“Cyclops, you ask for my famous name. I will reveal it, and you will give me the guest-gift as you promised. My name is Nobody. My mother and father and all my companions call me Nobody.”
So I spoke, and he replied at once from his ruthless heart: “Nobody I will eat last, after his companions. The others will come first. This shall be your guest-gift.”
“‘Kyklops, you ask me for my illustrious name and I’ll tell you. Then you can offer me what a guest deserves, as you’ve just promised. No One is my name. They call me No One, my mother and my father and all of my friends.’
“After I spoke, he answered with a callous heart.
“‘I’ll eat No One last of all, after your shipmates and all those others before. That’ll be what you deserve.’
‘Cyclops, you asked me to tell you my glorious name, and I’ll tell you straight out. Then you can give me a gift of friendship, just as you promised. My name is: Nobody. Nobody is what they call me. My mother and father and shipmates—they all call me Nobody.’
“Those were my words, and he answered right back with a pitiless heart: ‘Okay, then; I’ll save Nobody to eat last among his shipmates, and eat the others first. That will be my gift of friendship for you.’
“Cyclops, you asked my name, and I will tell it: give me afterwards a guest gift as you promised. My name is Nobody. Nobody, my father, mother, and friends call me.”
Those were my words, and this his cruel answer: “Then, my gift is this. I will eat Nobody last of all his company, and all the others before him”.
‘Cyclops! Remember your words and promise. As to
my name, why, I am called No-Man by my parents and friends.”
“‘No-Man,’ he said, slurring the words. He yawned, his great maw belching forth foul odors, and smacked his lips contentedly. He scratched his oily locks with a dirty finger and laughed. ‘No-Man! A rich name, indeed,’ he said mockingly. ‘Very well, No-Man, your reward: I’ll eat you last after I have dined on your friends!’
“Cyclops, you ask me for the name I am known by. Now I shall tell you: but you must give me the gift you promised. Noman is my name. Noman is what my mother and father and all my friends call me.”
So I spoke, and he gave me immediate answer from his pitiless heart: “Well, I shall eat Noman last of his company – the others first. That will be my gift to you.”
“‘Cyclops, you ask me of my glorious name, and I will tell you it; and do you give me a stranger’s gift, even as you promised. Nobody is my name, Nobody they call me—my mother and my father, and all my comrades as well.’
“So I spoke, and at once he answered me with pitiless heart: ‘Nobody will I eat last among his comrades, and the others before him; this shall be your gift.’
‘Cyclops, you ask me for my famous name; I will tell you, and you give me the stranger’s present as you undertook. “No One” is my name; “No One” is what my mother and father and all my comrades call me.’
So I spoke, and he at once replied with a pitiless heart: ‘I shall eat No One last among his comrades, and the rest first; that shall be your present.’
‘ “Cyclops,” I said, “you ask me my name. I’ll tell it to you; and in return give me the gift you promised me. My name is Nobody. That is what I am called by my mother and father and by all my friends.”
‘The Cyclops answered me from his cruel heart. “Of all his company I will eat Nobody last, and the rest before him. That shall be your gift.”
“Cyclops, you ask what name I boast of. I will tell you, and then you must grant me as your guest the favour that you have promised me. My name is Noman; Noman is what my mother and father call me; so likewise do all my friends.”
‘To these words of mine the savage creature made quick response: “Noman then shall come last among those I eat; his friends I will eat first; this is to be my favour to you.”
‘Cyclops, are you asking for my widely-known name? Well, I will tell you and do you give me the stranger’s gift as you promised. Noman is my name. Noman is the name by which my mother and father and all my companions call me.’
“Such was what I told him and he answered me at once from his pitiless heart: ‘Noman will be the last among his comrades that I will eat after I have first eaten the others. That will be my stranger’s gift to you.’
‘“Cyclops,” I said, “you wish to know the name I bear. I’ll tell it to you; and in return I should like to have the gift you promised me. My name is Nobody. That is what I am called by my mother and father and by all my friends.”
‘The Cyclops answered me with a cruel jest. “Of all his company I will eat Nobody last, and the rest before him. That shall be your gift.”
“‘Cyclops, do you ask me my name? Well, I will tell you, and you shall give me the stranger’s due, as you promised. Noman is my name; Noman is what mother and father call me and all my friends.’
“Then the cruel monster said, ‘Noman shall be last eaten of his company, and all the others shall be eaten before him! that shall be your stranger’s gift.’
‘Cyclops, you ask me for my public name: I will confess it to you aloud, and do you then give me my guest-gift, as you have promised. My name is No-man : so they have always called me, my mother and father and all my friends.’
“I spoke, and he answered from his cruel heart, ‘I will eat No-man finally, after all his friends. The others first — that shall be your benefit.’
‘Cyclops, did you ask my famous name? Well, I will tell you; but give me a guest-gift, just as you promised. No-man is my name. Mother and father and all my friends call me No-man.’
“Thereupon he promptly gave this cruel answer: ‘No-man I will eat last, after his companions; all the others first. That shall be your guest-gift.’
“‘Cyclops, you ask me my name by which I am called. I will tell you, but do you make me a gift of friendship according to your promise. “No Man” is my name. “No Man” am I called by my father and mother and all others that are known to me.’
“So I spake, and straightway he answered with cruel intent: ‘No Man will I eat last among his men — the others first: that is my gift.’
“‘Cyclops, thou askest me of my glorious name, and I will tell it thee; and do thou give me a stranger’s gift, even as thou didst promise. Noman is my name, Noman do they call me—my mother and my father and all my comrades as well.’
“So I spoke, and he straightway answered me with pitiless heart: ‘Noman will I eat last among his comrades, and the others before him; this shall be thy gift.’
‘Cyclops, you ask my name and I will tell it you; give me, therefore, the present you promised me; my name is Noman; this is what my father and mother and my friends have always called me.’ “But the cruel wretch said, ‘Then I will eat all Noman’s comrades before Noman himself, and will keep Noman for the last. This is the present that I will make him.’
“ ‘Cyclops, you asked my noble name, and I will tell it; but give the stranger’s gift, just as you promised. My name is Noman. Noman I am called by mother, father, and by all my comrades.’
“So I spoke, and from a ruthless heart he at once answered: ‘No man I eat up last, after his comrades; all the rest first; and that shall be the stranger’s gift for you.’
“‘Cyclops, thou askest me my renowned name, and I will declare it unto thee, and do thou grant me a stranger’s gift, as thou didst promise. Noman is my name, and Noman they call me, my father and my mother and all my fellows.’
“So I spake, and straightway he answered me out of his pitiless heart:
“‘Noman will I eat last in the number of his fellows, and the others before him: that shall be thy gift.’
“O Cyclops! did you ask of me my illustrious name? But I will tell you; and do you give me a hospitable gift, as you promised; Outis [i.e. Nobody] is my name; my mother, and my father, and all the rest of my companions call me Outis.’
‘Thus I spoke; but he again answered me with a cruel mind: “Outis I will eat the last after his companions, but the others first; this shall be the gift of hospitality for you!”
“Κυκλωψ Cyclop, ερωτας dost thou ask με me ονομα κλυτον my illustrious name? αυταρ but εγω I εξερεω will tell τοι thee: συ δε and do thou δος give μοι me ξεινιον a present of hospitality ωσπερ as υπεστης thou promisedst: Ουτις Noman εστιν ονομα εμοι γε is my name: Ουτιν δε and Noman μητηρ my mother, ηδε and πατηρ my father, ηδε and αλλοι παντες εταιροι all my other companions κικλησκουσι call με me.”
‘Ως thus εφφαμην I said: ο δε but he αυτις again αμειβετο answered με me νηλει θυμω with cruel mind:
“Εγω I εδομαι will devour Ουτιν Noman πυματον last μετα οις εταιροισιν among his companions, τους δε αλλους and the others προσθεν before him: τοδε this εσται shall be ξεινιον the present of hospitality τοι to thee.”
‘O Cyclops, didst thou ask of me my name in common report? I will tell thee; but do thou give me a hospitable gift, as thou didst promise: No-man is my name; my mother, and my father, and all the rest of my companions call me No-man.’
“Thus I spoke; but he again answered me with a cruel mind: ‘No-man I will eat the last after his companions, but the others first; this indeed shall be thy hospitable present.’
‘O Cyclops, did you ask of me my illustrious name? But I will tell you; and do you give me a hospitable gift, as you promised; Outis is my name; my mother, and my father, and all the rest of my companions call me Outis.”
“Thus I spoke; but he again answered me with a cruel mind: ‘Outis I will eat the last after his companions, but the others first; this shall be your hospitable present.’