With all my children quaint in search of you, And one of these, named Polypheme, has caught us Of Bacchic sports, sweet dance and melody, We keep this lawless giant's wandering flocks. My sons indeed, on far declivities, Young things themselves, tend on the youngling sheep, Or sweeping the hard floor, or ministering * CHORUS OF SATYRS. STROPHE. Where has he of race divine Wild, seditious, rambling! Seeking her and her delight With the Mænads, whose white feet Shaking wide thy yellow hair, In these wretched goat-skins clad, * The Antistrophe is omitted. SILENUS. Be silent, sons; command the slaves to drive Go! CHORUS. But what needs this serious haste, O father? SILENUS. I see a Greek ship's boat upon the coast, Whence come they, that they know not what and who The inhospitable roof of Polypheme, And the Cyclopian jaw-bone, man-destroying? Whence coming, they arrive the Ætnean hill. ULYSSES. Friends, can you show me some clear water spring, Furnish with food seamen in want of it? This sportive band of Satyrs near the caves. SILENUS. Hail thou, O, Stranger! tell thy country and thy race. ULYSSES. The Ithacan Ulysses and the king Of Cephalonia. SILENUS. Oh! I know the man, Wordy and shrewd, the son of Sisyphus. ULYSSES. I am the same, but do not rail upon me. SILENUS. Whence sailing do you come to Sicily? ULYSSES. From Ilion, and from the Trojan toils. SILENUS. How, touched you not at your paternal shore? ULYSSES. The strength of tempests bore me here by force. SILENUS. The self-same accident occurred to me. ULYSSES. Were you then driven here by stress of weather? SILENUS. Following the Pirates who had kidnapped Bacchus. ULYSSES. What land is this, and who inhabit it ?— SILENUS. Ætna, the loftiest peak in Sicily. ULYSSES. And are there walls, and tower-surrounded towns? SILENUS. There are not;-These lone rocks are bare of men. ULYSSES. And who possess the land? the race of beasts? SILENUS. Cyclops, who live in caverns, not in houses. ULYSSES. Obeying whom? Or is the state popular? SILENUS. Shepherds: no one obeys any in aught. ULYSSES. How live they? do they sow the corn of Ceres? SILENUS. On milk and cheese, and on the flesh of sheep. ULYSSES. Have they the Bromian drink from the vine's stream? SILENUS.. Ah! no; they live in an ungracious land. ULYSSES. And are they just to strangers ?-hospitable? SILENUS. They think the sweetest thing a stranger brings ULYSSES. What! do they eat man's flesh? SILENUS. No one comes here who is not eaten up. Know'st thou what thou must do to aid us hence? SILENUS. I know not: we will help you all we can. ULYSSES. Provide us food, of which we are in want. |