exceeding long, and on each a hideous head, and therein three rows of teeth set thick and close, full of black death.  Up to her middle is she sunk far down in the hollow cave, but forth she holds her heads from the dreadful gulf, and there she fishes, swooping round the rock, for dolphins or sea-dogs, or whatso greater beast she may anywhere take, whereof the deep-voiced Amphitrite feeds countless flocks.  Thereby no sailors boast that they have fled scatheless ever with their ship, for with each head she carries off a man, whom she hath snatched from out the dark-prowed ship.

’"But that other cliff, Odysseus, thou shalt note, lying lower, hard by the first:  thou couldest send an arrow across.  And thereon is a great fig-tree growing, in fullest leaf, and beneath it mighty Charybdis sucks down black water, for thrice a day she spouts it forth, and thrice a day she sucks it down in terrible wise.  Never mayest thou be there when she sucks the water, for none might save thee then from thy bane, not even the Earth-Shaker!  But take heed and swiftly drawing nigh to Scylla’s rock drive the ship past, since of a truth it is far better to mourn six of thy company in the ship, than all in the selfsame hour.”

’So spake she, but I answered, and said unto her:  “Come I pray thee herein, goddess, tell me true, if there be any means whereby I might escape from the deadly Charybdis and avenge me on that other, when she would prey upon my company.”

’So spake I, and that fair goddess answered me:  “Man overbold, lo, now again the deeds of war are in thy mind and the travail thereof.  Wilt thou not yield thee even to the deathless gods?  As for her, she is no mortal, but an immortal plague, dread, grievous, and fierce, and not to be fought with; and against her there is no defence; flight is the bravest way.  For if thou tarry to do on thine armour by the cliff, I fear lest once again she sally forth and catch at thee with so many heads, and seize as many men as before.  So drive past with all thy force, and call on Cratais, mother of Scylla, which bore her for a bane to mortals.  And she will then let her from darting forth thereafter.

’"Then thou shalt come unto the isle Thrinacia; there are the many kine of Helios and his brave flocks feeding, seven herds of kine and as many goodly flocks of sheep, and fifty in each flock.  They have no part in birth or in corruption, and there are goddesses to shepherd them, nymphs with fair tresses, Phaethusa and Lampetie whom bright Neaera bare to Helios Hyperion.  Now when the lady their mother had borne and nursed them, she carried them to the isle Thrinacia to dwell afar, that they should guard their father’s flocks and his kine with shambling gait.  If thou doest these no hurt, being heedful of thy return, truly ye may even yet reach Ithaca, albeit in evil case.  But if thou hurtest them, I foreshow ruin for thy ship and for thy men, and even though thou shouldest thyself escape, late shalt thou return in evil plight with the loss of all thy company.”