Odyssey by Homer

Book VIII

Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, Alcinous
and Ulysses both rose, and Alcinous led the way to the Phaecian place
of assembly, which was near the ships. When they got there they sat
down side by side on a seat of polished stone, while Minerva took
the form of one of Alcinous' servants, and went round the town in
order to help Ulysses to get home. She went up to the citizens, man
by man, and said, "Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians,
come to the assembly all of you and listen to the stranger who has
just come off a long voyage to the house of King Alcinous; he looks
like an immortal god."

With these words she made them all want to come, and they flocked
to the assembly till seats and standing room were alike crowded. Every
one was struck with the appearance of Ulysses, for Minerva had beautified
him about the head and shoulders, making him look taller and stouter
than he really was, that he might impress the Phaecians favourably
as being a very remarkable man, and might come off well in the many
trials of skill to which they would challenge him. Then, when they
were got together, Alcinous spoke:

"Hear me," said he, "aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians,
that I may speak even as I am minded. This stranger, whoever he may
be, has found his way to my house from somewhere or other either East
or West. He wants an escort and wishes to have the matter settled.
Let us then get one ready for him, as we have done for others before
him; indeed, no one who ever yet came to my house has been able to
complain of me for not speeding on his way soon enough. Let us draw
a ship into the sea- one that has never yet made a voyage- and man
her with two and fifty of our smartest young sailors. Then when you
have made fast your oars each by his own seat, leave the ship and
come to my house to prepare a feast. I will find you in everything.
I am giving will these instructions to the young men who will form
the crew, for as regards you aldermen and town councillors, you will
join me in entertaining our guest in the cloisters. I can take no
excuses, and we will have Demodocus to sing to us; for there is no
bard like him whatever he may choose to sing about."

Alcinous then led the way, and the others followed after, while a
servant went to fetch Demodocus. The fifty-two picked oarsmen went
to the sea shore as they had been told, and when they got there they
drew the ship into the water, got her mast and sails inside her, bound
the oars to the thole-pins with twisted thongs of leather, all in
due course, and spread the white sails aloft. They moored the vessel
a little way out from land, and then came on shore and went to the
house of King Alcinous. The outhouses, yards, and all the precincts
were filled with crowds of men in great multitudes both old and young;
and Alcinous killed them a dozen sheep, eight full grown pigs, and
two oxen. These they skinned and dressed so as to provide a magnificent
banquet.

A servant presently led in the famous bard Demodocus, whom the muse
had dearly loved, but to whom she had given both good and evil, for
though she had endowed him with a divine gift of song, she had robbed
him of his eyesight. Pontonous set a seat for him among the guests,
leaning it up against a bearing-post. He hung the lyre for him on
a peg over his head, and showed him where he was to feel for it with
his hands. He also set a fair table with a basket of victuals by his
side, and a cup of wine from which he might drink whenever he was
so disposed.

The company then laid their hands upon the good things that were before
them, but as soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, the muse
inspired Demodocus to sing the feats of heroes, and more especially
a matter that was then in the mouths of all men, to wit, the quarrel
between Ulysses and Achilles, and the fierce words that they heaped
on one another as they gat together at a banquet. But Agamemnon was
glad when he heard his chieftains quarrelling with one another, for
Apollo had foretold him this at Pytho when he crossed the stone floor
to consult the oracle. Here was the beginning of the evil that by
the will of Jove fell both Danaans and Trojans.

Thus sang the bard, but Ulysses drew his purple mantle over his head
and covered his face, for he was ashamed to let the Phaeacians see
that he was weeping. When the bard left off singing he wiped the tears
from his eyes, uncovered his face, and, taking his cup, made a drink-offering
to the gods; but when the Phaeacians pressed Demodocus to sing further,
for they delighted in his lays, then Ulysses again drew his mantle
over his head and wept bitterly. No one noticed his distress except
Alcinous, who was sitting near him, and heard the heavy sighs that
he was heaving. So he at once said, "Aldermen and town councillors
of the Phaeacians, we have had enough now, both of the feast, and
of the minstrelsy that is its due accompaniment; let us proceed therefore
to the athletic sports, so that our guest on his return home may be
able to tell his friends how much we surpass all other nations as
boxers, wrestlers, jumpers, and runners."

With these words he led the way, and the others followed after. A
servant hung Demodocus's lyre on its peg for him, led him out of the
cloister, and set him on the same way as that along which all the
chief men of the Phaeacians were going to see the sports; a crowd
of several thousands of people followed them, and there were many
excellent competitors for all the prizes. Acroneos, Ocyalus, Elatreus,
Nauteus, Prymneus, Anchialus, Eretmeus, Ponteus, Proreus, Thoon, Anabesineus,
and Amphialus son of Polyneus son of Tecton. There was also Euryalus
son of Naubolus, who was like Mars himself, and was the best looking
man among the Phaecians except Laodamas. Three sons of Alcinous, Laodamas,
Halios, and Clytoneus, competed also.

The foot races came first. The course was set out for them from the
starting post, and they raised a dust upon the plain as they all flew
forward at the same moment. Clytoneus came in first by a long way;
he left every one else behind him by the length of the furrow that
a couple of mules can plough in a fallow field. They then turned to
the painful art of wrestling, and here Euryalus proved to be the best
man. Amphialus excelled all the others in jumping, while at throwing
the disc there was no one who could approach Elatreus. Alcinous's
son Laodamas was the best boxer, and he it was who presently said,
when they had all been diverted with the games, "Let us ask the stranger
whether he excels in any of these sports; he seems very powerfully
built; his thighs, claves, hands, and neck are of prodigious strength,
nor is he at all old, but he has suffered much lately, and there is
nothing like the sea for making havoc with a man, no matter how strong
he is."

"You are quite right, Laodamas," replied Euryalus, "go up to your
guest and speak to him about it yourself."

When Laodamas heard this he made his way into the middle of the crowd
and said to Ulysses, "I hope, Sir, that you will enter yourself for
some one or other of our competitions if you are skilled in any of
them- and you must have gone in for many a one before now. There is
nothing that does any one so much credit all his life long as the
showing himself a proper man with his hands and feet. Have a try therefore
at something, and banish all sorrow from your mind. Your return home
will not be long delayed, for the ship is already drawn into the water,
and the crew is found."

Ulysses answered, "Laodamas, why do you taunt me in this way? my mind
is set rather on cares than contests; I have been through infinite
trouble, and am come among you now as a suppliant, praying your king
and people to further me on my return home."

Then Euryalus reviled him outright and said, "I gather, then, that
you are unskilled in any of the many sports that men generally delight
in. I suppose you are one of those grasping traders that go about
in ships as captains or merchants, and who think of nothing but of
their outward freights and homeward cargoes. There does not seem to
be much of the athlete about you."

"For shame, Sir," answered Ulysses, fiercely, "you are an insolent
fellow- so true is it that the gods do not grace all men alike in
speech, person, and understanding. One man may be of weak presence,
but heaven has adorned this with such a good conversation that he
charms every one who sees him; his honeyed moderation carries his
hearers with him so that he is leader in all assemblies of his fellows,
and wherever he goes he is looked up to. Another may be as handsome
as a god, but his good looks are not crowned with discretion. This
is your case. No god could make a finer looking fellow than you are,
but you are a fool. Your ill-judged remarks have made me exceedingly
angry, and you are quite mistaken, for I excel in a great many athletic
exercises; indeed, so long as I had youth and strength, I was among
the first athletes of the age. Now, however, I am worn out by labour
and sorrow, for I have gone through much both on the field of battle
and by the waves of the weary sea; still, in spite of all this I will
compete, for your taunts have stung me to the quick."

So he hurried up without even taking his cloak off, and seized a disc,
larger, more massive and much heavier than those used by the Phaeacians
when disc-throwing among themselves. Then, swinging it back, he threw
it from his brawny hand, and it made a humming sound in the air as
he did so. The Phaeacians quailed beneath the rushing of its flight
as it sped gracefully from his hand, and flew beyond any mark that
had been made yet. Minerva, in the form of a man, came and marked
the place where it had fallen. "A blind man, Sir," said she, "could
easily tell your mark by groping for it- it is so far ahead of any
other. You may make your mind easy about this contest, for no Phaeacian
can come near to such a throw as yours."

Ulysses was glad when he found he had a friend among the lookers-on,
so he began to speak more pleasantly. "Young men," said he, "come
up to that throw if you can, and I will throw another disc as heavy
or even heavier. If anyone wants to have a bout with me let him come
on, for I am exceedingly angry; I will box, wrestle, or run, I do
not care what it is, with any man of you all except Laodamas, but
not with him because I am his guest, and one cannot compete with one's
own personal friend. At least I do not think it a prudent or a sensible
thing for a guest to challenge his host's family at any game, especially
when he is in a foreign country. He will cut the ground from under
his own feet if he does; but I make no exception as regards any one
else, for I want to have the matter out and know which is the best
man. I am a good hand at every kind of athletic sport known among
mankind. I am an excellent archer. In battle I am always the first
to bring a man down with my arrow, no matter how many more are taking
aim at him alongside of me. Philoctetes was the only man who could
shoot better than I could when we Achaeans were before Troy and in
practice. I far excel every one else in the whole world, of those
who still eat bread upon the face of the earth, but I should not like
to shoot against the mighty dead, such as Hercules, or Eurytus the
Cechalian-men who could shoot against the gods themselves. This in
fact was how Eurytus came prematurely by his end, for Apollo was angry
with him and killed him because he challenged him as an archer. I
can throw a dart farther than any one else can shoot an arrow. Running
is the only point in respect of which I am afraid some of the Phaecians
might beat me, for I have been brought down very low at sea; my provisions
ran short, and therefore I am still weak."

They all held their peace except King Alcinous, who began, "Sir, we
have had much pleasure in hearing all that you have told us, from
which I understand that you are willing to show your prowess, as having
been displeased with some insolent remarks that have been made to
you by one of our athletes, and which could never have been uttered
by any one who knows how to talk with propriety. I hope you will apprehend
my meaning, and will explain to any be one of your chief men who may
be dining with yourself and your family when you get home, that we
have an hereditary aptitude for accomplishments of all kinds. We are
not particularly remarkable for our boxing, nor yet as wrestlers,
but we are singularly fleet of foot and are excellent sailors. We
are extremely fond of good dinners, music, and dancing; we also like
frequent changes of linen, warm baths, and good beds, so now, please,
some of you who are the best dancers set about dancing, that our guest
on his return home may be able to tell his friends how much we surpass
all other nations as sailors, runners, dancers, minstrels. Demodocus
has left his lyre at my house, so run some one or other of you and
fetch it for him."

On this a servant hurried off to bring the lyre from the king's house,
and the nine men who had been chosen as stewards stood forward. It
was their business to manage everything connected with the sports,
so they made the ground smooth and marked a wide space for the dancers.
Presently the servant came back with Demodocus's lyre, and he took
his place in the midst of them, whereon the best young dancers in
the town began to foot and trip it so nimbly that Ulysses was delighted
with the merry twinkling of their feet.

Meanwhile the bard began to sing the loves of Mars and Venus, and
how they first began their intrigue in the house of Vulcan. Mars made
Venus many presents, and defiled King Vulcan's marriage bed, so the
sun, who saw what they were about, told Vulcan. Vulcan was very angry
when he heard such dreadful news, so he went to his smithy brooding
mischief, got his great anvil into its place, and began to forge some
chains which none could either unloose or break, so that they might
stay there in that place. When he had finished his snare he went into
his bedroom and festooned the bed-posts all over with chains like
cobwebs; he also let many hang down from the great beam of the ceiling.
Not even a god could see them, so fine and subtle were they. As soon
as he had spread the chains all over the bed, he made as though he
were setting out for the fair state of Lemnos, which of all places
in the world was the one he was most fond of. But Mars kept no blind
look out, and as soon as he saw him start, hurried off to his house,
burning with love for Venus.

Now Venus was just come in from a visit to her father Jove, and was
about sitting down when Mars came inside the house, an said as he
took her hand in his own, "Let us go to the couch of Vulcan: he is
not at home, but is gone off to Lemnos among the Sintians, whose speech
is barbarous."

She was nothing loth, so they went to the couch to take their rest,
whereon they were caught in the toils which cunning Vulcan had spread
for them, and could neither get up nor stir hand or foot, but found
too late that they were in a trap. Then Vulcan came up to them, for
he had turned back before reaching Lemnos, when his scout the sun
told him what was going on. He was in a furious passion, and stood
in the vestibule making a dreadful noise as he shouted to all the
gods.

"Father Jove," he cried, "and all you other blessed gods who live
for ever, come here and see the ridiculous and disgraceful sight that
I will show you. Jove's daughter Venus is always dishonouring me because
I am lame. She is in love with Mars, who is handsome and clean built,
whereas I am a cripple- but my parents are to blame for that, not
I; they ought never to have begotten me. Come and see the pair together
asleep on my bed. It makes me furious to look at them. They are very
fond of one another, but I do not think they will lie there longer
than they can help, nor do I think that they will sleep much; there,
however, they shall stay till her father has repaid me the sum I gave
him for his baggage of a daughter, who is fair but not honest."

On this the gods gathered to the house of Vulcan. Earth-encircling
Neptune came, and Mercury the bringer of luck, and King Apollo, but
the goddesses stayed at home all of them for shame. Then the givers
of all good things stood in the doorway, and the blessed gods roared
with inextinguishable laughter, as they saw how cunning Vulcan had
been, whereon one would turn towards his neighbour saying:

"Ill deeds do not prosper, and the weak confound the strong. See how
limping Vulcan, lame as he is, has caught Mars who is the fleetest
god in heaven; and now Mars will be cast in heavy damages."

Thus did they converse, but King Apollo said to Mercury, "Messenger
Mercury, giver of good things, you would not care how strong the chains
were, would you, if you could sleep with Venus?"

"King Apollo," answered Mercury, "I only wish I might get the chance,
though there were three times as many chains- and you might look on,
all of you, gods and goddesses, but would sleep with her if I could."

The immortal gods burst out laughing as they heard him, but Neptune
took it all seriously, and kept on imploring Vulcan to set Mars free
again. "Let him go," he cried, "and I will undertake, as you require,
that he shall pay you all the damages that are held reasonable among
the immortal gods."

"Do not," replied Vulcan, "ask me to do this; a bad man's bond is
bad security; what remedy could I enforce against you if Mars should
go away and leave his debts behind him along with his chains?"

"Vulcan," said Neptune, "if Mars goes away without paying his damages,
I will pay you myself." So Vulcan answered, "In this case I cannot
and must not refuse you."

Thereon he loosed the bonds that bound them, and as soon as they were
free they scampered off, Mars to Thrace and laughter-loving Venus
to Cyprus and to Paphos, where is her grove and her altar fragrant
with burnt offerings. Here the Graces hathed her, and anointed her
with oil of ambrosia such as the immortal gods make use of, and they
clothed her in raiment of the most enchanting beauty.

Thus sang the bard, and both Ulysses and the seafaring Phaeacians
were charmed as they heard him.

Then Alcinous told Laodamas and Halius to dance alone, for there was
no one to compete with them. So they took a red ball which Polybus
had made for them, and one of them bent himself backwards and threw
it up towards the clouds, while the other jumped from off the ground
and caught it with ease before it came down again. When they had done
throwing the ball straight up into the air they began to dance, and
at the same time kept on throwing it backwards and forwards to one
another, while all the young men in the ring applauded and made a
great stamping with their feet. Then Ulysses said:

"King Alcinous, you said your people were the nimblest dancers in
the world, and indeed they have proved themselves to be so. I was
astonished as I saw them."

The king was delighted at this, and exclaimed to the Phaecians "Aldermen
and town councillors, our guest seems to be a person of singular judgement;
let us give him such proof of our hospitality as he may reasonably
expect. There are twelve chief men among you, and counting myself
there are thirteen; contribute, each of you, a clean cloak, a shirt,
and a talent of fine gold; let us give him all this in a lump down
at once, so that when he gets his supper he may do so with a light
heart. As for Euryalus he will have to make a formal apology and a
present too, for he has been rude."

Thus did he speak. The others all of them applauded his saying, and
sent their servants to fetch the presents. Then Euryalus said, "King
Alcinous, I will give the stranger all the satisfaction you require.
He shall have sword, which is of bronze, all but the hilt, which is
of silver. I will also give him the scabbard of newly sawn ivory into
which it fits. It will be worth a great deal to him."

As he spoke he placed the sword in the hands of Ulysses and said,
"Good luck to you, father stranger; if anything has been said amiss
may the winds blow it away with them, and may heaven grant you a safe
return, for I understand you have been long away from home, and have
gone through much hardship."

To which Ulysses answered, "Good luck to you too my friend, and may
the gods grant you every happiness. I hope you will not miss the sword
you have given me along with your apology."

With these words he girded the sword about his shoulders and towards
sundown the presents began to make their appearance, as the servants
of the donors kept bringing them to the house of King Alcinous; here
his sons received them, and placed them under their mother's charge.
Then Alcinous led the way to the house and bade his guests take their
seats.

"Wife," said he, turning to Queen Arete, "Go, fetch the best chest
we have, and put a clean cloak and shirt in it. Also, set a copper
on the fire and heat some water; our guest will take a warm bath;
see also to the careful packing of the presents that the noble Phaeacians
have made him; he will thus better enjoy both his supper and the singing
that will follow. I shall myself give him this golden goblet- which
is of exquisite workmanship- that he may be reminded of me for the
rest of his life whenever he makes a drink-offering to Jove, or to
any of the gods."

Then Arete told her maids to set a large tripod upon the fire as fast
as they could, whereon they set a tripod full of bath water on to
a clear fire; they threw on sticks to make it blaze, and the water
became hot as the flame played about the belly of the tripod. Meanwhile
Arete brought a magnificent chest her own room, and inside it she
packed all the beautiful presents of gold and raiment which the Phaeacians
had brought. Lastly she added a cloak and a good shirt from Alcinous,
and said to Ulysses:

"See to the lid yourself, and have the whole bound round at once,
for fear any one should rob you by the way when you are asleep in
your ship."

When Ulysses heard this he put the lid on the chest and made it fast
with a bond that Circe had taught him. He had done so before an upper
servant told him to come to the bath and wash himself. He was very
glad of a warm bath, for he had had no one to wait upon him ever since
he left the house of Calypso, who as long as he remained with her
had taken as good care of him as though he had been a god. When the
servants had done washing and anointing him with oil, and had given
him a clean cloak and shirt, he left the bath room and joined the
guests who were sitting over their wine. Lovely Nausicaa stood by
one of the bearing-posts supporting the roof if the cloister, and
admired him as she saw him pass. "Farewell stranger," said she, "do
not forget me when you are safe at home again, for it is to me first
that you owe a ransom for having saved your life."

And Ulysses said, "Nausicaa, daughter of great Alcinous, may Jove
the mighty husband of Juno, grant that I may reach my home; so shall
I bless you as my guardian angel all my days, for it was you who saved
me."

When he had said this, he seated himself beside Alcinous. Supper was
then served, and the wine was mixed for drinking. A servant led in
the favourite bard Demodocus, and set him in the midst of the company,
near one of the bearing-posts supporting the cloister, that he might
lean against it. Then Ulysses cut off a piece of roast pork with plenty
of fat (for there was abundance left on the joint) and said to a servant,
"Take this piece of pork over to Demodocus and tell him to eat it;
for all the pain his lays may cause me I will salute him none the
less; bards are honoured and respected throughout the world, for the
muse teaches them their songs and loves them."

The servant carried the pork in his fingers over to Demodocus, who
took it and was very much pleased. They then laid their hands on the
good things that were before them, and as soon as they had had to
eat and drink, Ulysses said to Demodocus, "Demodocus, there is no
one in the world whom I admire more than I do you. You must have studied
under the Muse, Jove's daughter, and under Apollo, so accurately do
you sing the return of the Achaeans with all their sufferings and
adventures. If you were not there yourself, you must have heard it
all from some one who was. Now, however, change your song and tell
us of the wooden horse which Epeus made with the assistance of Minerva,
and which Ulysses got by stratagem into the fort of Troy after freighting
it with the men who afterwards sacked the city. If you will sing this
tale aright I will tell all the world how magnificently heaven has
endowed you."

The bard inspired of heaven took up the story at the point where some
of the Argives set fire to their tents and sailed away while others,
hidden within the horse, were waiting with Ulysses in the Trojan place
of assembly. For the Trojans themselves had drawn the horse into their
fortress, and it stood there while they sat in council round it, and
were in three minds as to what they should do. Some were for breaking
it up then and there; others would have it dragged to the top of the
rock on which the fortress stood, and then thrown down the precipice;
while yet others were for letting it remain as an offering and propitiation
for the gods. And this was how they settled it in the end, for the
city was doomed when it took in that horse, within which were all
the bravest of the Argives waiting to bring death and destruction
on the Trojans. Anon he sang how the sons of the Achaeans issued from
the horse, and sacked the town, breaking out from their ambuscade.
He sang how they over ran the city hither and thither and ravaged
it, and how Ulysses went raging like Mars along with Menelaus to the
house of Deiphobus. It was there that the fight raged most furiously,
nevertheless by Minerva's help he was victorious.

All this he told, but Ulysses was overcome as he heard him, and his
cheeks were wet with tears. He wept as a woman weeps when she throws
herself on the body of her husband who has fallen before his own city
and people, fighting bravely in defence of his home and children.
She screams aloud and flings her arms about him as he lies gasping
for breath and dying, but her enemies beat her from behind about the
back and shoulders, and carry her off into slavery, to a life of labour
and sorrow, and the beauty fades from her cheeks- even so piteously
did Ulysses weep, but none of those present perceived his tears except
Alcinous, who was sitting near him, and could hear the sobs and sighs
that he was heaving. The king, therefore, at once rose and said:

"Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians, let Demodocus cease
his song, for there are those present who do not seem to like it.
From the moment that we had done supper and Demodocus began to sing,
our guest has been all the time groaning and lamenting. He is evidently
in great trouble, so let the bard leave off, that we may all enjoy
ourselves, hosts and guest alike. This will be much more as it should
be, for all these festivities, with the escort and the presents that
we are making with so much good will, are wholly in his honour, and
any one with even a moderate amount of right feeling knows that he
ought to treat a guest and a suppliant as though he were his own brother.

"Therefore, Sir, do you on your part affect no more concealment nor
reserve in the matter about which I shall ask you; it will be more
polite in you to give me a plain answer; tell me the name by which
your father and mother over yonder used to call you, and by which
you were known among your neighbours and fellow-citizens. There is
no one, neither rich nor poor, who is absolutely without any name
whatever, for people's fathers and mothers give them names as soon
as they are born. Tell me also your country, nation, and city, that
our ships may shape their purpose accordingly and take you there.
For the Phaeacians have no pilots; their vessels have no rudders as
those of other nations have, but the ships themselves understand what
it is that we are thinking about and want; they know all the cities
and countries in the whole world, and can traverse the sea just as
well even when it is covered with mist and cloud, so that there is
no danger of being wrecked or coming to any harm. Still I do remember
hearing my father say that Neptune was angry with us for being too
easy-going in the matter of giving people escorts. He said that one
of these days he should wreck a ship of ours as it was returning from
having escorted some one, and bury our city under a high mountain.
This is what my used to say, but whether the god will carry out his
threat or no is a matter which he will decide for himself.

"And now, tell me and tell me true. Where have you been wandering,
and in what countries have you travelled? Tell us of the peoples themselves,
and of their cities- who were hostile, savage and uncivilized, and
who, on the other hand, hospitable and humane. Tell us also why you
are made unhappy on hearing about the return of the Argive Danaans
from Troy. The gods arranged all this, and sent them their misfortunes
in order that future generations might have something to sing about.
Did you lose some brave kinsman of your wife's when you were before
Troy? a son-in-law or father-in-law- which are the nearest relations
a man has outside his own flesh and blood? or was it some brave and
kindly-natured comrade- for a good friend is as dear to a man as his
own brother?"

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