Strangers, could you tell us where we might find flowing river water

δίψης ἄκος λάβοιμεν, εἴ τέ τις θέλει

to cure our thirst, and if anyone is willing

βορὰν ὁδῆσαι ναυτίλοις κεχρημένοις;

to sell food to needy sailors?

--τί χρῆμα; Βρομίου πόλιν ἔοιγμεν ἐσβαλεῖν·

What is this? We seem to have entered a city of Bromius;

100

Σατύρων πρὸς ἄντροις τόνδ’ ὅμιλον εἰσορῶ.

I see this crowd of Satyrs near the caves.

χαίρειν προσεῖπα πρῶτα τὸν γεραίτατον.

I bid greetings first to the eldest among you.

χαῖρ’, ὦ ξέν’, ὅστις δ’ εἶ φράσον πάτραν τε σήν.

SILENUS: Greetings, stranger! But tell me who you are and what your homeland is.

Syntax notes6 items

2χὥτ’
A combination of καὶ and ὅτε through crasis and elision. It correlates with νῦν to mean "both now and [at that time] when...".
7Ἐγκέλαδον ἰτέαν εἰς μέσην θενὼν
"Striking Enceladus in the middle of his shield." This features a double accusative (whole and part accusative), where both the person (Ἐγκέλαδον) and the part struck (ἰτέαν εἰς μέσην, literally "into the middle of the willow targe") are in the accusative case.
11σοι
Dative of disadvantage (dativus incommodi), indicating the person against whom Hera's action was directed ("against you" or "to your detriment").
18πεπλευκότας
Accusative plural of the perfect active participle, modifying the pronoun ἡμᾶς ("us") in line 20. It describes the state prior to the main verb ἐξέβαλεν ("cast out").
32ἀναγκαίως ἔχει ... μ’
The expression ἀναγκαίως ἔχει (adverb + ἔχω) is used impersonally to mean "it is necessary." The accusative μ' in line 33 acts as the subject of the infinitive σαίρειν ("to sweep").
41παῖ
Vocative of παῖς ("child"). Although normally used for humans, here the Chorus of Satyrs addresses a sheep (or the leader of the flock) in a personified manner.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1-102