ULYSSES LEAVES SCHERIA AND RETURNS TO ITHACA.
Thus did he speak, and they all their peace the cloister, by the of his story, till presently Alcinous to speak.
“Ulysses,” said he, “now that you have my house I not you will home without no how much you have in the past. To you others, however, who come here night after night to drink my and to my bard, I would as follows. Our guest has already packed up the clothes, gold,108 and other which you have for his acceptance; let us now, therefore, present him further, each one of us, with a large and a cauldron. We will ourselves by the of a rate; for private cannot be to the of such a present.”
Every one of this, and then they home to each in his own abode. When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they to the ship and their with them. Alcinous on and saw so under the ship’s benches that nothing and the rowers. Then they to the house of Alcinous to dinner, and he a for them in of Jove who is the lord of all. They set the to and an excellent dinner, after which the bard, Demodocus, who was a with every one, sang to them; but Ulysses on his the sun, as though to his setting, for he was to be on his way. As one who has been all day a with a of about his supper and is when night comes that he may go and it, for it is all his can do to him, so did Ulysses when the sun down, and he at once said to the Phaeacians, himself more particularly to King Alcinous:
“Sir, and all of you, farewell. Make your drink-offerings and send me on my way rejoicing, for you have my heart’s by me an escort, and making me presents, which that I may turn to good account; may I my wife in peace among friends,109 and may you I me give to your and children;110 may you every good grace, and may no thing come among your people.”
Thus did he speak. His all of them his saying and that he should have his as he had spoken reasonably. Alcinous therefore said to his servant, “Pontonous, mix some and hand it to everybody, that we may offer a prayer to father Jove, and speed our guest upon his way.”
Pontonous mixed the and it to every one in turn; the others each from his own seat a drink-offering to the gods that live in heaven, but Ulysses rose and the cup in the hands of queen Arete.
“Farewell, queen,” said he, “henceforward and for ever, till age and death, the common of mankind, their hands upon you. I now take my leave; be happy in this house with your children, your people, and with king Alcinous.”
As he spoke he the threshold, and Alcinous sent a man to him to his ship and to the sea shore. Arete also sent some with him—one with a clean shirt and cloak, another to his box, and a third with and wine. When they got to the water the took these and put them on board, with all the meat and drink; but for Ulysses they spread a and a on that he might sleep in the of the ship. Then he too on and without a word, but the took every man his place and the from the to which it had been bound. Thereon, when they out to sea, Ulysses into a deep, sweet, and almost slumber.111
The ship on her way as a four in hand over the when the the whip. Her as it were the of a stallion, and a great of dark water in her wake. She on her course, and a falcon, of all birds, not have with her. Thus, then, she cut her way through the water, one who was as as the gods, but who was now sleeping peacefully, of all that he had on the of and by the of the sea.
When the star that the approach of to show, the ship near to land.112 Now there is in Ithaca a of the old Phorcys, which two points that the line of the sea and the in. These it from the of wind and sea that outside, so that, when once it, a ship may without being moored. At the of this there is a large tree, and at no great a to the who are called Naiads.113 There are mixing it and wine-jars of stone, and the there. Moreover, there are great of on which the their of sea purple—very to see—and at all times there is water it. It has two entrances, one North by which can go into the cave, while the other comes from the South and is more mysterious; cannot possibly in by it, it is the way taken by the gods.
Into this harbour, then, they took their ship, for they the place.114 She had so much way upon her that she ran her own length on to the shore;115 when, however, they had landed, the thing they did was to Ulysses with his and out of the ship, and him upon the still fast asleep. Then they took out the presents which Minerva had the Phaeacians to give him when he was setting out on his homewards. They put these all together by the of the tree, away from the road, for some by116 might come and them Ulysses awoke; and then they the best of their way home again.
But Neptune did not the with which he had already Ulysses, so he took with Jove. “Father Jove,” said he, “I shall no longer be in any of respect among you gods, if like the Phaeacians, who are my own and blood, such small for me. I said I would let Ulysses home when he had sufficiently. I did not say that he should home at all, for I you had already your about it, and promised that he should do so; but now they have him in a ship fast asleep and have him in Ithaca after him with more presents of bronze, gold, and than he would have from Troy, if he had had his of the and got home without misadventure.”
And Jove answered, “What, O Lord of the Earthquake, are you talking about? The gods are by no means wanting in respect for you. It would be were they to one so old and as you are. As mortals, however, if any of them is in and you disrespectfully, it will always with to with him as you may think proper, so do just as you please.”
“I should have done so at once,” Neptune, “if I were not to avoid anything that might you; now, therefore, I should like to the Phaeacian ship as it is returning from its escort. This will stop them from people in future; and I should also like to their city under a mountain.”
“My good friend,” answered Jove, “I should you at the very moment when the people from the city are the ship on her way, to turn it into a near the land and looking like a ship. This will everybody, and you can then their city under the mountain.”
When earth-encircling Neptune this he to Scheria where the Phaeacians live, and there till the ship, which was making way, had got close in. Then he up to it, it into stone, and it with the of his hand so as to it in the ground. After this he away.
The Phaeacians then talking among themselves, and one would turn his neighbour, saying, “Bless my heart, who is it that can have the ship in the sea just as she was into port? We see the whole of her only a moment ago.”
This was how they talked, but they nothing about it; and Alcinous said, “I now the old of my father. He said that Neptune would be angry with us for taking every one so safely over the sea, and would one day a Phaeacian ship as it was returning from an escort, and our city under a high mountain. This was what my old father used to say, and now it is all true.117 Now therefore let us all do as I say; in the place we must off people when they come here, and in the next let us twelve to Neptune that he may have upon us, and not our city under the high mountain.” When the people this they were and got the bulls.
Thus did the and of the Phaeacians pray to king Neptune, his altar; and at the same time118 Ulysses up once more upon his own soil. He had been so long away that he did not know it again; moreover, Jove’s Minerva had it a day, so that people might not know of his having come, and that she might tell him without either his wife or his citizens and friends him119 until he had taken his upon the suitors. Everything, therefore, different to him—the long tracks, the harbours, the precipices, and the trees, appeared all as he started up and looked upon his native land. So he his with the of his hands and despairingly.
“Alas,” he exclaimed, “among what manner of people am I fallen? Are they and or and humane? Where shall I put all this treasure, and which way shall I go? I wish I had over there with the Phaeacians; or I have gone to some other great who would have been good to me and me an escort. As it is I do not know where to put my treasure, and I cannot it here for somebody else should of it. In good truth the and of the Phaeacians have not been by me, and have left me in the country; they said they would take me to Ithaca and they have not done so: may Jove the protector of them, for he over and punishes those who do wrong. Still, I I must count my and see if the have gone off with any of them.”
He his and cauldrons, his gold and all his clothes, but there was nothing missing; still he about not being in his own country, and up and by the of the sea his hard fate. Then Minerva came up to him as a of and mien, with a good about her shoulders; she had sandals on her and a in her hand. Ulysses was when he saw her, and up to her.
“My friend,” said he, “you are the person I have met with in this country; I you, therefore, and you to be well me. Protect these my goods, and myself too, for I your and pray to you as though you were a god. Tell me, then, and tell me truly, what land and country is this? Who are its inhabitants? Am I on an island, or is this the sea of some continent?”
Minerva answered, “Stranger, you must be very simple, or must have come from a long way off, not to know what country this is. It is a very place, and it East and West. It is and not a good country, but it is by no means a for what there is of it. It any quantity of and also wine, for it is by rain and dew; it also and goats; all of here, and there are places where the water dry; so, sir, the name of Ithaca is as as Troy, which I to be a long way off from this Achaean country.”
Ulysses was at himself, as Minerva told him, in his own country, and he to answer, but he did not speak the truth, and up a in the of his heart.
“I of Ithaca,” said he, “when I was in Crete the seas, and now it I have it with all these treasures. I have left as much more me for my children, but am I killed Orsilochus son of Idomeneus, the in Crete. I killed him he wanted to me of the I had got from Troy with so much trouble and on the of and by the of the sea; he said I had not his father at Troy as vassal, but had set myself up as an ruler, so I in wait for him with one of my by the road side, and him as he was into town from the country. It was a very dark night and nobody saw us; it was not known, therefore, that I had killed him, but as soon as I had done so I to a ship and the owners, who were Phoenicians, to take me on and set me in Pylos or in Elis where the Epeans rule, them as much as satisfied them. They meant no guile, but the wind them off their course, and we on till we came by night. It was all we do to the harbour, and none of us said a word about supper though we wanted it badly, but we all on and just as we were. I was very and asleep directly, so they took my out of the ship, and them me where I was upon the sand. Then they away to Sidonia, and I was left here in great of mind.”
Such was his story, but Minerva and him with her hand. Then she took the of a woman, fair, stately, and wise, “He must be a fellow,” said she, “who you in all manner of though you had a god for your antagonist. Dare that you are, full of guile, in deceit, can you not your and your falsehood, now that you are in your own country again? We will say no more, however, about this, for we can of us upon occasion—you are the most and among all mankind, while I for and have no equal among the gods. Did you not know Jove’s Minerva—me, who have been with you, who watch over you in all your troubles, and who the Phaeacians take so great a to you? And now, again, I am come here to talk over with you, and help you to the I the Phaeacians give you; I want to tell you about the that you in your own house; you have got to them, but tell no one, neither man woman, that you have come home again. Bear everything, and put up with every man’s insolence, without a word.”
And Ulysses answered, “A man, goddess, may know a great deal, but you are so your that when he meets you it is a hard for him to know it is you or not. This much, however, I know well; you were very to me as long as we Achaeans were Troy, but from the day on which we on ship after having the city of Priam, and us—from that day, Minerva, I saw no more of you, and cannot your to my ship to help me in a difficulty; I had to on and sorry till the gods delivered me from and I the city of the Phaeacians, where you me and took me into the town.120 And now, I you in your father’s name, tell me the truth, for I do not I am in Ithaca. I am in some other country and you are me and me in all you have been saying. Tell me then truly, have I got to my own country?”
“You are always taking something of that in your head,” Minerva, “and that is why I cannot you in your afflictions; you are so plausible, and shifty. Any one but on returning from so long a would at once have gone home to see his wife and children, but you do not to about after them or any news about them till you have your wife, who at home for you, and having no peace night or day for the she on your behalf. As for my not near you, I was about you, for I was you would safely though you would all your men, and I did not wish to with my uncle Neptune, who you for having his son.121 I will now, however, point out to you the of the land, and you will then me. This is the of the old Phorcys, and here is the tree that at the of it; [near it is the to the Naiads;122 here too is the in which you have offered many an to the nymphs, and this is the Neritum.”
As she spoke the the and the land appeared. Then Ulysses at himself again in his own land, and the soil; he up his hands and prayed to the nymphs, saying, “Naiad nymphs, of Jove, I sure that I was again to see you, now therefore I you with all salutations, and I will you as in the old days, if Jove’s will me life, and my son to manhood.”
“Take heart, and do not trouble about that,” Minerva, “let us set about your at once in the cave, where they will be safe. Let us see how we can best manage it all.”
Therewith she into the to look for the places, while Ulysses up all the of gold, bronze, and good which the Phaeacians had him. They away, and Minerva set a against the door of the cave. Then the two sat by the of the great olive, and how to the of the suitors.
“Ulysses,” said Minerva, “noble son of Laertes, think how you can hands on these people who have been it in your house these three years, your wife and making wedding presents to her, while she nothing but your absence, and sending messages123 to every one of them, but meaning the very opposite of all she says.”
And Ulysses answered, “In good truth, goddess, it I should have come to much the same end in my own house as Agamemnon did, if you had not me such timely information. Advise me how I shall best myself. Stand by my and put your into my as on the day when we Troy’s from her brow. Help me now as you did then, and I will three hundred men, if you, goddess, will be with me.”
“Trust me for that,” said she, “I will not of you when once we set about it, and I that some of those who are your will then the with their blood and brains. I will by you so that no being shall know you; I will your with wrinkles; you shall all your yellow hair; I will you in a that shall all who see it with loathing; I will your for you, and make you an object in the of the suitors, of your wife, and of the son you left you. Then go at once to the who is in of your pigs; he has been always well you, and is to Penelope and your son; you will him his pigs near the that is called Raven124 by the Arethusa, where they are on and water after their manner. Stay with him and out how are going, while I to Sparta and see your son, who is with Menelaus at Lacedaemon, where he has gone to try and out you are still alive.”125
“But why,” said Ulysses, “did you not tell him, for you all about it? Did you want him too to go about all of while others are up his estate?”
Minerva answered, “Never mind about him, I sent him that he might be well spoken of for having gone. He is in no of difficulty, but is with Menelaus, and is with of every kind. The have put out to sea and are in wait for him, for they to kill him he can home. I do not much think they will succeed, but that some of those who are now up your will a themselves.”
As she spoke Minerva touched him with her and him with wrinkles, took away all his yellow hair, and the over his whole body; she his eyes, which were naturally very ones; she his and an old of a about him, and a tunic, tattered, filthy, and with smoke; she also gave him an deer skin as an garment, and him with a staff and a all in holes, with a for him to it over his shoulder.
When the pair had thus their plans they parted, and the to Lacedaemon to Telemachus.
