And now, as Dawn rose from her couch beside Tithonus- harbinger
of
light alike to mortals and immortals- the gods met in council
and
with them, Jove the lord of thunder, who is their king. Thereon
Minerva
began to tell them of the many sufferings of Ulysses, for she
pitied
him away there in the house of the nymph Calypso.
"Father Jove," said she, "and all you other gods that live in
everlasting
bliss, I hope there may never be such a thing as a kind and
well-disposed
ruler any more, nor one who will govern equitably. I hope they
will
be all henceforth cruel and unjust, for there is not one of his
subjects
but has forgotten Ulysses, who ruled them as though he were
their
father. There he is, lying in great pain in an island where
dwells
the nymph Calypso, who will not let him go; and he cannot get
back
to his own country, for he can find neither ships nor sailors to
take
him over the sea. Furthermore, wicked people are now trying to
murder
his only son Telemachus, who is coming home from Pylos and
Lacedaemon,
where he has been to see if he can get news of his father."
"What, my dear, are you talking about?" replied her father, "did
you
not send him there yourself, because you thought it would help
Ulysses
to get home and punish the suitors? Besides, you are perfectly
able
to protect Telemachus, and to see him safely home again, while
the
suitors have to come hurry-skurrying back without having killed
him."
When he had thus spoken, he said to his son Mercury, "Mercury,
you
are our messenger, go therefore and tell Calypso we have decreed
that
poor Ulysses is to return home. He is to be convoyed neither by
gods
nor men, but after a perilous voyage of twenty days upon a raft
he
is to reach fertile Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians, who are
near
of kin to the gods, and will honour him as though he were one of
ourselves.
They will send him in a ship to his own country, and will give
him
more bronze and gold and raiment than he would have brought back
from
Troy, if he had had had all his prize money and had got home
without
disaster. This is how we have settled that he shall return to
his
country and his friends."
Thus he spoke, and Mercury, guide and guardian, slayer of Argus,
did
as he was told. Forthwith he bound on his glittering golden
sandals
with which he could fly like the wind over land and sea. He took
the
wand with which he seals men's eyes in sleep or wakes them just
as
he pleases, and flew holding it in his hand over Pieria; then he
swooped
down through the firmament till he reached the level of the sea,
whose
waves he skimmed like a cormorant that flies fishing every hole
and
corner of the ocean, and drenching its thick plumage in the
spray.
He flew and flew over many a weary wave, but when at last he got
to
the island which was his journey's end, he left the sea and went
on
by land till he came to the cave where the nymph Calypso lived.
He found her at home. There was a large fire burning on the
hearth,
and one could smell from far the fragrant reek of burning cedar
and
sandal wood. As for herself, she was busy at her loom, shooting
her
golden shuttle through the warp and singing beautifully. Round
her
cave there was a thick wood of alder, poplar, and sweet smelling
cypress
trees, wherein all kinds of great birds had built their nests-
owls,
hawks, and chattering sea-crows that occupy their business in
the
waters. A vine loaded with grapes was trained and grew
luxuriantly
about the mouth of the cave; there were also four running rills
of
water in channels cut pretty close together, and turned hither
and
thither so as to irrigate the beds of violets and luscious
herbage
over which they flowed. Even a god could not help being charmed
with
such a lovely spot, so Mercury stood still and looked at it; but
when
he had admired it sufficiently he went inside the cave.
Calypso knew him at once- for the gods all know each other, no
matter
how far they live from one another- but Ulysses was not within;
he
was on the sea-shore as usual, looking out upon the barren ocean
with
tears in his eyes, groaning and breaking his heart for sorrow.
Calypso
gave Mercury a seat and said: "Why have you come to see me,
Mercury-
honoured, and ever welcome- for you do not visit me often? Say
what
you want; I will do it for be you at once if I can, and if it
can
be done at all; but come inside, and let me set refreshment
before
you.
As she spoke she drew a table loaded with ambrosia beside him
and
mixed him some red nectar, so Mercury ate and drank till he had
had
enough, and then said:
"We are speaking god and goddess to one another, one another,
and
you ask me why I have come here, and I will tell you truly as
you
would have me do. Jove sent me; it was no doing of mine; who
could
possibly want to come all this way over the sea where there are
no
cities full of people to offer me sacrifices or choice
hecatombs?
Nevertheless I had to come, for none of us other gods can cross
Jove,
nor transgress his orders. He says that you have here the most
ill-starred
of alf those who fought nine years before the city of King Priam
and
sailed home in the tenth year after having sacked it. On their
way
home they sinned against Minerva, who raised both wind and waves
against
them, so that all his brave companions perished, and he alone
was
carried hither by wind and tide. Jove says that you are to let
this
by man go at once, for it is decreed that he shall not perish
here,
far from his own people, but shall return to his house and
country
and see his friends again."
Calypso trembled with rage when she heard this, "You gods," she
exclaimed,
to be ashamed of yourselves. You are always jealous and hate
seeing
a goddess take a fancy to a mortal man, and live with him in
open
matrimony. So when rosy-fingered Dawn made love to Orion, you
precious
gods were all of you furious till Diana went and killed him in
Ortygia.
So again when Ceres fell in love with Iasion, and yielded to him
in
a thrice ploughed fallow field, Jove came to hear of it before
so
long and killed Iasion with his thunder-bolts. And now you are
angry
with me too because I have a man here. I found the poor creature
sitting
all alone astride of a keel, for Jove had struck his ship with
lightning
and sunk it in mid ocean, so that all his crew were drowned,
while
he himself was driven by wind and waves on to my island. I got
fond
of him and cherished him, and had set my heart on making him
immortal,
so that he should never grow old all his days; still I cannot
cross
Jove, nor bring his counsels to nothing; therefore, if he
insists
upon it, let the man go beyond the seas again; but I cannot send
him
anywhere myself for I have neither ships nor men who can take
him.
Nevertheless I will readily give him such advice, in all good
faith,
as will be likely to bring him safely to his own country."
"Then send him away," said Mercury, "or Jove will be angry with
you
and punish you"'
On this he took his leave, and Calypso went out to look for
Ulysses,
for she had heard Jove's message. She found him sitting upon the
beach
with his eyes ever filled with tears, and dying of sheer
home-sickness;
for he had got tired of Calypso, and though he was forced to
sleep
with her in the cave by night, it was she, not he, that would
have
it so. As for the day time, he spent it on the rocks and on the
sea-shore,
weeping, crying aloud for his despair, and always looking out
upon
the sea. Calypso then went close up to him said:
"My poor fellow, you shall not stay here grieving and fretting
your
life out any longer. I am going to send you away of my own free
will;
so go, cut some beams of wood, and make yourself a large raft
with
an upper deck that it may carry you safely over the sea. I will
put
bread, wine, and water on board to save you from starving. I
will
also give you clothes, and will send you a fair wind to take you
home,
if the gods in heaven so will it- for they know more about these
things,
and can settle them better than I can."
Ulysses shuddered as he heard her. "Now goddess," he answered,
"there
is something behind all this; you cannot be really meaning to
help
me home when you bid me do such a dreadful thing as put to sea
on
a raft. Not even a well-found ship with a fair wind could
venture
on such a distant voyage: nothing that you can say or do shall
mage
me go on board a raft unless you first solemnly swear that you
mean
me no mischief."
Calypso smiled at this and caressed him with her hand: "You know
a
great deal," said she, "but you are quite wrong here. May heaven
above
and earth below be my witnesses, with the waters of the river
Styx-
and this is the most solemn oath which a blessed god can take-
that
I mean you no sort of harm, and am only advising you to do
exactly
what I should do myself in your place. I am dealing with you
quite
straightforwardly; my heart is not made of iron, and I am very
sorry
for you."
When she had thus spoken she led the way rapidly before him, and
Ulysses
followed in her steps; so the pair, goddess and man, went on and
on
till they came to Calypso's cave, where Ulysses took the seat
that
Mercury had just left. Calypso set meat and drink before him of
the
food that mortals eat; but her maids brought ambrosia and nectar
for
herself, and they laid their hands on the good things that were
before
them. When they had satisfied themselves with meat and drink,
Calypso
spoke, saying:
"Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, so you would start home to your
own
land at once? Good luck go with you, but if you could only know
how
much suffering is in store for you before you get back to your
own
country, you would stay where you are, keep house along with me,
and
let me make you immortal, no matter how anxious you may be to
see
this wife of yours, of whom you are thinking all the time day
after
day; yet I flatter myself that at am no whit less tall or
well-looking
than she is, for it is not to be expected that a mortal woman
should
compare in beauty with an immortal."
"Goddess," replied Ulysses, "do not be angry with me about this.
I
am quite aware that my wife Penelope is nothing like so tall or
so
beautiful as yourself. She is only a woman, whereas you are an
immortal.
Nevertheless, I want to get home, and can think of nothing else.
If
some god wrecks me when I am on the sea, I will bear it and make
the
best of it. I have had infinite trouble both by land and sea
already,
so let this go with the rest."
Presently the sun set and it became dark, whereon the pair
retired
into the inner part of the cave and went to bed.
When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, Ulysses
put
on his shirt and cloak, while the goddess wore a dress of a
light
gossamer fabric, very fine and graceful, with a beautiful golden
girdle
about her waist and a veil to cover her head. She at once set
herself
to think how she could speed Ulysses on his way. So she gave him
a
great bronze axe that suited his hands; it was sharpened on both
sides,
and had a beautiful olive-wood handle fitted firmly on to it.
She
also gave him a sharp adze, and then led the way to the far end
of
the island where the largest trees grew- alder, poplar and pine,
that
reached the sky- very dry and well seasoned, so as to sail light
for
him in the water. Then, when she had shown him where the best
trees
grew, Calypso went home, leaving him to cut them, which he soon
finished
doing. He cut down twenty trees in all and adzed them smooth,
squaring
them by rule in good workmanlike fashion. Meanwhile Calypso came
back
with some augers, so he bored holes with them and fitted the
timbers
together with bolts and rivets. He made the raft as broad as a
skilled
shipwright makes the beam of a large vessel, and he filed a deck
on
top of the ribs, and ran a gunwale all round it. He also made a
mast
with a yard arm, and a rudder to steer with. He fenced the raft
all
round with wicker hurdles as a protection against the waves, and
then
he threw on a quantity of wood. By and by Calypso brought him
some
linen to make the sails, and he made these too, excellently,
making
them fast with braces and sheets. Last of all, with the help of
levers,
he drew the raft down into the water.
In four days he had completed the whole work, and on the fifth
Calypso
sent him from the island after washing him and giving him some
clean
clothes. She gave him a goat skin full of black wine, and
another
larger one of water; she also gave him a wallet full of
provisions,
and found him in much good meat. Moreover, she made the wind
fair
and warm for him, and gladly did Ulysses spread his sail before
it,
while he sat and guided the raft skilfully by means of the
rudder.
He never closed his eyes, but kept them fixed on the Pleiads, on
late-setting
Bootes, and on the Bear- which men also call the wain, and which
turns
round and round where it is, facing Orion, and alone never
dipping
into the stream of Oceanus- for Calypso had told him to keep
this
to his left. Days seven and ten did he sail over the sea, and on
the
eighteenth the dim outlines of the mountains on the nearest part
of
the Phaeacian coast appeared, rising like a shield on the
horizon.
But King Neptune, who was returning from the Ethiopians, caught
sight
of Ulysses a long way off, from the mountains of the Solymi. He
could
see him sailing upon the sea, and it made him very angry, so he
wagged
his head and muttered to himself, saying, heavens, so the gods
have
been changing their minds about Ulysses while I was away in
Ethiopia,
and now he is close to the land of the Phaeacians, where it is
decreed
that he shall escape from the calamities that have befallen him.
Still,
he shall have plenty of hardship yet before he has done with
it."
Thereon he gathered his clouds together, grasped his trident,
stirred
it round in the sea, and roused the rage of every wind that
blows
till earth, sea, and sky were hidden in cloud, and night sprang
forth
out of the heavens. Winds from East, South, North, and West fell
upon
him all at the same time, and a tremendous sea got up, so that
Ulysses'
heart began to fail him. "Alas," he said to himself in his
dismay,
"what ever will become of me? I am afraid Calypso was right when
she
said I should have trouble by sea before I got back home. It is
all
coming true. How black is Jove making heaven with his clouds,
and
what a sea the winds are raising from every quarter at once. I
am
now safe to perish. Blest and thrice blest were those Danaans
who
fell before Troy in the cause of the sons of Atreus. Would that
had
been killed on the day when the Trojans were pressing me so
sorely
about the dead body of Achilles, for then I should have had due
burial
and the Achaeans would have honoured my name; but now it seems
that
I shall come to a most pitiable end."
As he spoke a sea broke over him with such terrific fury that
the
raft reeled again, and he was carried overboard a long way off.
He
let go the helm, and the force of the hurricane was so great
that
it broke the mast half way up, and both sail and yard went over
into
the sea. For a long time Ulysses was under water, and it was all
he
could do to rise to the surface again, for the clothes Calypso
had
given him weighed him down; but at last he got his head above
water
and spat out the bitter brine that was running down his face in
streams.
In spite of all this, however, he did not lose sight of his
raft,
but swam as fast as he could towards it, got hold of it, and
climbed
on board again so as to escape drowning. The sea took the raft
and
tossed it about as Autumn winds whirl thistledown round and
round
upon a road. It was as though the South, North, East, and West
winds
were all playing battledore and shuttlecock with it at once.
When he was in this plight, Ino daughter of Cadmus, also called
Leucothea,
saw him. She had formerly been a mere mortal, but had been since
raised
to the rank of a marine goddess. Seeing in what great distress
Ulysses
now was, she had compassion upon him, and, rising like a
sea-gull
from the waves, took her seat upon the raft.
"My poor good man," said she, "why is Neptune so furiously angry
with
you? He is giving you a great deal of trouble, but for all his
bluster
he will not kill you. You seem to be a sensible person, do then
as
I bid you; strip, leave your raft to drive before the wind, and
swim
to the Phaecian coast where better luck awaits you. And here,
take
my veil and put it round your chest; it is enchanted, and you
can
come to no harm so long as you wear it. As soon as you touch
land
take it off, throw it back as far as you can into the sea, and
then
go away again." With these words she took off her veil and gave
it
him. Then she dived down again like a sea-gull and vanished
beneath
the dark blue waters.
But Ulysses did not know what to think. "Alas," he said to
himself
in his dismay, "this is only some one or other of the gods who
is
luring me to ruin by advising me to will quit my raft. At any
rate
I will not do so at present, for the land where she said I
should
be quit of all troubles seemed to be still a good way off. I
know
what I will do- I am sure it will be best- no matter what
happens
I will stick to the raft as long as her timbers hold together,
but
when the sea breaks her up I will swim for it; I do not see how
I
can do any better than this."
While he was thus in two minds, Neptune sent a terrible great
wave
that seemed to rear itself above his head till it broke right
over
the raft, which then went to pieces as though it were a heap of
dry
chaff tossed about by a whirlwind. Ulysses got astride of one
plank
and rode upon it as if he were on horseback; he then took off
the
clothes Calypso had given him, bound Ino's veil under his arms,
and
plunged into the sea- meaning to swim on shore. King Neptune
watched
him as he did so, and wagged his head, muttering to himself and
saying,
"'There now, swim up and down as you best can till you fall in
with
well-to-do people. I do not think you will be able to say that I
have
let you off too lightly." On this he lashed his horses and drove
to
Aegae where his palace is.
But Minerva resolved to help Ulysses, so she bound the ways of
all
the winds except one, and made them lie quite still; but she
roused
a good stiff breeze from the North that should lay the waters
till
Ulysses reached the land of the Phaeacians where he would be
safe.
Thereon he floated about for two nights and two days in the
water,
with a heavy swell on the sea and death staring him in the face;
but
when the third day broke, the wind fell and there was a dead
calm
without so much as a breath of air stirring. As he rose on the
swell
he looked eagerly ahead, and could see land quite near. Then, as
children
rejoice when their dear father begins to get better after having
for
a long time borne sore affliction sent him by some angry spirit,
but
the gods deliver him from evil, so was Ulysses thankful when he
again
saw land and trees, and swam on with all his strength that he
might
once more set foot upon dry ground. When, however, he got within
earshot,
he began to hear the surf thundering up against the rocks, for
the
swell still broke against them with a terrific roar. Everything
was
enveloped in spray; there were no harbours where a ship might
ride,
nor shelter of any kind, but only headlands, low-lying rocks,
and
mountain tops.
Ulysses' heart now began to fail him, and he said despairingly
to
himself, "Alas, Jove has let me see land after swimming so far
that
I had given up all hope, but I can find no landing place, for
the
coast is rocky and surf-beaten, the rocks are smooth and rise
sheer
from the sea, with deep water close under them so that I cannot
climb
out for want of foothold. I am afraid some great wave will lift
me
off my legs and dash me against the rocks as I leave the water-
which
would give me a sorry landing. If, on the other hand, I swim
further
in search of some shelving beach or harbour, a hurricane may
carry
me out to sea again sorely against my will, or heaven may send
some
great monster of the deep to attack me; for Amphitrite breeds
many
such, and I know that Neptune is very angry with me."
While he was thus in two minds a wave caught him and took him
with
such force against the rocks that he would have been smashed and
torn
to pieces if Minerva had not shown him what to do. He caught
hold
of the rock with both hands and clung to it groaning with pain
till
the wave retired, so he was saved that time; but presently the
wave
came on again and carried him back with it far into the
sea-tearing
his hands as the suckers of a polypus are torn when some one
plucks
it from its bed, and the stones come up along with it even so
did
the rocks tear the skin from his strong hands, and then the wave
drew
him deep down under the water.
Here poor Ulysses would have certainly perished even in spite of
his
own destiny, if Minerva had not helped him to keep his wits
about
him. He swam seaward again, beyond reach of the surf that was
beating
against the land, and at the same time he kept looking towards
the
shore to see if he could find some haven, or a spit that should
take
the waves aslant. By and by, as he swam on, he came to the mouth
of
a river, and here he thought would be the best place, for there
were
no rocks, and it afforded shelter from the wind. He felt that
there
was a current, so he prayed inwardly and said:
"Hear me, O King, whoever you may be, and save me from the anger
of
the sea-god Neptune, for I approach you prayerfully. Any one who
has
lost his way has at all times a claim even upon the gods,
wherefore
in my distress I draw near to your stream, and cling to the
knees
of your riverhood. Have mercy upon me, O king, for I declare
myself
your suppliant."
Then the god stayed his stream and stilled the waves, making all
calm
before him, and bringing him safely into the mouth of the river.
Here
at last Ulysses' knees and strong hands failed him, for the sea
had
completely broken him. His body was all swollen, and his mouth
and
nostrils ran down like a river with sea-water, so that he could
neither
breathe nor speak, and lay swooning from sheer exhaustion;
presently,
when he had got his breath and came to himself again, he took
off
the scarf that Ino had given him and threw it back into the salt
stream
of the river, whereon Ino received it into her hands from the
wave
that bore it towards her. Then he left the river, laid himself
down
among the rushes, and kissed the bounteous earth.
"Alas," he cried to himself in his dismay, "what ever will
become
of me, and how is it all to end? If I stay here upon the river
bed
through the long watches of the night, I am so exhausted that
the
bitter cold and damp may make an end of me- for towards sunrise
there
will be a keen wind blowing from off the river. If, on the other
hand,
I climb the hill side, find shelter in the woods, and sleep in
some
thicket, I may escape the cold and have a good night's rest, but
some
savage beast may take advantage of me and devour me."
In the end he deemed it best to take to the woods, and he found
one
upon some high ground not far from the water. There he crept
beneath
two shoots of olive that grew from a single stock- the one an
ungrafted
sucker, while the other had been grafted. No wind, however
squally,
could break through the cover they afforded, nor could the sun's
rays
pierce them, nor the rain get through them, so closely did they
grow
into one another. Ulysses crept under these and began to make
himself
a bed to lie on, for there was a great litter of dead leaves
lying
about- enough to make a covering for two or three men even in
hard
winter weather. He was glad enough to see this, so he laid
himself
down and heaped the leaves all round him. Then, as one who lives
alone
in the country, far from any neighbor, hides a brand as
fire-seed
in the ashes to save himself from having to get a light
elsewhere,
even so did Ulysses cover himself up with leaves; and Minerva
shed
a sweet sleep upon his eyes, closed his eyelids, and made him
lose
all memories of his sorrows.