When he heard that, Polyphemus bellowed with rage, and tearing up a great boulder from the side of the cliff he flung it with mighty force in the direction of the voice.  It fell into the sea right in front of the ship, and raised a billow which washed her back to the shore.  Odysseus pushed her off with a long pole, and signalled to his men to give way.  They rowed for dear life, and had attained twice the former distance from the shore when Odysseus stopped them again, though they besought him earnestly to forego his rash purpose, and to refrain from provoking Polyphemus more.  But he, being exceeding wroth for the murder of his men, would not be persuaded; and lifting up his voice he spake again:  “Cyclops, if anyone ask thee to whom thou owest the loss of thine eye, say that it was Odysseus, the son of Laertes, who reft thee of sight, and his home is in rocky Ithaca.”

[Illustration:  Odysseus and Polyphemus]

Now it happened that many a year back Polyphemus had heard a prophecy, foretelling that he should one day be blinded by a certain Odysseus.  So when he heard that name he was stricken to the very heart, and cried aloud:  “This, then, is the fulfilment of the oracle!  Verily I thought that some tall and proper man would come hither to assail me, but now I have been outwitted, made drunk, and blinded, by this little, paltry wretch.”  After a pause he spoke again, thinking to fight that man of many wiles with his own weapons.  “Come hither, Odysseus,” he said, softening his big voice as well as he could, “that I may entertain thee with loving-kindness; and afterwards I will pray to Poseidon, whose son I am, to send a fair breeze for thy homeward voyage.  And he also shall heal my hurt, and give me back my sight.”

Odysseus laughed aloud at the poor monster’s simplicity, whereupon Polyphemus lifted up his hands to heaven, and prayed to his sire, the lord Poseidon:  “Hear me, thou who holdest the earth in thine arms, if I am indeed thy son.  Grant me that Odysseus may never reach his home, or if that is fixed beyond repeal, let him come home in evil plight, with the loss of all his men, on a strange ship, to a house of woe."[1]

[Footnote 1:  Compare Dido’s curse ("Stories from the AEneid,” p. 84).]

Such was the curse of Polyphemus, to be fulfilled, as we shall see, to the letter.  And having uttered it he flung another rock, which fell just short of the vessel’s stern, and raised a wave which washed her towards the island.  Soon they reached the harbour where the rest of the fleet lay moored.  Joyful were the greetings of their comrades, who had given them up for lost; and a merry feast they made on the flesh of the fat sheep, though their mirth was checkered by sadness when they thought of the brave six who had come to so horrible an end in the Cyclops’ cave.