The <I>Odyssey</I>

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The <I>Odyssey</I> Page 40

by Homer


  will all take off on a plain, lashed by a quick whip,

  rising swiftly and tall to race through the right course:

  the vessel rose in the same way, building a shiny

  and spread-out stern-wave, loud with seawater noises.

  She ran on steady and sure. Not even the circling

  sea-hawk, nimblest in flight, could have matched her!

  Running swiftly along she cut through the sea-swells,

  bearing a man resembling the Gods in their wisdom.

  Before this day his heart had suffered a great deal,

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  warring with men and crossing burdensome seaways.

  Now he slept quite still, unmindful of all he had suffered.

  Homeland

  The brightest star was rising—more than the others

  it heralds the light of newborn Dawn—at that moment

  the seagoing ship was drawing close to the island.

  Phorkus, the Old Man of the Sea, has a harbor

  in Ithakan country. A pair of headlands go jutting

  and soaring out, then sloping down to the harbor as buffers

  against the huge rollers raised by the storm-winds

  beyond those rocks. A well-planked vessel can lie to

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  there without hawsers after reaching a moorage.

  Close to an olive-tree’s slender leaves at the harbor’s

  ♦ head is a charming cave, misted and sea-gray,

  sacred to Nymphs called Neiades—Nymphs of the Water.

  Mixing bowls are inside, two-handled wine-jars

  of stone and bees as well, storing their honey.

  Long looms of stone are used by the Sea-Nymphs

  to make their sea-blue clothes, a wonder to gaze at.

  Spring-water flows nonstop and the cave has an entrance

  facing the Northwind: men go down through that cave-mouth.

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  The entrance facing the Southwind though is holy and no one

  human can go there. It’s only for those who are deathless.

  The crew put in, knowing the place from a past time.

  They drove onto land strongly, half of the ship’s length

  beached, the arms of the rowers driving her that fast.

  Stepping down from the well-benched ship onto land there,

  first they carried Odysseus out of the hollow

  ship with his bedding, the shiny blanket of linen,

  and laid him, quelled by the Sleep-God, down on the seashore.

  Then they hoisted the gifts from high-born Phaiakians

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  prompted by great-hearted Athene as Odysseus left there

  for home and arranged them in piles at the base of the olive,

  away from the path. So no one happening by there

  would damage or steal them before Odysseus woke up.

  A God Still Angry

  ♦ Then the Phaiakians left for home. But Poseidon

  recalled the threats he’d made at godlike Odysseus

  right from the start. He asked for the planning of Zeus now:

  “Fatherly Zeus, I’m not esteemed any longer

  by deathless Gods if humans esteem me so little,

  not even Phaiakian people, those of my bloodline.

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  I said Odysseus plainly would suffer a great deal

  while sailing for home, but I never entirely robbed him

  of homecoming after you pledged and gave it your own nod.

  Now these men have brought him, asleep in their fast ship,

  to lay down there on Ithaka, lavished with endless

  gold and bronze presents, clothes with a fine weave,

  more than Odysseus ever could take from the Trojans

  had he come home unharmed with a full share of that booty.”

  Esteem and Fear of the Gods

  Cloud-gathering Zeus answered by asking,

  “Earth-Trembler, you wide ruler, what have you said here?

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  The Gods esteem you still. It’s surely a hard thing

  to stop esteeming the best of our Gods and our eldest.

  But now if a man gives in to his muscle and power

  and fails to esteem you, you always can punish him later.

  Do as you like, whatever pleases your own heart.”

  Poseidon the Earth-Shaker answered him loudly,

  “Dark-cloud Zeus, how fast would I do as you say now!

  But always I check myself, in awe of your spirit.

  Right now I’d like to smash the Phaiakians’ charming

  ship as they sail back home from escort on hazy

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  seas. To make them stop this bounty of send-offs

  for men I’d circle and hide their city with great peaks.”

  A Stone Ship

  But cloud-gathering Zeus answered by saying,

  “Dear friend, another way seems best in my own mind.

  When all the people are watching from town as the vessel

  is rowed in close to the land, change her to hard stone—

  a race-fast ship like rock! They’ll all be astonished

  too when you circle and hide their city with great heights.”

  Soon as the Earth-Shaker Poseidon had heard him

  he made his way to Phaiakian homes in Skherie

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  and waited. In time the seagoing vessel was closer,

  driving swiftly. The Earth-Shaker approached her

  and turned her to stone. He lodged her there on the bottom,

  the flat of his hand pressing. Then he was far gone.

  An Old Prophecy

  Now Phaiakian men well known for their sea-craft,

  lovers of long oars, turned and spoke to each other,

  glancing at neighbors, their words with a feathery swiftness,

  “Oh no—who stopped our race-fast ship in the water?”

  “Just now she was driving to port and wholly in plain view.”

  They spoke that way, not knowing how it had happened.

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  But then a strong Alkinoos spoke to his people.

  “Look at this: surely a long-past prophecy came true.

  My father often told me Poseidon was angry

  because we gave our escort safely to all men.

  He said the God would stun a Phaiakian well-made

  ship some day returning home from escort on hazy

  seas. He’d circle and hide our city with great heights.

  The old one spoke that way; now everything’s happened.

  Come on then, let’s all obey the words I am saying:

  stop our send-offs for people whenever a stranger

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  arrives in our city. Let’s offer twelve of our choice bulls

  quickly to Lord Poseidon and ask for his mercy,

  not to circle and hide our city with great heights.”

  Those were his words. Frightened, they gathered the choice bulls.

  Then they offered prayers to lordly Poseidon.

  Phaiakian leaders, advisors and lords of the people

  stood around the altar.

  Strange Home

  Meanwhile godlike Odysseus,

  now awake on his fathers’ land, could not know it,

  having been gone so long. A Goddess had poured down

  mist as well—the daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athene—

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  to make him unknown. She’d tell him soon about each thing

  but now his wife, his townsmen and friends would not know him,

  not before the suitors paid for all of their outrage.

  ♦ So everything looked quite strange to the lord of the island:

  ongoing trails, inlets good for a mooring,

  rocks and soaring cliffs, trees in their full bloom.

  He jumped up, stood there and studied the land of his fathers.

  Then he moaned, using the flat of his two palms
r />   to slap his thighs, asking himself like a mourner,

  “Look at me now, what people’s land have I come to?

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  Are men here overbearing, savage and unjust?

  Or mindful of Gods maybe and kindly with strangers?

  Where do I carry so much wealth or wander

  around myself? I wish I’d stayed with Phaiakian people

  far behind me, or gone to another powerful ruler

  who’d make me his friend and send me right on the way home.

  But now I’m unsure of this wealth. How can I leave it

  here to become, by chance, the booty of others?

  Look at me! All the Phaiakian lords and advisors

  were not so thoughtful or fair—they took me to strange land.

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  First they promised a ship that would take me to clear-view

  Ithaka, then they failed to end it the right way.

  May Zeus, the God of lowly beggars, gazing on all men,

  make them pay, avenging those who offend him.

  Come on though—I surely can count my goods and review them.

  Maybe the crew of that hollow vessel purloined some.”

  Visit by a Young Man

  He spoke that way and counted the beautiful tripods,

  gold and cauldrons, clothing splendidly woven.

  Nothing was missing. Then he longed for his homeland,

  dragging himself along the shore of the loud sea,

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  steadily moaning. Now Athene approached him,

  taking a young man’s body, a herder of sheep-flocks,

  a mild young man, the way the child of a lord is.

  She wore a well-styled double cloak on her shoulders.

  Her oil-smooth feet had sandals; her hand had a long spear.

  Glad to see her, Odysseus walked up and faced her,

  telling her briskly, the words with a feathery swiftness,

  “My friend, since you’re the first one I’ve met in this country,

  I hail you and ask: don’t face me now with a wrong mind.

  Save my goods instead, and myself. For I’m praying

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  as though to a God, approaching your knees like a poor friend.

  Tell me all of the truth and help me to know well

  who your people are and what is this country,

  whether a clear-view island or part of the soil-rich

  mainland with coastline sloping down to the salt sea?”

  A Name That’s Gone as Far as Troy

  The glow-eyed Goddess Athene answered by saying,

  “You are silly, stranger, or come from a ways off

  to ask about this land. It’s hardly so nameless

  as all that: surely many people have known it,

  whether their homes are close to Dawn and the Sun-God

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  or those behind them with homes in the hazy darkness.

  It’s rugged land, not for the driving of horses

  but not so poor. Though it’s not broad in its outline,

  the grain harvests are wonderful. Plenty of grapevines

  yield good wine, there’s plenty of rain and a dense dew.

  The land’s good for our goats, our cattle and sundry

  trees for water is always flowing the year round.

  The name of Ithaka, stranger, therefore has traveled

  even to Troy—that far they say from lands of Akhaians.”

  Murder on Krete

  Her words made long-suffering, godlike Odysseus

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  glad. He hailed his fatherland, named by the Goddess—

  Pallas Athene, daughter of Zeus, who carries the Aigis.

  He spoke to her now and his words had a feathery swiftness

  but not each word was true. Holding back what he told her,

  ♦ always changing notions, his brain was a wizard’s:

  “I knew of Ithaka too, even on ample

  Krete that’s far over the sea. Now I have come here

  hauling this wealth. I left as much to my children

  when I ran off: I’d cut down Orsilokhos, well-loved

  son of Idomeneus. Fast on his feet and the winner

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  of every race with bread-eating men on the island

  of broad Krete, he’d tried to rob me of all my booty

  from Troy. That wealth had caused me plenty of heartache,

  battling with men and crossing the heaviest salt seas.

  I’d also refused to welcome or fight for his father

  in Trojan country. I led some others, my own men.

  “I hurled that bronze-pointed spear myself as Orsilokhos

  left his farm. I’d lain in wait by the path with a war-friend.

  The sky was black that night and men could not see us:

  I wrested the man’s life when no one could spot me.

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  Soon as the pointed bronze struck him and killed him

  I hurried down to a ship where I pleaded with high-born

 

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