And we lowered the sails into the ships, fearing destruction, but the ships themselves we eagerly rowed forward to the mainland.
§9.74ἔνθα δύω νύκτας δύο τʼ ἤματα συνεχὲς αἰεὶ §9.75κείμεθʼ, ὁμοῦ καμάτῳ τε καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἔδοντες.
There for two nights and two days continuously we lay, eating our heart with weariness and griefs together.
§9.76ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὴ τρίτον ἦμαρ ἐυπλόκαμος τέλεσʼ Ἠώς, §9.77ἱστοὺς στησάμενοι ἀνά θʼ ἱστία λεύκʼ ἐρύσαντες §9.78ἥμεθα, τὰς δʼ ἄνεμός τε κυβερνῆταί τʼ ἴθυνον.
But when indeed fair-tressed Dawn completed the third day, setting up our masts and hauling up the white sails, we sat down, and the wind and the helmsmen kept the ships straight.
§9.79καί νύ κεν ἀσκηθὴς ἱκόμην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν· §9.80ἀλλά με κῦμα ῥόος τε περιγνάμπτοντα Μάλειαν §9.81καὶ Βορέης ἀπέωσε, παρέπλαγξεν δὲ Κυθήρων.
And now I would have reached my native land unscathed; but the wave and the current, as I was doubling Maleia, and the North Wind pushed me away, and drove me past Cythera.
§9.82ἔνθεν δʼ ἐννῆμαρ φερόμην ὀλοοῖς ἀνέμοισιν §9.83πόντον ἐπʼ ἰχθυόεντα· ἀτὰρ δεκάτῃ ἐπέβημεν §9.84γαίης Λωτοφάγων, οἵ τʼ ἄνθινον εἶδαρ ἔδουσιν.
Thence for nine days I was driven by destructive winds over the fish-teeming sea; but on the tenth we set foot on the land of the Lotus-eaters, who eat a flowery food.
§9.85ἔνθα δʼ ἐπʼ ἠπείρου βῆμεν καὶ ἀφυσσάμεθʼ ὕδωρ, §9.86αἶψα δὲ δεῖπνον ἕλοντο θοῇς παρὰ νηυσὶν ἑταῖροι.
There we went ashore on the mainland and drew water, and immediately my companions took their meal beside the swift ships.
§9.87αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ σίτοιό τʼ ἐπασσάμεθʼ ἠδὲ ποτῆτος, §9.88δὴ τοτʼ ἐγὼν ἑτάρους προΐειν πεύθεσθαι ἰόντας, §9.89οἵ τινες ἀνέρες εἶεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ σῖτον ἔδοντες §9.90ἄνδρε δύω κρίνας, τρίτατον κήρυχʼ ἅμʼ ὀπάσσας.
But when we had tasted of food and drink, then indeed I sent forth companions to go and learn what manner of men they were who ate bread upon the land, choosing two men, and sending a third with them as a herald.
§9.91οἱ δʼ αἶψʼ οἰχόμενοι μίγεν ἀνδράσι Λωτοφάγοισιν· §9.92οὐδʼ ἄρα Λωτοφάγοι μήδονθʼ ἑτάροισιν ὄλεθρον §9.93ἡμετέροις, ἀλλά σφι δόσαν λωτοῖο πάσασθαι.
And they, departing quickly, mingled with the Lotus-eaters; nor did the Lotus-eaters devise destruction for our companions, but gave them to taste of the lotus.
§9.94τῶν δʼ ὅς τις λωτοῖο φάγοι μελιηδέα καρπόν, §9.95οὐκέτʼ ἀπαγγεῖλαι πάλιν ἤθελεν οὐδὲ νέεσθαι, §9.96ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ βούλοντο μετʼ ἀνδράσι Λωτοφάγοισι §9.97λωτὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι μενέμεν νόστου τε λαθέσθαι.
And whosoever of them ate the honey-sweet fruit of the lotus, no longer wished to bring back word nor to return, but they wished to remain there with the Lotus-eaters, feeding on the lotus, and to forget their return.
§9.98τοὺς μὲν ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νῆας ἄγον κλαίοντας ἀνάγκῃ, §9.99νηυσὶ δʼ ἐνὶ γλαφυρῇσιν ὑπὸ ζυγὰ δῆσα ἐρύσσας.
These I brought back to the ships by force, weeping, and dragged them under the benches in the hollow ships and bound them fast.
§9.100αὐτὰρ τοὺς ἄλλους κελόμην ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους §9.101σπερχομένους νηῶν ἐπιβαινέμεν ὠκειάων, §9.102μή πώς τις λωτοῖο φαγὼν νόστοιο λάθηται.
But the rest of my trusty companions I bid embark in haste upon the swift ships, lest by any means anyone, eating of the lotus, should forget his return.
§9.103οἱ δʼ αἶψʼ εἴσβαινον καὶ ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον, §9.104ἑξῆς δʼ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.
And they straightway embarked and sat down upon the benches, and sitting in order they struck the grey sea with their oars.
§9.105ἔνθεν δὲ προτέρω πλέομεν ἀκαχήμενοι ἦτορ· §9.106Κυκλώπων δʼ ἐς γαῖαν ὑπερφιάλων ἀθεμίστων §9.107ἱκόμεθʼ, οἵ ῥα θεοῖσι πεποιθότες ἀθανάτοισιν §9.108οὔτε φυτεύουσιν χερσὶν φυτὸν οὔτʼ ἀρόωσιν, §9.109ἀλλὰ τά γʼ ἄσπαρτα καὶ ἀνήροτα πάντα φύονται, §9.110πυροὶ καὶ κριθαὶ ἠδʼ ἄμπελοι, αἵ τε φέρουσιν §9.111οἶνον ἐριστάφυλον, καί σφιν Διὸς ὄμβρος ἀέξει.
And thence we sailed onward, grieved in heart; and we came to the land of the Cyclopes, overbearing and lawless, who, trusting in the immortal gods, neither plant any plant with their hands nor plow, but all things grow unsown and unplowed, wheat and barley and vines, which bear wine from fine clusters, and the rain of Zeus makes them grow.
§9.112τοῖσιν δʼ οὔτʼ ἀγοραὶ βουληφόροι οὔτε θέμιστες, §9.113ἀλλʼ οἵ γʼ ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων ναίουσι κάρηνα §9.114ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι, θεμιστεύει δὲ ἕκαστος §9.115παίδων ἠδʼ ἀλόχων, οὐδʼ ἀλλήλων ἀλέγουσιν.
Among them there are neither assemblies for counsel nor laws, but they dwell on the peaks of high mountains in hollow caves, and each one lays down the law for his children and wives, and they care nothing for one another.
§9.116νῆσος ἔπειτα λάχεια παρὲκ λιμένος τετάνυσται, §9.117γαίης Κυκλώπων οὔτε σχεδὸν οὔτʼ ἀποτηλοῦ, §9.118ὑλήεσσʼ· ἐν δʼ αἶγες ἀπειρέσιαι γεγάασιν §9.119ἄγριαι· οὐ μὲν γὰρ πάτος ἀνθρώπων ἀπερύκει, §9.120οὐδέ μιν εἰσοιχνεῦσι κυνηγέται, οἵ τε καθʼ ὕλην §9.121ἄλγεα πάσχουσιν κορυφὰς ὀρέων ἐφέποντες.
Now a level island is stretched along outside the harbor, neither close to the land of the Cyclopes nor far off, wooded; and in it wild goats breed in countless numbers; for no path of men deters them, nor do hunters visit it, who through the wood suffer hardships as they pursue the mountain peaks.
§9.122οὔτʼ ἄρα ποίμνῃσιν καταΐσχεται οὔτʼ ἀρότοισιν, §9.123ἀλλʼ ἥ γʼ ἄσπαρτος καὶ ἀνήροτος ἤματα πάντα §9.124ἀνδρῶν χηρεύει, βόσκει δέ τε μηκάδας αἶγας.
It is held neither by flocks nor by plowing, but unsown and unplowed all its days it is empty of men, and feeds the bleating goats.
§9.125οὐ γὰρ Κυκλώπεσσι νέες πάρα μιλτοπάρῃοι, §9.126οὐδʼ ἄνδρες νηῶν ἔνι τέκτονες, οἵ κε κάμοιεν §9.127νῆας ἐυσσέλμους, αἵ κεν τελέοιεν ἕκαστα §9.128ἄστεʼ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπων ἱκνεύμεναι, οἷά τε πολλὰ §9.129ἄνδρες ἐπʼ ἀλλήλους νηυσὶν περόωσι θάλασσαν· §9.130οἵ κέ σφιν καὶ νῆσον ἐυκτιμένην ἐκάμοντο.
For the Cyclopes have no ships with vermilion prows, nor are there shipwrights among them, who might build well-benched ships, which would accomplish all things as they go to the cities of men, as many a time men cross the sea in ships to one another; who would also have made this island a well-peopled place for them.
§9.131οὐ μὲν γάρ τι κακή γε, φέροι δέ κεν ὥρια πάντα· §9.132ἐν μὲν γὰρ λειμῶνες ἁλὸς πολιοῖο παρʼ ὄχθας §9.133ὑδρηλοὶ μαλακοί· μάλα κʼ ἄφθιτοι ἄμπελοι εἶεν.
For it is by no means a bad land, but would bear all things in season; for in it are meadows by the shores of the grey sea, well-watered and soft; and vines would be very hardy.
And in it is smooth plowland; they might always reap a very deep harvest in season, since the soil beneath is very rich.
§9.136ἐν δὲ λιμὴν ἐύορμος, ἵνʼ οὐ χρεὼ πείσματός ἐστιν, §9.137οὔτʼ εὐνὰς βαλέειν οὔτε πρυμνήσιʼ ἀνάψαι, §9.138ἀλλʼ ἐπικέλσαντας μεῖναι χρόνον εἰς ὅ κε ναυτέων §9.139θυμὸς ἐποτρύνῃ καὶ ἐπιπνεύσωσιν ἀῆται.
And in it is a harbor with good anchorage, where there is no need of cable, neither to cast anchor-stones nor to tie stern-cables, but to beach the ships and wait for the time until the sailors' mind prompts them and the winds blow.
§9.140αὐτὰρ ἐπὶ κρατὸς λιμένος ῥέει ἀγλαὸν ὕδωρ, §9.141κρήνη ὑπὸ σπείους· περὶ δʼ αἴγειροι πεφύασιν.
And at the head of the harbor flows bright water, a spring from beneath a cave; and poplars grow around it.
§9.142ἔνθα κατεπλέομεν, καί τις θεὸς ἡγεμόνευεν §9.143νύκτα διʼ ὀρφναίην, οὐδὲ προυφαίνετʼ ἰδέσθαι· §9.144ἀὴρ γὰρ περὶ νηυσὶ βαθεῖʼ ἦν, οὐδὲ σελήνη
There we sailed in, and some god was our guide through the dark night, nor was there any light to see by; for there was a deep mist around the ships, nor did the moon