by Homer
By ancient ills, yet make me but see that,
And then let life go, when withal I see
My high-roof’d large house, lands, and family.’
This all approv’d; and each will’d every one,
Since he hath said so fairly, set him gone.
Feast past and sacrifice, to sleep all vow
Their eyes at either’s house. Ulysses now
Was left here with Alcinous, and his queen,
The all-lov’d Arete. The handmaids then
The vessel of the banquet took away;
When Arete set eye on his array,
Knew both his out and under weed, which she
Made with her maids, and mus’d by what means he
Obtain’d their wearing; which she made request
To know, and wings gave to these speeches: ‘Guest,
First let me ask what and from whence you are?
And then, who grac’d you with the weeds you wear?
Said you not lately, you had err’d at seas,
And thence arrived here?’ Laertiades
To this thus answer’d: ‘Tis a pain, O queen,
Still to be opening wounds wrought deep and green,
Of which the gods have open’d store in me;
Yet your will must be serv’d. Far hence, at sea,
There lies an isle that bears Ogygia’s name,
Where Atlas’ daughter, the ingenious dame,
Fair-hair’d Calypso lives – a goddess grave,
And with whom men nor gods society have.
Yet I, past man unhappy, liv’d alone,
By heav’n’s wrath forc’d, her house companion.
For Jove had with a fervent lightning cleft
My ship in twain, and far at black sea left
Me and my soldiers; all whose lives I lost.
I in mine arms the keel took, and was toss’d
Nine days together up from wave to wave.
The tenth grim night, the angry deities drave
Me and my wrack on th’ isle in which doth dwell
Dreadful Calypso; who exactly well
Receiv’d and nourish’d me, and promise made
To make me deathless, nor should age invade
My pow’rs with his deserts through all my days.
All mov’d not me, and therefore, on her stays,
Sev’n years she made me lie; and there spent I
The long time, steeping in the misery
Of ceaseless tears the garments I did wear,
From her fair hand. The eighth revolved year
(Or by her chang’d mind, or by charge of Jove)
She gave provok’d way to my wish’d remove,
And in a many-jointed ship, with wine
Dainty in savour, bread, and weeds divine,
Sign’d, with a harmless and sweet wind, my pass.
Then seventeen days at sea I homeward was,
And by the eighteenth the dark hills appear’d
That your earth thrusts up. Much my heart was cheer’d –
Unhappy man, for that was but a beam,
To show I yet had agonies extreme
To put in suff’rance, which th’ Earth-shaker sent,
Crossing my way with tempests violent,
Unmeasur’d seas up-lifting, nor would give
The billows leave to let my vessel live
The least time quiet, that even sigh’d to bear
Their bitter outrage; which at last did tear
Her sides in pieces, set on by the winds.
I yet through-swum the waves that your shore binds
Till wind and water threw me up to it;
When, coming forth, a ruthless billow smit
Against huge rocks, and an accessless shore,
My mangl’d body. Back again I bore,
And swum till I was fall’n upon a flood,
Whose shores, methought, on good advantage stood
For my receipt, rock-free and fenc’d from wind;
And this I put for, gathering up my mind.
Then the divine night came, and treading earth,
Close by the flood that had from Jove her birth,
Within a thicket I repos’d, when round
I ruffled up fall’n leaves in heap, and found,
Let fall from heav’n, a sleep interminate.
And here my heart, long time excruciate,
Amongst the leaves I rested all that night,
Ev’n till the morning and meridian light.
The sun declining then, delightsome sleep
No longer laid my temples in his steep,
But forth I went, and on the shore might see
Your daughter’s maids play. Like a deity
She shin’d above them; and I pray’d to her,
And she in disposition did prefer
Noblesse, and wisdom, no more low than might
Become the goodness of a goddess’ height.
Nor would you therefore hope, suppos’d distrest
As I was then, and old, to find the least
Of any grace from her, being younger far.
With young folks wisdom makes her commerce rare.
Yet she in all abundance did bestow
Both wine, that makes the blood in humans grow,
And food, and bath’d me in the flood, and gave
The weeds to me which now ye see me have.
This through my griefs I tell you, and ’tis true.’
Alcinous answer’d: ‘Guest! My daughter knew
Least of what most you give her; nor became
The course she took, to let with every dame
Your person lackey; nor hath with them brought
Yourself home too, which first you had besought.’
‘O blame her not,’ said he, ‘heroical lord,
Nor let me hear against her worth a word.
She faultless is, and wish’d I would have gone
With all her women home; but I alone
Would venture my receipt here, having fear
And reverend awe of accidents that were
Of likely issue: both your wrath to move,
And to enflame the common people’s love
Of speaking ill, to which they soon give place.
We men are all a most suspicious race.’
‘My guest,’ said he, ‘I use not to be stirr’d
To wrath too rashly; and where are preferr’d
To men’s conceits things that may both ways fail,
The noblest ever should the most prevail.
Would Jove our father, Pallas, and the Sun,
That, were you still as now, and could but run
One fate with me, you would my daughter wed,
And be my son-in-law, still vow’d to lead
Your rest of life here! I a house would give,
And household goods; so freely you would live,
Confin’d with us. But ’gainst your will shall none
Contain you here, since that were violence done
To Jove our father. For your passage home,
That you may well know we can overcome
So great a voyage, thus it shall succeed:
Tomorrow shall our men take all their heed,
While you securely sleep, to see the seas
In calmest temper, and, if that will please,
Show you your country and your house ere night,
Though far beyond Euboea be that sight.
And this Euboea, as our subjects say
That have been there and seen, is far away,
Farthest from us of all the parts they know
And made the trial when they help’d to row
The gold-lock’d Rhadamanth, to give him view
Of earth-born Tityus; whom their speeds did show
In that far-off Euboea, the same day
They set from hence; and home made good their way
With ease again, and him they did convey.
Which I report to you, to let you see
How swift my ships are, and how matchlessly
My young Phaeacians with their oars prevail,
To beat the sea through, and assist a sail.’
This cheer’d Ulysses, who in private pray’d:
‘I would to Jove our father, what he said
He could perform at all parts; he should then
Be glorified for ever, and I gain
My natural country.’ This discourse they had,
When fair-arm’d Arete her handmaids bad
A bed make in the portico, and ply
With clothes, the covering tapestry,
The blankets purple; well-napp’d waistcoats too,
To wear for more warmth. What these had to do,
They torches took and did. The bed purvey’d,
They moved Ulysses for his rest, and said:
‘Come guest, your bed is fit, now frame to rest.’
Motion of sleep was gracious to their guest,
Which now he took profoundly, being laid
Within a loop-hole tower, where was convey’d
The sounding portico. The king took rest
In a retir’d part of the house, where dress’d
The queen her self a bed, and trundlebed,
And by her lord repos’d her reverend head.
The end of the seventh book
Book 8
The Argument
The peers of the Phaeacian state
A council call, to consolate
Ulysses with all means for home.
The council to a banquet come,
Invited by the king. Which done,
Assays for hurling of the stone
The youths make with the stranger king.
Demodocus, at feast, doth sing
Th’ adultery of the god of arms
With her that rules in amorous charms;
And after sings the entercourse
Of acts about th’ Epaean horse.
Another Argument
Theta
The council’s frame
At fleet applied;
In strifes of game
Ulysses tried.
Book 8
Now when the rosy-finger’d Morn arose,
The sacred pow’r Alcinous did dispose
Did likewise rise; and, like him, left his ease
The city-razer Laertiades.
The council at the navy was design’d;
To which Alcinous with the sacred mind
Came first of all. On polish’d stones they sate,
Near to the navy. To increase the state,
Minerva took the herald’s form on her
(That served Alcinous), studious to prefer
Ulysses’ suit for home. About the town
She made quick way, and fill’d with the renown
Of that design the ears of every man,
Proclaiming thus: ‘Peers Phaeacensian!
And men of council, all haste to the court,
To hear the stranger that made late resort
To king Alcinous, long time lost at sea,
And is in person like a deity.’
This all their pow’rs set up, and spirit instill’d,
And straight the court and seats with men were fill’d.
The whole state wonder’d at Laertes’ son,
When they beheld him. Pallas put him on
A supernatural and heav’nly dress,
Enlarg’d him with a height, and goodliness
In breast and shoulders, that he might appear
Gracious and grave and reverend, and bear
A perfect hand on his performance there
In all the trials they resolv’d t’ impose.
All met and gather’d in attention close,
Alcinous thus bespake them: ‘Dukes and lords,
Hear me digest my hearty thoughts in words.
This stranger here, whose travels found my court,
I know not, nor can tell if his resort
From east or west comes; but his suit is this –
That to his country earth we would dismiss
His hither-forced person – and doth bear
The mind to pass it under every peer;
Whom I prepare and stir up, making known
My free desire of his deduction.
Nor shall there ever any other man
That tries the goodness Phaeacensian
In me, and my court’s entertainment, stay,
Mourning for passage, under least delay.
Come then, a ship into the sacred seas,
New-built, now launch we; and from out our prease
Choose two and fifty youths, of all, the best
To use an oar. All which see straight impress’d,
And in their oar-bound seats. Let others hie
Home to our court, commanding instantly
The solemn preparation of a feast,
In which provision may for any guest
Be made at my charge. Charge of these low things
I give our youth. You, sceptre-bearing kings,
Consort me home, and help with grace to use
This guest of ours; no one man shall refuse.
Some other of you haste, and call to us
The sacred singer, grave Demodocus,
To whom hath god giv’n song that can excite
The heart of whom he listeth with delight.’
This said, he led. The sceptre-bearers lent
Their free attendance; and with all speed went
The herald for the sacred man in song.
Youths two and fifty, chosen from the throng,
Went, as was will’d, to the untam’d sea’s shore;
Where come, they launch’d the ship, the mast it bore
Advanc’d, sails hoised, every seat his oar
Gave with a leather thong. The deep moist then
They further reach’d. The dry streets flow’d with men
That troop’d up to the king’s capacious court,
Whose porticos were chok’d with the resort,
Whose walls were hung with men, young, old, thrust there
In mighty concourse; for whose promis’d cheer
Alcinous slew twelve sheep, eight white-tooth’d swine,
Two crook-haunch’d beeves; which flay’d and dress’d, divine
The show was of so many a jocund guest,
All set together at so set a feast.
To whose accomplish’d state the herald then
The lovely singer led; who past all men
The muse affected, gave him good and ill,
His eyes put out, but put in soul at will.
His place was given him in a chair all grac’d
With silver studs, and ’gainst a pillar plac’d;
Where, as the centre to the state, he rests,
And round about the circle of the guests.
The herald on a pin above his head
His soundful harp hung, to whose height he led
His hand for
taking of it down at will;
A board set by with food, and forth did fill
A bowl of wine, to drink at his desire.
The rest then fell to feast, and, when the fire
Of appetite was quench’d, the muse inflam’d
The sacred singer. Of men highliest fam’d
He sung the glories, and a poem penn’d,
That in applause did ample heaven ascend.
Whose subject was, the stern contention
Betwixt Ulysses and great Thetis’ son,
As, at a banquet sacred to the gods,
In dreadful language they express’d their odds.
When Agamemnon sat rejoic’d in soul
To hear the Greek peers jar in terms so foul;
For augur Phoebus in presage had told
The king of men (desirous to unfold
The war’s perplex’d end, and being therefore gone
In heavenly Pythia to the porch of stone)
That then the end of all griefs should begin
’Twixt Greece and Troy, when Greece (with strife to win
That wish’d conclusion) in her kings should jar,
And plead if force or wit must end the war.
This brave contention did the poet sing,
Expressing so the spleen of either king,
That his large purple wood UIysses held
Before his face and eyes, since thence distill’d
Tears uncontain’d; which he obscur’d, in fear
To let th’ observing presence note a tear.
But when his sacred song the mere divine
Had given an end, a goblet crown’d with wine
Ulysses, drying his wet eyes, did seize,
And sacrific’d to those gods that would please
T’ inspire the poet with a song so fit
To do him honour, and renown his wit.
His tears then stay’d. But when again began,
By all the kings’ desires, the moving man,
Again Ulysses could not choose but yield
To that soft passion, which again, withheld,
He kept so cunningly from sight, that none,
Except Alcinous himself alone,
Discern’d him mov’d so much. But he sat next,
And heard him deeply sigh; which his pretext
Could not keep hid from him. Yet he conceal’d
His utterance of it, and would have it held
From all the rest, brake off the song, and this
Said to those oar-affecting peers of his:
‘Princes and peers! We now are satiate
With sacred song that fits a feast of state,
