The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis
Return of Ulysses to the island of Circè—Her counsels respecting his homeward voyage—The sirens—Escape from Scylla and Charybdis—His arrival at Trinacria—Slaughter of the oxen of the Sun by his companions—A tempest, in consequence, by which his companions all perish, and he only escapes by swimming to the island of Calypso.
“Now when our barque had left Océanus And entered the great deep, we reached the isle Aeaea, where the Morning, child of Dawn, Abides, and holds her dances, and the Sun Goes up from earth. We landed there and drew Our galley up the beach; we disembarked And laid us down to sleep beside the sea, And waited for the holy Morn to rise.
“Then when the rosy-fingered Morn appeared, The child of Dawn, I sent my comrades forth To bring from Circè’s halls Elpenor’s corse. And where a headland stretched into the deep We hewed down trees, and held the funeral rites With many tears; and having there consumed The body and the arms with fire, we built A tomb, and reared a column to the dead, And on its summit fixed a tapering oar.
“All this was duly done; yet was the news Of our return from Hades not concealed From Circè. She attired herself in haste And came; her maids came with her, bringing bread And store of meats and generous wine; and thus Spake the wise goddess, standing in the midst:—
“ ‘Ah, daring ones! who, yet alive, have gone Down to the abode of Pluto; twice to die Is yours, while others die but once. Yet now Take food, drink wine, and hold a feast today, And with the dawn of morning ye shall sail; And I will show the way, and teach you all Its dangers, so that ye may not