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07 - The Odyssey - Homer · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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Speaker 1: Book seven, Reception of Ulysses at the palace of King Alcinous.
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Speaker 1: Thus then did Ulysses wait and pray, But the girl
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Speaker 1: drove on to the town. When she reached her father's house,
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Speaker 1: she drew up at the gateway, and her brother's comely
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Speaker 1: as the gods gathered round her. Took the mules out
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Speaker 1: of the wagon and carried the clothes into the house,
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Speaker 1: while she went to her own room, where an old servant,
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Speaker 1: eury Medusa of Aperia, lit the fire for her. This
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Speaker 1: old woman had been brought by sea from Aperia and
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Speaker 1: had been chosen as a prize for Alcinous, because he
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Speaker 1: was king over the Phaecians, and the people obeyed him
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Speaker 1: as though he were a god. She had been nursed
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Speaker 1: to Nausicaa, and had now lit the fire for her
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Speaker 1: and brought her supper for her in her own room. Presently,
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Speaker 1: Ulysses got up to go towards town, and Minerva shed
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Speaker 1: a thick mist all round him to hide him in
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Speaker 1: case of the proud Faycians who met him should be
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Speaker 1: rude to him or ask him who he was. Then,
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Speaker 1: as he was just entering the town, she came towards
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Speaker 1: him in the likeness of a little girl carrying a pitcher.
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Speaker 1: She stood right in front of him, and Ulysses said,
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Speaker 1: my dear, will you be so kind as to show
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Speaker 1: me the house of King Alcinous. I am an unfortunate
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Speaker 1: foreigner in distress, and do not know one in your
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Speaker 1: town and country. Then Minerva said, yes, father, stranger, I
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Speaker 1: will show you the house you want, for Alcinous lives
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Speaker 1: quite close to my own. Father. I will go before
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Speaker 1: you and show you the way, But say not a
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Speaker 1: word as you go, and do not look at any
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Speaker 1: man nor ask him questions, for the people here cannot
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Speaker 1: abide strangers, and do not like men who come from
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Speaker 1: some other place. They are as seafaring folk and sail
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Speaker 1: the seas by the grace of Neptune in ships that
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Speaker 1: glide along like thought, or as a bird in the air.
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Speaker 1: On this she led the way, and Ulysses followed in
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Speaker 1: her steps. But not one of the Phaecians could see
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Speaker 1: him as he passed through the city in the midst
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Speaker 1: of them, for the great Goddess Minerva, in her good
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Speaker 1: will towards him, had hidden him in a thick cloud
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Speaker 1: of darkness. He admired their harbors, ships, places of assembly
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Speaker 1: and lofty walls of the city, which with the palisade
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Speaker 1: on top of them, were very striking. And when they
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Speaker 1: reached the king's house, Minerva said, this is the house, father, stranger,
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Speaker 1: which you would have me show you. You will find
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Speaker 1: a number of great people sitting at table, But do
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Speaker 1: not be afraid go straight in, for the bolder a
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Speaker 1: man is, the more likely is to carry his point,
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Speaker 1: even though he is a stranger. First to find the queen.
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Speaker 1: Her name is Arete, and she comes of the same
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Speaker 1: family as her husband Alcinous. They both descend originally from Neptune,
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Speaker 1: who was father to Naustus by Periboea, a woman of
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Speaker 1: great beauty. Periboea is the young youngest daughter of Eurymedon,
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Speaker 1: who at one time reigned over all the giants, but
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Speaker 1: he ruined his ill fated people and lost his own
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Speaker 1: life to boot. Neptune, however, lay with his daughter, and
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Speaker 1: she had a son by him, the great Nausithos, who
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Speaker 1: reigned over the Phaecians. Nausthus had two sons, Reexenor and Alcinous.
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Speaker 1: Apollo killed the first of them while he was still
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Speaker 1: a bridegroom and without male issue, but he left a
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Speaker 1: daughter Arete, whom Alcinous married and honors as no other
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Speaker 1: woman is honored of all those that keep house along
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Speaker 1: with their husbands. Thus she both was and still is
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Speaker 1: respected beyond measure by her children, by Alcinos himself, and
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Speaker 1: by the whole people, who look upon her as a
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Speaker 1: goddess and greet her wherever she goes about the city.
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Speaker 1: For she is a thoroughly good woman, both in head
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Speaker 1: and heart. And when any woman are friends of hers,
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Speaker 1: she will help their husbands so to settle their disputes.
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Speaker 1: If you can gain her goodwill, you may have every
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Speaker 1: hope of seeing your friends again and getting safely back
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Speaker 1: to your home and country. Then Minerva left Cheria and
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Speaker 1: went away over the sea. She went to Marathon and
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Speaker 1: to the spacious streets of Athens, where she entered the
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Speaker 1: abode of Erechtheus. But Ulysses went on to the house
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Speaker 1: of Alcinous, and he pondered much as he paused awhile
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Speaker 1: before reaching the threshold of bronze. For the splendor of
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Speaker 1: the palace was like that of the sun or moon.
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Speaker 1: The walls on either side were of bronze from end
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Speaker 1: to end, and the cornice was of blue enamel. The
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Speaker 1: doors were gold and hung on pillars of silver that
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Speaker 1: rose from the floor of bronze, while the lintel was
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Speaker 1: silver and the hook of the door was gold. On
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Speaker 1: either side there stood gold and silver mastiffs, which Vulcan,
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Speaker 1: with his consummate skill, had fashioned expressly to keep watch
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Speaker 1: over the palace of King Alcinous. So they were immortal
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Speaker 1: and could never grow old. Seats were ranged all along
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Speaker 1: the wall here and there, from one end to the other,
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Speaker 1: with coverings of fine woven work which the women of
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Speaker 1: the house had made. Here the chief persons of the
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Speaker 1: Phaeacians used to sit and eat and drink, for there
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Speaker 1: was abundance at all seasons, and there were golden figures
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Speaker 1: of young men with lighted torches in their hands, raised
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Speaker 1: on pedestals to give light by night to those who
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Speaker 1: were at table. There are fifty maid servants in the house,
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Speaker 1: some of whom are always grinding rich yellow grain at
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Speaker 1: the mill, while others work at the loom, or sit
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Speaker 1: and spin, and their shuttles go backwards and forwards like
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Speaker 1: the fluttering of aspen leaves. While the linen is so
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Speaker 1: closely woven that it will turn oil as the Faecians
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Speaker 1: are the best sailors in the world. So their women
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Speaker 1: excel all others in weaving, for Minerva has taught them
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Speaker 1: all manner of useful arts, and they are very intelligent.
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Speaker 1: Outside the gate of the outer Court there is a
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Speaker 1: large garden of about four acres, with a wall all
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Speaker 1: round it. It is full of beautiful trees, hares, pomegranates,
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Speaker 1: and the most delicious apples. There are luscious figs also,
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Speaker 1: and olives in full growth. The fruits never rot nor
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Speaker 1: fail all year round, neither winter nor summer, for the
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Speaker 1: air is so soft that a new crop ripens before
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Speaker 1: the old has drawn. Pear grows on pere, apple on apple,
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Speaker 1: and fig on fig, and so also with the grapes.
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Speaker 1: For there is an excellent vineyard on the level ground
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Speaker 1: of a part of this the grapes are being made
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Speaker 1: into raisins. In another part they are being gathered, Some
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Speaker 1: are being trodden in the wine tubs. Others further on
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Speaker 1: have shed their blossom and are beginning to show fruit.
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Speaker 1: Others again are just changing color. In the furthest part
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Speaker 1: of the ground there are beautifully arranged beds of flowers
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Speaker 1: that are in bloom all year round. Two streams go
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Speaker 1: through it, the one turned in ducts throughout the whole garden,
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Speaker 1: while the other is carried under a ground of the
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Speaker 1: outer court of the house itself, and the towns people
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Speaker 1: draw water from it. Such then, were the with which
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Speaker 1: the gods had endowed the house of King Alcinous. So
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Speaker 1: here Ulysses stood for a while and looked about him.
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Speaker 1: But when he looked long enough, he crossed the threshold
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Speaker 1: and went within the precincts of the house. There he
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Speaker 1: found all the chief people among the Phaecians, making their
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Speaker 1: drink offerings to mercury, which they always did last thing
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Speaker 1: before going away for the night. He went straight through
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Speaker 1: the court, still hidden by the cloak of darkness in
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Speaker 1: which Minerva had enveloped him, till he reached Arete and
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Speaker 1: King Alcinous. Then he laid his hands upon the knees
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Speaker 1: of the queen, and at the moment the miraculous darkness
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Speaker 1: fell away from him, and he became visible. Every One
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Speaker 1: was speechless with surprise at seeing a man there, But
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Speaker 1: Ulysses began at once with his petition. Queen Arette. He exclaimed,
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Speaker 1: daughter of Great Rexinoor, in my distress, I humbly pray
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Speaker 1: you as also your husband, and these your guests, whom
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Speaker 1: may Heaven prosper with long life and head happiness, and
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Speaker 1: may they leave their possessions to their children and all
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Speaker 1: the honors conferred upon them by the state. To help
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Speaker 1: me home to my own country as soon as possible,
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Speaker 1: for I have been long in trouble and away from
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Speaker 1: my friends. Then he sat down on the hearth among
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Speaker 1: the ashes, and they all held their peace till presently.
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Speaker 1: The old hero Echenus, who was an excellent speaker and
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Speaker 1: an elder among the Phaeacians, plainly and in all honesty,
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Speaker 1: addressed them thus Alcinous, He said, it is not creditable
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Speaker 1: to you that a stranger should be seen sitting among
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Speaker 1: the ashes of your hearth. Everyone is waiting to hear
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Speaker 1: what you are about to say. Tell him then to
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Speaker 1: rise and take a seat on a stool inlaid with silver,
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Speaker 1: and bid your servants mix some wine and water that
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Speaker 1: we may drink in offering to Jove, the lord of Thunder,
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Speaker 1: who takes all well disposed suppliance under his protection. And
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Speaker 1: let the housekeeper give him some supper of whatever there
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Speaker 1: may be in the house. When Alcinus heard this, he
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Speaker 1: took Ulysses by the hand, raised him from the hearth,
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Speaker 1: and bade him take the seat of Laudamus, who had
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Speaker 1: been sitting beside him and was his favorite son. A
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Speaker 1: maid servant then brought him water in a beautiful golden
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Speaker 1: ewer and poured it in a silver basin for him
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Speaker 1: to wash his hands, and she drew a clean table
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Speaker 1: beside him. An upper servant brought him bread and offered
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Speaker 1: him many good things of what there was in the house,
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Speaker 1: and Ulysses ate and drank. Then Alcinus said to one
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Speaker 1: of the servants, Pontanus, mix a cup of wine and
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Speaker 1: handed round, that we may drink offerings to Jove, the
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Speaker 1: Lord of Thunder, who is the protector of all well
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Speaker 1: disposed suppliants. Pontanus then mixed wine and water and handed
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Speaker 1: it round, after giving every man his drinking offering. Then
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Speaker 1: they made their offerings and drunk each as much as
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Speaker 1: he was minded. Alcinus said, aldermen and town counselors of
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Speaker 1: the Phaecians, he my words, you have had your supper,
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Speaker 1: So now go home to bed. Tomorrow morning I shall
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Speaker 1: invite a still larger number of aldermen and will give
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Speaker 1: a sacrificial banquet in honor of our guest. We can
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Speaker 1: then discuss the question of his escort, and consider how
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Speaker 1: we may at once send him back, rejoicing to his
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Speaker 1: own country, without trouble or inconvenience to himself, no matter
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Speaker 1: how distant it may be. We must see that he
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Speaker 1: comes to no harm while on his homeward journey. But
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Speaker 1: when he is once at home, he will have to
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Speaker 1: take the luck he was born with, for better or
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Speaker 1: for worse, like other people. It is possible, however, that
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Speaker 1: the stranger is one of the immortals who has come
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Speaker 1: down from heaven to visit us. But in this case
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Speaker 1: the gods are departing from their usual practice, for hitherto
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Speaker 1: they have made themselves perfectly clear to us, when we
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Speaker 1: have been offering them hecatoons. They come and sit at
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Speaker 1: our feasts just like one of ourselves, And if any
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Speaker 1: solitary wayfarer happens to stumble upon some or other of them,
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Speaker 1: they effect no concealment, for we are as near of
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Speaker 1: kin to the gods as the cyclopses and the savage
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Speaker 1: giants are. Then Ulysses said pray Alcinous, do not take
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Speaker 1: any such notion into your head. I have nothing of
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Speaker 1: the immortal about me, neither in my body nor mind,
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Speaker 1: and most resemble those among you who are the most afflicted. Indeed,
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Speaker 1: were I to tell you all that Heaven has seen
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Speaker 1: fit to lay upon me, you would say that I
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Speaker 1: was still worse off than they are. Nevertheless, let me
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Speaker 1: sup in spite of sorrow, for an empty stomach is
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Speaker 1: very inopportune thing, and thrust itself on a man's notice,
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Speaker 1: no matter how dire is his distress. I am in
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Speaker 1: great trouble. Yet it insists that I shall eat and drink,
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Speaker 1: bids me lay aside all memory of my sorrows, and
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Speaker 1: dwell only on the dew replenishing of itself as for yourselves.
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Speaker 1: Do as you propose, and at break of day, set
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Speaker 1: about helping me to get home. I shall be content
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Speaker 1: to die if I may first once more behold my
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Speaker 1: my property, my bondsman, and all the greatness of my house.
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Speaker 1: Thus did he speak. Everyone approved as his saying, and
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Speaker 1: agreed that he should have his escort inasmuch as he
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Speaker 1: had spoken reasonably. Then, when they made their drink offerings,
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Speaker 1: and had drunk each as much as he was minded,
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Speaker 1: they went home to bed, every man in his own abode,
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Speaker 1: leaving Ulysses in the cloister with Arete and Alcinous. While
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Speaker 1: the servants were taking the things away after supper, Arete
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Speaker 1: was the first to speak, for she recognized the shirt, cloak,
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Speaker 1: and good clothes that Ulysses was wearing as the work
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Speaker 1: of herself and of her maids. So she said, stranger,
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Speaker 1: before we go any further, there is a question I
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Speaker 1: should like to ask you, who and whence are you?
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Speaker 1: And who gave you those clothes? Did you not say
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Speaker 1: you had come from beyond the sea? And Ulysses answered,
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Speaker 1: it would be a long story, madam, were I to
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Speaker 1: relate and full the tale of my misfortunes, for the
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Speaker 1: hand of Heaven has been laid heavy upon me. But
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Speaker 1: as regards your question, there is an island far away
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Speaker 1: in the sea, which is called the Augigion. Here dwells
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Speaker 1: the cunning and powerful goddess Calypso, daughter of Atlas. She
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Speaker 1: lives by herself, far from all neighbors, human or divine. Fortune, however,
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Speaker 1: brought me to her hearth, all desolate and alone, for
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Speaker 1: Jove struck my ship with his thunderbolts and broke it
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Speaker 1: up in mid ocean. My brave comrades were drowned, every
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Speaker 1: man of them. But I stuck to the keel and
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Speaker 1: was carried hither and thither for the space of nine days,
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Speaker 1: till at last, during the darkness of the tenth night,
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Speaker 1: the gods brought me to the Ogigion island, where the
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Speaker 1: great goddess Calypso lives. She took me in and treated
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Speaker 1: me with the utmost kindness. Indeed, she wanted to make
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Speaker 1: me immortal, that I might never grow old, but she
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Speaker 1: could not persuade me to let her do. So. I
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Speaker 1: stayed with Calypso seven years straight on end, and watered
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Speaker 1: the good clothes she gave me with my tears during
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Speaker 1: the whole time. But at last, when the eighth year
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Speaker 1: came round, she bade me depart of her own free will,
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Speaker 1: either because Jove had told her she must, or because
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Speaker 1: she had changed her mind. She sent me from her
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Speaker 1: island on a raft, which she provisioned with abundance of
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Speaker 1: bread and wine. Moreover, she gave me good stout clothing
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Speaker 1: and sent me a wind that blew warm and fair.
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Speaker 1: Days seven and ten did I sail over the sea,
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Speaker 1: And on the eighteenth I caught sight of the first
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Speaker 1: outlines of the mountains upon your coast, and glad indeed
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Speaker 1: was I to set eyes upon them. Nevertheless, there was
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Speaker 1: still much trouble in store for me, for at this
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Speaker 1: point Neptune would let me go no further and raised
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Speaker 1: a great storm against me. The sea was so terribly
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Speaker 1: high that I could no longer keep my raft, which
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Speaker 1: went to pieces under the fury of the gale, and
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Speaker 1: I had to swim for it till wind and current
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Speaker 1: brought me to your shores. There I tried to land,
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Speaker 1: but could not, for it was a bad place. Waves
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Speaker 1: dashed me against the rocks. So I again took to
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Speaker 1: the sea and swam on till I came to a
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Speaker 1: river that seemed the most likely landing place, for there
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Speaker 1: were no rocks and it was sheltered from the wind. Here.
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Speaker 1: Then I got out of the water and gathered my
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Speaker 1: senses together again. Night was coming on, so I left
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Speaker 1: the river and went into a thicket, where I covered
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Speaker 1: myself all over with leaves, and presently Heaven sent me
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Speaker 1: off into a very deep sleep. Sick and sorry I was.
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Speaker 1: I slept among the leaves all night and through the
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Speaker 1: next day, till afternoon, when I woke as the sun
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Speaker 1: was westering, and saw your daughter's maid servants playing upon
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Speaker 1: the beach, and your daughter among them, looking like a goddess.
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Speaker 1: I besought her aid, and she proved to be of
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Speaker 1: excellent disposition, much more so than could be expected from
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Speaker 1: so young a person, for young people are apt to
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Speaker 1: be thoughtless. She gave me plenty of bread and wine,
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Speaker 1: and when she had me washed in the river, she
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Speaker 1: also gave me the clothes in which you see me now. Therefore,
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Speaker 1: though it has pained me to do so, I have
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Speaker 1: told you the whole truth. Then, Alcinous, said Stranger, it
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Speaker 1: was very wrong of my daughter not to bring you
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Speaker 1: on at once to my house along with the maids,
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Speaker 1: seeing that she was the first person whose aid you asked. Pray,
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Speaker 1: do not scold her, replied Ulysses. She is not to blame.
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Speaker 1: She did tell me to follow along with the maids,
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Speaker 1: But I was ashamed and afraid, for I thought you
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Speaker 1: might perhaps be displeased if you saw me. Every human
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Speaker 1: being is sometimes a little suspicious and irritable, Stranger replied Alcinous.
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Speaker 1: I am not the kind of man to get angry
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Speaker 1: about nothing. It is always better to be reasonable. But
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Speaker 1: by Father Jove, Minerva and Apollo. Now that I see
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Speaker 1: what kind of person you are, and how much you
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Speaker 1: think as I do, I wish you would stay here,
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Speaker 1: marry my daughter, and become my son in law. If
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Speaker 1: you will stay, I will give you a house and
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Speaker 1: an estate. But no one Heaven forbid, shall keep you
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Speaker 1: here against your own wish. And that you may be
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Speaker 1: sure of this, I will attend tomorrow to the matter
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Speaker 1: of your escort. You can sleep during the whole voyage
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Speaker 1: if you like, and the men shall sail you over
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Speaker 1: smooth waters, either to your own home or wherever you please,
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Speaker 1: even though it may be a long way further off
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Speaker 1: than you Boea, which those of my people who saw
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Speaker 1: it when they took yellow haired rhadamanthus to see Titius,
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Speaker 1: the son of Gaia, tell me is the furthest of
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Speaker 1: any place. And yet they did the whole voyage in
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Speaker 1: a single day without distressing themselves, and came back again afterwards.
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Speaker 1: You will thus see how much my ships excel all others,
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Speaker 1: and what magnificent oarsmen my sailors are. Then Ulysses was
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Speaker 1: glad and prayed aloud, saying Father Jove grant that Alcinous
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Speaker 1: may do all that he has said, for he so
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Speaker 1: will win an imperishable name among mankind, and at the
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Speaker 1: same time I shall return to my country. Thus did
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Speaker 1: they converse. Then Arete told her maids to set a
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Speaker 1: bed in the room that was in the gatehouse, and
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Speaker 1: make it with good red rugs, and to spread coverlets
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Speaker 1: on the top of them, with woolen cloaks for Ulysses
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Speaker 1: to wear. The maids thereon went out with torches in
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Speaker 1: their hands, And when they had made their bed, they
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Speaker 1: came up to Ulysses and said, rise, sir stranger, and
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Speaker 1: come with us, for your bed is ready. And glad
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Speaker 1: indeed was he to go to his rest. So Ulysses
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Speaker 1: slept in a bed placed in a room over the
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Speaker 1: echoing gateway. But Alcinous lay in the inner part of
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Speaker 1: the house, with the Queen his wife by his side.
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Speaker 1: End of Ulysses Book seven.