’"The other peak is near.  Thou couldst send an arrow across to it from Scylla’s den.  Out of the peak a fig tree grows, and below that fig tree Charybdis has her den.  She sits there sucking down the water and spouting it forth.  Mayst thou not be near when she sucks the water down, for then nothing could save thee.  Keep nearer to Scylla’s than to Charybdis’s rock.  It is better to lose six of your company than to lose thy ship and all thy company.  Keep near Scylla’s rock and drive right on."’

’"If thou shouldst win past the deadly rocks guarded by Scylla and Charybdis thou wilt come to the Island of Thrinacia.  There the Cattle of the Sun graze with immortal nymphs to guard them.  If them comest to that Island, do no hurt to those herds.  If thou doest hurt to them I foresee ruin for thy ship and thy men, even though thou thyself shouldst escape."’

’So Circe spoke to me, and having told me such things she took her way up the island.  Then I went to the ship and roused my men.  Speedily they went aboard, and, having taken their seats upon the benches, struck the water with their oars.  Then the sails were hoisted and a breeze came and we sailed away from the Isle of Circe, the Enchantress.’

’I told my companions what Circe had told me about the Sirens in their field of flowers.  I took a great piece of wax and broke it and kneaded it until it was soft.  Then I covered the ears of my men, and they bound me upright to the mast of the ship.  The wind dropped and the sea became calm as though a god had stilled the waters.  My company took their oars and pulled away.  When the ship was within a man’s shout from the land we had come near the Sirens espied us and raised their song.’

’"Come hither, come hither, O Odysseus,” the Sirens sang, “stay thy bark and listen to our song.  None hath ever gone this way in his ship until he hath heard from our own lips the voice sweet as a honeycomb, and hath joy of it, and gone on his way a wiser man.  We know all things—­all the travail the Greeks had in the war of Troy, and we know all that hereafter shall be upon the earth.  Odysseus, Odysseus, come to our field of flowers, and hear the song that we shall sing to thee."’

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’My heart was mad to listen to the Sirens.  I nodded my head to the company commanding them to unloose me, but they bound me the tighter, and bent to their oars and rowed on.  When we had gone past the place of the Sirens the men took the wax from off their ears and loosed me from the mast.’

But no sooner had we passed the Island than I saw smoke arising and heard the roaring of the sea.  My company threw down their oars in terror.  I went amongst them to hearten them, and I made them remember how, by my device, we had escaped from the Cave of the Cyclops.