Page:The Odyssey of Homer, with the Hymns, Epigrams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice (Buckley 1853).djvu/202

166 if a god should meet her. She has twelve slender feet in all; and she has six very long necks; and on each there is a terrific head, and in it three rows of teeth, thick and frequent, full of black death. She is sunk in the middle through her hollow cave: and she holds forth her heads out of the terrible abyss, and fishes there, watching about the rock, for dolphins, and dogs, and if she can any where take a larger whale, which deep-groaning Amphitrite feeds in countless numbers. By whom unharmed never at any time do sailors boast that they have fled by in their ship; but snatching a man with each of her heads from a dark-prowed ship, she bears him away. But thou wilt see the other rock lower, O Ulysses, each near to the other; and thou couldst reach it with an arrow. In this there is a large wild fig-tree flourishing with leaves; under this divine Charybdis sucks in black water. For thrice in a day she sends it out, and thrice she sucks it in terribly: mayest thou not come thither when she is gulping it; for not even Neptune could free thee from ill. But by all means sailing to the rock of Scylla, drive thy ship quickly beyond; since it is much better to regret six companions in a ship, than all together.'

"Thus she spoke; but I answering addressed her; 'Come then, tell me this truly, O goddess; if I can by any means escape out from destructive Charybdis, should I be revenged upon her, when she has harmed my companions?'

"Thus I spoke; but she, the divine one of goddesses, immediately answered: 'O wretched one, are warlike deeds and labour still a care to thee? nor wilt thou yield to the immortal gods? She is not indeed mortal, but is an immortal evil, terrible, and difficult, and fierce, nor to be fought with. Nor is there any defence; it is best to flee from her: for if thou shouldst delay, arming thyself, by the rock, I fear lest again attacking thee she would reach thee with so many heads, and would take away so many men. But sail on very quickly and call for help to Cratæis, the mother of Scylla, who brought her forth a destruction to mortals, who will immediately hinder her from attacking thee afterwards.