§12.66τῇ δʼ οὔ πώ τις νηῦς φύγεν ἀνδρῶν, ἥ τις ἵκηται, §12.67ἀλλά θʼ ὁμοῦ πίνακάς τε νεῶν καὶ σώματα φωτῶν §12.68κύμαθʼ ἁλὸς φορέουσι πυρός τʼ ὀλοοῖο θύελλαι.
By this way no ship of men has ever yet escaped, whichever has come there, but alike the planks of ships and the bodies of men the waves of the sea and tempests of ruinous fire carry away.
One ship alone of all that sail the sea has driven past, Argo, known to all, as she sailed from Aeetes.
§12.71καὶ νύ κε τὴν ἔνθʼ ὦκα βάλεν μεγάλας ποτὶ πέτρας, §12.72ἀλλʼ Ἥρη παρέπεμψεν, ἐπεὶ φίλος ἦεν Ἰήσων.
And even her the wave would quickly have cast there against the great rocks, but Hera sent her past, since Jason was dear to her.
§12.73οἱ δὲ δύω σκόπελοι ὁ μὲν οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἱκάνει §12.74ὀξείῃ κορυφῇ, νεφέλη δέ μιν ἀμφιβέβηκε §12.75κυανέη· τὸ μὲν οὔ ποτʼ ἐρωεῖ, οὐδέ ποτʼ αἴθρη §12.76κείνου ἔχει κορυφὴν οὔτʼ ἐν θέρει οὔτʼ ἐν ὀπώρῃ.
But as for the two cliffs, the one reaches up to the broad heaven with its sharp peak, and a dark cloud encompasses it; this cloud never thins, nor does clear sky ever hold that peak, either in summer or in harvest-time.
§12.77οὐδέ κεν ἀμβαίη βροτὸς ἀνὴρ οὐδʼ ἐπιβαίη, §12.78οὐδʼ εἴ οἱ χεῖρές τε ἐείκοσι καὶ πόδες εἶεν· §12.79πέτρη γὰρ λίς ἐστι, περιξεστῇ ἐικυῖα.
No mortal man could climb up or set foot upon it, not even if he had twenty hands and feet; for the rock is smooth, like one polished all round.
§12.80μέσσῳ δʼ ἐν σκοπέλῳ ἔστι σπέος ἠεροειδές, §12.81πρὸς ζόφον εἰς Ἔρεβος τετραμμένον, ᾗ περ ἂν ὑμεῖς §12.82νῆα παρὰ γλαφυρὴν ἰθύνετε, φαίδιμʼ Ὀδυσσεῦ.
And in the midst of the cliff is a dusky cave, turned toward the west, into Erebus, where you, glorious Odysseus, must steer your hollow ship.
Not even a strong man with a bow, shooting from a hollow ship, could reach the hollow cave with an arrow.
§12.85ἔνθα δʼ ἐνὶ Σκύλλη ναίει δεινὸν λελακυῖα.
And therein dwells Scylla, yelping terribly.
§12.86τῆς ἦ τοι φωνὴ μὲν ὅση σκύλακος νεογιλῆς §12.87γίγνεται, αὐτὴ δʼ αὖτε πέλωρ κακόν· οὐδέ κέ τίς μιν §12.88γηθήσειεν ἰδών, οὐδʼ εἰ θεὸς ἀντιάσειεν.
Her voice indeed is only as the voice of a newborn pup, but she herself is an evil monster; nor would anyone rejoice at seeing her, not even if a god should meet her.
§12.89τῆς ἦ τοι πόδες εἰσὶ δυώδεκα πάντες ἄωροι, §12.90ἓξ δέ τέ οἱ δειραὶ περιμήκεες, ἐν δὲ ἑκάστῃ §12.91σμερδαλέη κεφαλή, ἐν δὲ τρίστοιχοι ὀδόντες §12.92πυκνοὶ καὶ θαμέες, πλεῖοι μέλανος θανάτοιο.
She has twelve feet in all, all misshapen, and six necks, exceeding long, and on each a terrible head, and therein teeth in three rows, thick and close, full of black death.
§12.93μέσση μέν τε κατὰ σπείους κοίλοιο δέδυκεν, §12.94ἔξω δʼ ἐξίσχει κεφαλὰς δεινοῖο βερέθρου, §12.95αὐτοῦ δʼ ἰχθυάᾳ, σκόπελον περιμαιμώωσα, §12.96δελφῖνάς τε κύνας τε, καὶ εἴ ποθι μεῖζον ἕλῃσι §12.97κῆτος, ἃ μυρία βόσκει ἀγάστονος Ἀμφιτρίτη.
Up to her middle she is sunk in the hollow cave, but she stretches out her heads from the terrible chasm, and there she fishes, groping eagerly around the cliff for dolphins and sea-dogs, and if she may anywhere catch a greater beast of the sea, of which tens of thousands are fed by loud-moaning Amphitrite.
§12.98τῇ δʼ οὔ πώ ποτε ναῦται ἀκήριοι εὐχετόωνται §12.99παρφυγέειν σὺν νηί· φέρει δέ τε κρατὶ ἑκάστῳ §12.100φῶτʼ ἐξαρπάξασα νεὸς κυανοπρῴροιο.
By her no sailors can yet boast that they have fled past with their ship unharmed; but with each head she carries off a man, snatching him from the dark-prowed ship.
§12.101τὸν δʼ ἕτερον σκόπελον χθαμαλώτερον ὄψει, Ὀδυσσεῦ. §12.102πλησίον ἀλλήλων· καί κεν διοϊστεύσειας.
But the other cliff you will see is lower, Odysseus, close to one another; you could even shoot an arrow across.
§12.103τῷ δʼ ἐν ἐρινεὸς ἔστι μέγας, φύλλοισι τεθηλώς· §12.104τῷ δʼ ὑπὸ δῖα Χάρυβδις ἀναρροιβδεῖ μέλαν ὕδωρ.
On it is a great wild fig tree, rich in leaves; and beneath it divine Charybdis sucks down the dark water.
For three times a day she belches it forth, and three times she sucks it down terribly.
μὴ σύ γε κεῖθι τύχοις, ὅτε ῥοιβδήσειεν·
May you not be there when she sucks it down!
§12.107οὐ γάρ κεν ῥύσαιτό σʼ ὑπὲκ κακοῦ οὐδʼ ἐνοσίχθων.
For not even the Earth-shaker could save you from destruction.
§12.108ἀλλὰ μάλα Σκύλλης σκοπέλῳ πεπλημένος ὦκα §12.109νῆα παρὲξ ἐλάαν, ἐπεὶ ἦ πολὺ φέρτερόν ἐστιν §12.110ἓξ ἑτάρους ἐν νηὶ ποθήμεναι ἢ ἅμα πάντας. §12.111ὣς ἔφατʼ, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον· §12.112εἰ δʼ ἄγε δή μοι τοῦτο, θεά, νημερτὲς ἐνίσπες, §12.113εἴ πως τὴν ὀλοὴν μὲν ὑπεκπροφύγοιμι Χάρυβδιν, §12.114τὴν δέ κʼ ἀμυναίμην, ὅτε μοι σίνοιτό γʼ ἑταίρους. §12.115ὣς ἐφάμην, ἡ δʼ αὐτίκʼ ἀμείβετο δῖα θεάων· §12.116σχέτλιε, καὶ δὴ αὖ τοι πολεμήια ἔργα μέμηλε
But rather steer close to Scylla’s cliff, and quickly drive your ship past, since it is far better to mourn six companions in your ship than all together." So she spoke, but I answered and said to her: "Come, I pray you, goddess, tell me this truly, if by any means I might escape from ruinous Charybdis, and yet ward off the other, when she would harm my companions." So I spoke, and the divine goddess answered me at once: "Rash man, are you indeed still set on deeds of war and on toil?
§12.117καὶ πόνος· οὐδὲ θεοῖσιν ὑπείξεαι ἀθανάτοισιν;
And will you not yield even to the immortal gods?
§12.118ἡ δέ τοι οὐ θνητή, ἀλλʼ ἀθάνατον κακόν ἐστι, §12.119δεινόν τʼ ἀργαλέον τε καὶ ἄγριον οὐδὲ μαχητόν· §12.120οὐδέ τις ἔστʼ ἀλκή· φυγέειν κάρτιστον ἀπʼ αὐτῆς.
She is not of mortal mold, but an immortal bane, dread, and grievous, and fierce, and not to be fought with; there is no defense; to flee from her is bravest.
§12.121ἢν γὰρ δηθύνῃσθα κορυσσόμενος παρὰ πέτρῃ, §12.122δείδω, μή σʼ ἐξαῦτις ἐφορμηθεῖσα κίχῃσι §12.123τόσσῃσιν κεφαλῇσι, τόσους δʼ ἐκ φῶτας ἕληται.
For if you should delay, arming yourself by the rock, I fear lest she rush out upon you again and catch you with as many heads, and snatch away as many men.
§12.124ἀλλὰ μάλα σφοδρῶς ἐλάαν, βωστρεῖν δὲ Κράταιιν, §12.125μητέρα τῆς Σκύλλης, ἥ μιν τέκε πῆμα βροτοῖσιν· §12.126ἥ μιν ἔπειτʼ ἀποπαύσει ἐς ὕστερον ὁρμηθῆναι.
But drive past with all your might, and call upon Crataiis, the mother of Scylla, who bore her to be a bane to mortals; she will then stay her from rushing forth again.
§12.127Θρινακίην δʼ ἐς νῆσον ἀφίξεαι· ἔνθα δὲ πολλαὶ
And you will come to the island of Thrinacia; there are many