Part 10 (1/2)

He spake, whom all applauded, and advised, 280 Unanimous, the guest's conveyance home, Who had so fitly spoken. When, at length, All had libation made, and were sufficed, Departing to his house, each sought repose.

But still Ulysses in the hall remain'd, Where, G.o.dlike King, Alcinous at his side Sat, and Areta; the attendants clear'd Meantime the board, and thus the Queen white-arm'd, (Marking the vest and mantle, which he wore And which her maidens and herself had made) 290 In accents wing'd with eager haste began.

Stranger! the first enquiry shall be mine; Who art, and whence? From whom receiv'dst thou these?

Saidst not--I came a wand'rer o'er the Deep?

To whom Ulysses, ever-wise, replied.

Oh Queen! the task were difficult to unfold In all its length the story of my woes, For I have num'rous from the G.o.ds receiv'd; But I will answer thee as best I may.

There is a certain isle, Ogygia, placed 300 Far distant in the Deep; there dwells, by man Alike unvisited, and by the G.o.ds, Calypso, beauteous nymph, but deeply skill'd In artifice, and terrible in pow'r, Daughter of Atlas. Me alone my fate Her miserable inmate made, when Jove Had riv'n asunder with his candent bolt My bark in the mid-sea. There perish'd all The valiant partners of my toils, and I My vessel's keel embracing day and night 310 With folded arms, nine days was borne along.

But on the tenth dark night, as pleas'd the G.o.ds, They drove me to Ogygia, where resides Calypso, beauteous nymph, dreadful in pow'r; She rescued, cherish'd, fed me, and her wish Was to confer on me immortal life, Exempt for ever from the sap of age.

But me her offer'd boon sway'd not. Sev'n years I there abode continual, with my tears Bedewing ceaseless my ambrosial robes, 320 Calypso's gift divine; but when, at length, (Sev'n years elaps'd) the circling eighth arrived, She then, herself, my quick departure thence Advised, by Jove's own mandate overaw'd, Which even her had influenced to a change.

On a well-corded raft she sent me forth With num'rous presents; bread she put and wine On board, and cloath'd me in immortal robes; She sent before me also a fair wind Fresh-blowing, but not dang'rous. Sev'nteen days 330 I sail'd the flood continual, and descried, On the eighteenth, your shadowy mountains tall When my exulting heart sprang at the sight, All wretched as I was, and still ordain'd To strive with difficulties many and hard From adverse Neptune; he the stormy winds Exciting opposite, my wat'ry way Impeded, and the waves heav'd to a bulk Immeasurable, such as robb'd me soon Deep-groaning, of the raft, my only hope; 340 For her the tempest scatter'd, and myself This ocean measur'd swimming, till the winds And mighty waters cast me on your sh.o.r.e.

Me there emerging, the huge waves had dash'd Full on the land, where, incommodious most, The sh.o.r.e presented only roughest rocks, But, leaving it, I swam the Deep again, Till now, at last, a river's gentle stream Receiv'd me, by no rocks deform'd, and where No violent winds the shelter'd bank annoy'd. 350 I flung myself on sh.o.r.e, exhausted, weak, Needing repose; ambrosial night came on, When from the Jove-descended stream withdrawn, I in a thicket lay'd me down on leaves Which I had heap'd together, and the G.o.ds O'erwhelm'd my eye-lids with a flood of sleep.

There under wither'd leaves, forlorn, I slept All the long night, the morning and the noon, But balmy sleep, at the decline of day, Broke from me; then, your daughter's train I heard 360 Sporting, with whom she also sported, fair And graceful as the G.o.ds. To her I kneel'd.

She, following the dictates of a mind Ingenuous, pa.s.s'd in her behaviour all Which even ye could from an age like hers Have hoped; for youth is ever indiscrete.

She gave me plenteous food, with richest wine Refresh'd my spirit, taught me where to bathe, And cloath'd me as thou seest; thus, though a prey To many sorrows, I have told thee truth. 370 To whom Alcinous answer thus return'd.

My daughter's conduct, I perceive, hath been In this erroneous, that she led thee not Hither, at once, with her attendant train, For thy first suit was to herself alone.

Thus then Ulysses, wary Chief, replied.

Blame not, O Hero, for so slight a cause Thy faultless child; she bade me follow them, But I refused, by fear and awe restrain'd, Lest thou should'st feel displeasure at that sight 380 Thyself; for we are all, in ev'ry clime, Suspicious, and to worst constructions p.r.o.ne.

So spake Ulysses, to whom thus the King.

I bear not, stranger! in my breast an heart Causeless irascible; for at all times A temp'rate equanimity is best.

And oh, I would to heav'n, that, being such As now thou art, and of one mind with me, Thou would'st accept my daughter, would'st become My son-in-law, and dwell contented here! 390 House would I give thee, and possessions too, Were such thy choice; else, if thou chuse it not, No man in all Phaeacia shall by force Detain thee. Jupiter himself forbid!

For proof, I will appoint thee convoy hence To-morrow; and while thou by sleep subdued Shalt on thy bed repose, they with their oars Shall brush the placid flood, till thou arrive At home, or at what place soe'er thou would'st, Though far more distant than Euba lies, 400 Remotest isle from us, by the report Of ours, who saw it when they thither bore Golden-hair'd Rhadamanthus o'er the Deep, To visit earth-born t.i.tyus. To that isle They went; they reach'd it, and they brought him thence Back to Phaeacia, in one day, with ease.

Thou also shalt be taught what s.h.i.+ps I boast Unmatch'd in swiftness, and how far my crews Excel, upturning with their oars the brine.

He ceas'd; Ulysses toil-inur'd his words 410 Exulting heard, and, praying, thus replied.

Eternal Father! may the King perform His whole kind promise! grant him in all lands A never-dying name, and grant to me To visit safe my native sh.o.r.es again!

Thus they conferr'd; and now Areta bade Her fair attendants dress a fleecy couch Under the portico, with purple rugs Resplendent, and with arras spread beneath, And over all with cloaks of s.h.a.ggy pile. 420 Forth went the maidens, bearing each a torch, And, as she bade, prepared in haste a couch Of depth commodious, then, returning, gave Ulysses welcome summons to repose.

Stranger! thy couch is spread. Hence to thy rest.

So they--Thrice grateful to his soul the thought Seem'd of repose. There slept Ulysses, then, On his carv'd couch, beneath the portico, But in the inner-house Alcinous found His place of rest, and hers with royal state 430 Prepared, the Queen his consort, at his side.

FOOTNOTES:

[25]

?a???s??? d' ????e?? ?p??e?eta? ????? ??a???.

Pope has given no translation of this line in the text of his work, but has translated it in a note. It is variously interpreted by commentators; the sense which is here given of it is that recommended by Eustathius.

[26] The Scholiast explains the pa.s.sage thus--We resemble the G.o.ds in righteousness as much as the Cyclops and Giants resembled each other in impiety. But in this sense of it there is something intricate and contrary to Homer's manner. We have seen that they derived themselves from Neptune, which sufficiently justifies the above interpretation.

BOOK VIII

ARGUMENT

The Phaeacians consult on the subject of Ulysses. Preparation is made for his departure. Antinous entertains them at his table. Games follow the entertainment. Demodocus the bard sings, first the loves of Mars and Venus, then the introduction of the wooden horse into Troy. Ulysses, much affected by his song, is questioned by Alcinous, whence, and who he is, and what is the cause of his sorrow.

But when Aurora, daughter of the dawn, Blush'd in the East, then from his bed arose The sacred might of the Phaeacian King.

Then uprose also, city-waster Chief, Ulysses, whom the King Alcinous Led forth to council at the s.h.i.+ps convened.

There, side by side, on polish'd stones they sat Frequent; meantime, Minerva in the form Of King Alcinous' herald ranged the town, With purpose to accelerate the return 10 Of brave Ulysses to his native home, And thus to ev'ry Chief the G.o.ddess spake.

Phaeacian Chiefs and Senators, away!

Haste all to council on the stranger held, Who hath of late beneath Alcinous' roof Our King arrived, a wand'rer o'er the Deep, But, in his form, majestic as a G.o.d.

So saying, she roused the people, and at once The seats of all the senate-court were fill'd With fast-a.s.sembling throngs, no few of whom 20 Had mark'd Ulysses with admiring eyes.

Then, Pallas o'er his head and shoulders broad Diffusing grace celestial, his whole form Dilated, and to the statelier height advanced, That worthier of all rev'rence he might seem To the Phaeacians, and might many a feat Atchieve, with which they should a.s.say his force.

When, therefore, the a.s.sembly now was full, Alcinous, them addressing, thus began.

Phaeacian Chiefs and Senators! I speak 30 The dictates of my mind, therefore attend.