§10.288ἔρχευ, ὅ κέν τοι κρατὸς ἀλάλκῃσιν κακὸν ἦμαρ. §10.289πάντα δέ τοι ἐρέω ὀλοφώια δήνεα Κίρκης. §10.290τεύξει τοι κυκεῶ, βαλέει δʼ ἐν φάρμακα σίτῳ. §10.291ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὣς θέλξαι σε δυνήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐάσει §10.292φάρμακον ἐσθλόν, ὅ τοι δώσω, ἐρέω δὲ ἕκαστα. §10.293ὁππότε κεν Κίρκη σʼ ἐλάσῃ περιμήκεϊ ῥάβδῳ, §10.294δὴ τότε σὺ ξίφος ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ §10.295Κίρκῃ ἐπαῖξαι, ὥς τε κτάμεναι μενεαίνων. §10.296ἡ δέ σʼ ὑποδείσασα κελήσεται εὐνηθῆναι· §10.297ἔνθα σὺ μηκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀπανήνασθαι θεοῦ εὐνήν, §10.298ὄφρα κέ τοι λύσῃ θʼ ἑτάρους αὐτόν τε κομίσσῃ· §10.299ἀλλὰ κέλεσθαί μιν μακάρων μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι, §10.300μή τί τοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο, §10.301μή σʼ ἀπογυμνωθέντα κακὸν καὶ ἀνήνορα θήῃ. §10.302ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας πόρε φάρμακον ἀργεϊφόντης §10.303ἐκ γαίης ἐρύσας, καί μοι φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἔδειξε. §10.304ῥίζῃ μὲν μέλαν ἔσκε, γάλακτι δὲ εἴκελον ἄνθος· §10.305μῶλυ δέ μιν καλέουσι θεοί·
"Go, that it may ward off the evil day from your head. And I will tell you all the baneful wiles of Circe. She will mix a potion for you, and will cast drugs into the food. But even so she will not be able to enchant you, for the potent herb that I shall give you will not allow it; and I will tell you everything. When Circe shall strike you with her long wand, even then do you draw your sharp sword from beside your thigh and rush upon Circe as if you were eager to slay her. And she will shrink from you in fear and bid you lie with her; then do you no longer refuse the bed of the goddess, that she may set free your companions and welcome yourself. But bid her swear a great oath by the blessed gods that she will plot no other evil harm against yourself, lest she make you weak and unmanned when you are stripped." So spoke Argeiphontes and gave me the herb, drawing it from the ground, and showed me its nature. It was black at the root, but its flower was like milk; moly the gods call it.
χαλεπὸν δέ τʼ ὀρύσσειν §10.306ἀνδράσι γε θνητοῖσι, θεοὶ δέ τε πάντα δύνανται. §10.307Ἑρμείας μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀπέβη πρὸς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον §10.308νῆσον ἀνʼ ὑλήεσσαν, ἐγὼ δʼ ἐς δώματα Κίρκης §10.309ἤια, πολλὰ δέ μοι κραδίη πόρφυρε κιόντι. §10.310ἔστην δʼ εἰνὶ θύρῃσι θεᾶς καλλιπλοκάμοιο· §10.311ἔνθα στὰς ἐβόησα, θεὰ δέ μευ ἔκλυεν αὐδῆς. §10.312ἡ δʼ αἶψʼ ἐξελθοῦσα θύρας ὤιξε φαεινὰς §10.313καὶ κάλει· αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἑπόμην ἀκαχήμενος ἦτορ. §10.314εἷσε δέ μʼ εἰσαγαγοῦσα ἐπὶ θρόνου ἀργυροήλου §10.315καλοῦ δαιδαλέου· ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν ἦεν· §10.316τεῦχε δέ μοι κυκεῶ χρυσέῳ δέπαι, ὄφρα πίοιμι, §10.317ἐν δέ τε φάρμακον ἧκε, κακὰ φρονέουσʼ ἐνὶ θυμῷ. §10.318αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δῶκέν τε καὶ ἔκπιον, οὐδέ μʼ ἔθελξε, §10.319ῥάβδῳ πεπληγυῖα ἔπος τʼ ἔφατʼ ἔκ τʼ ὀνόμαζεν· §10.320ἔρχεο νῦν συφεόνδε, μετʼ ἄλλων λέξο ἑταίρων. §10.321ὣς φάτʼ, ἐγὼ δʼ ἄορ ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ §10.322Κίρκῃ ἐπήιξα ὥς τε κτάμεναι μενεαίνων. §10.323ἡ δὲ μέγα ἰάχουσα ὑπέδραμε καὶ λάβε γούνων, §10.324καί μʼ ὀλοφυρομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §10.325τίς πόθεν εἰς ἀνδρῶν;
It is hard for mortal men to dig up, but the gods have power over all things. Hermes then departed to high Olympus through the wooded island, but I went to the house of Circe, and my heart was darkly troubling me as I went. And I stood at the gates of the fair-haired goddess; there standing I called, and the goddess heard my voice. She straightway came out and opened the shining doors and called me; and I followed with a heavy heart. She led me in and seated me on a silver-studded throne, beautiful and elaborately wrought, and beneath was a footstool for my feet. And she prepared a potion for me in a golden cup, that I might drink, and put a drug therein, with evil purpose in her heart. But when she had given it and I had drunk it off, and it enchanted me not, she struck me with her wand and spoke and addressed me, saying: "Go now to the stye, and lie with the rest of your companions." So she spoke, but I drew my sharp sword from beside my middle and rushed upon Circe as if I were eager to slay her. With a loud cry she slipped beneath my blade and clasped my knees, and with lamentation spoke to me winged words: "Who and whence are you among men?
πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες; §10.326θαῦμά μʼ ἔχει ὡς οὔ τι πιὼν τάδε φάρμακʼ ἐθέλχθης· §10.327οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τις ἄλλος ἀνὴρ τάδε φάρμακʼ ἀνέτλη, §10.328ὅς κε πίῃ καὶ πρῶτον ἀμείψεται ἕρκος ὀδόντων. §10.329σοὶ δέ τις ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀκήλητος νόος ἐστίν. §10.330ἦ σύ γʼ Ὀδυσσεύς ἐσσι πολύτροπος, ὅν τέ μοι αἰεὶ §10.331φάσκεν ἐλεύσεσθαι χρυσόρραπις ἀργεϊφόντης, §10.332ἐκ Τροίης ἀνιόντα θοῇ σὺν νηὶ μελαίνῃ. §10.333ἀλλʼ ἄγε δὴ κολεῷ μὲν ἄορ θέο, νῶι δʼ ἔπειτα §10.334εὐνῆς ἡμετέρης ἐπιβείομεν, ὄφρα μιγέντε §10.335εὐνῇ καὶ φιλότητι πεποίθομεν ἀλλήλοισιν. §10.336ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον· §10.337ὦ Κίρκη, πῶς γάρ με κέλεαι σοὶ ἤπιον εἶναι, §10.338ἥ μοι σῦς μὲν ἔθηκας ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν ἑταίρους, §10.339αὐτὸν δʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἔχουσα δολοφρονέουσα κελεύεις §10.340ἐς θάλαμόν τʼ ἰέναι καὶ σῆς ἐπιβήμεναι εὐνῆς, §10.341ὄφρα με γυμνωθέντα κακὸν καὶ ἀνήνορα θήῃς. §10.342οὐδʼ ἂν ἐγώ γʼ ἐθέλοιμι τεῆς ἐπιβήμεναι εὐνῆς, §10.343εἰ μή μοι τλαίης γε, θεά, μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμόσσαι §10.344μή τί μοι αὐτῷ πῆμα κακὸν βουλευσέμεν ἄλλο. §10.345ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀπώμνυεν, ὡς ἐκέλευον. §10.346αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅρκον, §10.347καὶ τότʼ ἐγὼ Κίρκης ἐπέβην περικαλλέος εὐνῆς. §10.348ἀμφίπολοι δʼ ἄρα τέως μὲν ἐνὶ μεγάροισι πένοντο §10.349τέσσαρες, αἵ οἱ δῶμα κάτα δρήστειραι ἔασι· §10.350γίγνονται δʼ ἄρα ταί γʼ ἔκ τε κρηνέων ἀπό τʼ ἀλσέων §10.351ἔκ θʼ ἱερῶν ποταμῶν, οἵ τʼ εἰς ἅλαδε προρέουσι. §10.352τάων ἡ μὲν ἔβαλλε θρόνοις ἔνι ῥήγεα καλὰ §10.353πορφύρεα καθύπερθʼ, ὑπένερθε δὲ λῖθʼ ὑπέβαλλεν· §10.354ἡ δʼ ἑτέρη προπάροιθε θρόνων ἐτίταινε τραπέζας §10.355ἀργυρέας, ἐπὶ δέ σφι τίθει χρύσεια κάνεια·
Where is your city and your parents? Wonder holds me that you drank these drugs and were not enchanted. For no other man has ever withstood these drugs, whoever drank them and let them pass the barrier of his teeth. But you have a mind in your breast that cannot be enchanted. Surely you are Odysseus of many wiles, who Argeiphontes of the golden wand always told me would come, as he came from Troy with his swift black ship. But come, put up your sword into its sheath, and then let us go up into our bed, so that mingling in bed and in love we may trust one another." So she spoke, but I answered her and said: "O Circe, how can you bid me be gentle to you, who have turned my companions into swine in your halls, and now keeping me here with guileful intent you bid me go into your chamber and go up into your bed, that you may make me weak and unmanned when I am stripped? I would not be willing to go up into your bed unless you would deign, goddess, to swear a great oath that you will plot no other evil harm against myself." So I spoke, and she straightway swore the oath as I bade. But when she had sworn and completed the oath, then at last I went up into the beautiful bed of Circe. Meanwhile four handmaidens were busied in the halls, who are her servants in her house. They are born of the springs and of the groves and of the sacred rivers that flow forth into the sea. One of them threw beautiful purple rugs upon the thrones above, and beneath she spread linen cloths; another drew up silver tables before the thrones and set upon them golden baskets.