Thither will flock the whole multitude of departed spirits, to
drink of the blood; but do thou draw thy sword, and hold it over the
trench, nor suffer any of the other spirits to draw near until thou
hast seen Teiresias and hearkened to his lore."
All that night Odysseus remained in deep conference with Circe, and as
soon as day dawned he went to rouse his men who were sleeping in the
outer chamber. "Up, comrades!" he cried, "all is prepared, and we must
embark without delay." His loud summons proved fatal to one of the
company, a certain Elpenor, the youngest of them all, who, the night
before, had lain down to sleep on the housetop, for the sake of the
coolness, being heated with wine. Roused suddenly by the voice of
Odysseus, he staggered to his feet, and, still half asleep, stumbled
over the parapet in his haste, and fell headlong from the roof.
In the hurry of their departure the body was left where it lay, and
Odysseus, when they reached the ship, did not notice his absence. They
found that Circe had been there before them, and left the victims for
sacrifice bound to the vessel's side. She herself was nowhere to be
seen, and so without another word of farewell they launched their
galley and put out into the deep.
The Visit to Hades
I
A clear, strong wind came down from the north, sent by the favour of
the mighty enchantress Circe, and over the trackless sea they sped,
where never furrow of mortal ship was seen before.
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