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The Phaeacians then began talking
among themselves, and one would turn towards his neighbor, saying,
"Who is it that can have rooted the ship in the sea just as she was
getting into port? We could see the whole of her only a moment
ago."
This was how they talked, but
they knew nothing about it; and Alkinoos said, "I remember now the
old prophecy of my father. He said that Poseidon would be angry with
us for taking every one so safely over the sea, and would one day
wreck a Phaeacian ship as it was returning from an escort, and
envelop our city with a high mountain. This was what my old father
used to say, and now it is all coming true. Now therefore let us all
do as I say; in the first place we must leave off giving people
escorts when they come here, and in the next let us sacrifice twelve
picked [krinô] bulls to Poseidon that he may
have mercy upon us, and not envelop our city with the high mountain."
When the people heard this they were afraid and got ready the
bulls.
Thus did the chiefs and rulers of
the dêmos of the Phaeacians to king Poseidon, standing
round his altar; and at the same time Odysseus woke up once more upon
his own soil. He had been so long away that he did not know it again;
moreover, Zeus’ daughter Athena had made it a foggy day, so that
people might not know of his having come, and that she might tell him
everything without either his wife or his fellow citizens and friends
recognizing him until he had taken his revenge upon the wicked
suitors. Everything, therefore, seemed quite different to him - the
long straight tracks, the harbors, the precipices, and the goodly
trees, appeared all changed as he started up and looked upon his
native land. So he smote his thighs with the flat of his hands and
cried aloud despairingly.
"Alas," he exclaimed, "among what
manner of people am I fallen? Are they savage and uncivilized
[not dikaios] or hospitable and endowed with
god-fearing noos? Where shall I put all this treasure, and
which way shall I go? I wish I had stayed over there with the
Phaeacians; or I could have gone to some other great chief who would
have been good to me and given me an escort. As it is I do not know
where to put my treasure, and I cannot leave it here for fear
somebody else should get hold of it. In good truth the chiefs and
rulers of the Phaeacians have not been dealing fairly
[dikaios] by me, and have left me in the wrong
country; they said they would take me back to Ithaca and they have
not done so: may Zeus the protector of suppliants chastise them, for
he watches over everybody and punishes those who do wrong. Still, I
suppose I must count my goods and see if the crew have gone off with
any of them."
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