Odysseus's Plea and the Cyclops's Impious Threat — Euripides, Cyclops, lines 269–352, Greek & English

269

οἱ παῖδες ἀπόλοινθ’, οὓς μάλιστ’ ἐγὼ φιλῶ.

SILENUS: May my children perish, whom I love most.

270

αὐτὸς ἔχ’.¹ ἔγωγε τοῖς ξένοις τὰ χρήματα

CHORUS: Hold it there! I myself saw you selling the goods

περνάντα σ’ εἶδον· εἰ δ’ ἐγὼ ψευδῆ λέγω,

to the strangers. And if I am lying,

ἀπόλοιθ’ ὁ πατήρ μου· τοὺς ξένους δὲ μὴ ἀδίκει.

may my father perish. But do not wrong the strangers.

ψεύδεσθ’· ἔγωγε τῷδε τοῦ Ῥαδαμάνθυος

CYCLOPS: You are lying. I trust this man more than Rhadamanthys,

μᾶλλον πέποιθα καὶ δικαιότερον λέγω.

and I say he speaks more justly.

275

θέλω δ’ ἐρέσθαι· πόθεν ἐπλεύσατ’, ὦ ξένοι;

But I want to ask: where did you sail from, O strangers?

ποδαποί; τίς ὑμᾶς ἐξεπαίδευσεν πόλις;

Of what country are you? What city educated you?

Ἰθακήσιοι μὲν τὸ γένος, Ἰλίου δ’ ἄπο,

ODYSSEUS: Ithacans by race, and from Ilium,

πέρσαντες ἄστυ, πνεύμασιν θαλασσίοις

having sacked the city, driven out by sea-winds

σὴν γαῖαν ἐξωσθέντες ἥκομεν, Κύκλωψ.

to your land we have come, Cyclops.

280

ἦ τῆς κακίστης οἳ μετήλθεθ’ ἁρπαγὰς

CYCLOPS: Are you the ones who pursued the rape of that most evil

Ἑλένης Σκαμάνδρου γείτον’ Ἰλίου πόλιν;

Helen to the city of Ilium, neighbor of Scamander?

οὗτοι, πόνον τὸν δεινὸν ἐξηντληκότες.

ODYSSEUS: The very ones, having exhausted that terrible labor.

αἰσχρὸν στράτευμά γ’, οἵτινες μιᾶς χάριν

CYCLOPS: A shameful expedition indeed, you who for the sake of one

γυναικὸς ἐξεπλεύσατ’ ἐς γαῖαν Φρυγῶν.

woman sailed out to the land of the Phrygians.

285

θεοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα· μηδέν’ αἰτιῶ βροτῶν.

ODYSSEUS: It was a god’s deed. Blame no mortal.

ἡμεῖς δέ σ’, ὦ θεοῦ ποντίου γενναῖε παῖ,

And we implore you, noble son of the sea god,

ἱκετεύομέν τε καὶ λέγομεν ἐλευθέρως·

and speak freely:

μὴ τλῇς πρὸς ἄντρα σοι ἐσαφιγμένους φίλους

do not bring yourself to kill friends who have come to your caves,

κτανεῖν βοράν τε δυσσεβῆ θέσθαι γνάθοις·

and make them an impious meal for your jaws;

290

οἳ τὸν σόν, ὦναξ, πατέρ’ ἔχειν νεῶν ἕδρας²

we who, O king, protected your father’s temple seats

ἐρρυσάμεσθα γῆς ἐν Ἑλλάδος μυχοῖς.

in the recesses of the land of Hellas.

ἱερεύς τ’ ἄθραυστος Ταινάρου μένει λιμὴν

And the unbroken harbor of Taenarus remains,

Μαλέας τ’ ἄκροι κευθμῶνες ἥ τε Σουνίου

and Malea’s deep recesses, and Sunium’s

δίας Ἀθάνας σῶς ὑπάργυρος πέτρα

divine Athena’s safe silver-bearing rock,

295

Γεραίστιοί τε καταφυγαί· τὰ θ’ Ἑλλάδος

and Geraestus’ refuges; and we did not give Hellas’

δύσφρον’ ὀνείδη Φρυξὶν οὐκ ἐδώκαμεν·

shameful disgrace to the Phrygians;

ὧν καὶ σὺ κοινοῖ· γῆς γὰρ Ἑλλάδος μυχοὺς

in which you too share, for you inhabit the recesses of the land of Greece

οἰκεῖς ὑπ’ Αἴτνῃ, τῇ πυριστάκτῳ πέτρᾳ.

under Etna, the fire-dripping rock.

νόμος δὲ θνητοῖς, εἰ λόγους ἀποστρέφῃ,

And it is a law for mortals, even if you turn away from our words,

300

ἱκέτας δέχεσθαι ποντίους ἐφθαρμένους

to receive shipwrecked suppliants of the sea,

ξένιά τε δοῦναι καὶ πέπλοις ἐπαρκέσαι,

to give guest-gifts and supply garments,

οὐκ ἀμφὶ βουπόροισι πηχθέντας μέλη

not that, with their limbs fixed on spits for roasting oxen,

ὀβελοῖσι νηδὺν καὶ γνάθον πλῆσαι σέθεν.

they should fill your belly and jaw.

ἅλις δὲ Πριάμου γαῖ’ ἐχήρωσ’ Ἑλλάδα,

Enough did Priam’s land widow Hellas,

305

πολλῶν νεκρῶν πιοῦσα δοριπετῆ φόνον,

drinking the spear-slain slaughter of many dead,

ἀλόχους τ’ ἀνάνδρους γραῦς τ’ ἄπαιδας ὤλεσεν

and destroyed husbands-lacking wives, and childless old women,

πολιούς τε πατέρας. εἰ δὲ τοὺς λελειμμένους

and grey-haired fathers. But if you, having roasted those who are left,

σὺ συμπυρώσας δαῖτ’ ἀναλώσεις πικράν,

consume them in a bitter feast,

ποῖ τρέψεταί τις; ἀλλ’ ἐμοὶ πιθοῦ, Κύκλωψ·

whither shall anyone turn? But obey me, Cyclops:

310

πάρες τὸ μάργον σῆς γνάθου, τὸ δ’ εὐσεβὲς

abandon the greed of your jaw, and choose piety

τῆς δυσσεβείας ἀνθελοῦ· πολλοῖσι γὰρ

instead of impiety. For to many,

κέρδη πονηρὰ ζημίαν ἠμείψατο.

evil gains have exchanged for loss.

παραινέσαι σοι βούλομαι· τῶν γὰρ κρεῶν³

SILENUS: I want to give you advice: of his flesh

μηδὲν λίπῃς τοῦδ’, ἤν τε τὴν γλῶσσαν δάκῃς,

leave nothing, and if you bite his tongue,

315

κομψὸς γενήσῃ καὶ λαλίστατος, Κύκλωψ.

you will become clever and most talkative, Cyclops.

ὁ πλοῦτος, ἀνθρωπίσκε, τοῖς σοφοῖς θεός,

CYCLOPS: Wealth, little man, is the god for the wise,

τὰ δ’ ἄλλα κόμποι καὶ λόγων εὐμορφίαι.

everything else is mere boast and beauty of words.

ἄκρας δ’ ἐναλίας ἃς καθίδρυται πατὴρ

And as for the maritime headlands where my father is established,

χαίρειν κελεύω· τί τάδε προυστήσω λόγῳ;

I bid them farewell! Why did you put these forward in your speech?

320

Ζηνὸς δ’ ἐγὼ κεραυνὸν οὐ φρίσσω, ξένε,

I do not shudder at Zeus’s thunderbolt, stranger,

οὐδ’ οἶδ’ ὅ τι Ζεύς ἐστ’ ἐμοῦ κρείσσων θεός.

nor do I know in what way Zeus is a stronger god than I.

οὔ μοι μέλει τὸ λοιπόν· ὡς δ’ οὔ μοι μέλει,

I do not care for the rest; and how I do not care,

ἄκουσον. ὅταν ἄνωθεν ὄμβρον ἐκχέῃ,

listen: When he pours down rain from above,

ἐν τῇδε πέτρᾳ στέγν’ ἔχων σκηνώματα,

having dry quarters in this rock,

325

ἢ μόσχον ὀπτὸν ἤ τι θήρειον δάκος

feasting on a roasted calf or some wild beast,

δαινύμενος, εὖ τέγγων τε γαστέρ’ ὑπτίαν,

and well-wetting my belly laid on its back,

ἐπεκπιὼν γάλακτος ἀμφορέα, πέπλον

drinking besides an amphora of milk, I strike my garment,

κρούω, Διὸς βρονταῖσιν εἰς ἔριν κτυπῶν.

making a noise to rival Zeus’s thunderclaps.

ὅταν δὲ βορέας χιόνα Θρῄκιος χέῃ,

And when the Thracian North wind pours down snow,

330

δοραῖσι θηρῶν σῶμα περιβαλὼν ἐμὸν

wrapping my body in skins of beasts,

καὶ πῦρ ἀναίθων—χιόνος οὐδέν μοι μέλει.

and lighting a fire—I care nothing for snow.

ἡ γῆ δ’ ἀνάγκῃ, κἂν θέλῃ κἂν μὴ θέλῃ,

And the earth by necessity, whether she wants to or not,

τίκτουσα ποίαν τἀμὰ πιαίνει βοτά.

bearing grass, fattens my cattle.

ἁγὼ οὔτινι θύω πλὴν ἐμοί, θεοῖσι δ’ οὔ,

Which things I sacrifice to no one but myself—not to the gods—

335

καὶ τῇ μεγίστῃ, γαστρὶ τῇδε, δαιμόνων.

and to this belly, the greatest of deities.

ὡς τοὐμπιεῖν γε⁴ κὰμφαγεῖν τοὐφ’ ἡμέραν

For to drink and to eat day by day,

Ζεὺς οὗτος ἀνθρώποισι τοῖσι σώφροσιν,

this is Zeus for wise men,

λυπεῖν δὲ μηδὲν αὑτόν. οἳ δὲ τοὺς νόμους

and to vex oneself in no way. But those who established laws,

ἔθεντο ποικίλλοντες ἀνθρώπων βίον,

making human life complicated,

340

κλαίειν ἄνωγα·⁵ τὴν δ’ ἐμὴν ψυχὴν ἐγὼ

I tell them to go weep. But I will not cease

οὐ παύσομαι δρῶν εὖ—κατεσθίων τε σέ.

doing good to my own soul—by devouring you.

ξένιά τε λήψῃ τοιάδ’, ὡς ἄμεμπτος ὦ,

And you shall receive such guest-gifts, so that I may be blameless:

πῦρ καὶ πατρῷον τόνδε λέβητά γ’, ὃς ζέσας

fire, and this cauldron of my father, which, boiling,

σὴν σάρκα διαφόρητον ἀμφέξει καλῶς.

will wrap your carved-up flesh nicely.

345

ἀλλ’ ἕρπετ’ εἴσω, τῷ κατ’ αὔλιον θεῷ

But creep inside, to the god of the cave,

ἵν’ ἀμφὶ βωμὸν στάντες εὐωχῆτέ με.

so that, standing around the altar, you may feast me.

αἰαῖ, πόνους μὲν Τρωικοὺς ὑπεξέδυν

ODYSSEUS: O, I escaped the Trojan labors

θαλασσίους τε, νῦν δ’ ἐς ἀνδρὸς ἀνοσίου

and those of the sea, but now I have run into the mind of an impious man

γνώμην κατέσχον ἀλίμενόν τε καρδίαν.

and his harborless heart.

350

ὦ Παλλάς, ὦ δέσποινα Διογενὲς θεά,

O Pallas, O mistress, Zeus-born goddess,

νῦν νῦν ἄρηξον· κρείσσονας γὰρ Ἰλίου

now, now help! For I have come to troubles greater than Troy,

πόνους ἀφῖγμαι κἀπὶ κινδύνου βάθρα.

and to the very depths of danger.

Syntax notes5 items

270αὐτὸς ἔχ’
An interjectory expression meaning "hold on!" or "stop right there!" used by the Chorus to interrupt Silenus's obvious lie and expose his dishonesty.
290νεῶν ἕδρας
"temple seats of ships," referring to the sanctuaries of Poseidon established near harbors. Accusative, serving as the object of the verb ἐρρυσάμεσθα in §291.
313τῶν γὰρ κρεῶν
Partitive genitive. Dependent on the negative pronoun μηδέν in §314, forming the structure meaning "leave nothing of his flesh."
336ὡς τοὐμπιεῖν γε
Articular infinitives in crasis (toùmpieîn < τὸ ἐμπιεῖν, kàmphageîn < καὶ ἀμφαγεῖν) act as the subject, forming a bold appositive relation with "this is Zeus for wise men" (Ζεὺς οὗτος) in §337.
340κλαίειν ἄνωγα
Literally meaning "I command them to weep," but functioning as an idiomatic expression of dismissive rejection and contempt towards those who establish laws, meaning "to hell with them."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:269-352