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And this island was very large, divided among three brothers, great and powerful and who thought the same as one another, I mean, among Cyclops and Antiphantes and Polyphemus, who were sons of Sicanus, king of the same island. And these three brothers were harsh men, never receiving strangers, but even killing them. 115 And Odysseus, having arrived with his ships and his army in the part belonging to Antiphantes, joined battle with Antiphantes and his army of the so-called Laestrygonians. And they killed many from the army of Odysseus; and taking his own ships and sailing away, he fled from there to another part of the island, the one belonging to Cyclops, where the Cyclopian mountains are said to be. And Cyclops, knowing this, came against him with his own forces; and he was great in body and hideous; and coming suddenly upon Odysseus who had landed on the land belonging to him, he cut down many of his men, and Cyclops, having seized Odysseus and some of his army, taking one of those captured with him, named Miccalion, a noble man and one who had fought bravely at Troy and who was a leader of Odysseus's army, whom, seizing by the hair of his head in the sight of Odysseus and all those with him, he disemboweled with the sword he was carrying, as one who had fought against him. And he shut up the rest, intending to kill them all one by one. But Odysseus, falling before him, persuaded him by means of much money and gifts to release him and the men left to him. And Cyclops, having been persuaded with difficulty by the giving of the money, promised to release him around evening; and he himself, intending that very night to go out and kill him and his men and take away all the wealth he was carrying and his 116 ships, around evening released him and those with him; but as soon as Odysseus was released, fearing the man’s cruelty he immediately sailed away from his parts. But Cyclops, having rushed out during the night and not finding the ships, out of madness ordered stones to be thrown into the sea, in case they had moved their anchorage within the land. And as the night was deep and darkness covered the land and the sea, and being ignorant of the places themselves, they landed at other parts of the island, belonging to Polyphemus, the brother of Cyclops and Antiphantes. This Polyphemus, learning that some men had sailed in by night and landed in the country belonging to him, immediately taking his own forces, came against Odysseus and joined battle with him. And they fought the whole night, and many of Odysseus's men fell. And when morning came, Odysseus brought gifts to Polyphemus also and fell before him, saying that he had come from the regions of Troy, wandering from the great compulsion of the waves, recounting to him also the various misfortunes that had befallen him at sea. This Polyphemus, feeling sympathy for him, pitied him, and he received him and his men, until the voyage became favorable. And the daughter of Polyphemus, named Elpe, was amorously disposed towards a certain handsome man among those with Odysseus, named Leion; and when a favorable wind blew, seizing her, they set out from the island of Sicily. These things the most 117 wise Sisyphus of Cos set forth. For the wise Euripides set forth a play about the Cyclops, that he had three eyes, signifying the three brothers, as sympathizing with one another and watching over one another's places on the island and allying with and avenging one another, and that having made the Cyclops drunk with wine he was able to escape, because Odysseus intoxicated this same Cyclops with much money and gifts so that he would not devour those with him, and that Odysseus, taking a torch of fire, blinded his one eye, because the only-begotten daughter of the brother
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δὲ νῆσος αὕτη ἦν μεγάλη πάνυ, διῃρημένη εἰς τρεῖς ἀδελφοὺς μεγάλους καὶ δυνατοὺς καὶ τὰ ἀλλήλων φρονοῦντας, λέγω δὴ εἰς Κύκλωπα καὶ Ἀντιφάντην καὶ Πολύφημον, υἱοὺς γεναμένους τοῦ Σικάνου, βασιλέως τῆς αὐτῆς νήσου. ἦσαν δὲ οἱ αὐτοὶ τρεῖς ἀδελφοὶ ἄνδρες χαλεποὶ καὶ μηδέποτε ξένους ὑποδεχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναιροῦντες. 115 καὶ καταντήσας σὺν ταῖς ναυσὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ στρατῷ ὁ Ὀδυσσεὺς εἰς τὸ διαφέρον μέρος τῷ Ἀντιφάντῃ συνέβαλε πόλεμον μετὰ τοῦ Ἀντιφάντου καὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ αὐτοῦ τῶν λεγομένων Λαιστρυγόνων. καὶ κτείνουσιν ἱκανοὺς ἐκ τοῦ στρατοῦ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως· καὶ λαβὼν τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ναῦς ἀποπλεύσας ἔφυγεν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ἄλλο μέρος τῆς νήσου, τὸ διαφέρον τῷ Κύκλωπι, ἔνθα τὰ Κυκλώπια λέγεται ὄρη. καὶ γνοὺς τοῦτο ὁ Κύκλωψ ἦλθε κατ' αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας βοηθείας· ἦν δὲ μέγας τοῖς σώμασι καὶ δυσειδής· καὶ ἐπελθὼν ἄφνω τῷ Ὀδυσσεῖ παραβαλόντι ἐπὶ τὴν διαφέρουσαν αὐτῷ γῆν κατέκοψεν αὐτοῦ πολλούς, καὶ συλλαβόμενος τὸν Ὀδυσσέα καί τινας τοῦ στρατοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁ Κύκλωψ, λαβὼν ἕνα τῶν ἅμα αὐτῷ συλληφθέντων ὀνόματι Μικκαλίωνα, ἄνδρα γενναῖον καὶ ἀριστεύσαντα ἐν τῇ Τροίῃ καὶ ὄντα ἡγούμενον τοῦ στρατοῦ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως, ὅντινα κρατήσας τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπ' ὄψεσι τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως καὶ πάντων τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ᾧ ἐβάσταζε ξίφει ἀνεντέρισεν, ὡς μαχησάμενον αὐτῷ. τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἀπέκλεισε, βουλόμενος κατὰ μέρος τοὺς πάντας φονεῦσαι. ὁ δὲ Ὀδυσσεὺς προσπεσὼν αὐτῷ ἔπεισεν αὐτὸν διὰ χρημάτων πολλῶν καὶ ξενίων ἀπολῦσαι αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας αὐτῷ ἄνδρας. πεισθεὶς δὲ μόλις ὁ Κύκλωψ διὰ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων δόσεως, ἐπηγγείλατο περὶ ἑσπέραν ἀπολύειν αὐτόν· καὶ αὐτὸς βουλόμενος ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ αὐτῇ ἀπελθεῖν καὶ φονεῦσαι αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀφελέσθαι πάντα ὃν ἐπιφέρεται πλοῦτον καὶ τὰς ναῦς 116 αὐτοῦ, περὶ ἑσπέραν ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἢ μόνον δὲ ἀπελύθη Ὀδυσσεύς, δειλιῶν τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὠμότητα εὐθέως ἀπέπλευσεν ἐκ τῶν μερῶν αὐτοῦ. ἐπιῤῥίψας δὲ νυκτὸς ὁ Κύκλωψ καὶ μὴ εὑρηκὼς τὰ πλοῖα, ἐκ τῆς μανίας εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ῥίπτεσθαι λίθους ἐκέλευσε, μήπως ἔνδον τῆς γῆς ἐμεθώρμησαν. νυκτὸς δὲ βαθείας οὔσης καὶ σκότους καλύπτοντος τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ἀγνοοῦντες δὲ καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς τόπους, παρέβαλον εἰς ἄλλα μέρη τῆς νήσου, διαφέροντα τῷ Πολυφήμῳ, ἀδελφῷ τοῦ Κύκλωπος καὶ τοῦ Ἀντιφάντου. ὅστις Πολύφημος μαθὼν ὅτι τινὲς κατέπλευσαν νυκτὸς καὶ παρέβαλον εἰς τὴν διαφέρουσαν αὐτῷ χώραν, εὐθέως λαβὼν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βοήθειαν, ἐλθὼν κατὰ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως συνέβαλεν αὐτῷ πόλεμον. καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν νύκτα ἐπολέμουν, καὶ ἔπεσον ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως πολλοί. πρωίας δὲ γενομένης προσήγαγεν ὁ Ὀδυσσεὺς καὶ τῷ Πολυφήμῳ ξένια καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ, εἰπὼν ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν Τρωικῶν τόπων ἐλήλυθε πεπλανημένος ἀπὸ πολλῆς κυμάτων ἀνάγκης, ἀπαριθμήσας αὐτῷ καὶ τὰς συμβάσας αὐτῷ κατὰ θάλασσαν διαφόρους συμφοράς. ὅστις Πολύφημος συμπαθήσας αὐτῷ ἠλέησεν αὐτόν, καὶ ὑπεδέξατο αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἕως οὗ ἐγένετο ἐπιτήδειος ὁ πλοῦς. ἡ δὲ θυγάτηρ τοῦ Πολυφήμου ὀνόματι Ἔλπη ἐρωτικῶς διετέθη πρός τινα εὐπρεπῆ ἄνδρα τῶν μετὰ τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως ὀνόματι Λεΐωνα· καὶ ἐπιτηδείου ἀνέμου πνεύσαντος ταύτην ἀφαρπάσαντες ἐξώρμησαν ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας νήσου. ἅτινα ὁ σο 117 φώτατος Σίσυφος ὁ Κῷος ἐξέθετο. ὁ γὰρ σοφὸς Εὐριπίδης δρᾶμα ἐξέθετο περὶ τοῦ Κύκλωπος ὅτι τρεῖς εἶχεν ὀφθαλμούς, σημαίνων τοὺς τρεῖς ἀδελφούς, ὡς συμπαθοῦντας ἀλλήλοις καὶ διαβλεπομένους τοὺς ἀλλήλων τόπους τῆς νήσου καὶ συμμαχοῦντας καὶ ἐκδικοῦντας ἀλλήλους, καὶ ὅτι οἴνῳ μεθύσας τὸν Κύκλωπα ἐκφυγεῖν ἠδυνήθη, διότι χρήμασι πολλοῖς καὶ δώροις ἐμέθυσε τὸν αὐτὸν Κύκλωπα ὁ Ὀδυσσεὺς πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατεσθίειν τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι λαβὼν Ὀδυσσεὺς λαμπάδα πυρὸς ἐτύφλωσε τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἕνα, διότι τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν μονογενῆ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ