“ ‘My comrades, sufferers as ye are, give ear. I shall disclose the oracles which late Tiresias and Aeaean Circè gave. The goddess earnestly admonished me Not to approach the island of the Sun, Whose light is sweet to all, for there she said Some great misfortune lay in wait for us. Now let us speed the ship and pass the isle.’
“I spake; their hearts were broken as they heard, And bitterly Eurylochus replied:—
“ ‘Austere art thou, Ulysses; thou art strong Exceedingly; no labor tires thy limbs; They must be made of iron, since thy will Denies thy comrades, overcome with toil And sleeplessness, to tread the land again, And in that isle amid the waters make A generous banquet. Thou wouldst have us sail Into the swiftly coming night, and stray Far from the island, through the misty sea. By night spring up the mighty winds that make A wreck of ships, and how can one escape Destruction, should a sudden hurricane Rise from the south or the hard-blowing west, Such as, in spite of all the sovereign gods, Will cause a ship to founder in the deep? Let us obey the dark-browed Night, and take Our evening meal, remaining close beside Our gallant barque, and go on board again When morning breaks, and enter the wide sea.’
“So spake Eurylochus; the rest approved. And then I knew that some divinity Was meditating evil to our band, And I bespake him thus in winged words:—
“ ‘Eurylochus, ye force me to your will, Since I am only one. Now all of you Bind yourselves to me firmly, by an oath, That if ye haply here shall meet a herd Of beeves or flock of sheep, ye will not dare To slay a single ox or sheep, but feed Contented on the stores that Circè gave.’