§12.128βόσκοντʼ Ἠελίοιο βόες καὶ ἴφια μῆλα, §12.129ἑπτὰ βοῶν ἀγέλαι, τόσα δʼ οἰῶν πώεα καλά, §12.130πεντήκοντα δʼ ἕκαστα.
there feed the cattle of Helios and his goodly sheep, seven herds of cattle, and as many fair flocks of sheep, fifty in each.
γόνος δʼ οὐ γίγνεται αὐτῶν, §12.131οὐδέ ποτε φθινύθουσι.
And of them there is no increase, nor do they ever decrease.
θεαὶ δʼ ἐπιποιμένες εἰσίν, §12.132νύμφαι ἐυπλόκαμοι, Φαέθουσά τε Λαμπετίη τε, §12.133ἃς τέκεν Ἠελίῳ Ὑπερίονι δῖα Νέαιρα.
And goddesses are their shepherds, fair-tressed nymphs, Phaethusa and Lampetie, whom divine Neaira bore to Helios Hyperion.
§12.134τὰς μὲν ἄρα θρέψασα τεκοῦσά τε πότνια μήτηρ §12.135Θρινακίην ἐς νῆσον ἀπῴκισε τηλόθι ναίειν, §12.136μῆλα φυλασσέμεναι πατρώια καὶ ἕλικας βοῦς.
Having given them birth and reared them, their lady mother sent them away to the island of Thrinacia to dwell afar, to guard their father's sheep and curved-horn cattle.
§12.137τὰς εἰ μέν κʼ ἀσινέας ἐάᾳς νόστου τε μέδηαι, §12.138ἦ τʼ ἂν ἔτʼ εἰς Ἰθάκην κακά περ πάσχοντες ἵκοισθε· §12.139εἰ δέ κε σίνηαι, τότε τοι τεκμαίρομʼ ὄλεθρον, §12.140νηί τε καὶ ἑτάροις· αὐτὸς δʼ εἴ πέρ κεν ἀλύξῃς, §12.141ὀψὲ κακῶς νεῖαι, ὀλέσας ἄπο πάντας ἑταίρους. §12.142ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτίκα δὲ χρυσόθρονος ἤλυθεν Ἠώς.
If you leave these unharmed and mind your homeward way, you may yet reach Ithaca, though suffering evils; but if you harm them, then I foretell ruin for your ship and your companions; and even if you yourself escape, late and in evil plight shall you return, after losing all your companions." So she spoke, and immediately came golden-throned Dawn.
§12.143ἡ μὲν ἔπειτʼ ἀνὰ νῆσον ἀπέστιχε δῖα θεάων· §12.144αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νῆα κιὼν ὤτρυνον ἑταίρους §12.145αὐτούς τʼ ἀμβαίνειν ἀνά τε πρυμνήσια λῦσαι·
She then departed up the island, the divine goddess; but I went to the ship and rouse my companions to embark themselves and to loose the stern cables; and they straightway went on board and sat down upon the benches.
§12.146οἱ δʼ αἶψʼ εἴσβαινον καὶ ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον. §12.147ἑξῆς δʼ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.
Sitting in order, they smote the grey sea with their oars.
§12.148ἡμῖν δʼ αὖ κατόπισθε νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο §12.149ἴκμενον οὖρον ἵει πλησίστιον, ἐσθλὸν ἑταῖρον, §12.150Κίρκη ἐυπλόκαμος, δεινὴ θεὸς αὐδήεσσα.
And for us, behind our dark-prowed ship, a favoring wind sent, filling the sail, a goodly companion, fair-tressed Circe, the dread goddess of human speech.
§12.151αὐτίκα δʼ ὅπλα ἕκαστα πονησάμενοι κατὰ νῆα §12.152ἥμεθα· τὴν δʼ ἄνεμός τε κυβερνήτης τʼ ἴθυνε.
Straightway, when we had labored at each of the tacklings throughout the ship, we sat down; and the wind and the helmsman kept her course straight.
§12.153δὴ τότʼ ἐγὼν ἑτάροισι μετηύδων ἀχνύμενος κῆρ· §12.154ὦ φίλοι, οὐ γὰρ χρὴ ἕνα ἴδμεναι οὐδὲ δύʼ οἴους §12.155θέσφαθʼ ἅ μοι Κίρκη μυθήσατο, δῖα θεάων· §12.156ἀλλʼ ἐρέω μὲν ἐγών, ἵνα εἰδότες ἤ κε θάνωμεν §12.157ἤ κεν ἀλευάμενοι θάνατον καὶ κῆρα φύγοιμεν.
Then verily I spoke among my companions, grieved at heart: "O friends, for it is not right that only one or two alone should know the divine decrees which Circe, the divine goddess, declared to me; but I will speak them, so that knowing them we may either die, or escaping, may avoid death and doom.
First of all she bade us avoid the voice of the wondrous Sirens, and their flowery meadow.
§12.160οἶον ἔμʼ ἠνώγει ὄπʼ ἀκουέμεν· ἀλλά με δεσμῷ §12.161δήσατʼ ἐν ἀργαλέῳ, ὄφρʼ ἔμπεδον αὐτόθι μίμνω, §12.162ὀρθὸν ἐν ἱστοπέδῃ, ἐκ δʼ αὐτοῦ πείρατʼ ἀνήφθω.
She bade me alone to hear their voice; but you must bind me in hard bonds, so that I may remain fast in my place, upright in the mast-step, and let the rope-ends be fastened to the mast itself.
§12.163εἰ δέ κε λίσσωμαι ὑμέας λῦσαί τε κελεύω, §12.164ὑμεῖς δὲ πλεόνεσσι τότʼ ἐν δεσμοῖσι πιέζειν. §12.165ἦ τοι ἐγὼ τὰ ἕκαστα λέγων ἑτάροισι πίφαυσκον· §12.166τόφρα δὲ καρπαλίμως ἐξίκετο νηῦς ἐυεργὴς §12.167νῆσον Σειρήνοιιν· ἔπειγε γὰρ οὖρος ἀπήμων.
And if I should entreat you and bid you loose me, then do you press me down with yet more bonds." Verily, I declared and made known each of these things to my companions; meanwhile our well-built ship quickly reached the island of the two Sirens, for a harmless wind sped her on.
§12.168αὐτίκʼ ἔπειτʼ ἄνεμος μὲν ἐπαύσατο ἠδὲ γαλήνη §12.169ἔπλετο νηνεμίη, κοίμησε δὲ κύματα δαίμων.
Straightway then the wind ceased, and there was a windless calm, and some god lulled the waves to sleep.
§12.170ἀνστάντες δʼ ἕταροι νεὸς ἱστία μηρύσαντο §12.171καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐν νηὶ γλαφυρῇ θέσαν, οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ἐρετμὰ §12.172ἑζόμενοι λεύκαινον ὕδωρ ξεστῇς ἐλάτῃσιν.
And my companions, rising up, furled the sails of the ship and laid them in the hollow ship, and they, sitting at their oars, made the water white with their polished fir oars.
§12.173αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κηροῖο μέγαν τροχὸν ὀξέι χαλκῷ §12.174τυτθὰ διατμήξας χερσὶ στιβαρῇσι πίεζον· §12.175αἶψα δʼ ἰαίνετο κηρός, ἐπεὶ κέλετο μεγάλη ἲς §12.176Ἠελίου τʼ αὐγὴ Ὑπεριονίδαο ἄνακτος·
But I, having cut a great wheel of wax with my sharp bronze sword into small pieces, pressed it with my strong hands; and quickly the wax grew warm, since the great strength compelled it and the beam of Helios, the lordly son of Hyperion.
§12.177ἑξείης δʼ ἑτάροισιν ἐπʼ οὔατα πᾶσιν ἄλειψα.
And in order I anointed the ears of all my companions.
§12.178οἱ δʼ ἐν νηί μʼ ἔδησαν ὁμοῦ χεῖράς τε πόδας τε §12.179ὀρθὸν ἐν ἱστοπέδῃ, ἐκ δʼ αὐτοῦ πείρατʼ ἀνῆπτον· §12.180αὐτοὶ δʼ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.
And they bound me in the ship, both hands and feet together, upright in the mast-step, and fastened the rope-ends to the mast; and they themselves, sitting down, smote the grey sea with their oars.
§12.181ἀλλʼ ὅτε τόσσον ἀπῆμεν ὅσον τε γέγωνε βοήσας, §12.182ῥίμφα διώκοντες, τὰς δʼ οὐ λάθεν ὠκύαλος νηῦς §12.183ἐγγύθεν ὀρνυμένη, λιγυρὴν δʼ ἔντυνον ἀοιδήν· §12.184δεῦρʼ ἄγʼ ἰών, πολύαινʼ Ὀδυσεῦ, μέγα κῦδος Ἀχαιῶν, §12.185νῆα κατάστησον, ἵνα νωιτέρην ὄπ ἀκούσῃς.
But when we were as far away as a man can make his voice heard when he shouts, driving swiftly onward, our swift-faring ship, as she drew near, did not escape their sight, and they set up their clear song: "Come hither, as you fare, renowned Odysseus, great glory of the Achaeans, stay your ship, so that you may listen to our voice.
§12.186οὐ γάρ πώ τις τῇδε παρήλασε νηὶ μελαίνῃ, §12.187πρίν γʼ ἡμέων μελίγηρυν ἀπὸ στομάτων ὄπʼ ἀκοῦσαι, §12.188ἀλλʼ ὅ γε τερψάμενος νεῖται καὶ πλείονα εἰδώς.
For no one has ever yet driven past this way in his black ship, before hearing the honey-sweet voice from our mouths; but he goes on his way comforted, and knowing more.
§12.189ἴδμεν γάρ τοι πάνθʼ ὅσʼ ἐνὶ Τροίῃ εὐρείῃ §12.190Ἀργεῖοι Τρῶές τε θεῶν ἰότητι μόγησαν, §12.191ἴδμεν δʼ, ὅσσα γένηται ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ.
For we know all things, whatsoever in wide Troy the Argives and Trojans suffered by the will of the gods; and we know all things that come to pass upon the bounteous earth."