Passing Scylla and Charybdis and Loss of Companions — Odyssey §12.192-12.257 (Homer) | Greek text & English translation

ὣς φάσαν ἱεῖσαι ὄπα κάλλιμον· αὐτὰρ ἐμὸν κῆρ

So they spoke, sending forth their beautiful voice; but my heart

ἤθελʼ ἀκουέμεναι, λῦσαί τʼ ἐκέλευον ἑταίρους

desired to listen, and I bade my companions to loose me,

ὀφρύσι νευστάζων¹· οἱ δὲ προπεσόντες ἔρεσσον.

nodding with my brows; but they bent forward and rowed.

αὐτίκα δʼ ἀνστάντες Περιμήδης Εὐρύλοχός τε

And straightway Perimedes and Eurylochus, rising up,

πλείοσί μʼ ἐν δεσμοῖσι δέον μᾶλλόν τε πίεζον.

bound me with yet more bonds and pressed me tighter.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τάς γε παρήλασαν, οὐδʼ ἔτʼ ἔπειτα

But when they had driven past them, and no longer thereafter

φθογγῆς Σειρήνων ἠκούομεν οὐδέ τʼ ἀοιδῆς,

did we hear the voice of the Sirens nor their song,

αἶψʼ ἀπὸ κηρὸν ἕλοντο ἐμοὶ ἐρίηρες ἑταῖροι,

straightway my trusty companions took away the wax

ὅν σφιν ἐπʼ ὠσὶν ἄλειψʼ, ἐμέ τʼ ἐκ δεσμῶν ἀνέλυσαν.

which I had anointed upon their ears, and freed me from my bonds.

ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τὴν νῆσον ἐλείπομεν, αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτα

But when we were indeed leaving the island, immediately thereafter

καπνὸν καὶ μέγα κῦμα ἴδον καὶ δοῦπον ἄκουσα.

I saw smoke and a great wave, and heard a thundering din.

τῶν δʼ ἄρα δεισάντων² ἐκ χειρῶν ἔπτατʼ ἐρετμά,

And from my terrified men the oars flew from their hands,

βόμβησαν δʼ ἄρα πάντα κατὰ ῥόον· ἔσχετο δʼ αὐτοῦ

and they all splashed in the running stream; and the ship

νηῦς, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτʼ ἐρετμὰ προήκεα χερσὶν ἔπειγον.

stopped there, since they no longer pressed forward the tapered oars with their hands.

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ διὰ νηὸς ἰὼν ὤτρυνον ἑταίρους

But I, going through the ship, encouraged my companions

μειλιχίοις ἐπέεσσι παρασταδὸν ἄνδρα ἕκαστον·

with gentle words, standing by each man:

ὦ φίλοι, οὐ γάρ πώ τι κακῶν ἀδαήμονές εἰμεν·

"O friends, for we are by no means unacquainted with evils;

οὐ μὲν δὴ τόδε μεῖζον ἕπει κακόν³, ἢ ὅτε Κύκλωψ

surely this evil is no greater than when the Cyclops

εἴλει ἐνὶ σπῆι γλαφυρῷ κρατερῆφι βίηφιν·

penned us in his hollow cave by his mighty force;

ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔνθεν ἐμῇ ἀρετῇ, βουλῇ τε νόῳ τε,

yet even from there, by my courage, counsel, and mind,

ἐκφύγομεν, καί που τῶνδε μνήσεσθαι ὀίω.

we escaped, and I think we shall one day remember these things as well.

νῦν δʼ ἄγεθʼ, ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα πάντες.

Now come, as I shall say, let us all obey.

ὑμεῖς μὲν κώπῃσιν ἁλὸς ῥηγμῖνα βαθεῖαν

Do you smite the deep surf of the sea with your oars

τύπτετε κληίδεσσιν ἐφήμενοι, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς

as you sit upon your benches, if perchance Zeus

δώῃ τόνδε γʼ ὄλεθρον ὑπεκφυγέειν καὶ ἀλύξαι·

may grant us to escape this destruction and avoid it;

σοὶ δέ, κυβερνῆθʼ, ὧδʼ ἐπιτέλλομαι· ἀλλʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ

and to you, helmsman, I charge this: lay it in your heart,

βάλλευ, ἐπεὶ νηὸς γλαφυρῆς οἰήια νωμᾷς.

since you guide the steering-oars of our hollow ship.

τούτου μὲν καπνοῦ καὶ κύματος ἐκτὸς⁴ ἔεργε

Keep the ship outside of this smoke and wave,

νῆα, σὺ δὲ σκοπέλου ἐπιμαίεο, μή σε λάθῃσι

and do you hug the cliff, lest she slip away from you

κεῖσʼ ἐξορμήσασα καὶ ἐς κακὸν ἄμμε βάλῃσθα.

rushing thither, and you cast us into disaster."

ὣς ἐφάμην, οἱ δʼ ὦκα ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι πίθοντο.

So I spoke, and they quickly obeyed my words.

Σκύλλην δʼ οὐκέτʼ ἐμυθεόμην, ἄπρηκτον ἀνίην,

But of Scylla I spoke no more, an incurable grief,

μή πώς μοι δείσαντες ἀπολλήξειαν ἑταῖροι

lest my companions, fearing, should cease

εἰρεσίης, ἐντὸς δὲ πυκάζοιεν σφέας αὐτούς.

from rowing and hide themselves within the ship.

καὶ τότε δὴ Κίρκης μὲν ἐφημοσύνης ἀλεγεινῆς

And then indeed, of Circe's painful command

λανθανόμην, ἐπεὶ οὔ τί μʼ ἀνώγει θωρήσσεσθαι·

I forgot, since she bade me by no means to arm myself;

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καταδὺς κλυτὰ τεύχεα καὶ δύο δοῦρε

but I, putting on my famous armor and taking two long spears

μάκρʼ ἐν χερσὶν ἑλὼν εἰς ἴκρια νηὸς ἔβαινον

in my hands, went onto the deck of the ship,

πρῴρης· ἔνθεν γάρ μιν ἐδέγμην πρῶτα φανεῖσθαι

at the prow; for from there I expected her first to appear,

Σκύλλην πετραίην, ἥ μοι φέρε πῆμʼ ἑτάροισιν.

rocky Scylla, who was to bring ruin to my companions.

οὐδέ πῃ ἀθρῆσαι δυνάμην, ἔκαμον δέ μοι ὄσσε

But nowhere could I descry her, and my eyes grew weary

πάντῃ παπταίνοντι πρὸς ἠεροειδέα πέτρην.

as I looked every way toward the misty rock.

ἡμεῖς μὲν στεινωπὸν ἀνεπλέομεν γοόωντες·

So we sailed up the strait, weeping;

ἔνθεν μὲν Σκύλλη, ἑτέρωθι δὲ δῖα Χάρυβδις

on one side was Scylla, and on the other divine Charybdis

δεινὸν ἀνερροίβδησε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ.

terribly sucked down the salty water of the sea.

ἦ τοι ὅτʼ ἐξεμέσειε, λέβης ὣς ἐν πυρὶ πολλῷ

Verily, when she vomited it up, like a cauldron on a great fire

πᾶσʼ ἀναμορμύρεσκε κυκωμένη, ὑψόσε δʼ ἄχνη

she would seethe and bubble all over, and high up the spray

ἄκροισι σκοπέλοισιν ἐπʼ ἀμφοτέροισιν ἔπιπτεν·

would fall upon the tops of both the cliffs;

ἀλλʼ ὅτʼ ἀναβρόξειε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ,

but when she swallowed down the salty water of the sea,

πᾶσʼ ἔντοσθε φάνεσκε κυκωμένη, ἀμφὶ δὲ πέτρη

she showed all within, seething, and the rock around

δεινὸν ἐβεβρύχει, ὑπένερθε δὲ γαῖα φάνεσκε

bellowed terribly, and below the earth appeared

ψάμμῳ κυανέη· τοὺς δὲ χλωρὸν δέος ᾕρει.

dark with sand; and pale fear seized my men.

ἡμεῖς μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἴδομεν δείσαντες ὄλεθρον·

We looked toward her, fearing destruction;

τόφρα δέ μοι Σκύλλη γλαφυρῆς ἐκ νηὸς ἑταίρους

meanwhile Scylla snatched from my hollow ship six of my companions,

ἓξ ἕλεθʼ, οἳ χερσίν τε βίηφί τε φέρτατοι ἦσαν.

who were the best in strength and might.

σκεψάμενος δʼ ἐς νῆα θοὴν ἅμα καὶ μεθʼ ἑταίρους

And looking onto the swift ship and also for my companions,

ἤδη τῶν ἐνόησα πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν

already I perceived their feet and hands above,

ὑψόσʼ ἀειρομένων· ἐμὲ δὲ φθέγγοντο καλεῦντες

raised on high; and they cried out, calling me

ἐξονομακλήδην, τότε γʼ ὕστατον, ἀχνύμενοι κῆρ.

by name, for that last time, grieved at heart.

ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ⁵ ἁλιεὺς περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ

And as when a fisherman on a jutting rock with a long rod

ἰχθύσι τοῖς ὀλίγοισι δόλον κατὰ εἴδατα βάλλων

casts baits as a snare for little fish,

ἐς πόντον προΐησι βοὸς κέρας ἀγραύλοιο,

and lets down into the sea the horn of an ox of the field,

ἀσπαίροντα δʼ ἔπειτα λαβὼν ἔρριψε θύραζε,

and then takes the gasping fish and flings it ashore,

ὣς οἵ γʼ ἀσπαίροντες ἀείροντο προτὶ πέτρας·

so they, gasping, were raised up toward the rocks;

αὐτοῦ δʼ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι κατήσθιε κεκληγῶτας

and there at her doors she devoured them, as they shrieked

χεῖρας ἐμοὶ ὀρέγοντας ἐν αἰνῇ δηιοτῆτι·

and stretched out their hands to me in their terrible struggle.

Syntax notes5 items

12.194ὀφρύσι νευστάζων
The participle νευστάζων (nodding) with the dative of instrument ὀφρύσι (with brows) depicts Odysseus attempting to convey his command through visual gestures to his companions who cannot hear due to the wax in their ears.
12.203τῶν δʼ ἄρα δεισάντων
A genitive absolute construction where the pronoun τῶν refers to the companions, while the subject of the main verb ἔπτατο (3rd sg. aorist of πέτομαι) is the neuter plural ἐρετμά (oars), which takes a singular verb.
12.209οὐ μὲν δὴ τόδε μεῖζον ἕπει κακόν
The comparative μεῖζον correlates with ἤ (than). It forms a strong assertion with the negative particles οὐ μὲν δή, meaning 'this evil is by no means greater than when the Cyclops...'
12.219τούτου μὲν καπνοῦ καὶ κύματος ἐκτὸς
The prepositional adverb ἐκτός (outside, away from) governs the genitive cases τούτου καπνοῦ καὶ κύματος. Combined with the imperative verb ἔεργε (keep away), it forms a command to steer the ship away from the danger.
12.251ὡς δʼ ὅτʼ ἐπὶ προβόλῳ
A classic introduction to a Homeric simile. The extended comparison spans lines 251-254 and returns to the main narrative in line 255 with ὣς οἵ γʼ (so they...), showcasing a distinctive epic structural device.

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:12.192-12.257