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"Pray do not scold her," replied
Odysseus; "she is not to blame. She did tell me to follow along with
the maids, but I was ashamed and afraid, for I thought you might
perhaps be displeased if you saw me. Every human being is sometimes a
little suspicious and irritable."
"Stranger," replied Alkinoos, "I
am not the kind of man to get angry about nothing; it is always
better to be reasonable; but by Father Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, now
that I see what kind of person you are, and how much you think as I
do, I wish you would stay here, marry my daughter, and become my
son-in-law. If you will stay I will give you a house and an estate,
but no one (heaven forbid) shall keep you here against your own wish,
and that you may be sure of this I will attend tomorrow to the matter
of your escort. You can sleep during the whole voyage if you like,
and the men shall sail you over smooth waters either to your own
home, or wherever you please, even though it be a long way further
off than Euboea, which those of my people who saw it when they took
yellow-haired Rhadamanthus to see Tityus the son of Gaia, tell me is
the furthest of any place - and yet they did the whole voyage in a
single day without distressing themselves, and came back again
afterwards. You will thus see how much my ships excel all others, and
what magnificent oarsmen my sailors are."
Then was Odysseus glad and prayed
aloud saying, "Father Zeus, grant that Alkinoos may do all as he has
said, for so he will win an imperishable kleos among
humankind, and at the same time I shall return to my
country."
Thus did they converse. Then
Arete told her maids to set a bed in the room that was in the
gatehouse, and make it with good red rugs, and to spread coverlets on
the top of them with woolen cloaks for Odysseus to wear. The maids
thereon went out with torches in their hands, and when they had made
the bed they came up to Odysseus and said, "Rise, sir stranger, and
come with us for your bed is ready," and glad indeed was he to go to
his rest.
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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