"ὣς φάτο πειράζων, ἐμὲ δ᾽ οὐ λάθεν εἰδότα πολλά,
ἀλλά μιν ἄψορρον προσέφην δολίοις ἐπέεσσι·
‘νέα μέν μοι κατέαξε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων
πρὸς πέτρῃσι βαλὼν ὑμῆς ἐπὶ πείρασι γαίης,
ἄκρῃ προσπελάσας: ἄνεμος δ᾽ ἐκ πόντου ἔνεικεν·285
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ σὺν τοῖσδε ὑπέκφυγον αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.’
ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ οὐδὲν ἀμείβετο νηλέι θυμῷ,
ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἀναΐξας ἑτάροις ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἴαλλε,
σὺν δὲ δύω μάρψας ὥς τε σκύλακας ποτὶ γαίῃ
κόπτ᾽· ἐκ δ᾽ ἐγκέφαλος χαμάδις ῥέε, δεῦε δὲ γαῖαν.290
τοὺς δὲ διὰ μελεϊστὶ ταμὼν ὡπλίσσατο δόρπον·
ἤσθιε δ᾽ ὥς τε λέων ὀρεσίτροφος, οὐδ᾽ ἀπέλειπεν,
ἔγκατά τε σάρκας τε καὶ ὀστέα μυελόεντα.
ἡμεῖς δὲ κλαίοντες ἀνεσχέθομεν Διὶ χεῖρας,
σχέτλια ἔργ᾽ ὁρόωντες, ἀμηχανίη δ᾽ ἔχε θυμόν.295
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ Κύκλωψ μεγάλην ἐμπλήσατο νηδὺν
ἀνδρόμεα κρέ᾽ ἔδων καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἄκρητον γάλα πίνων,
κεῖτ᾽ ἔντοσθ᾽ ἄντροιο τανυσσάμενος διὰ μήλων.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ βούλευσα κατὰ μεγαλήτορα θυμὸν
ἆσσον ἰών, ξίφος ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ,300
οὐτάμεναι πρὸς στῆθος, ὅθι φρένες ἧπαρ ἔχουσι,
χείρ᾽ ἐπιμασσάμενος: ἕτερος δέ με θυμὸς ἔρυκεν.
αὐτοῦ γάρ κε καὶ ἄμμες ἀπωλόμεθ᾽ αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον·
οὐ γάρ κεν δυνάμεσθα θυράων ὑψηλάων
χερσὶν ἀπώσασθαι λίθον ὄβριμον, ὃν προσέθηκεν.305
ὣς τότε μὲν στενάχοντες ἐμείναμεν Ἠῶ δῖαν.
ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,
καὶ τότε πῦρ ἀνέκαιε καὶ ἤμελγε κλυτὰ μῆλα,
πάντα κατὰ μοῖραν, καὶ ὑπ᾽ ἔμβρυον ἧκεν ἑκάστῃ.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ σπεῦσε πονησάμενος τὰ ἃ ἔργα,310
σὺν δ᾽ ὅ γε δὴ αὖτε δύω μάρψας ὡπλίσσατο δεῖπνον.
δειπνήσας δ᾽ ἄντρου ἐξήλασε πίονα μῆλα,
ῥηιδίως ἀφελὼν θυρεὸν μέγαν· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
ἂψ ἐπέθηχ᾽, ὡς εἴ τε φαρέτρῃ πῶμ᾽ ἐπιθείη.
πολλῇ δὲ ῥοίζῳ πρὸς ὄρος τρέπε πίονα μῆλα315
Κύκλωψ: αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ λιπόμην κακὰ βυσσοδομεύων,
εἴ πως τισαίμην, δοίη δέ μοι εὖχος Ἀθήνη.
notes
Polyphemus makes meals of the comrades of Odysseus
Polyphemus asks about the location of the Greeks’ ship, “trying [the hero] out” (281). In response, Odysseus launches his campaign to outmaneuver the Cyclops with δολίοις ἐπέεσσι, “crafty words,” concocting a story about how Poseidon drove the ship onto the rocks, destroying it. Here, for the first extended period in the poem, we see Odysseus having to rely only on his wits to triumph against overwhelming physical force.
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We are reminded that the Odyssey offers a fundamentally different perspective on the hero from the one we find in the Iliad, where the hero’s power is almost always expressed physically. We may be horrified by Achilles’ excesses in pursuit of Hector, but we do not question his claim to be the best warrior, the epitome of masculine force. Odysseus has his moments of martial prowess in the poem, principally the slaughter of the suitors, but his renown is based on intelligence and the ability to get the best of his opponents through wily deception. And if we have given assent to the primary premise of the Odyssey, the overriding need for the restoration of the hero to his proper place, we are ready not only to approve of Odysseus’ deceptions, but even to cheer him on (see Introduction, para. 6-7). Such attitudes are repugnant to Achilles, the Iliad’s major hero, as he says in reply to Odysseus:
"ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσιν
ὅς χ᾽ ἕτερον μὲν κεύθῃ ἐνὶ φρεσίν, ἄλλο δὲ εἴπῃ."
"Hateful to me like the gates of Hades is that man
who hides one thing in his heart and says another."
Iliad 9.312–13
In the Iliad, Western literature’s first tragic narrative, words and deeds are seen as irrevocable; in a comic narrative, lies and deception, essentially revocable deeds, are fine, as long as they help to restore right order, however the story defines it.
We see these distinctions dramatized in Odysseus’ deliberations over the sleeping Cyclops:
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ βούλευσα κατὰ μεγαλήτορα θυμὸν
ἆσσον ἰών, ξίφος ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ,
οὐτάμεναι πρὸς στῆθος, ὅθι φρένες ἧπαρ ἔχουσι,
χείρ᾽ ἐπιμασσάμενος:
Drawing near to him, I considered whether I
should draw my sharp sword from beside my thigh
and stab him in the chest, where the midriff meets the liver,
feeling for the right place with my hand.
Odyssey 9.299–302
Achilles, provoked by Agamemnon’s insults, reaches a similar moment of decision:
ὣς φάτο: Πηλεΐωνι δ᾽ ἄχος γένετ᾽, ἐν δέ οἱ ἦτορ
στήθεσσιν λασίοισι διάνδιχα μερμήριξεν,
ἢ ὅ γε φάσγανον ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ
τοὺς μὲν ἀναστήσειεν, ὃ δ᾽ Ἀτρεΐδην ἐναρίζοι,
ἦε χόλον παύσειεν ἐρητύσειέ τε θυμόν.
So [Agamemnon] spoke. Anger came to Peleus’s son, and his heart
was divided in his shaggy breast, as to whether
drawing his sharp sword from beside his thigh
he should scatter them all, and kill the son of Atreus,
or check his wrath and restrain his spirit.
Iliad 1.188–92
Anger overrules caution in Achilles, as it usually does, and Athena must intervene to keep him from slaughtering Agamemnon. Not so Odysseus, whose own self-control prompts the recognition that the Greeks will be trapped in the cave if they kill the monster.
The true horror of their situation now settles on the captive Greeks, as Polyphemus performs a grotesque parody of the standard meal preparation sequence in the poem, of which Nestor and his family, model hosts, provide a good example (3.447–64). First, the slaughter of the animal whose meat will supply the main course:
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ᾽ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο,
αὐτίκα Νέστορος υἱὸς ὑπέρθυμος Θρασυμήδης
ἤλασεν ἄγχι στάς: πέλεκυς δ᾽ ἀπέκοψε τένοντας
αὐχενίους, λῦσεν δὲ βοὸς μένος. αἱ δ᾽ ὀλόλυξαν
θυγατέρες τε νυοί τε καὶ αἰδοίη παράκοιτις
Νέστορος, Εὐρυδίκη, πρέσβα Κλυμένοιο θυγατρῶν.
But when they had prayed and scattered barley
then Thrasymedes, the high-hearted son of Nestor
drew near and struck. The axe chopped through the neck
tendons and unstrung the cow’s strength. The daughters
and daughters-in-law and Eurydice, dear wife of Nestor,
eldest daughter of Klymenos, all cried out.
Odyssey 3.447–52
For his victims, Polyphemus grabs two sailors and smashes their brains out “like puppies” (9.289). In place of the ritual shouting in Pylos, we hear the other Greeks cry out in horror; instead of the careful division of the cow at Nestor’s meal, some of it set aside, wrapped in fat for the gods, πάντα κατὰ μοῖραν, “all according to proper order” (3.457), some of it put on spits for humans to eat, followed by ritual libations, Polyphemus gets right down to business, chopping up the Greeks and gobbling down every last bit, washing it down with some of his goat’s milk.
The eerie echoes of polite hospitality keep us from dismissing the monster’s way of living as mere savagery. The next morning, Polyphemus rises to begin another day, starting a fire, milking his animals, making a meal from two more sailors, πάντα κατὰ μοῖραν, “all according to proper order” (309), moving the stone and driving his flocks out of the cave, which he then seals up again, like a man capping his quiver. As the punctilious shepherd recedes whistling into the distance, the noble hero is left inside to brood, contemplating murder.
Further Reading
Thalmann, W. 1992. The Odyssey: An Epic of Return, 90–93. New York: Twayne Publishers.
281 ἐμὲ δ᾽ οὐ λάθεν: “it did not escape my notice,” aor. > λανθάνω + acc., “to escape the notice of.”
281 εἰδότα: perf. ptc. acc. masc. sing., agreeing with ἐμὲ. πολλά is its direct object.
282 ἄψορρον: “in answer.”
283 νέα … μοι: νέα = Att. ναῦς, acc. sing. > νῆυς. μοι is a dative of possession.
284 ὑμῆς: = Att. ὑμετέρης.
285 ἄκρῃ: “promontory,” dat., after προσπελάζω, “to cause something (τι) to approach something else (τινι).” See LSJ πρός B.3.
285 ἔνεικεν: "bore (the ship) along," aor. 3rd sing. = Att. ἤνεγκε, LSJ φέρω A.II.
285 ἐκ πόντου: “from the open sea.”
288 ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἴαλλε: “laid hands upon,” “grabbed.” tmesis (separation of the preposition and verb in a compound verb) > ἐπιάλλω.
288 ἑτάροις ( = Att. ἑταίροις) dat., with a compound verb (Smyth 1544–45).
289 σὺν: “together,” “at the same time” (adverbial).
289 δύω: = δύο, direct object of μάρψας.
289 ποτὶ: = πρὸς.
290 κόπτ(ε): = ἔκοπτε.
290 ἐκ … ῥέε: ἐκ can be taken as adverbial (“out”) or as tmesis > ἐκρέω; as usual, the augment is omitted.
290 δεῦε: ἔδευε > δεύω, “to wet.”
291 διὰ: tmesis with ταμὼν > διατέμνω.
292 οὐδ᾽ ἀπέλειπεν: “and he didn’t leave off,” that is, he didn’t leave anything uneaten.
297 ἐπ(ί): “on the side,” “to go with it,” adverbial, or tmesis with πίνων > ἐπιπίνω, “drink up, drink dry.”
298 κεῖτ᾽: impf., = Att. ἔκειτο.
298 διὰ “in the midst of.”
299 τὸν: αὐτόν (Monro 256).
299 μὲν ἐγὼ βούλευσα: “I was determined to,” governing the infinitive οὐτάμεναι in line 301. μέν looks forward to ἕτερος δέ με θυμὸς ἔρυκεν in 302.
300 παρὰ: “from beside.”
301 οὐτάμεναι: aor. act. infin. > οὐτάω, governed by βούλευσα in 299.
301 πρὸς: "against (with hostile intent)" + acc., LSJ πρός C.I.4.
301 ὅθι … ἔχουσι: “where the midriff holds the liver.”
301 φρένες (regularly pl., LSJ φρήν I) means the diaphragm and ribcage area, where the liver is located.
302 χείρ᾽ ἐπιμασσάμενος: χείρ᾽ = χείρι, dative of means.
302 ἐπιμασσάμενος: aor. ptc. > ἐπιμαίομαι, “feeling for it (i.e. the vital spot) with my hand.”
302 ἕτερος δέ … θυμὸς: “but a different thought”
303 αὐτοῦ: “there,” “in that place.”
303 κε … ἀπωλόμεθ(α): “for we would have died.” κε (ἄν) + aor. indic., expressing past unrealized potential, also known as the "hypothetical indicative" (Goodell 461.c).
303 ἄμμες: nom. personal pron. = ἡμεῖς.
303 αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον: internal, or cognate, acc., "(we would have died) a hard death."
304 οὐ ... κεν δυνάμεσθα: “we would not be able,” κεν + impf. (augment omitted), indicating unrealized present potential (Goodell 461.c).
304 θυράων: “from the doorway,” genitive of separation (Goodell 509).
305 χερσὶν: dative of means.
306 ὣς: “this way,” with ἐμείναμεν.
309 κατὰ μοῖραν: "in order" (see LSJ μοῖρα IV).
309 ἔμβρυον: “her young,” “a lamb.”
309 ὑπ᾽… ἧκεν: tmesis > ὑφίημι, "to place under."
310 ἃ: “his,” possessive adj. > ὅς, ἥ, ὅν, see LSJ ὅς at the very end.
311 ὅ γε δὴ αὖτε: “he once again….” For the first half of the line (σὺν … μάρψας), compare line 289; for the second half of the line (ὁπλίσσατο δεῖπνον), compare line 291.
312 ἄντρου: “out of the cave,” genitive after the ἐξ- in ἐξήλασε (Goodell 509).
313 ῥηιδίως: ῥᾳδίως, “easily.”
313 ἀφελὼν: “removing,” aor. 2 ptc. > ἀφαιρέω.
314 ἂψ ἐπέθηχ᾽: “he put it back.”
314 ἐπέθηχ’: = ἐπέθηκε, 3rd sing. aor. > ἐπιτίθημι.
314 ὡς εἴ … ἐπιθείη: “as he might put … on …,” “like putting … on …,” a combination of a comparison (ὡς ) and condition (εἴ) with optative.
316 λιπόμην: mid. in pass. sense, "I was left behind," LSJ λείπω B.I.a.
317 εἴ…: “on the chance that I might…,” “in the hope that I might,” εἴ + opt., related to an optative of wish (Smyth 2354).
vocabulary
πειράζω πειράξω πείρασον ἐπειράσθην: to test, tempt
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it
ἄψορρος –ον: backward; (adv.) in response
πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address
δόλιος –α –ον: crafty, deceitful, treacherous
κατάγνυμι κατάξω κατέαξα – κατέαγμαι κατήχθην: to break in pieces, shatter, shiver, crack
Ποσειδῶν –ῶνος ὁ: Poseidon
ἐνοσίχθων –ονος ὁ: Earth-shaker (epithet of Poseidon)
πέτρη –ης ἡ: rock, cliffs, shelf of rock
ὑμός –ή –όν: your
πεῖραρ –ατος τό: border, limit
γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district
ἄκρη -ης ἡ: promontory, cape
προσπελάζω προσπελάσω προσεπέλασα ––– ––– προσεπελάσθην: to make to approach, bring near to
ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind
πόντος –ου ὁ: sea, open sea 285
ἀτάρ: but, yet
ὑπεκφεύγω ὑπεκφεύξομαι ὑπεκέφυγον ὑπεκπέφευγα ––– –––: escape
αἰπύς –εῖα –ύ: steep; total
ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate
νηλής –ές: pitiless, ruthless
ἀναΐσσω/ἀνᾴσσω/ἀνᾴττω ἀνᾴξω ἀνῇξα: to start up, rise quickly
ἑταῖρος –ου ὁ: comrade, companion
ἰάλλω ἰαλῶ ἴηλα ––– ––– –––: to throw, hurl, fling
μάρπτω μάρψω ἔμαρψα ––– ––– –––: to catch, lay hold of, seize
σκύλαξ –ακος ὁ/ἡ: a young dog, whelp, puppy
κόπτω κόψω ἔκοψα κέκοφα κέκομμαι ἐκόπην: to beat, strike, hit
ἐγκέφαλος –ου ὁ: that which is within the head, the brain
χαμάδις: to the ground, on the ground
ῥέω ῥυήσομαι ––– ἐρρύηκα ––– ἐρρύην: flow, run, stream
δεύω δεύσω ἔδευσα ––– δέδευμαι ἐδεύθην: to wet, drench 290
γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district
διατέμνω aor. διέταμον: to cut through
μελειστί: limb from limb
ὁπλίζω ὁπλίσομαι ὥπλισα ὥπλικα ὥπλισμαι ὡπλίσθην: to equip, make ready; to arm
δόρπον –ου τό: the evening meal
ἐσθίω ἔδομαι ἔφαγον ἐδήδοκα ἐδέδησμαι –––: to eat
λέων λέοντος ὁ: lion
ὀρεσίτροφος –ον: mountain-bred
ἀπολείπω ἀπολείψω ἀπέλιπον ἀπολέλοιπα ἀπολέλειμμαι ἀπελείφθην: to leave off, stop; depart
ἔγκατα –ων τά: the innards, entrails, bowels
σάρξ σαρκός ἡ: flesh
ὀστέον –ου τό: a bone
μυελόεις –εσσα –εν: full of marrow
κλαίω/κλάω κλαύσομαι/κλαήσω ἔκλαυσα ––– κέκλαυμαι/κέκλαυσμαι ἐκλαύσθην: weep, cry
ἀνέχω ἀνέξω (or ἀνσχήσω) ἀνέσχον ἀνέσχηκα ––– –––: raise up
Ζεύς Διός ὁ: Zeus
σχέτλιος –α –ον: strong, unwearying; stubborn, cruel, merciless
ἀμηχανία –ας ἡ: powerlessness, helplessness, desperation 295
Κύκλωψ –πος ὁ: Cyclops
ἐμπίμπλημι ἐμπλήσω ἐνέπλησα ἐμπέπληκα ἐμπέπλησμαι ἐωεπλήθην: to fill
νηδύς –ύος ἡ: the stomach
ἀνδρόμεος –α –ον: of man
κρέας κρέως and κρέατος, gen. pl. κρειῶν, τό: meat, piece of meat
ἔδω ἔδομαι ἤδα ἔδηδα ἐδήδοται ἠδέσθην: to eat
ἄκρᾱτος –ον (Ion. ἄκρητος): unmixed; sheer
γάλα –ακτος τό: milk
ἔντοσθε: (from) within
ἄντρον –ου τό: a cave, cavern
τανύω τανύσω ἐτάνυσα – τετάνυσμαι ἐτανύσθην: to stretch, extend, lie (in a geographical sense)
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
μεγαλήτωρ –ορος: great-hearted, proud
ἆσσον: nearer, very near
ξίφος –ους τό: sword
εἰρύω/ἐρύω ἐρύσω/ἐρύω εἴρυσα/ἔρυσα/ἔρυσσα εἴρυσα/ἔρυσα/ἔρυσσα –– –– εἰρύσθην: to pull, draw, drag
μηρός –οῦ ὁ: the thigh 300
οὐτάω οὐτήσω οὔτησα – οὔτασμαι οὐτήθην: to wound, hurt, hit
στῆθος –ους τό: breast, chest; (pl.) heart, spirit
ὅθι: where
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
ἧπαρ –ατος τό: the liver
ἐπιμαίομαι ἐπιμάσσομαι ἐπεμασσάμην: to seek (by hand), feel for, palpate
ἐρύκω ἐρύξω ἔρυξα/ἤρυξα/ἐρύκακον/ἠρύκακον: to keep in, hold back, keep in check, curb, restrain
αὐτοῦ: at the very place, here, there
αἰπύς –εῖα –ύ: steep; total
ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death
θύρα –ας ἡ: door
ὑψηλός –ή –όν: high, lofty, high-hearted
ἀπωθέω ἀπώσω ἀπέωσα ἀπέωκα ἀπέωσμαι ἀπεώσθην: to thrust away, push back
ὄβριμος [–α] –ον: strong, mighty; (of things) heavy 305
στενάχω ––– ––– ––– ––– –––: to sigh, groan, wail
ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn
δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining
ἦμος: when, while
ἠριγένεια –ας ἡ: early-born, child of morn
ῥοδοδάκτυλος –ον: rosy-fingered
ἠώς ἠοῦς ἡ: dawn
ἀνακαίω ἀνακαίσω ἀνέκαυσα: to light up
ἀμέλγω ἀμέλξω ἤμελξα: to milk
κλuτός –ή –όν: illustrious, glorious
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
μοῖρα –ας ἡ: part, portion, lot, fate
ἔμβρυον –ου τό: a young one, new-born lamb; embryo
ἀτάρ: but, yet
σπεύδω σπεύσω ἔσπευσα ἔσπευκα ἔσπευσμαι ἔσπευθην: to hurry; to strive, do one's utmost
πονέω πονέσω/πονήσω ἐπόνεσα/ἐπόνησα πεπόνηκα πεπόνημαι ἐπονήθην: to work; to labor over, prepare 310
αὖτε: again
μάρπτω μάρψω ἔμαρψα ––– ––– –––: to catch, lay hold of, seize
ὁπλίζω ὁπλίσομαι ὥπλισα ὥπλικα ὥπλισμαι ὡπλίσθην: to equip, make ready; to arm
δεῖπνον –ου τό: meal, supper
δειπνέω δειπνήσω ἐδείπνησα δεδείπνηκα δεδείπνημαι ἐδειπνήθην: eat (dinner)
ἄντρον –ου τό: a cave, cavern
ἐξελαύνω ἐξελῶ ἐξήλασα ἐξελήλακα ἐξελήλαμαι ἐξηλάθην: to drive out, lead away
πίων –ονος ὁ/ἡ: fat, plump; rich, opulent
μῆλον –ου τό: sheep or goat
θυρεός –οῦ ὁ: a stone put against a door
ἄψ: back
ἐπιτίθημι ἐπιθήσω ἐπέθηκα ἐπιτέθηκα ––– ἐπετέθην: to lay/put upon, set up, apply oneself
φαρέτρα –ας ἡ: a quiver
πῶμα –ατος τό: a lid, cover
ἐπιτίθημι ἐπιθήσω ἐπέθηκα ἐπιτέθηκα ––– ἐπετέθην: lay/put upon, set up, apply oneself
ῥοῖζος –ου ἡ: a whistling 315
βυσσοδομεύω – – – – –: to scheme, plot
τίνω τείσω ἔτεισα/ἔτισα τέτεικα/τέτικα τέτεισμαι/τέτισμαι ἐτείσθην/ἐτίσθην: to pay, pay for, atone; (mid.) to make pay, punish, avenge oneself
εὖχος –ους τό: the thing prayed for, object of prayer; glory
Ἀθήνη –ης ἡ: Athena