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05 - The Odyssey - Homer · Adventure Books Library

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