Odysseus crossed the threshold and walked into the hall where the important men of the land were assembled. The cups in their hands were filled with wine and the dinner was coming to an end. Odysseus ignored the crowd and walked straight to the royal couple. As he knelt down before Queen Arête, the mist that shrouded him vanished suddenly. “O queen, I’m in great distress and I kneel down before you and your husband pleading for help. I’ve been separated from my kith and kin for several years and yearn to reach my native land.”
Saying this, he sat down near the warm hearth filled with ashes. The
crowd fell silent at his action. Echeneos, an elderly person addressed the
king: “Alcinous, it is not right to let a guest sit on the ground. Lead him to
a seat of honour and ask your wife to serve him food and wine.”
At once, Alcinous ushered his guest to a seat next to his own and
served food to him. King Alcinous then spoke to his men, “My men, you can now
leave for your homes. We shall meet tomorrow morning to discuss about helping
our guest to reach his home. I believe it is our duty to do so. If he is one of
the gods, who has come down to test our hospitality, then he may go back
pleased.” Odysseus replied that he was not a god and was a mere mortal
afflicted with sorrows.
Soon, only Alcinous, Arête, and Odysseus were left in the room. Queen
Arête noticed that Odysseus wore a dress that had been woven by herself and her
servants. “Dear guest, who are you and where do you come from? Who gave you
these clothes? Did not you say that you had been drifting about on the sea?”
she asked him.
Odysseus did not reveal his name but narrated how he was detained by
Calypso on the island of Ogygia. He also mentioned how his ship was caught in a
storm and he was stranded in the sea. “By the goodwill of the gods, I reached
the shores of Scheria and fell down exhausted in the groves near the beach. I
was woken up from sleep when your daughter came there with her maids. You’re
blessed to have a daughter like her. She was kind enough to provide me with
food and this dress.”
Impressed with the courteous demeanour of Odysseus, Alcinous requested
him to stay forever in Scheria. He was even ready to give his daughter in
marriage to Odysseus. These soothing words made Odysseus a happy man. Truly, he
went to sleep on a peaceful mind, after a long time.
At dawn, next day, Alcinous and Odysseus hurried to the parliament
square by the quay. They sat down on seats of polished stone, side by side.
Meanwhile, goddess Athene took the form of the king’s herald and went around
the city to arrange for Odysseus’s convoy. She told the people to hurry up to
the parliament square to see the stranger who had come to town. The seats in
the parliament square were soon filled up. The crowd gazed in awe at the
stranger who had a dignified air about him.
Alcinous addressed the assembly: “My men! The stranger here has come to
my house in the course of his travel. And he wants help to reach his home. It
is our custom to help whoever asks for it. Launch a new ship and choose our
best sailors to operate it. After that, you shall come my house for dinner. It
is in honour of our guest and I expect every one of you to be there. And send
for our gifted minstrel Demodocos. There is nobody else who can make us merry
with a song, like him.“
The men launched the ship and moored it in deep water. Then they went
to Alcinous’s palace where the cooks were preparing the most delicious meal.
Soon, the minstrel Demodocos arrived. He was blind in both eyes but was blessed
with a wonderful voice. He was seated against a high pillar and a harp was hung
on a peg over his head. Nearby was a table set up with a breadbasket and a cup
of wine.
It was customary for minstrels to sing about the famous men of their
days. And there is no wonder that Odysseus was among the lot. Demodocos
stringed his harp and sang about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at
Troy. And he sang about King Agamemnon’s delight over it. For, it had been
predicted that the Greeks would take the city of Troy when the best men in
their army quarrelled among themselves. And Demodocos went on and on, much to
the pleasure of the gathered men. However, there seemed to be an exception –
Odysseus!
The reminder of his glorious past made him nostalgic. He drew his
purple robe to cover his head, for he did not want the others to see the tears
in his eyes. Whenever the minstrel paused, he would wipe his eyes and throw
back his robe. But Alcinous was sitting too close to him to miss the sighs, sobs
and groans of pain and anguish. Taking the cue, he stopped the singing session
and invited his men to display their prowess at games and sports.
(To be continued)
Painting: Illustration for Homer's 'The Odyssey' by François-Louis Schmied in1928
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