The Odyssey

ULYSSES LEAVES SCHERIA AND RETURNS TO ITHACA.


Thus did he speak, and they all held their peace throughout the covered
cloister, enthralled by the charm of his story, till presently Alcinous
began to speak.

“Ulysses,” said he, “now that you have reached my house I doubt not you
will get home without further misadventure no matter how much you have
suffered in the past. To you others, however, who come here night after
night to drink my choicest wine and listen to my bard, I would insist
as follows. Our guest has already packed up the clothes, wrought
gold,108 and other valuables which you have brought for his acceptance;
let us now, therefore, present him further, each one of us, with a
large tripod and a cauldron. We will recoup ourselves by the levy of a
general rate; for private individuals cannot be expected to bear the
burden of such a handsome present.”

Every one approved of this, and then they went home to bed each in his
own abode. When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they
hurried down to the ship and brought their cauldrons with them.
Alcinous went on board and saw everything so securely stowed under the
ship’s benches that nothing could break adrift and injure the rowers.
Then they went to the house of Alcinous to get dinner, and he
sacrificed a bull for them in honour of Jove who is the lord of all.
They set the steaks to grill and made an excellent dinner, after which
the inspired bard, Demodocus, who was a favourite with every one, sang
to them; but Ulysses kept on turning his eyes towards the sun, as
though to hasten his setting, for he was longing to be on his way. As
one who has been all day ploughing a fallow field with a couple of oxen
keeps thinking about his supper and is glad when night comes that he
may go and get it, for it is all his legs can do to carry him, even so
did Ulysses rejoice when the sun went down, and he at once said to the
Phaeacians, addressing 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 fulfilled my heart’s desire by giving
me an escort, and making me presents, which heaven grant that I may
turn to good account; may I find my admirable wife living in peace
among friends,109 and may you whom I leave behind me give satisfaction
to your wives and children;110 may heaven vouchsafe you every good
grace, and may no evil thing come among your people.”

Thus did he speak. His hearers all of them approved his saying and
agreed that he should have his escort inasmuch as he had spoken
reasonably. Alcinous therefore said to his servant, “Pontonous, mix
some wine and hand it round to everybody, that we may offer a prayer to
father Jove, and speed our guest upon his way.”

Pontonous mixed the wine and handed it to every one in turn; the others
each from his own seat made a drink-offering to the blessed gods that
live in heaven, but Ulysses rose and placed the double cup in the hands
of queen Arete.

“Farewell, queen,” said he, “henceforward and for ever, till age and
death, the common lot of mankind, lay 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 crossed the threshold, and Alcinous sent a man to
conduct him to his ship and to the sea shore. Arete also sent some
maidservants with him—one with a clean shirt and cloak, another to
carry his strong box, and a third with corn and wine. When they got to
the water side the crew took these things and put them on board, with
all the meat and drink; but for Ulysses they spread a rug and a linen
sheet on deck that he might sleep soundly in the stern of the ship.
Then he too went on board and lay down without a word, but the crew
took every man his place and loosed the hawser from the pierced stone
to which it had been bound. Thereon, when they began rowing out to sea,
Ulysses fell into a deep, sweet, and almost deathlike slumber.111

The ship bounded forward on her way as a four in hand chariot flies
over the course when the horses feel the whip. Her prow curvetted as it
were the neck of a stallion, and a great wave of dark blue water
seethed in her wake. She held steadily on her course, and even a
falcon, swiftest of all birds, could not have kept pace with her. Thus,
then, she cut her way through the water, carrying one who was as
cunning as the gods, but who was now sleeping peacefully, forgetful of
all that he had suffered both on the field of battle and by the waves
of the weary sea.

When the bright star that heralds the approach of dawn began to show,
the ship drew near to land.112 Now there is in Ithaca a haven of the
old merman Phorcys, which lies between two points that break the line
of the sea and shut the harbour in. These shelter it from the storms of
wind and sea that rage outside, so that, when once within it, a ship
may lie without being even moored. At the head of this harbour there is
a large olive tree, and at no great distance a fine overarching cavern
sacred to the nymphs who are called Naiads.113 There are mixing bowls
within it and wine-jars of stone, and the bees hive there. Moreover,
there are great looms of stone on which the nymphs weave their robes of
sea purple—very curious to see—and at all times there is water within
it. It has two entrances, one facing North by which mortals can go down
into the cave, while the other comes from the South and is more
mysterious; mortals cannot possibly get in by it, it is the way taken
by the gods.

Into this harbour, then, they took their ship, for they knew the
place.114 She had so much way upon her that she ran half her own length
on to the shore;115 when, however, they had landed, the first thing
they did was to lift Ulysses with his rug and linen sheet out of the
ship, and lay him down upon the sand still fast asleep. Then they took
out the presents which Minerva had persuaded the Phaeacians to give him
when he was setting out on his voyage homewards. They put these all
together by the root of the olive tree, away from the road, for fear
some passer by116 might come and steal them before Ulysses awoke; and
then they made the best of their way home again.

But Neptune did not forget the threats with which he had already
threatened Ulysses, so he took counsel with Jove. “Father Jove,” said
he, “I shall no longer be held in any sort of respect among you gods,
if mortals like the Phaeacians, who are my own flesh and blood, show
such small regard for me. I said I would let Ulysses get home when he
had suffered sufficiently. I did not say that he should never get home
at all, for I knew you had already nodded your head about it, and
promised that he should do so; but now they have brought him in a ship
fast asleep and have landed him in Ithaca after loading him with more
magnificent presents of bronze, gold, and raiment than he would ever
have brought back from Troy, if he had had his share of the spoil 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
monstrous were they to insult one so old and honoured as you are. As
regards mortals, however, if any of them is indulging in insolence and
treating you disrespectfully, it will always rest with yourself to deal
with him as you may think proper, so do just as you please.”

“I should have done so at once,” replied Neptune, “if I were not
anxious to avoid anything that might displease you; now, therefore, I
should like to wreck the Phaeacian ship as it is returning from its
escort. This will stop them from escorting people in future; and I
should also like to bury their city under a huge mountain.”

“My good friend,” answered Jove, “I should recommend you at the very
moment when the people from the city are watching the ship on her way,
to turn it into a rock near the land and looking like a ship. This will
astonish everybody, and you can then bury their city under the
mountain.”

When earth-encircling Neptune heard this he went to Scheria where the
Phaeacians live, and stayed there till the ship, which was making rapid
way, had got close in. Then he went up to it, turned it into stone, and
drove it down with the flat of his hand so as to root it in the ground.
After this he went away.

The Phaeacians then began talking among themselves, and one would turn
towards his neighbour, saying, “Bless my heart, who is it that can have
rooted the ship in the sea just as she was getting into port? We could
see the whole of her only a moment ago.”

This was how they talked, but they knew nothing about it; and Alcinous
said, “I remember now the old prophecy 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 wreck a Phaeacian ship as it was returning from
an escort, and bury our city under a high mountain. This was what my
old father used to say, and now it is all coming true.117 Now therefore
let us all do as I say; in the first place we must leave off giving
people escorts when they come here, and in the next let us sacrifice
twelve picked bulls to Neptune that he may have mercy upon us, and not
bury our city under the high mountain.” When the people heard this they
were afraid and got ready the bulls.

Thus did the chiefs and rulers of the Phaeacians pray to king Neptune,
standing round his altar; and at the same time118 Ulysses woke up once
more upon his own soil. He had been so long away that he did not know
it again; moreover, Jove’s daughter Minerva had made it a foggy day, so
that people might not know of his having come, and that she might tell
him everything without either his wife or his fellow citizens and
friends recognising him119 until he had taken his revenge upon the
wicked suitors. Everything, therefore, seemed quite different to
him—the long straight tracks, the harbours, the precipices, and the
goodly trees, appeared all changed as he started up and looked upon his
native land. So he smote his thighs with the flat of his hands and
cried aloud despairingly.

“Alas,” he exclaimed, “among what manner of people am I fallen? Are
they savage and uncivilised or hospitable and humane? Where shall I put
all this treasure, and which way shall I go? I wish I had staid over
there with the Phaeacians; or I could have gone to some other great
chief who would have been good to me and given me an escort. As it is I
do not know where to put my treasure, and I cannot leave it here for
fear somebody else should get hold of it. In good truth the chiefs and
rulers of the Phaeacians have not been dealing fairly by me, and have
left me in the wrong country; they said they would take me back to
Ithaca and they have not done so: may Jove the protector of suppliants
chastise them, for he watches over everybody and punishes those who do
wrong. Still, I suppose I must count my goods and see if the crew have
gone off with any of them.”

He counted his goodly coppers and cauldrons, his gold and all his
clothes, but there was nothing missing; still he kept grieving about
not being in his own country, and wandered up and down by the shore of
the sounding sea bewailing his hard fate. Then Minerva came up to him
disguised as a young shepherd of delicate and princely mien, with a
good cloak folded double about her shoulders; she had sandals on her
comely feet and held a javelin in her hand. Ulysses was glad when he
saw her, and went straight up to her.

“My friend,” said he, “you are the first person whom I have met with in
this country; I salute you, therefore, and beg you to be well disposed
towards me. Protect these my goods, and myself too, for I embrace your
knees 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 board of some continent?”

Minerva answered, “Stranger, you must be very simple, or must have come
from somewhere a long way off, not to know what country this is. It is
a very celebrated place, and everybody knows it East and West. It is
rugged and not a good driving country, but it is by no means a bad
island for what there is of it. It grows any quantity of corn and also
wine, for it is watered both by rain and dew; it breeds cattle also and
goats; all kinds of timber grow here, and there are watering places
where the water never runs dry; so, sir, the name of Ithaca is known
even as far as Troy, which I understand to be a long way off from this
Achaean country.”

Ulysses was glad at finding himself, as Minerva told him, in his own
country, and he began to answer, but he did not speak the truth, and
made up a lying story in the instinctive wiliness of his heart.

“I heard of Ithaca,” said he, “when I was in Crete beyond the seas, and
now it seems I have reached it with all these treasures. I have left as
much more behind me for my children, but am flying because I killed
Orsilochus son of Idomeneus, the fleetest runner in Crete. I killed him
because he wanted to rob me of the spoils I had got from Troy with so
much trouble and danger both on the field of battle and by the waves of
the weary sea; he said I had not served his father loyally at Troy as
vassal, but had set myself up as an independent ruler, so I lay in wait
for him with one of my followers by the road side, and speared him as
he was coming 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 went to a ship and besought the owners, who
were Phoenicians, to take me on board and set me in Pylos or in Elis
where the Epeans rule, giving them as much spoil as satisfied them.
They meant no guile, but the wind drove them off their course, and we
sailed on till we came hither by night. It was all we could do to get
inside the harbour, and none of us said a word about supper though we
wanted it badly, but we all went on shore and lay down just as we were.
I was very tired and fell asleep directly, so they took my goods out of
the ship, and placed them beside me where I was lying upon the sand.
Then they sailed away to Sidonia, and I was left here in great distress
of mind.”

Such was his story, but Minerva smiled and caressed him with her hand.
Then she took the form of a woman, fair, stately, and wise, “He must be
indeed a shifty lying fellow,” said she, “who could surpass you in all
manner of craft even though you had a god for your antagonist. Dare
devil that you are, full of guile, unwearying in deceit, can you not
drop your tricks and your instinctive falsehood, even now that you are
in your own country again? We will say no more, however, about this,
for we can both of us deceive upon occasion—you are the most
accomplished counsellor and orator among all mankind, while I for
diplomacy and subtlety have no equal among the gods. Did you not know
Jove’s daughter Minerva—me, who have been ever with you, who kept watch
over you in all your troubles, and who made the Phaeacians take so
great a liking to you? And now, again, I am come here to talk things
over with you, and help you to hide the treasure I made the Phaeacians
give you; I want to tell you about the troubles that await you in your
own house; you have got to face them, but tell no one, neither man nor
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 constantly changing your appearance that when he meets you it is
a hard matter for him to know whether it is you or not. This much,
however, I know exceedingly well; you were very kind to me as long as
we Achaeans were fighting before Troy, but from the day on which we
went on board ship after having sacked the city of Priam, and heaven
dispersed us—from that day, Minerva, I saw no more of you, and cannot
ever remember your coming to my ship to help me in a difficulty; I had
to wander on sick and sorry till the gods delivered me from evil and I
reached the city of the Phaeacians, where you encouraged me and took me
into the town.120 And now, I beseech you in your father’s name, tell me
the truth, for I do not believe I am really back in Ithaca. I am in
some other country and you are mocking me and deceiving me in all you
have been saying. Tell me then truly, have I really got back to my own
country?”

“You are always taking something of that sort in your head,” replied
Minerva, “and that is why I cannot desert you in your afflictions; you
are so plausible, shrewd and shifty. Any one but yourself on returning
from so long a voyage would at once have gone home to see his wife and
children, but you do not seem to care about asking after them or
hearing any news about them till you have exploited your wife, who
remains at home vainly grieving for you, and having no peace night or
day for the tears she sheds on your behalf. As for my not coming near
you, I was never uneasy about you, for I was certain you would get back
safely though you would lose all your men, and I did not wish to
quarrel with my uncle Neptune, who never forgave you for having blinded
his son.121 I will now, however, point out to you the lie of the land,
and you will then perhaps believe me. This is the haven of the old
merman Phorcys, and here is the olive tree that grows at the head of
it; [near it is the cave sacred to the Naiads;122 here too is the
overarching cavern in which you have offered many an acceptable
hecatomb to the nymphs, and this is the wooded mountain Neritum.”

As she spoke the goddess dispersed the mist and the land appeared. Then
Ulysses rejoiced at finding himself again in his own land, and kissed
the bounteous soil; he lifted up his hands and prayed to the nymphs,
saying, “Naiad nymphs, daughters of Jove, I made sure that I was never
again to see you, now therefore I greet you with all loving
salutations, and I will bring you offerings as in the old days, if
Jove’s redoubtable daughter will grant me life, and bring my son to
manhood.”

“Take heart, and do not trouble yourself about that,” rejoined Minerva,
“let us rather set about stowing your things at once in the cave, where
they will be quite safe. Let us see how we can best manage it all.”

Therewith she went down into the cave to look for the safest hiding
places, while Ulysses brought up all the treasure of gold, bronze, and
good clothing which the Phaeacians had given him. They stowed
everything carefully away, and Minerva set a stone against the door of
the cave. Then the two sat down by the root of the great olive, and
consulted how to compass the destruction of the wicked suitors.

“Ulysses,” said Minerva, “noble son of Laertes, think how you can lay
hands on these disreputable people who have been lording it in your
house these three years, courting your wife and making wedding presents
to her, while she does nothing but lament your absence, giving hope and
sending encouraging messages123 to every one of them, but meaning the
very opposite of all she says.”

And Ulysses answered, “In good truth, goddess, it seems I should have
come to much the same bad end in my own house as Agamemnon did, if you
had not given me such timely information. Advise me how I shall best
avenge myself. Stand by my side and put your courage into my heart as
on the day when we loosed Troy’s fair diadem from her brow. Help me now
as you did then, and I will fight three hundred men, if you, goddess,
will be with me.”

“Trust me for that,” said she, “I will not lose sight of you when once
we set about it, and I imagine that some of those who are devouring
your substance will then bespatter the pavement with their blood and
brains. I will begin by disguising you so that no human being shall
know you; I will cover your body with wrinkles; you shall lose all your
yellow hair; I will clothe you in a garment that shall fill all who see
it with loathing; I will blear your fine eyes for you, and make you an
unseemly object in the sight of the suitors, of your wife, and of the
son whom you left behind you. Then go at once to the swineherd who is
in charge of your pigs; he has been always well affected towards you,
and is devoted to Penelope and your son; you will find him feeding his
pigs near the rock that is called Raven124 by the fountain Arethusa,
where they are fattening on beechmast and spring water after their
manner. Stay with him and find out how things are going, while I
proceed to Sparta and see your son, who is with Menelaus at Lacedaemon,
where he has gone to try and find out whether you are still alive.”125

“But why,” said Ulysses, “did you not tell him, for you knew all about
it? Did you want him too to go sailing about amid all kinds of hardship
while others are eating 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 sort of difficulty, but is
staying quite comfortably with Menelaus, and is surrounded with
abundance of every kind. The suitors have put out to sea and are lying
in wait for him, for they mean to kill him before he can get home. I do
not much think they will succeed, but rather that some of those who are
now eating up your estate will first find a grave themselves.”

As she spoke Minerva touched him with her wand and covered him with
wrinkles, took away all his yellow hair, and withered the flesh over
his whole body; she bleared his eyes, which were naturally very fine
ones; she changed his clothes and threw an old rag of a wrap about him,
and a tunic, tattered, filthy, and begrimed with smoke; she also gave
him an undressed deer skin as an outer garment, and furnished him with
a staff and a wallet all in holes, with a twisted thong for him to
sling it over his shoulder.

When the pair had thus laid their plans they parted, and the goddess
went straight to Lacedaemon to fetch Telemachus.