How does Odysseus escape the Sirens?

In Homer's The Odyssey, the Sirens are women famed for using their beautiful singing to entrance sailors and cause them to sail their ships into dangerous waters and drown. However, Odysseus is able to escape this treachery through a very simple method. Odysseus orders his men to seal their ears with beeswax, thus protecting them from the Sirens' alluring singing. Indeed, Odysseus alone hears the Sirens' seductive song, although he has his men tie him to the mast so that he is unable to respond to the enchanting singing. In successfully navigating this obstacle, Odysseus shows his wisdom and intelligence as a leader. He follows Circe's advice perfectly, and, in doing so, he helps his men escape a treacherous hazard. That said, his men are doomed to die later on in encounters with Scylla, Charybdis, and the cattle of the Sun, so the success of the encounter with the Sirens is somewhat short-lived.