The Complete Poetical Works of George Chapman
Page 122
My father’s house, desire. Each infant there
Can bring you to it; and yourself will clear
Distinguish it from others, for no shows
The city-buildings make compar’d with those
That king Alcinous’ seat doth celebrate.
In whose roofs, and the court (where men of state,
And suitors sit and stay) when you shall hide,
Straight pass it, ent’ring further, where abide
My mother, with her withdrawn housewif’ries,
Who still sits in the fire-shine, and applies
Her rock, all-purple, and of pompous show,
Her chair plac’d ‘gainst a pillar, all-a-row
Her maids behind her set; and to her here
My father’s dining-throne looks, seated where
He pours his choice of wine in, like a God.
This view once past, for th’ end of your abode,
Address suit to my mother, that her mean
May make the day of your redition seen,
And you may frolic straight, though far away
You are in distance from your wishéd stay.
For, if she once be won to wish you well,
Your hope may instantly your passport seal,
And thenceforth sure abide to see your friends,
Fair house, and all to which your heart contends.”
This said, she us’d her shining scourge, and lash’d
Her mules, that soon the shore left where she wash’d,
And, knowing well the way, their pace was fleet,
And thick they gather’d up their nimble feet.
Which yet she temper’d so, and us’d her scourge 10
With so much skill, as not to over-urge
The foot behind, and make them straggle so
From close society. Firm together go
Ulysses and her maids. And now the sun
Sunk to the waters, when they all had won
The never-fell’d, and sound-exciting, wood,
Sacred to Pallas; where the god-like good
Ulysses rested, and to Pallas pray’d:
“Hear me, of goat-kept Jove th’ unconquer’d Maid! 11
Now throughly hear me, since, in all the time
Of all my wrack, my pray’rs could never climb
Thy far-off ears; when noiseful Neptune toss’d
Upon his wat’ry bristles my emboss’d
And rock-torn body. Hear yet now, and deign
I may of the Phæacian state obtain
Pity, and grace.” Thus pray’d he, and she heard,
By no means yet, expos’d to sight, appear’d,
For fear t’ offend her uncle, the supreme
Of all the Sea-Gods, whose wrath still extreme
Stood to Ulysses; and would never cease,
Till with his country shore he crown’d his peace.
FINIS LIBRI SEXTI HOM. ODYSS.
ENDNOTES.
1 ϒπνῳ καἱ καμἀτῳ ἁρημένος. Sonno et labore afflictus. Sleep (καταχρηστικω̑ς) for the want of sleep.
2 Intending Dymas’ daughter.
3 This familiar and near wanton carriage of Nausicaa to her father, joined with that virgin modesty expressed in her after, is much praised by the gravest of Homer’s expositors; with her father’s loving allowance of it, knowing her shamefastness and judgment would not let her exceed at any part. Which note is here inserted, not as if this were more worthy the observation than other every-where strewed flowers of precept, but because this more generally pleasing subject may perhaps find more fitness for the stay of most readers.
4 The piety and wisdom of the Poet was such, that (agreeing with the Sacred Letter) not the least of things he makes come to pass sine Numinis providentiâ. As Spondanus well notes of him.
5 Διερὸς βροτός. Cui vitalis vel sensualis humiditas inest. βροτὸς ὰ ῥέω, ut dicatur quasi ῥοτὸς, i.e. ὁ ἐν ῥοᾓ ὢν, quod nihil sit magis fluxum quam homo.
6 Ανήρ virili animo præditus, fortis, magnanimus. Nor are those affirmed to be men, qui servile quidpiam et abjectum faciunt, vel, facere sustinent: according to this of Herodotus in Polym. πολλοὶ μὲν ἄνθρωποι ει͒εν, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἄνδρες. Many men’s forms sustain, but few are men.
7 According to another translator: “Ab Jove nam supplex pauper procedit et hospes, Res brevis, at chara est, magni quoque munaris instar.” Which I cite to show his good when he keeps him to the original, and near in any degree expounds it.
8 He taught their youths modesty by his aged judgment. As receiving the custom of maids then used to that entertainment of men, notwithstanding the modesty of that age, could not be corrupted inwardly for those outward kind observations of guests and strangers, and was therefore privileged. It is easy to avoid show; and those, that most curiously avoid the outward construction, are ever most tainted with the inward corruption.
9 The city’s description so far forth as may in part induce her promised reason why she took not Ulysses to coach with her.
10 Not without some little note of our omnisufficient Homer’s general touch of the least fitness lying in his way, may this courtly discretion he describes in Nausicaa be observed, if you please.
11 More of our Poet’s curious and sweet piety.
THE SEVENTH BOOK OF HOMER’S ODYSSEYS
THE ARGUMENT
Nausicaa arrives at town;
And then Ulysses. He makes known
His suit to Arete: who view
Takes of his vesture, which she knew,
And asks him from whose hands it came.
He tells, with all the hapless frame
Of his affairs in all the while
Since he forsook Calypso’s isle.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT
Ητα.
The honour’d minds,
And welcome things,
Ulysses finds
In Scheria’s kings.
Thus pray’d the wise and God-observing man.
The Maid, by free force of her palfreys, wan
Access to town, and the renownéd court
Reach’d of her father; where, within the port,
She stay’d her coach, and round about her came
Her brothers, made as of immortal frame,
Who yet disdain’d not, for her love, mean deeds,
But took from coach her mules, brought in her weeds. 1
And she ascends her chamber; where purvey’d
A quick fire was by her old chamber-maid,
Eurymedusa, th’ Aperæan born,
And brought by sea from Apera t’ adorn
The court of great Alcinous, because
He gave to all the blest Phæacians laws,
And, like a heav’n-born pow’r in speech, acquir’d
The people’s ears. To one then so admir’d,
Eurymedusa was esteem’d no worse
Than worth the gift; yet now, grown old, was nurse
To ivory-arm’d Nausicaa, gave heat
To all her fires, and dress’d her privy meat.
Then rose Ulysses, and made way to town;
Which ere he reach’d, a mighty mist was thrown
By Pallas round about him, in her care,
Lest, in the sway of envies popular,
Some proud Phæacian might foul language pass,
Justle him up, and ask him what he was.
Ent’ring the lovely town yet, through the cloud
Pallas appear’d, and like a young wench show’d
&
nbsp; Bearing a pitcher, stood before him so
As if objected purposely to know
What there he needed; whom he question’d thus:
“Know you not, daughter, where Alcinous,
That rules this town, dwells? I, a poor distrest
Mere stranger here, know none I may request
To make this court known to me.” She replied:
“Strange father, I will see you satisfied
In that request. My father dwells just by
The house you seek for; but go silently,
Nor ask, nor speak to any other, I
Shall be enough to show your way. The men
That here inhabit do not entertain
With ready kindness strangers, of what worth
Or state soever, nor have taken forth
Lessons of civil usage or respect
To men beyond them. They, upon their pow’rs
Of swift ships building, top the wat’ry tow’rs,
And Jove hath giv’n them ships, for sail so wrought,
They cut a feather, and command a thought.” 2
This said, she usher’d him, and after he
Trod in the swift steps of the Deity.
The free-sail’d seamen could not get a sight
Of our Ulysses yet, though he forthright
Both by their houses and their persons past,
Pallas about him such a darkness cast
By her divine pow’r, and her rev’rend care,
She would not give the town-born cause to stare.
He wonder’d, as he past, to see the ports;
The shipping in them; and for all resorts
The goodly market-steads; and aisles beside
For the heroës; walls so large and wide;
Rampires so high, and of such strength withall,
It would with wonder any eye appall.
At last they reach’d the court, and Pallas said:
“Now, honour’d stranger, I will see obey’d
Your will, to show our ruler’s house; ’tis here;
Where you shall find kings celebrating cheer.
Enter amongst them, nor admit a fear.
More bold a man is, he prevails the more,
Though man nor place lie ever saw before.
You first shall find the queen in court, whose name
Is Arete, of parents born the same
That was the king her spouse; their pedigree 3
I can report. The great Earth-shaker, he
Of Peribœa (that her sex out-shone,
And youngest daughter was t’ Eurymedon,
Who of th’ unmeasur’d-minded giants sway’d
Th’ imperial sceptre, and the pride allay’d
Of men so impious with cold death, and died
Himself soon after) got the magnified
In mind, Nausithous; whom the kingdom’s state
First held in supreme rule. Nausithous gat
Rhexenor, and Alcinous, now king.
Rhexenor (whose seed did no male fruit spring,
And whom the silver-bow-grac’d Phœbus slew
Young in the court) his shed blood did renew
In only Arete, who now is spouse
To him that rules the kingdom in this house,
And is her uncle king Alcinous,
Who honours her past equal. She may boast
More honour of him than the honour’d most 4
Of any wife in earth can of her lord,
How many more soever realms afford,
That keep house under husbands. Yet no more
Her husband honours her, than her blest store
Of gracious children. All the city cast
Eyes on her as a Goddess, and give taste
Of their affections to her in their pray’rs,
Still as she decks the street; for, all affairs
Wrapt in contention, she dissolves to men.
Whom she affects, she wants no mind to deign
Goodness enough. If her heart stand inclin’d
To your dispatch, hope all you wish to find,
Your friends, your longing family, and all
That can within your most affections fall.”
This said, away the grey-eyed Goddess flew
Along th’ untam’d sea, left the lovely hue
Scheria presented, out-flew Marathon,
And ample-streeted Athens lighted on;
Where to the house, that casts so thick a shade, 5
Of Erechtheüs she ingression made.
Ulysses to the lofty-builded court
Of king Alcinous made bold resort;
Yet in his heart cast many a thought, before
The brazen pavement of the rich court bore
His enter’d person. Like heav’n’s two main lights
The rooms illustrated both days and nights.
On ev’ry side stood firm a wall of brass,
Ev’n from the threshold to the inmost pass,
Which bore a roof up that all-sapphire was.
The brazen thresholds both sides did enfold
Silver pilasters, hung with gates of gold;
Whose portal was of silver; over which
A golden cornice did the front enrich.
On each side, dogs, of gold and silver fram’d,
The house’s guard stood: which the Deity lam’d
With knowing inwards had inspir’d, and made
That death nor age should their estates invade.
Along the wall stood ev’ry way a throne,
From th’ entry to the lobby, ev’ry one
Cast over with a rich-wrought cloth of state.
Beneath which the Phæacian princes sate
At wine and food, and feasted all the year.
Youths forg’d of gold, at ev’ry table there,
Stood holding flaming torches, that, in night,
Gave through the house each honour’d guest his light
And, to encounter feast with housewif’ry,
In one room fifty women did apply
Their sev’ral tasks. Some apple-colour’d corn
Ground in fair querns, and some did spindles turn,
Some work in looms; no hand least rest receives,
But all had motion apt as aspen leaves.
And from the weeds they wove, so fast they laid,
And so thick thrust together thread by thread,
That th’ oil, of which the wool had drunk his fill,
Did with his moisture in light dews distill.
As much as the Phæacian men excell’d
All other countrymen in art to build
A swift-sail’d ship; so much the women there
For work of webs, past other women were.
Past mean, by Pallas’ means, they understood
The grace of good works; and had wits as good.
Without the hall, and close upon the gate,
A goodly orchard-ground was situate,
Of near ten acres; about which was led
A lofty quickset. In it flourished
High and broad fruit trees, that pomegranates bore,
Sweet figs, pears, olives; and a number more
Most useful plants did there produce their store,
Whose fruits the hardest winter could not kill,
Nor hottest summer wither. There was still
Fruit in his proper season all the year.
Sweet Zephyr breath’d upon them blasts that were
Of varied tempers. These he made to b
ear
Ripe fruits, these blossoms. Pear grew after pear,
Apple succeeded apple, grape the grape,
Fig after fig came; time made never rape
Of any dainty there. A spritely vine
Spread here his root, whose fruit a hot sunshine
Made ripe betimes; here grew another green.
Here some were gath’ring, here some pressing, seen.
A large-allotted sev’ral each fruit had;
And all th’ adorn’d grounds their appearance made
In flow’r and fruit, at which the king did aim
To the precisest order he could claim.
Two fountains grac’d the garden; of which, one
Pour’d out a winding stream that over-run
The grounds for their use chiefly, th’ other went
Close by the lofty palace gate, and lent
The city his sweet benefit. And thus
The Gods the court deck’d of Alcinous.
Patient Ulysses stood a while at gaze,
But, having all observ’d, made instant pace
Into the court; where all the peers he found,
And captains of Phæacia, with cups-crown’d
Off’ring to sharp-eyed Hermes, to whom last
They us’d to sacrifice, when sleep had cast
His inclination through their thoughts. But these
Ulysses pass’d, and forth went; nor their eyes
Took note of him, for Pallas stopp’d the light
With mists about him, that, unstay’d, he might
First to Alcinous, and Arete,
Present his person; and, of both them, she,
By Pallas’ counsel, was to have the grace
Of foremost greeting. Therefore his embrace
He cast about her knee. And then off flew
The heav’nly air that hid him. When his view
With silence and with admiration strook
The court quite through; but thus he silence broke:
“Divine Rhexenor’s offspring, Arete,
To thy most honour’d husband, and to thee,
A man whom many labours have distrest
Is come for comfort, and to ev’ry guest.
To all whom heav’n vouchsafe delightsome lives,
And after to your issue that survives
A good resignment of the goods ye leave,
With all the honour that yourselves receive
Amongst your people. Only this of me
Is the ambition; that I may but see
(By your vouchsaf’d means, and betimes vouchsaf’d)