’But now when we left that isle nor any other
land appeared, but sky and sea only, even then the
son of Cronos stayed a dark cloud above the hollow
ship, and beneath it the deep darkened. And the
ship ran on her way for no long while, for of a sudden
came the shrilling West, with the rushing of a great
tempest, and the blast of wind snapped the two forestays
of the mast, and the mast fell backward and all the
gear dropped into the bilge. And behold, on the
hind part of the ship the mast struck the head of the
pilot and brake all the bones of his skull together,
and like a diver he dropt down from the deck, and
his brave spirit left his bones. In that same
hour Zeus thundered and cast his bolt upon the ship,
and she reeled all over being stricken by the bolt
of Zeus, and was filled with sulphur, and lo, my company
fell from out the vessel. Like sea-gulls they
were borne round the black ship upon the billows, and
the god reft them of returning.
’But I kept pacing through my ship, till the
surge loosened the sides from the keel, and the wave
swept her along stript of her tackling, and brake
her mast clean off at the keel. Now the backstay
fashioned of an oxhide had been flung thereon; therewith
I lashed together both keel and mast, and sitting
thereon I was borne by the ruinous winds.
’Then verily the West Wind ceased to blow with
a rushing storm, and swiftly withal the South Wind
came, bringing sorrow to my soul, that so I might
again measure back that space of sea, the way to deadly
Charybdis. All the night was I borne, but with
the rising of the sun I came to the rock of Scylla,
and to dread Charybdis. Now she had sucked down
her salt sea water, when I was swung up on high to
the tall fig-tree whereto I clung like a bat, and
could find no sure rest for my feet nor place to stand,
for the roots spread far below and the branches hung
aloft out of reach, long and large, and overshadowed
Charybdis. Steadfast I clung till she should
spew forth mast and keel again; and late they came
to my desire. At the hour when a man rises up
from the assembly and goes to supper, one who judges
the many quarrels of the young men that seek to him
for law, at that same hour those timbers came forth
to view from out Charybdis. And I let myself
drop down hands and feet, and plunged heavily in the
midst of the waters beyond the long timbers, and sitting
on these I rowed hard with my hands. But the
father of gods and of men suffered me no more to behold
Scylla, else I should never have escaped from utter
doom.
’Thence for nine days was I borne, and on the
tenth night the gods brought me nigh to the isle of
Ogygia, where dwells Calypso of the braided tresses,
an awful goddess of mortal speech, who took me in
and entreated me kindly. But why rehearse all
this tale? For even yesterday I told it to thee
and to thy noble wife in thy house; and it liketh me
not twice to tell a plain-told tale.’
Book XIII
Copyrights
The Odyssey from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
