394

Than far Euboea, most remote of lands-
So do the people of our isle declare,
Who saw it when they over sea conveyed 389
The fair-haired Rhadamanthus, on his way
To visit Tityus, son of Earth. They went
Thither, accomplishing with little toil
Their voyage in the compass of a day,
And brought the hero to our isle again.
Now shalt thou learn, and in thy heart confess,
How much our galleys and our youths excel
With bladed oars to stir the whirling brine."
So spake the king, and the great sufferer
Ulysses heard with gladness, and preferred
A prayer, and called on Jupiter and said: 400
"Grant, Father Jove, that all the king has
said

May be fulfilled! so shall his praise go forth
Over the foodful earth, and never die,
And I shall see my native land again."
So they conferred. White-armed Aretè
spake

20

And all the market-place and all its seats
Were quickly filled with people. Many gazed,
Admiring, on Laertes' well-graced son;
For on his face and form had Pallas shed
A glory, and had made him seem more tall
And of an ampler bulk that he might find 25
Favor with the Phæacians, and be deemed
Worthy of awe and able to achieve

The many feats which the Phæacian chiefs,
To try the stranger's prowess, might propose.
And now when all the summoned had ar-
rived,

30

Alcinoüs to the full assembly spake— "Princes and chiefs of the Phæacians, hear: I speak the promptings of my heart. This guest

36

I know him not-has come to my abode,
A wanderer-haply from the tribes who dwell
In the far East, or haply from the West-
And asked an escort and safe-conduct home;
And let us make them ready, as our wont
Has ever been. No stranger ever comes
Across my threshold who is suffered long
To pine for his departure. Let us draw
A dark-hulled ship down to the holy sea
On her first voyage. Let us choose her crew
Among the people, two-and-fifty youths 44
Of our best seamen. Then make fast the oars
Beside the benches, leave them there, and

come

Into our palace and partake in haste

40

A feast which I will liberally spread
For all of you. This I command the youths;
But you, ye sceptered princes, come at once

22. Laertes, father of Ulysses.

60

Of princes followed him. The herald sought
Meantime the sacred bard. The chosen youths
Fifty-and-two betook them to the marge
Of the unfruitful sea; and when they reached
The ship and beach they drew the dark hull
down

To the deep water, put the mast on board
And the ship's sails, and fitted well the oars
Into the leathern rings, and, having moored
Their bark in the deep water, went with speed
To their wise monarch in his spacious halls. 67
There portico and court and hall were
thronged

With people, young and old in multitude; And there Alcinous sacrificed twelve sheep, Eight white-toothed swine, and two splayfooted beeves.

71

And these they flayed, and duly dressed, and made

A noble banquet ready. Then appeared
The herald, leading the sweet singer in,
Him whom the Muse with an exceeding love
Had cherished, and had visited with good 76

And evil, quenched his eyesight and bestowed
Sweetness of song. Pontonous mid the guests
Placed for the bard a silver-studded throne,
Against a lofty column hung his harp
Above his head, and taught him how to find
And take it down. Near him the herald set
A basket and fair table, and a cup

80

Of wine, that he might drink when he desired; Then all put forth their hands and shared the feast.

85

And when their thirst and hunger were allayed,

The Muse inspired the bard to sing the praise
Of heroes; 'twas a song whose fame had reached
To the high heaven, a story of the strife
Between Ulysses and Achilles, son
Of Peleus, wrangling at a solemn feast
Made for the gods. They strove with angry
words,

90

And Agamemnon, king of men, rejoiced
To hear the noblest of the Achaian host
Contending; for all this had been foretold 95
To him in sacred Pythia by the voice
Of Phoebus, when the monarch to inquire
At the oracle had crossed the rock which
formed

Its threshold. Then began the train of woes

90. Achilles, a Greek warrior, the central hero of the Iliad 93. Agamemnon, brother of King Menelaus of Sparta and chief of the Greek expedition against Troy. 94. Achalan, Greek. 96. Pythia, another name for Delphi, the seat of the famous oracle of Apollo. 97. Phoebus, another name for Apollo.

105

110

So sang renowned Demodocus. Meanwhile Ulysses took into his brawny hands An ample veil of purple, drawing it Around his head to hide his noble face, Ashamed that the Phæacians should behold The tears that flowed so freely from his lids. But when the sacred bard had ceased his song, He wiped the tears away and laid the veil Aside, and took a double beaker filled With wine, and poured libations to the gods. Yet when again the minstrel sang, and all The chiefs of the Phæacian people, charmed, To hear his music, bade the strain proceed, Again Ulysses hid his face and wept. No other eye beheld the tears he shed. Alcinoüs only watched him, and perceived His grief, and heard the sighs he drew, and spake

To the Phæacians, lovers of the sea:

115

130

Then did the herald hang the clear-toned harp
Again on high, and taking by the hand
Demodocus, he led him from the place,
Guiding him in the way which just before
The princes of Phæacia trod to see
The public games. Into the market-place
They went; a vast innumerable crowd
Pressed after. Then did many a valiant youth
Arise Acroneus and Ocyalus,

Elatreus, Nauteus, Prymneus, after whom
Upstood Anchialus, and by his side
Eretmeus, Ponteus, Proreus, Thoön, rose;
Anabasineüs and Amphialus,

A son of Polyneius, Tecton's son;
Then rose the son of Naubolus, like Mars
In warlike port, Euryalus by name,
And goodliest both in feature and in form
Of all Phæacia's sons save one alone,
Laodamas the faultless. Next three sons
Of King Alcinoüs rose: Laodamas,

136

140

145

101. Ilium, the Greek name for Troy from which the Iliad takes its name.

217

In all assemblies, and, whene'er he walks
The city, men regard him as a god.
Another in the form he wears is like
The immortals, yet has he no power to speak
Becoming words. So thou hast comely looks;
A god would not have shaped thee otherwise
Than we behold thee-yet thy wit is small,
And thy unmannerly words have angered me
Even to the heart. Not quite unskilled am I
In games, as thou dost idly talk, and once,
When I could trust my youth and my strong

A mark where it descended, and exclaimed: "Stranger! a blind man, groping here, could find

Thy mark full easily, since it is not
Among the many, but beyond them all. 245
Then fear thou nothing in this game at least;
For no Phæacian here can throw the quoit
As far as thou, much less exceed thy cast."
She spake; Ulysses the great sufferer
Heard, and rejoiced to know he had a friend
In that great circle. With a lighter heart 251
Thus said the chief to the Phæacian crowd:
"Follow that cast, young men, and I will
send

260

With me the boxing or the wrestling match,
Or foot-race; there is naught that I refuse-
Any of the Phracians. I except
Laodamas; he is my host, and who
Would enter such a contest with a friend?
A senseless, worthless man is he who seeks
A strife like this with one who shelters him
In a strange land; he mars the welcome given.
As for the rest, there is no rival here
Whom I reject or scorn; for I would know
Their prowess, and would try my own with
theirs

266

On earth that live by bread I hold myself 280 Superior. Yet I claim no rivalry

With men of ancient times-with Hercules And Eurytus the Echalian, who defied

279. Philoctetes, a Greek in the Trojan war who was famous as an archer. 282. Hercules, a mighty hero in Greek and Roman mythology, famous for his strength and courage. Juno consented to his being made immortal on condition of his accomplishing certain superhuman feats, called the "twelve labors" of Hercules, in which he succeeded. 283. Eurytus,

a skilled archer who was King of Echalia.

455

Alcinoüs called his sons Laodamas
And Halius forth, and bade them dance alone,
For none of all the others equaled them.
Then taking a fair purple ball, the work
Of skillful Polybus, and, bending back,
One flung it toward the shadowy clouds on high;
The other springing upward easily.
Grasped it before he touched the ground again.
And when they thus had tossed the ball awhile,
They danced upon the nourishing earth, and oft
Changed places with each other, while the
youths

That stood within the circle filled the air
With their applauses; mighty was the din.
Then great Ulysses to Alcinoüs said:

459

466

His blameless sons received and ranged them all

In fair array before the queenly dame
Their mother. Meantime had the mighty king
Alcinoüs to his palace led the way,
Where they who followed took the lofty seats,
And thus Alcinoüs to Aretè said:

516

"Bring now a coffer hither, fairly shaped, The best we have, and lay a well-bleached cloak

And tunic in it; set upon the fire