The next day we buried the body of Elpenor and built a high mound over his grave. Having learned about our return, the sorceress Kirka also came to the seashore; Her maids followed her, they brought to the ship a lot of luxuriously prepared food and skins with wine. We feasted on the seashore until nightfall. When my companions went to bed, the sorceress Kirk told me what dangers lay ahead of me on the way, and taught me how to avoid them.
As soon as the morning dawn flared up in the sky, I woke up my comrades. We lowered the ship to the sea, the rowers leaned on the oars together, and the ship rushed into the open sea. A fair wind inflated the sails, and we sailed calmly across the sea. The island of the sirens was already not far away. Then I turned to my companions:
- Friends! Now we must sail past the island of the sirens. With their singing they lure sailors sailing past and put them to cruel death. Their entire island is strewn with the bones of people they tore to pieces. I will cover your ears with soft wax so that you do not hear their singing and die, but you will tie me to the mast, the sorceress Kirk allowed me to hear the singing of the sirens. If I, enchanted by their singing, ask you to untie me, then you will tie me even tighter.
As soon as I said this, the tailwind suddenly died down. My comrades lowered the sail and sat down at the oars. The island of the sirens was already visible. I covered the ears of my companions with wax, and they tied me so tightly to the mast that I could not move a single joint. Our ship sailed quickly past the island, and from it came the enchanting singing of sirens.
- Oh, sail to us, great Odysseus! - so the sirens sang, - send your ship to us to enjoy our singing. Not a single sailor will sail past without listening to our sweet singing. Having enjoyed it, he leaves us having learned a lot. We all know - what the Greeks suffered by the will of the gods at Troy, and what is happening on earth.
Fascinated by their singing, I signaled to my comrades to untie me. But, remembering my instructions, they bound me even tighter. Only then did my companions take the wax out of my ears and untied me from the mast, when the island of the sirens had already disappeared from our eyes. The ship sailed calmly further and further, but suddenly I heard a terrible noise in the distance and saw smoke. I knew it was Charybdis. My comrades got scared, let go of the oars, and the ship stopped. I walked around my companions and began to encourage them.
- Friends! We have experienced many troubles, we have avoided many dangers, - so I said, - the danger that we have to overcome is no more terrible than the one that we experienced in the cave of Polyphemus. Don’t lose courage, lean harder on the oars! Zeus will help us avoid death. Direct the ship further away from the place where smoke is visible and a terrible noise is heard. Drive closer to the cliff!
I encouraged my companions. They leaned on the oars with all their might. I didn’t tell them anything about Skill. I knew that Skilla would snatch only six companions from me, and in Charybdis we would all die. I myself, forgetting Kirka’s instructions, grabbed a spear and began to wait for Skilla’s attack. I looked for her with my eyes in vain.
The ship sailed quickly along the narrow strait. We saw how Charybdis absorbed sea water: the waves bubbled around her mouth, and in her deep belly, as if in a cauldron, sea mud and earth boiled. When she spewed out water, the water boiled and seethed around her with a terrible roar, and salty spray flew up to the very top of the cliff. Pale with horror, I looked at Charybdis. At this time, the terrible Skilla stretched out all her six necks and grabbed six of my companions with her six huge mouths with three rows of teeth. I only saw how their arms and legs flashed in the air, and heard how they called for my help. At the entrance to her cave, Skilla devoured them; In vain did the unfortunate people stretch out their hands to me in supplication. With great difficulty we passed Charybdis and Skilla and sailed to the island of the god Helios - Trinacria.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru