Thus, then, did Ulysses wait and pray; but the girl drove on to
the
town. When she reached her father's house she drew up at the
gateway,
and her brothers- comely as the gods- gathered round her, took
the
mules out of the waggon, and carried the clothes into the house,
while
she went to her own room, where an old servant, Eurymedusa of
Apeira,
lit the fire for her. This old woman had been brought by sea
from
Apeira, and had been chosen as a prize for Alcinous because he
was
king over the Phaecians, and the people obeyed him as though he
were
a god. She had been nurse to Nausicaa, and had now lit the fire
for
her, and brought her supper for her into her own room.
Presently Ulysses got up to go towards the town; and Minerva
shed
a thick mist all round him to hide him in case any of the proud
Phaecians
who met him should be rude to him, or ask him who he was. Then,
as
he was just entering the town, she came towards him in the
likeness
of a little girl carrying a pitcher. She stood right in front of
him,
and Ulysses said:
"My dear, will you be so kind as to show me the house of king
Alcinous?
I am an unfortunate foreigner in distress, and do not know one
in
your town and country."
Then Minerva said, "Yes, father stranger, I will show you the
house
you want, for Alcinous lives quite close to my own father. I
will
go before you and show the way, but say not a word as you go,
and
do not look at any man, nor ask him questions; for the people
here
cannot abide strangers, and do not like men who come from some
other
place. They are a sea-faring folk, and sail the seas by the
grace
of Neptune in ships that glide along like thought, or as a bird
in
the air."
On this she led the way, and Ulysses followed in her steps; but
not
one of the Phaecians could see him as he passed through the city
in
the midst of them; for the great goddess Minerva in her good
will
towards him had hidden him in a thick cloud of darkness. He
admired
their harbours, ships, places of assembly, and the lofty walls
of
the city, which, with the palisade on top of them, were very
striking,
and when they reached the king's house Minerva said:
"This is the house, father stranger, which you would have me
show
you. You will find a number of great people sitting at table,
but
do not be afraid; go straight in, for the bolder a man is the
more
likely he is to carry his point, even though he is a stranger.
First
find the queen. Her name is Arete, and she comes of the same
family
as her husband Alcinous. They both descend originally from
Neptune,
who was father to Nausithous by Periboea, a woman of great
beauty.
Periboea was the youngest daughter of Eurymedon, who at one time
reigned
over the giants, but he ruined his ill-fated people and lost his
own
life to boot.
"Neptune, however, lay with his daughter, and she had a son by
him,
the great Nausithous, who reigned over the Phaecians. Nausithous
had
two sons Rhexenor and Alcinous; Apollo killed the first of them
while
he was still a bridegroom and without male issue; but he left a
daughter
Arete, whom Alcinous married, and honours as no other woman is
honoured
of all those that keep house along with their husbands.
"Thus she both was, and still is, respected beyond measure by
her
children, by Alcinous himself, and by the whole people, who look
upon
her as a goddess, and greet her whenever she goes about the
city,
for she is a thoroughly good woman both in head and heart, and
when
any women are friends of hers, she will help their husbands also
to
settle their disputes. If you can gain her good will, you may
have
every hope of seeing your friends again, and getting safely back
to
your home and country."
Then Minerva left Scheria and went away over the sea. She went
to
Marathon and to the spacious streets of Athens, where she
entered
the abode of Erechtheus; but Ulysses went on to the house of
Alcinous,
and he pondered much as he paused a while before reaching the
threshold
of bronze, for the splendour of the palace was like that of the
sun
or moon. The walls on either side were of bronze from end to
end,
and the cornice was of blue enamel. The doors were gold, and
hung
on pillars of silver that rose from a floor of bronze, while the
lintel
was silver and the hook of the door was of gold.
On either side there stood gold and silver mastiffs which
Vulcan,
with his consummate skill, had fashioned expressly to keep watch
over
the palace of king Alcinous; so they were immortal and could
never
grow old. Seats were ranged all along the wall, here and there
from
one end to the other, with coverings of fine woven work which
the
women of the house had made. Here the chief persons of the
Phaecians
used to sit and eat and drink, for there was abundance at all
seasons;
and there were golden figures of young men with lighted torches
in
their hands, raised on pedestals, to give light by night to
those
who were at table. There are fifty maid servants in the house,
some
of whom are always grinding rich yellow grain at the mill, while
others
work at the loom, or sit and spin, and their shuttles go,
backwards
and forwards like the fluttering of aspen leaves, while the
linen
is so closely woven that it will turn oil. As the Phaecians are
the
best sailors in the world, so their women excel all others in
weaving,
for Minerva has taught them all manner of useful arts, and they
are
very intelligent.
Outside the gate of the outer court there is a large garden of
about
four acres with a wall all round it. It is full of beautiful
trees-
pears, pomegranates, and the most delicious apples. There are
luscious
figs also, and olives in full growth. The fruits never rot nor
fail
all the year round, neither winter nor summer, for the air is so
soft
that a new crop ripens before the old has dropped. Pear grows on
pear,
apple on apple, and fig on fig, and so also with the grapes, for
there
is an excellent vineyard: on the level ground of a part of this,
the
grapes are being made into raisins; in another part they are
being
gathered; some are being trodden in the wine tubs, others
further
on have shed their blossom and are beginning to show fruit,
others
again are just changing colour. In the furthest part of the
ground
there are beautifully arranged beds of flowers that are in bloom
all
the year round. Two streams go through it, the one turned in
ducts
throughout the whole garden, while the other is carried under
the
ground of the outer court to the house itself, and the town's
people
draw water from it. Such, then, were the splendours with which
the
gods had endowed the house of king Alcinous.
So here Ulysses stood for a while and looked about him, but when
he
had looked long enough he crossed the threshold and went within
the
precincts of the house. There he found all the chief people
among
the Phaecians making their drink-offerings to Mercury, which
they
always did the last thing before going away for the night. He
went
straight through the court, still hidden by the cloak of
darkness
in which Minerva had enveloped him, till he reached Arete and
King
Alcinous; then he laid his hands upon the knees of the queen,
and
at that moment the miraculous darkness fell away from him and he
became
visible. Every one was speechless with surprise at seeing a man
there,
but Ulysses began at once with his petition.
"Queen Arete," he exclaimed, "daughter of great Rhexenor, in my
distress
I humbly pray you, as also your husband and these your guests
(whom
may heaven prosper with long life and happiness, and may they
leave
their possessions to their children, and all the honours
conferred
upon them by the state) to help me home to my own country as
soon
as possible; for I have been long in trouble and away from my
friends."
Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and they all held
their
peace, till presently the old hero Echeneus, who was an
excellent
speaker and an elder among the Phaeacians, plainly and in all
honesty
addressed them thus:
"Alcinous," said he, "it is not creditable to you that a
stranger
should be seen sitting among the ashes of your hearth; every one
is
waiting to hear what you are about to say; tell him, then, to
rise
and take a seat on a stool inlaid with silver, and bid your
servants
mix some wine and water that we may make a drink-offering to
Jove
the lord of thunder, who takes all well-disposed suppliants
under
his protection; and let the housekeeper give him some supper, of
whatever
there may be in the house."
When Alcinous heard this he took Ulysses by the hand, raised him
from
the hearth, and bade him take the seat of Laodamas, who had been
sitting
beside him, and was his favourite son. A maid servant then
brought
him water in a beautiful golden ewer and poured it into a silver
basin
for him to wash his hands, and she drew a clean table beside
him;
an upper servant brought him bread and offered him many good
things
of what there was in the house, and Ulysses ate and drank. Then
Alcinous
said to one of the servants, "Pontonous, mix a cup of wine and
hand
it round that we may make drink-offerings to Jove the lord of
thunder,
who is the protector of all well-disposed suppliants."
Pontonous then mixed wine and water, and handed it round after
giving
every man his drink-offering. When they had made their
offerings,
and had drunk each as much as he was minded, Alcinous said:
"Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians, hear my words.
You
have had your supper, so now go home to bed. To-morrow morning I
shall
invite a still larger number of aldermen, and will give a
sacrificial
banquet in honour of our guest; we can then discuss the question
of
his escort, and consider how we may at once send him back
rejoicing
to his own country without trouble or inconvenience to himself,
no
matter how distant it may be. We must see that he comes to no
harm
while on his homeward journey, but when he is once at home he
will
have to take the luck he was born with for better or worse like
other
people. It is possible, however, that the stranger is one of the
immortals
who has come down from heaven to visit us; but in this case the
gods
are departing from their usual practice, for hitherto they have
made
themselves perfectly clear to us when we have been offering them
hecatombs.
They come and sit at our feasts just like one of our selves, and
if
any solitary wayfarer happens to stumble upon some one or other
of
them, they affect no concealment, for we are as near of kin to
the
gods as the Cyclopes and the savage giants are."
Then Ulysses said: "Pray, Alcinous, do not take any such notion
into
your head. I have nothing of the immortal about me, neither in
body
nor mind, and most resemble those among you who are the most
afflicted.
Indeed, were I to tell you all that heaven has seen fit to lay
upon
me, you would say that I was still worse off than they are.
Nevertheless,
let me sup in spite of sorrow, for an empty stomach is a very
importunate
thing, and thrusts itself on a man's notice no matter how dire
is
his distress. I am in great trouble, yet it insists that I shall
eat
and drink, bids me lay aside all memory of my sorrows and dwell
only
on the due replenishing of itself. As for yourselves, do as you
propose,
and at break of day set about helping me to get home. I shall be
content
to die if I may first once more behold my property, my bondsmen,
and
all the greatness of my house."
Thus did he speak. Every one approved his saying, and agreed
that
he should have his escort inasmuch as he had spoken reasonably.
Then
when they had made their drink-offerings, and had drunk each as
much
as he was minded they went home to bed every man in his own
abode,
leaving Ulysses in the cloister with Arete and Alcinous while
the
servants were taking the things away after supper. Arete was the
first
to speak, for she recognized the shirt, cloak, and good clothes
that
Ulysses was wearing, as the work of herself and of her maids; so
she
said, "Stranger, before we go any further, there is a question I
should
like to ask you. Who, and whence are you, and who gave you those
clothes?
Did you not say you had come here from beyond the sea?"
And Ulysses answered, "It would be a long story Madam, were I to
relate
in full the tale of my misfortunes, for the hand of heaven has
been
laid heavy upon me; but as regards your question, there is an
island
far away in the sea which is called 'the Ogygian.' Here dwells
the
cunning and powerful goddess Calypso, daughter of Atlas. She
lives
by herself far from all neighbours human or divine. Fortune,
however,
me to her hearth all desolate and alone, for Jove struck my ship
with
his thunderbolts, and broke it up in mid-ocean. My brave
comrades
were drowned every man of them, but I stuck to the keel and was
carried
hither and thither for the space of nine days, till at last
during
the darkness of the tenth night the gods brought me to the
Ogygian
island where the great goddess Calypso lives. She took me in and
treated
me with the utmost kindness; indeed she wanted to make me
immortal
that I might never grow old, but she could not persuade me to
let
her do so.
"I stayed with Calypso seven years straight on end, and watered
the
good clothes she gave me with my tears during the whole time;
but
at last when the eighth year came round she bade me depart of
her
own free will, either because Jove had told her she must, or
because
she had changed her mind. She sent me from her island on a raft,
which
she provisioned with abundance of bread and wine. Moreover she
gave
me good stout clothing, and sent me a wind that blew both warm
and
fair. Days seven and ten did I sail over the sea, and on the
eighteenth
I caught sight of the first outlines of the mountains upon your
coast-
and glad indeed was I to set eyes upon them. Nevertheless there
was
still much trouble in store for me, for at this point Neptune
would
let me go no further, and raised a great storm against me; the
sea
was so terribly high that I could no longer keep to my raft,
which
went to pieces under the fury of the gale, and I had to swim for
it,
till wind and current brought me to your shores.
"There I tried to land, but could not, for it was a bad place
and
the waves dashed me against the rocks, so I again took to the
sea
and swam on till I came to a river that seemed the most likely
landing
place, for there were no rocks and it was sheltered from the
wind.
Here, then, I got out of the water and gathered my senses
together
again. Night was coming on, so I left the river, and went into a
thicket,
where I covered myself all over with leaves, and presently
heaven
sent me off into a very deep sleep. Sick and sorry as I was I
slept
among the leaves all night, and through the next day till
afternoon,
when I woke as the sun was westering, and saw your daughter's
maid
servants playing upon the beach, and your daughter among them
looking
like a goddess. I besought her aid, and she proved to be of an
excellent
disposition, much more so than could be expected from so young a
person-
for young people are apt to be thoughtless. She gave me plenty
of
bread and wine, and when she had had me washed in the river she
also
gave me the clothes in which you see me. Now, therefore, though
it
has pained me to do so, I have told you the whole truth."
Then Alcinous said, "Stranger, it was very wrong of my daughter
not
to bring you on at once to my house along with the maids, seeing
that
she was the first person whose aid you asked."
"Pray do not scold her," replied Ulysses; "she is not to blame.
She
did tell me to follow along with the maids, but I was ashamed
and
afraid, for I thought you might perhaps be displeased if you saw
me.
Every human being is sometimes a little suspicious and
irritable."
"Stranger," replied Alcinous, "I am not the kind of man to get
angry
about nothing; it is always better to be reasonable; but by
Father
Jove, Minerva, and Apollo, now that I see what kind of person
you
are, and how much you think as I do, I wish you would stay here,
marry
my daughter, and become my son-in-law. If you will stay I will
give
you a house and an estate, but no one (heaven forbid) shall keep
you
here against your own wish, and that you may be sure of this I
will
attend to-morrow to the matter of your escort. You can sleep
during
the whole voyage if you like, and the men shall sail you over
smooth
waters either to your own home, or wherever you please, even
though
it be a long way further off than Euboea, which those of my
people
who saw it when they took yellow-haired Rhadamanthus to see
Tityus
the son of Gaia, tell me is the furthest of any place- and yet
they
did the whole voyage in a single day without distressing
themselves,
and came back again afterwards. You will thus see how much my
ships
excel all others, and what magnificent oarsmen my sailors are."
Then was Ulysses glad and prayed aloud saying, "Father Jove,
grant
that Alcinous may do all as he has said, for so he will win an
imperishable
name among mankind, and at the same time I shall return to my
country."
Thus did they converse. Then Arete told her maids to set a bed
in
the room that was in the gatehouse, and make it with good red
rugs,
and to spread coverlets on the top of them with woollen cloaks
for
Ulysses to wear. The maids thereon went out with torches in
their
hands, and when they had made the bed they came up to Ulysses
and
said, "Rise, sir stranger, and come with us for your bed is
ready,"
and glad indeed was he to go to his rest.
So Ulysses slept in a bed placed in a room over the echoing
gateway;
but Alcinous lay in the inner part of the house, with the queen
his
wife by his side.