A Magical Kingdom
Odysseus sat patiently and prayed.
Meanwhile, the fine strong mules conveyed the girl to town; she reached her father’s palace gate.
Her brothers gathered round her like immortals. They took the harness off the mules and brought the clothes inside. She went to her own room.
Eurymedusa, her old slave, had lit
a fire for her. This woman had been brought from Apeire by ship, long years before.
The people chose to give her to the king, 10
because they bowed before him like a god. She used to babysit young Nausicaa,
and now she lit her fire and cooked her meal.
Odysseus walked briskly to the town.
Athena helpfully surrounded him
with mist that kept him safe him from rude remarks from people who might ask him who he was.
When he had almost reached the lovely city, bright-eyed Athena met him, like a girl,
young and unmarried, with a water pitcher. 20
She stopped in front of him. Odysseus said,
“Child, would you escort me to the house of King Alcinous, who rules this land?
I have been through hard times. I traveled here from far away; I am a foreigner,
and I know no one who lives here in town or anywhere round here.”
With twinkling eyes the goddess answered, “Mr. Foreigner,
I will take you to where you want to go.
The king lives near my father’s home. But you 30
must walk in silence. Do not look at people, and ask no questions. People here are not too keen on strangers coming from abroad,
although they like to cross the sea themselves. They know their ships go very fast. Poseidon gave them this gift. Their boats can fly like wings, or quick as thoughts.”
The goddess led him there.
He followed closely in her skipping steps.
The seafaring Phaeacians did not see him
as he passed through the town, since that great goddess, 40
pigtailed Athena, in her care for him made him invisible with magic mist.
He was amazed to see the ships and harbors and meeting places of the noblemen,
and high walls set with stakes on top—a wonder! They reached the splendid palace of the king.
Divine Athena winked at him and said,
“Here, Mr. Foreigner, this is the house you wanted me to take you to. You will
find them, the king and queen, inside at dinner. 50
Do not be scared; go in. The brave succeed in all adventures, even those who come
from countries far away. First greet the queen.
Arete is her name. The king and queen have common ancestry—Nausithous.
Eurymedon was long ago the king
over the Giants, who were proud and bad.
He killed them, his own people, and then he got killed as well. His youngest daughter was
named Periboea. She was very pretty. 60
Poseidon slept with her. She had a child, Nausithous, and he became the king here in Phaeacia, and he had two sons, our King Alcinous, and Rhexenor.
Apollo shot that Rhexenor when he
was newly married, with no son. He left a daughter, our Arete, and her uncle, Alcinous, made her his wife. No woman is honored as he honors her. She is
precious to him, her children, and the people. 70
We look at her as if she were a goddess,
and point her out when she walks through our town. She is extremely clever and perceptive;
she solves disputes to help the men she likes. If she looks on you kindly in her heart,
you have a chance of seeing those you love, and getting back again to your big house and homeland.”
So bright-eyed Athena left him.
She went from lovely Scheria, across
the tireless sea, to Marathon and Athens, 80
and went inside Erechtheus’ palace.
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Odysseus approached the royal house, |
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and stood there by the threshold made of bronze. |
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His heart was mulling over many things. |
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The palace of the mighty king was high, |
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and shone like rays of sunlight or of moonlight. |
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The walls were bronze all over, from the entrance |
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back to the bedrooms, and along them ran |
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a frieze of blue. Gold doors held safe the house. |
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Pillars of silver rose up from the threshold, |
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the lintel silver, and the handle, gold. |
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Silver and golden dogs stood at each side, |
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made by Hephaestus with great artistry, |
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to guard the home of brave Alcinous— |
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immortal dogs, unaging for all time. |
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At intervals were seats set in the walls, |
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right from the doorway to the inner rooms, |
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with soft embroidered throws, the work of women. |
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Phaeacian lords and ladies sat upon them, |
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eating and drinking, since they lacked for nothing. |
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Boys made of gold were set on pedestals, |
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and they held burning torches in their hands, |
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lighting the hall at night for those at dinner. |
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The King had fifty slave girls in his house; |
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some ground the yellow grain upon the millstone, |
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others wove cloth and sat there spinning yarn, |
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with fingers quick as rustling poplar leaves, |
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Just as Phaeacian men have special talent |
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for launching ships to sea, the women there |
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are expert weavers, since Athena gave them |
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fine minds and skill to make most lovely things. |
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Outside the courtyard by the doors there grows |
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an orchard of four acres, hedged around. |
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The trees are tall, luxuriant with fruit: |
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bright-colored apples, pears and pomegranate, |
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sweet figs and fertile olives, and the crop |
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never runs out or withers in the winter, |
nor in the summer. Fruit grows all year round.
The West Wind always blows and makes it swell 120
and ripen: mellowing pear on mellowing pear, apple on apple, grapes on grapes, and figs.
A fertile vineyard too is planted there.
They use the warmer side, a flattened slope,
for drying grapes in sunshine. They pick bunches and trample them, while unripe clusters open
and shed their blooms, and others turn to purple.
There are two springs: one flows all through the garden, the other gushes from the courtyard threshold,
towards the palace, and the people draw 130
freshwater. So the gods had blessed the house of King Alcinous with lovely gifts.
Hardened, long-suffering Odysseus
stood there and stared, astonished in his heart, then quickly strode across the palace threshold. He found the lordly leaders of Phaeacia pouring drink offerings for sharp-eyed Hermes, to whom they give libations before bed.
Odysseus went in the house disguised
in mist with which Athena covered him, 140
until he reached Arete and the king.
He threw his arms around Arete’s knees, and all at once, the magic mist dispersed.
They were astonished when they saw the man, and all fell silent. Then Odysseus
said,
“Queen Arete, child of Rhexenor, I have had many years of pain and loss.
I beg you, and your husband, and these men who feast here—may the gods bless you in life,
and may you leave your children wealth and honor. 150
Now help me, please, to get back home, and quickly!
I miss my family. I have been gone so long it hurts.”
He sat down by the hearth among the ashes of the fire. They all
were silent till Echeneus spoke up.
He was an elder statesman of Phaeacia, a skillful orator and learned man.
Wanting to help, he said,
“Alcinous, you know it is not right to leave a stranger
sitting there on the floor beside the hearth 160
among the cinders. Everyone is waiting
for you to give the word. Make him get up, and seat him on a silver chair, and order wine to be poured, so we may make libations
to Zeus the Thunderlord, who loves the needy. The house girl ought to bring the stranger food out from the storeroom.”
So Alcinous reached for Odysseus’ hand, and raised the many-minded hero from the ashes.
He made Laodamas, his favorite son, 170
vacate his chair so he could sit beside him. The slave girl brought him water in a pitcher of gold to wash his hands, and poured it out over a silver bowl, and fetched a table
of polished wood; a humble slave brought out bread and an ample plateful of the meat.
Half-starved and weak, the hero ate and drank. Majestic King Alcinous addressed
Pontonous, the wine boy.
“Go and mix
a bowl and serve the wine to all our guests, 180
so we may offer drink to thundering Zeus who blesses those in need.” The boy mixed up the sweet, delicious wine, and filled the cups for everyone, with first pour for the gods.
They made the offerings and drank as much as they desired, and then Alcinous
said,
“Listen, lords. Hear what my heart commands.
The feast is over; go home, go to bed.
At dawn, we will call more of our best men,
and host the stranger in our halls, and offer 190
fine sacrifices to the gods, then plan
how we may help his journey, so our guest may travel quickly, without pain or trouble, encountering no trouble on the way, however far away it is, until
he reaches home. Once there, he must endure whatever was spun out when he was born
by Fate and by the heavy ones, the Spinners. But if he is immortal, come from heaven,
the gods have changed their ways, since in the past 200
they used to show themselves to us directly whenever we would give them hecatombs.
They sit and eat among us. Even if
just one of us meets them alone, out walking, they do not hide from us; we are close friends, as are the Giants and Cyclopic peoples.”
Odysseus, with careful calculation, said,
“No, Alcinous, please think again. I am not like the deathless gods in heaven.
My height is normal. I look like a human. 210
In pain I am a match for any man, whoever you may know that suffers most.
I could tell many stories of the dangers
that I have suffered through; gods willed it so. But let me have my meal, despite my grief.
The belly is just like a whining dog:
it begs and forces one to notice it,
despite exhaustion or the depths of sorrow.
My heart is full of sorrow, but my stomach
is always telling me to eat and drink. 220
It tells me to forget what I have suffered, and fill it up. At dawn tomorrow, help me to reach my homeland, after all this pain.
May I live out my final days in sight
of my own property and slaves and home.”
They all agreed the stranger’s words made sense, and that he should be sent back home. They poured drink offerings to the gods, and drank as much
as they desired, then all went home to bed. Odysseus was left there in the hall, 230
sitting beside Arete and the godlike Alcinous. The dishes from the feast
were cleaned up by the slaves. White-armed Arete had noticed his fine clothes, the cloak and shirt she wove herself, with help from her slave girls.
Her words flew out to him as if on wings.
“Stranger, let me be first to speak to you.
Where are you from? And who gave you those clothes? I thought you said you drifted here by sea?”
Planning his words with careful skill, he answered, 240
“It would be difficult, Your Majesty, to tell it all; the gods have given me so many troubles. I will tell you this. There is an island, far out in the sea, Ogygia, where the child of Atlas lives,
the mighty goddess with smooth braids, the crafty Calypso, friend to neither gods nor mortals.
A spirit brought me to her hearth, alone,
when Zeus scooped up my ship and with bright lightning split it apart across the wine-dark sea. 250
All of my comrades, my brave friends, were killed.
I wrapped my arms around the keel and floated for ten days. On the tenth black night, the gods carried me till I reached Ogygia,
home of the beautiful and mighty goddess Calypso. Lovingly she cared for me, vowing to set me free from death and time forever. But she never swayed my heart.
I stayed for seven years; she gave me clothes
like those of gods, but they were always wet 260
with tears. At last the eighth year rolled around, and word came down from Zeus that I must go, and finally her mind was changed. She sent me upon a well-bound wooden raft, equipped
with food, sweet wine, and clothes as if for gods, and sent a fair warm wind. I sailed the sea
for seventeen long days; on day eighteen, the murky mountains of your land appeared, and I was overjoyed, but more bad luck
was hurled at me. Poseidon roused the winds 270
to block me, and he stirred the sea. I sobbed, and clung there, going nowhere, till my raft was smashed to pieces by the massive storm.
But I swam through this gulf of water till the current brought me here. If I had tried
to land at once, I would have been swept back
against the crags. I swam a way away,
until I reached a river mouth, which seemed a perfect spot for landing: it was sheltered
from wind, and smooth, quite free from rocks. So there 280
I flopped and tried to gather up my strength until the holy nightfall. Then I crawled
out of the rain-fed river to the bank, and hid inside the bushes, and I heaped
some leaves to cover me. Some god poured down deep sleep. With heavy heart I slept all night
and through the dawn to noon, beneath the leaves. Then in the afternoon, when sleep released me,
I woke, and saw girls playing on the beach—
your daughter, like a goddess, and her slaves. 290
I prayed to her. One would not think a girl
as young as her would have so much good sense; young people are not usually so thoughtful.
She was so kind to me; she gave me food and wine, and had them wash me in the river,
and let me have these clothes. Now I have told you the truth, no matter what.”
Alcinous
said, “Just one of these things that my daughter did was not correct: she should have brought you here to us herself, escorted by her slave girls, 300
since you had supplicated first to her.”
With careful tact Odysseus replied,
“Your daughter is quite wonderful, great king. Please do not blame her. She told me to come here with her slaves, but I was too embarrassed, and nervous. I thought you might get annoyed at seeing me. We humans on this earth
are apt to be suspicious.”
And the king replied, “My heart is not the type to feel
anger for no good reason. Moderation 310
is always best. Athena, Zeus, Apollo, what a congenial man you are! I wish
you would stay here, and marry my own daughter, and be my son. I would give you a home
and wealth if you would like to stay. If not, we will not keep you here against your will. May Zeus not have it so! As for your journey, I give my word that you can go tomorrow.
Lying down, lulled to sleep, you will be rowed across the peaceful sea until you reach 320
your land and home, or anywhere you want, even beyond Euboea, which our people
saw when they carried fair-haired Rhadamanthus to visit Tityus, the son of Gaia.
It is supposed to be the farthest shore
on earth, but they were there and back that day, not even tired. That shows just how fine
my ships are, and my men who stir the sea with oars.”
At that Odysseus, who had
endured so much, was happy, and he prayed, 330
“O Father Zeus, may everything come true, just as Alcinous has said. So may
his fame burn bright forever on the earth, and may I reach my home.”
Then at these words, white-armed Arete called to her attendants
to put a bed out on the porch and lay fine purple blankets on it and to spread covers and woolly quilts across the top.
With torches in their hands they bustled out.
They made the bed up neatly, very fast, 340
then came and called Odysseus.
“Now guest, get up and come outside, your bed is ready.”
Odysseus was glad to go to sleep after his long adventures, on that bed
surrounded by the rustling of the porch. Alcinous was sleeping in his room,
beside his wife, who made their bed and shared it.
