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The Cyclops (0-95)

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Scene. Mount Aetna in Sicily, before the cave of the Cyclops.
Silenus
O Bromius, unnumbered are the toils I bear because of thee, no less now than when I was young and hale; first, when thou wert driven mad by Hera and didst leave the mountain nymphs, thy nurses;
next, when in battle with earth-born spearmen I stood beside thee on the right as squire, and slew Enceladus, smiting him full in the middle of his targe with my spear. Come, though, let me see; must I confess twas all a dream? No, by Zeus! since I really showed his spoils to the Bacchic god.
And now am I enduring to the full a toil still worse than those. For when Hera sent forth a race of Tyrrhene pirates against thee, that thou mightest be smuggled far away, I, as soon as the news reached me, sailed in quest of thee with my children; and, taking the helm
myself, I stood on the end of the stern and steered our trim craft; and my sons, sitting at the oars, made the grey billows froth and foam as they sought thee, my liege. But just as we had come nigh Malea in our course, an east-wind blew upon the ship
and drove us hither to the rock of Aetna, where in lonely caverns dwell the one-eyed children of oceans god, the murdering Cyclopes. Captured by one of them we are slaves in his house; Polyphemus they call him whom we serve;
and instead of Bacchic revelry we are herding a godless Cyclopss flocks; and so it is my children, striplings as they are, tend the young thereof on the edge of the downs; while my appointed task is to stay here and fill the troughs and sweep out the cave,
or wait
upon the ungodly Cyclops at his impious feasts. His orders now compel obedience; I have to scrape out his house with the rake you see, so as to receive the Cyclops, my absent master,
and his sheep in clean caverns.
But already I see my children driving their browsing flocks towards me.
What means this? is the beat of feet in the Sicinnis dance the same to you now as when ye attended the Bacchic god in his revelries
and made your way with dainty steps to the mask of lyres to the halls of Althaea?
41
Chorus
Offspring of well-bred sires and dams, pray whither wilt thou be gone from me to the rocks? Hast thou not here a gentle breeze,
and grass to browse, and water from the eddying stream set near the cave in troughs? and are not thy young ones bleating for thee?
49
Chorus
Pst! pst! wilt thou not browse here,
here on the dewy slope? Ho? ho! ere long will I cast a stone at thee. Away, away! O horned one, to the fold-keeper of the Cyclops, the country-ranging shepherd.
55
Chorus
Loosen thy bursting udder; welcome to thy teats the kids, whom thou leavest in the lambkins pens. Those little bleating kids, asleep the livelong day, miss thee;
wilt then leave at last the rich grass pastures on the peaks of Aetna and enter the fold?
Chorus
63
Chorus
Here we have no Bromian god; no dances here, or Bacchantes thyrsus-bearing;
no roll of drums, or drops of sparkling wine by gurgling founts; nor is it now with Nymphs in Nysa I sing a song of Bacchus, Bacchus!
to the queen of love, in quest of whom I once sped on with Bacchantes, white of foot.
Dear friend, dear Bacchic god, whither art roaming alone,
waving thy auburn locks, while I, thy minister, do service to the one-eyed Cyclops, a slave and wanderer I,
clad in this wretched goat-skin dress, severed from thy love?
82
Silenus
Hush, children! and bid our servants fold the flocks in the rock-roofed cavern.
Chorus
(To Servants.) Away! (To Silenus.) But prithee, why such haste, father?
Silenus
I see the hull of a ship from Hellas at the shore, and men, that wield the oar, on their way to this cave with some chieftain. About their necks they carry empty vessels and pitchers for water; they are in want of food. Luckless strangers!
who can they be? They know not what manner of man our master Polyphemus is, to have set foot here in his cheerless abode and come to the jaws of the cannibal Cyclops in an evil hour. But hold ye your peace, that we may inquire
whence they come to the peak of Sicilian Aetna.
Dramatis 1 w 8
Personae 1 w 16
Silenus 1 w 23
Chorus 1 w 29
of 1 w 31
Satyrs 1 w 37
Odysseus 1 w 45
The 1 w 48
Cyclops 1 w 55
Scene 1 w 60
Mount 1 w 67
Aetna 1 w 72
in 1 w 74
Sicily 1 w 80
before 1 w 87
the 1 w 90
cave 1 w 94
of 2 w 96
the 2 w 99
Cyclops 2 w 106
Silenus 2 w 114
O 2 w 115
Bromius 1 w 122
unnumbered 1 w 133
are 1 w 136
the 3 w 139
toils 1 w 144
I 1 w 145
bear 1 w 149
because 1 w 156
of 3 w 158
thee 1 w 162
no 1 w 165
less 1 w 169
now 1 w 172
than 1 w 176
when 1 w 180
I 2 w 181
was 1 w 184
young 1 w 189
and 1 w 192
hale 1 w 196
first 1 w 202
when 2 w 207
thou 1 w 211
wert 1 w 215
driven 1 w 221
mad 1 w 224
by 1 w 226
Hera 1 w 230
and 2 w 233
didst 1 w 238
leave 1 w 243
the 5 w 246
mountain 1 w 254
nymphs 1 w 260
thy 1 w 264
nurses 1 w 270
next 1 w 275
when 3 w 280
in 3 w 282
battle 1 w 288
with 1 w 292
earth-born 1 w 302
spearmen 1 w 310
I 3 w 311
stood 1 w 316
beside 1 w 322
thee 2 w 326
on 2 w 328
the 7 w 331
right 1 w 336
as 2 w 338
squire 1 w 344
and 3 w 348
slew 1 w 352
Enceladus 1 w 361
smiting 1 w 369
him 1 w 372
full 1 w 376
in 5 w 378
the 8 w 381
middle 1 w 387
of 4 w 389
his 1 w 392
targe 1 w 397
with 2 w 401
my 1 w 403
spear 2 w 408
Come 1 w 413
though 1 w 420
let 1 w 424
me 3 w 426
see 1 w 429
must 1 w 434
I 4 w 435
confess 1 w 442
twas 1 w 447
all 1 w 450
a 29 w 451
dream 1 w 456
No 1 w 459
by 2 w 462
Zeus 1 w 466
since 1 w 472
I 5 w 473
really 1 w 479
showed 1 w 485
his 2 w 488
spoils 1 w 494
to 3 w 496
the 9 w 499
Bacchic 1 w 506
god 1 w 509
And 1 w 513
now 2 w 516
am 3 w 518
I 6 w 519
enduring 1 w 527
to 4 w 529
the 10 w 532
full 2 w 536
a 34 w 537
toil 2 w 541
still 1 w 546
worse 1 w 551
than 2 w 555
those 1 w 560
For 1 w 564
when 4 w 568
Hera 2 w 572
sent 1 w 576
forth 1 w 581
a 37 w 582
race 1 w 586
of 5 w 588
Tyrrhene 1 w 596
pirates 1 w 603
against 1 w 610
thee 3 w 614
that 1 w 619
thou 3 w 623
mightest 1 w 631
be 6 w 633
smuggled 1 w 641
far 1 w 644
away 1 w 648
I 7 w 650
as 4 w 653
soon 1 w 657
as 5 w 659
the 12 w 662
news 1 w 666
reached 1 w 673
me 4 w 675
sailed 1 w 682
in 9 w 684
quest 1 w 689
of 6 w 691
thee 4 w 695
with 3 w 699
my 2 w 701
children 1 w 709
and 4 w 713
taking 1 w 720
the 14 w 723
helm 1 w 727
myself 1 w 733
I 8 w 735
stood 2 w 740
on 5 w 742
the 15 w 745
end 2 w 748
of 7 w 750
the 16 w 753
stern 1 w 758
and 5 w 761
steered 1 w 768
our 1 w 771
trim 1 w 775
craft 1 w 780
and 6 w 784
my 4 w 786
sons 1 w 790
sitting 1 w 798
at 6 w 800
the 17 w 803
oars 1 w 807
made 1 w 812
the 18 w 815
grey 1 w 819
billows 1 w 826
froth 1 w 831
and 7 w 834
foam 1 w 838
as 6 w 840
they 1 w 844
sought 1 w 850
thee 5 w 854
my 5 w 857
liege 1 w 862
But 1 w 866
just 1 w 870
as 7 w 872
we 3 w 874
had 1 w 877
come 1 w 881
nigh 1 w 885
Malea 1 w 890
in 12 w 892
our 2 w 895
course 1 w 901
an 10 w 904
east-wind 1 w 913
blew 1 w 917
upon 1 w 921
the 21 w 924
ship 1 w 928
and 8 w 931
drove 1 w 936
us 11 w 938
hither 1 w 944
to 7 w 946
the 23 w 949
rock 1 w 953
of 8 w 955
Aetna 2 w 960
where 1 w 966
in 14 w 968
lonely 1 w 974
caverns 1 w 981
dwell 1 w 986
the 24 w 989
one-eyed 1 w 997
children 2 w 1005
of 9 w 1007
ocean 1 w 1012
s 76 w 1014
god 2 w 1017
the 25 w 1021
murdering 1 w 1030
Cyclopes 1 w 1038
Captured 1 w 1047
by 3 w 1049
one 3 w 1052
of 10 w 1054
them 1 w 1058
we 5 w 1060
are 2 w 1063
slaves 1 w 1069
in 16 w 1071
his 3 w 1074
house 1 w 1079
Polyphemus 1 w 1090
they 2 w 1094
call 1 w 1098
him 2 w 1101
whom 1 w 1105
we 6 w 1107
serve 1 w 1112
and 9 w 1116
instead 1 w 1123
of 11 w 1125
Bacchic 2 w 1132
revelry 1 w 1139
we 7 w 1141
are 3 w 1144
herding 1 w 1151
a 79 w 1152
godless 1 w 1159
Cyclops 3 w 1166
s 88 w 1168
flocks 1 w 1174
and 10 w 1178
so 5 w 1180
it 7 w 1182
is 5 w 1184
my 6 w 1186
children 3 w 1194
striplings 1 w 1205
as 9 w 1207
they 3 w 1211
are 4 w 1214
tend 1 w 1219
the 29 w 1222
young 2 w 1227
thereof 1 w 1234
on 11 w 1236
the 31 w 1239
edge 1 w 1243
of 13 w 1245
the 32 w 1248
downs 1 w 1253
while 1 w 1259
my 7 w 1261
appointed 1 w 1270
task 1 w 1274
is 6 w 1276
to 8 w 1278
stay 1 w 1282
here 3 w 1286
and 11 w 1289
fill 1 w 1293
the 33 w 1296
troughs 1 w 1303
and 12 w 1306
sweep 1 w 1311
out 1 w 1314
the 34 w 1317
cave 3 w 1321
or 7 w 1324
wait 1 w 1328
upon 2 w 1332
the 35 w 1335
ungodly 1 w 1342
Cyclops 4 w 1349
at 7 w 1351
his 4 w 1354
impious 1 w 1361
feasts 1 w 1367
His 1 w 1371
orders 1 w 1377
now 3 w 1380
compel 1 w 1386
obedience 1 w 1395
I 9 w 1397
have 1 w 1401
to 9 w 1403
scrape 1 w 1409
out 2 w 1412
his 5 w 1415
house 2 w 1420
with 4 w 1424
the 36 w 1427
rake 1 w 1431
you 3 w 1434
see 2 w 1437
so 6 w 1440
as 12 w 1442
to 10 w 1444
receive 1 w 1451
the 37 w 1454
Cyclops 5 w 1461
my 8 w 1464
absent 1 w 1470
master 1 w 1476
and 13 w 1480
his 6 w 1483
sheep 1 w 1488
in 21 w 1490
clean 1 w 1495
caverns 2 w 1502
But 2 w 1506
already 1 w 1513
I 10 w 1514
see 3 w 1517
my 9 w 1519
children 4 w 1527
driving 1 w 1534
their 1 w 1539
browsing 1 w 1547
flocks 2 w 1553
towards 1 w 1560
me 6 w 1562
What 1 w 1567
means 1 w 1572
this 1 w 1576
is 12 w 1579
the 39 w 1582
beat 1 w 1586
of 14 w 1588
feet 1 w 1592
in 24 w 1594
the 40 w 1597
Sicinnis 1 w 1605
dance 1 w 1610
the 41 w 1613
same 1 w 1617
to 12 w 1619
you 4 w 1622
now 4 w 1625
as 14 w 1627
when 5 w 1631
ye 2 w 1633
attended 1 w 1641
the 42 w 1644
Bacchic 3 w 1651
god 5 w 1654
in 26 w 1656
his 8 w 1659
revelries 1 w 1668
and 14 w 1671
made 2 w 1675
your 1 w 1679
way 2 w 1682
with 5 w 1686
dainty 1 w 1692
steps 1 w 1697
to 13 w 1699
the 43 w 1702
mask 1 w 1706
of 15 w 1708
lyres 1 w 1713
to 14 w 1715
the 44 w 1718
halls 1 w 1723
of 16 w 1725
Althaea 1 w 1732
Chorus 2 w 1739
Offspring 1 w 1748
of 17 w 1750
well-bred 1 w 1759
sires 1 w 1764
and 15 w 1767
dams 1 w 1771
pray 1 w 1776
whither 1 w 1783
wilt 1 w 1787
thou 4 w 1791
be 9 w 1793
gone 1 w 1797
from 1 w 1801
me 9 w 1803
to 15 w 1805
the 46 w 1808
rocks 1 w 1813
Hast 1 w 1818
thou 5 w 1822
not 1 w 1825
here 4 w 1829
a 124 w 1830
gentle 1 w 1836
breeze 1 w 1842
and 16 w 1846
grass 1 w 1851
to 16 w 1853
browse 1 w 1859
and 17 w 1863
water 1 w 1868
from 2 w 1872
the 47 w 1875
eddying 1 w 1882
stream 1 w 1888
set 1 w 1891
near 1 w 1895
the 48 w 1898
cave 5 w 1902
in 30 w 1904
troughs 2 w 1911
and 18 w 1915
are 5 w 1918
not 2 w 1921
thy 2 w 1924
young 3 w 1929
ones 1 w 1933
bleating 1 w 1941
for 3 w 1944
thee 6 w 1948
Chorus 3 w 1955
Pst 1 w 1958
pst 1 w 1962
wilt 2 w 1967
thou 6 w 1971
not 3 w 1974
browse 2 w 1980
here 5 w 1984
here 6 w 1989
on 15 w 1991
the 50 w 1994
dewy 1 w 1998
slope 1 w 2003
Ho 1 w 2006
ho 15 w 2009
ere 9 w 2013
long 1 w 2017
will 1 w 2021
I 11 w 2022
cast 1 w 2026
a 136 w 2027
stone 1 w 2032
at 13 w 2034
thee 7 w 2038
Away 1 w 2043
away 2 w 2048
O 4 w 2050
horned 1 w 2056
one 7 w 2059
to 18 w 2062
the 52 w 2065
fold-keeper 1 w 2076
of 18 w 2078
the 53 w 2081
Cyclops 6 w 2088
the 54 w 2092
country-ranging 1 w 2107
shepherd 1 w 2115
Chorus 4 w 2122
Loosen 1 w 2128
thy 3 w 2131
bursting 1 w 2139
udder 1 w 2144
welcome 1 w 2152
to 19 w 2154
thy 4 w 2157
teats 1 w 2162
the 55 w 2165
kids 1 w 2169
whom 2 w 2174
thou 7 w 2178
leavest 1 w 2185
in 34 w 2187
the 56 w 2190
lambkins 1 w 2198
pens 1 w 2203
Those 1 w 2209
little 1 w 2215
bleating 2 w 2223
kids 2 w 2227
asleep 1 w 2234
the 57 w 2237
livelong 1 w 2245
day 1 w 2248
miss 1 w 2253
thee 8 w 2257
wilt 3 w 2262
then 1 w 2266
leave 3 w 2271
at 16 w 2273
last 1 w 2277
the 60 w 2280
rich 1 w 2284
grass 2 w 2289
pastures 1 w 2297
on 20 w 2299
the 61 w 2302
peaks 1 w 2307
of 19 w 2309
Aetna 3 w 2314
and 19 w 2317
enter 1 w 2322
the 62 w 2325
fold 2 w 2329
Chorus 5 w 2336
Chorus 6 w 2342
Here 1 w 2346
we 11 w 2348
have 2 w 2352
no 9 w 2354
Bromian 1 w 2361
god 6 w 2364
no 10 w 2367
dances 1 w 2373
here 7 w 2377
or 16 w 2380
Bacchantes 1 w 2390
thyrsus-bearing 1 w 2405
no 11 w 2408
roll 1 w 2412
of 20 w 2414
drums 1 w 2419
or 17 w 2422
drops 1 w 2427
of 21 w 2429
sparkling 1 w 2438
wine 1 w 2442
by 4 w 2444
gurgling 1 w 2452
founts 1 w 2458
nor 1 w 2462
is 16 w 2464
it 13 w 2466
now 5 w 2469
with 6 w 2473
Nymphs 1 w 2479
in 41 w 2481
Nysa 1 w 2485
I 12 w 2486
sing 2 w 2490
a 164 w 2491
song 1 w 2495
of 22 w 2497
Bacchus 1 w 2504
Bacchus 2 w 2512
to 20 w 2515
the 63 w 2518
queen 1 w 2523
of 23 w 2525
love 1 w 2529
in 43 w 2532
quest 2 w 2537
of 24 w 2539
whom 3 w 2543
I 13 w 2544
once 1 w 2548
sped 1 w 2552
on 23 w 2554
with 7 w 2558
Bacchantes 2 w 2568
white 1 w 2574
of 25 w 2576
foot 1 w 2580
Dear 1 w 2585
friend 1 w 2591
dear 1 w 2596
Bacchic 4 w 2603
god 7 w 2606
whither 2 w 2614
art 2 w 2617
roaming 1 w 2624
alone 1 w 2629
waving 1 w 2636
thy 6 w 2639
auburn 1 w 2645
locks 3 w 2650
while 2 w 2656
I 14 w 2657
thy 7 w 2661
minister 1 w 2669
do 2 w 2672
service 1 w 2679
to 21 w 2681
the 65 w 2684
one-eyed 2 w 2692
Cyclops 7 w 2699
a 177 w 2701
slave 2 w 2706
and 20 w 2709
wanderer 1 w 2717
I 15 w 2718
clad 1 w 2723
in 47 w 2725
this 2 w 2729
wretched 1 w 2737
goat-skin 1 w 2746
dress 1 w 2751
severed 1 w 2759
from 3 w 2763
thy 8 w 2766
love 2 w 2770
Silenus 3 w 2778
Hush 1 w 2782
children 5 w 2791
and 22 w 2795
bid 1 w 2798
our 5 w 2801
servants 1 w 2809
fold 3 w 2813
the 66 w 2816
flocks 3 w 2822
in 49 w 2824
the 67 w 2827
rock-roofed 1 w 2838
cavern 3 w 2844
Chorus 7 w 2851
To 1 w 2854
Servants 1 w 2862
Away 2 w 2868
To 2 w 2872
Silenus 4 w 2879
But 3 w 2884
prithee 1 w 2891
why 1 w 2895
such 1 w 2899
haste 1 w 2904
father 1 w 2911
Silenus 5 w 2919
I 16 w 2920
see 4 w 2923
the 70 w 2926
hull 1 w 2930
of 27 w 2932
a 190 w 2933
ship 2 w 2937
from 4 w 2941
Hellas 1 w 2947
at 19 w 2949
the 71 w 2952
shore 1 w 2957
and 23 w 2961
men 2 w 2964
that 2 w 2969
wield 1 w 2974
the 72 w 2977
oar 2 w 2980
on 26 w 2983
their 2 w 2988
way 6 w 2991
to 22 w 2993
this 3 w 2997
cave 7 w 3001
with 8 w 3005
some 1 w 3009
chieftain 1 w 3018
About 1 w 3024
their 3 w 3029
necks 1 w 3034
they 4 w 3038
carry 1 w 3043
empty 1 w 3048
vessels 1 w 3055
and 24 w 3058
pitchers 1 w 3066
for 4 w 3069
water 2 w 3074
they 5 w 3079
are 6 w 3082
in 51 w 3084
want 1 w 3088
of 28 w 3090
food 1 w 3094
Luckless 1 w 3103
strangers 1 w 3112
who 4 w 3116
can 1 w 3119
they 6 w 3123
be 11 w 3125
They 1 w 3130
know 1 w 3134
not 4 w 3137
what 1 w 3141
manner 1 w 3147
of 29 w 3149
man 2 w 3152
our 6 w 3155
master 2 w 3161
Polyphemus 2 w 3171
is 20 w 3173
to 23 w 3176
have 3 w 3180
set 2 w 3183
foot 2 w 3187
here 8 w 3191
in 52 w 3193
his 11 w 3196
cheerless 1 w 3205
abode 1 w 3210
and 25 w 3213
come 3 w 3217
to 24 w 3219
the 78 w 3222
jaws 1 w 3226
of 30 w 3228
the 79 w 3231
cannibal 1 w 3239
Cyclops 8 w 3246
in 53 w 3248
an 46 w 3250
evil 1 w 3254
hour 1 w 3258
But 4 w 3262
hold 1 w 3266
ye 4 w 3268
your 2 w 3272
peace 1 w 3277
that 3 w 3282
we 12 w 3284
may 1 w 3287
inquire 1 w 3294
whence 1 w 3300
they 7 w 3304
come 4 w 3308
to 25 w 3310
the 81 w 3313
peak 2 w 3317
of 31 w 3319
Sicilian 1 w 3327
Aetna 4 w 3332