’Then I numbered my goodly-greaved company in two bands, and appointed a leader for each, and I myself took the command of the one part, and godlike Eurylochus of the other.  And anon we shook the lots in a brazen-fitted helmet, and out leapt the lot of proud Eurylochus.  So he went on his way, and with him two and twenty of my fellowship all weeping; and we were left behind making lament.  In the forest glades they found the halls of Circe builded, of polished stone, in a place with wide prospect.  And all around the palace mountain-bred wolves and lions were roaming, whom she herself had bewitched with evil drugs that she gave them.  Yet the beasts did not set on my men, but lo, they ramped about them and fawned on them, wagging their long tails.  And as when dogs fawn about their lord when he comes from the feast, for he always brings them the fragments that soothe their mood, even so the strong-clawed wolves and the lions fawned around them; but they were affrighted when they saw the strange and terrible creatures.  So they stood at the outer gate of the fair-tressed goddess, and within they heard Circe singing in a sweet voice, as she fared to and fro before the great web imperishable, such as is the handiwork of goddesses, fine of woof and full of grace and splendour.  Then Polites, a leader of men, the dearest to me and the trustiest of all my company, first spake to them: 

’"Friends, forasmuch as there is one within that fares to and fro before a mighty web singing a sweet song, so that all the floor of the hall makes echo, a goddess she is or a woman; come quickly and cry aloud to her.”

’He spake the word and they cried aloud and called to her.  And straightway she came forth and opened the shining doors and bade them in, and all went with her in their heedlessness.  But Eurylochus tarried behind, for he guessed that there was some treason.  So she led them in and set them upon chairs and high seats, and made them a mess of cheese and barley-meal and yellow honey with Pramnian wine, and mixed harmful drugs with the food to make them utterly forget their own country.  Now when she had given them the cup and they had drunk it off, presently she smote them with a wand, and in the styes of the swine she penned them.  So they had the head and voice, the bristles and the shape of swine, but their mind abode even as of old.  Thus were they penned there weeping, and Circe flung them acorns and mast and fruit of the cornel tree to eat, whereon wallowing swine do always batten.

’Now Eurylochus came back to the swift black ship to bring tidings of his fellows, and of their unseemly doom.  Not a word could he utter, for all his desire, so deeply smitten was he to the heart with grief, and his eyes were filled with tears and his soul was fain of lamentation.  But when we all had pressed him with our questions in amazement, even then he told the fate of the remnant of our company.