Euripides' CYCLOPS Complete

Translated by E. Coleridge.

Euripides Bilingual Anthology  Studies  Euripides in Print

44 pages - You are on Page 20

Cyclops: Wealth, manikin, is the god for the wise; all else is mere
vaunting and fine words. Plague take the headlands by the sea, on
which my father seats himself! Why hast thou put forward these arguments?
I shudder not at Zeus's thunder, nor know I wherein Zeus is a mightier
god than I, stranger; what is more, I reck not of him; my reasons
hear. When he pours down the rain from above, here in this rock in
quarters snug, feasting on roast calf's flesh or some wild game and
moistening well my up-turned paunch with deep draughts from a tub
of milk, I rival the thunder-claps of Zeus with my artillery; and
when the north wind blows from Thrace and sheddeth snow, I wrap my
carcase in the hides of beasts and light a fire, and what care I for
snow? The earth perforce, whether she like it or not, produces grass
and fattens my flocks, which I sacrifice to no one save myself and
this belly, the greatest of deities; but to the gods, not I! For surely
to eat and drink one's fill from day to day and give oneself no grief
at all, this is the king of gods for your wise man, but lawgivers
go hang, chequering, as they do, the life of man! And so I will not
cease from indulging myself by devouring thee; and thou shalt receive
this stranger's gift, that I may be free of blame,-fire and my father's
element yonder, and a cauldron to hold thy flesh and boil it nicely
in collops. So in with you, that ye may feast me well, standing round
the altar to honour the cavern's god. (The Cyclops goes into his
cave, driving Odysseus' men before him.)

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