Slaughter of Companions and Odysseus' Escape Plan — Euripides, Cyclops, lines 353–440, Greek & English

353

σύ τ’, ὦ φαεννῶν ἀστέρων οἰκῶν ἕδρας

And you, who inhabit the seats of the bright stars,

Ζεῦ ξένι’, ὅρα τάδ’· εἰ γὰρ αὐτὰ μὴ βλέπεις,

Zeus, god of hospitality, look upon this; for if you do not look upon it,

355

ἄλλως νομίζῃ¹ Ζεὺς τὸ μηδὲν ὢν θεός.

you are being regarded as Zeus in vain, being a god who is nothing.

Εὐρείας φάρυγγος, ὦ Κύκλωψ,

O Cyclops of the wide throat,

ἀναστόμου τὸ χεῖλος· ὡς ἕτοιμά σοι

open wide your lips; for ready for you

ἑφθὰ καὶ ὀπτὰ καὶ ἀνθρακιᾶς ἄπο

are things boiled and roasted and from the hot coals,

χναύειν, βρύκειν,

to gnaw, to devour,

κρεοκοπεῖν μέλη ξένων,

to carve up the limbs of the strangers,

360

δασυμάλλῳ ἐν αἰγίδι κλινομένῳ.

as you recline on your thick-wooled goat-skin.

Μή μοι μὴ προσδίδου·

Do not, do not share any with me;

μόνος μόνῳ γέμιζε πορθμίδος σκάφος.

alone by yourself, fill the hull of your ferry-boat.

χαιρέτω μὲν αὖλις ἅδε,

Farewell to this cave,

χαιρέτω δὲ θυμάτων

and farewell to the sacrifice,

365

ἀποβώμιος ἃν² ἔχει θυσίαν

far from the altar, which he keeps,

Κύκλωψ Αἰτναῖος ξενικῶν

the Etnaean Cyclops, rejoicing in the meal

κρεῶν κεχαρμένος βορᾷ.

of the strangers’ flesh.

Νηλής, ὦ τλᾶμον, ὅστις

Merciless, O wretched one, is he who

370

ἐφεστίους ἱκτῆρας ἐκθύει δόμων,

slaughters suppliants of the hearth from his home,

ἑφθά τε δαινύμενος, μυσαροῖσί τ’ ὀδοῦσιν

feasting on boiled meat, and with defiled teeth

κόπτων βρύκων

cutting and devouring

θέρμ’ ἀπ’ ἀνθράκων κρέα,

hot meat from the coals,

Μή μοι μὴ προσδίδου·

Do not, do not share any with me;

μόνος μόνῳ γέμιζε πορθμίδος σκάφος.

alone by yourself, fill the hull of your ferry-boat.

χαιρέτω μὲν αὖλις ἅδε,

Farewell to this cave,

χαιρέτω δὲ θυμάτων

and farewell to the sacrifice,

ἀποβώμιος ἃν ἔχει θυσίαν

far from the altar, which he keeps,

Κύκλωψ Αἰτναῖος ξενικῶν

the Etnaean Cyclops, rejoicing in the meal

κρεῶν κεχαρμένος βορᾷ.

of the strangers’ flesh.

375

ὦ Ζεῦ, τί λέξω, δείν’ ἰδὼν ἄντρων ἔσω

ODYSSEUS: O Zeus, what shall I say, having seen terrible things inside the cave,

κοὐ πιστά, μύθοις εἰκότ’, οὐδ’ ἔργοις βροτῶν;

and unbelievable, resembling myths, not the deeds of mortals?

τί δ’ ἔστ’, Ὀδυσσεῦ; μῶν τεθοίναται σέθεν

CHORUS: What is it, Odysseus? Has the most impious Cyclops feasted upon

φίλους ἑταίρους ἀνοσιώτατος Κύκλωψ;

your dear companions?

δισσούς γ’ ἀθρήσας³ κἀπιβαστάσας χεροῖν,

ODYSSEUS: Two of them, indeed, having observed them and weighed them in his hands,

380

οἳ σαρκὸς εἶχον εὐτραφέστατον πάχος.

those who had the most well-nourished thickness of flesh.

πῶς, ὦ ταλαίπωρ’, ἦτε πάσχοντες τάδε;

CHORUS: How, O wretched one, did you experience these things?

ἐπεὶ πετραίαν τήνδ’ ἐσήλθομεν χθόνα,

ODYSSEUS: When we entered this rocky place,

ἀνέκαυσε μὲν πῦρ πρῶτον, ὑψηλῆς δρυὸς

first he kindled a fire, throwing onto the wide hearth

κορμοὺς πλατείας ἐσχάρας βαλὼν ἔπι,

logs of a tall oak tree,

385

τρισσῶν ἁμαξῶν ὡς ἀγώγιμον βάρος.

about the weight of three wagon-loads.

ἔπειτα φύλλων ἐλατίνων χαμαιπετῆ

Then on the ground he spread a bed of fir leaves

ἔστρωσεν εὐνὴν πλησίον πυρὸς φλογί.

near the flame of the fire.

κρατῆρα δ’ ἐξέπλησεν ὡς δεκάμφορον,

And he filled a mixing-bowl of about ten amphoras,

μόσχους ἀμέλξας, λευκὸν ἐσχέας γάλα.

having milked the cows, pouring in the white milk.

390

σκύφος τε κισσοῦ παρέθετ’ εἰς εὖρος τριῶν

And he placed beside him an ivy-wood cup, about three cubits

πήχεων, βάθος δὲ τεσσάρων ἐφαίνετο.

in width, and in depth it appeared to be four.

καὶ χάλκεον λέβητ’ ἐπέζεσεν πυρί,

And he made a bronze cauldron boil over the fire,

ὀβελούς τ’, ἄκρους μὲν ἐγκεκαυμένους πυρί,

and spits, their tips indeed charred in the fire,

ξεστοὺς δὲ δρεπάνῳ τἄλλα, παλιούρου κλάδων,

but the rest smoothed with a sickle, made from branches of buckthorn,

395

Αἰτναῖά τε σφαγεῖα πελέκεων γνάθοις.

and Etnaean slaughter-bowls for the jaws of axes.

ὡς δ’ ἦν ἕτοιμα πάντα τῷ θεοστυγεῖ

And when everything was ready for that god-hated

Ἅιδου μαγείρῳ, φῶτε συμμάρψας δύο

cook of Hades, grasping two men of my companions

ἔσφαζ’ ἑταίρων τῶν ἐμῶν, ῥυθμῷ θ’ ἐνὶ

he slaughtered them, and in a single rhythm

τὸν μὲν λέβητος ἐς κύτος χαλκήλατον,

he threw one into the hollow of the bronze-beaten cauldron,

400

τὸν δ’ αὖ, τένοντος ἁρπάσας ἄκρου ποδός,

and the other, seizing him by the tendon of his foot’s end,

παίων πρὸς ὀξὺν στόνυχα πετραίου λίθου,

striking him against the sharp point of a rocky stone,

ἐγκέφαλον ἐξέρρανε, καὶ καθαρπάσας

he scattered his brains; and having cut up the flesh

λάβρῳ μαχαίρᾳ σάρκας ἐξώπτα πυρί

with a greedy knife, he roasted it on the fire,

τὰ δ’ ἐς λέβητ’ ἐφῆκεν ἕψεσθαι μέλη

and threw the limbs into the cauldron to boil.

405

ἐγὼ δ’ ὁ τλήμων δάκρυ’ ἀπ’ ὀφθαλμῶν χέων

And I, wretched man, shedding tears from my eyes,

ἐχριμπτόμην Κύκλωπι κἀδιακόνουν·

kept close to the Cyclops and served him.

ἄλλοι δ’ ὅπως ὄρνιθες ἐν μυχοῖς πέτρας

But the others, like birds in the recesses of the rock,

πτήξαντες εἶχον, αἷμα δ’ οὐκ ἐνῆν χροΐ.

remained cowering, and there was no blood in their skin.

ἐπεὶ δ’ ἑταίρων τῶν ἐμῶν πλησθεὶς βορᾶς

But when, filled with the meal of my companions,

410

ἀνέπεσε, φάρυγος αἰθέρ’ ἐξιεὶς βαρύν,

he fell back, sending out a heavy breath from his throat,

ἐσῆλθέ μοί τι θεῖον· ἐμπλήσας σκύφος

a certain divine idea came to me. Having filled a cup,

Μάρωνος αὐτῷ τοῦδε προσφέρω πιεῖν,

I offered him this wine of Maron to drink,

λέγων τάδ’· Ὦ τοῦ ποντίου θεοῦ Κύκλωψ,

saying these things: “O Cyclops, son of the sea god,

σκέψαι τόδ’ οἷον Ἑλλὰς ἀμπέλων ἄπο

look at this, what a divine drink Greece brings

415

θεῖον κομίζει πῶμα, Διονύσου γάνος.

from the vines, the joy of Dionysus.”

ὃ δ’ ἔκπλεως ὢν τῆς ἀναισχύντου βορᾶς

And he, being full of his shameless meal,

ἐδέξατ’ ἔσπασέν τ’ ἄμυστιν ἑλκύσας

received it and drained it at a single draught,

κἀπῄνεσ’ ἄρας χεῖρα· Φίλτατε ξένων,

and praised me, raising his hand: “Dearest of strangers,

καλὸν τὸ πῶμα δαιτὶ πρὸς καλῇ δίδως.

a beautiful drink you give to go with a beautiful feast.”

420

ἡσθέντα δ’ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐπῃσθόμην ἐγώ,

And when I perceived that he was pleased,

ἄλλην ἔδωκα κύλικα, γιγνώσκων ὅτι

I gave him another cup, knowing that

τρώσει νιν οἷνος καὶ δίκην δώσει τάχα.

the wine would trip him up and he would soon pay the penalty.

καὶ δὴ πρὸς ᾠδὰς εἷρπ’. ἐγὼ δ’ ἐπεγχέων

And indeed he turned to singing. But I, pouring in

ἄλλην ἐπ’ ἄλλῃ σπλάγχν’ ἐθέρμαινον ποτῷ.

cup after cup, warmed his innards with the drink.

425

ᾄδεῖ δὲ παρὰ κλαίουσι συνναύταις ἐμοῖς

And he sings alongside my weeping sailors,

ἄμουσ’, ἐπηχεῖ δ’ ἄντρον. ἐξελθὼν δ’ ἐγὼ

out of tune, and the cave resounds. But I came out

σιγῇ. σὲ σῶσαι κἄμ’, ἐὰν βούλῃ, θέλω.

in silence. I want to save you and myself, if you wish.

ἀλλ’ εἴπατ’ εἴτε χρῄζετ’ εἴτ’ οὐ χρῄζετε

But tell me whether you wish or do not wish

φεύγειν ἄμεικτον ἄνδρα καὶ τὰ Βακχίου

to flee this unsociable man and to dwell in

430

ναίειν μέλαθρα Δαναΐδων νυμφῶν μέτα.

the halls of Bacchus together with the Danaid nymphs.

ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔνδον σὸς πατὴρ τάδ’ ᾔνεσεν.

For your father inside has assented to this.

ἀλλ’ ἀσθενὴς γὰρ κἀποκερδαίνων ποτοῦ,

But indeed he is weak and snatching at the drink,

ὥσπερ πρὸς ἰξῷ τῇ κύλικι λελημμένος

caught by the cup as if by birdlime,

πτέρυγας ἀλύει· σὺ δέ—νεανίας γὰρ εἶ—

he flutters his wings; but you—for you are a young man—

435

σώθητι μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ τὸν ἀρχαῖον φίλον

save yourself with me, and recover your old friend

Διόνυσον ἀνάλαβ’, οὐ Κύκλωπι προσφερῆ.

Dionysus, who is not like the Cyclops.

ὦ φίλτατ’, εἰ γὰρ τήνδ’ ἴδοιμεν ἡμέραν,

CHORUS: O dearest friend, if only we might see that day,

Κύκλωπος ἐκφυγόντες ἀνόσιον κάρα.

having escaped the impious head of the Cyclops.

ὡς διὰ μακροῦ γε τὸν σίφωνα τὸν φίλον

For indeed after a long time we are deprived of

440

χηρεύομεν. —τὸν δ’ οὐκ ἔχομεν κατ’ αὗ φαγεῖν.

our beloved siphon. —And we will no longer have him to eat us.

Syntax notes3 items

355νομίζῃ
A present passive third-person singular form (a poetic variation, where Attic prose usually has νομίζεται), with Ζεύς as the subject, meaning 'Zeus is regarded [by mortals] as a god.' The participial phrase τὸ μηδὲν ὢν θεός ('being a god who is nothing') appositively modifies the subject Ζεύς.
365ἃν
The feminine singular accusative form of the relative pronoun, corresponding to the Attic ἥν (referring back to the antecedent θυσίαν). Since this is a choral lyric section, it reflects the Doric dialectal color (using long ᾱ instead of η) customary in Greek drama.
379δισσούς γ’ ἀθρήσας
An answer to the Chorus's question in the preceding line (μῶν τεθοίναται...; 'Has he feasted upon...?'). The main finite verb (such as ἔσφαξε 'he slaughtered') is omitted, and the participial phrase modifies the direct object 'two men' (δισσούς), describing the process of the action.

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

2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:353-440