telling something of thyself? Let us hear thy name, and say of what
land and of what city thou art, that our ships may know whither to
steer their course. For know that we mariners of Phaeacia need no
pilots nor rudders, but our ships by their own instinct take us to
whatsoever place we would visit, gliding like phantoms, invisible,
swift as thought. Nor has any vessel from our ports ever suffered
shipwreck or harm.

"Thou likewise hast been a great traveller, and seen many lands and
nations, both such as are wild and fierce and such as are gentle and
of godly mind. Tell us then the tale of thy wanderings, and say why
thou weepest ever at the name of Troy."

All the guests bent forward with eager faces, and strained their ears
to catch Odysseus' answer; for there was something mysterious about
this strange guest, something which marked him as a man of no common
stamp, and their curiosity, which had hitherto been held in check by
the laws of courtesy, was now set free from all restraint by the frank
question of Alcinous.

"Illustrious prince," answered Odysseus, after a moment's pause,
"methinks it were best to sit silent and listen to the sweet voice of
the harper; for what better thing has life to offer than a full cup
and brave minstrelsy heard at the quiet hour of eventide? But if thou
must needs hear a tale of sorrow it is not for me to deny thee. First
of all I will tell thee my name. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, and my
name is in all men's mouths because of my deep wit and manifold wiles,
yea, the renown thereof reaches even unto heaven. My home is the sunny
isle of Ithaca, last in a line of islands lying in the western sea. It
is a rugged land, but a nurse of gallant sons; and sweet, ah! very
sweet, is the name of home. Never hath my heart been turned from that
dear spot, no, not by all the loveliness of Calypso, nor by all the
witchery of Circe, but ever I remained faithful to the one lodestar of
my life."

Here Odysseus began the wondrous story of his wanderings, which kept
his hearers spellbound until far into the night.

The Wanderings of Odysseus

I

After leaving Troy, Odysseus first sailed to the coast of Thrace, and
collected a rich booty in a sudden raid on the district. But while his
men lingered to enjoy the first-fruits of their spoil, the wild tribes
of the neighbourhood rallied their forces, and falling upon the
invaders, while they were engaged in a drunken revel, drove them wit