Stasimon 1
[Choral]
Ope wide the portal of thy gaping throat, Cyclops; for strangers’ limbs, both boiled and grilled, are ready from off the coals for thee to gnaw and tear and mince up small,
Chorus
reclining in thy shaggy goatskin coat.
360
Relinquish not thy meal for me; keep that boat for thyself alone.According to Hermann, whose explanation is here followed, ll. 362-3 are spoken ironically, pray do not consider my feelings; go on with your feast, as long as I am not asked to join it. Avaunt this cave! avaunt the burnt-offerings,
which the godless Cyclops offers on Aetna’s altars, exulting in meals on strangers’ flesh!
365
Oh! the ruthless monster! to sacrifice his guests at his own hearth, the suppliants of his halls, cleaving and tearing and serving up to his loathsome teeth a feast of human flesh, hot from the coals.