THE PHÆACIAN GAMES-SONGS OF THE BARD DEMODOCUS.
SOON as the rosy-fingered Morn, Day's mother, light did bring,
Then quickly from his couch arose Alcinous, mighty king.
As prompt the town-destroying chief arose with break of day,
And to the vast assembly-place the monarch led the way,
That nigh the haven 'stablished was;-there guest and royal guide
Sat on its polished seats of stone, each by the other's side,
Whilst Pallas in a herald's guise throughout the city sped,
Planning the hero's home return, and to each chieftain said:
Phæacian chiefs and elders all, come, hasten without fail,—
Unto the full assembly speed, to hear the stranger's tale,
Who to our monarch's palace-hall, a wand'rer o'er the sea,
Is newly come, and like in form to the blest gods is he."
She spake, and thus the spirit roused in each Phæacian breast; Then quickly to the council-seats in thronging crowd they pressed, And many an eye in wonder dwelt upon Ulysses' face,—
For Pallas clothed the hero's form with her own heav'nly grace :
Taller she made his stature seem, his form dilate in size,
So that he might great favour find in all Phæacian eyes,-
Might reverence and awe inspire, and bear the palm away
In whatsoever feat his powers they dared him to assay.
When all were in the market-place in one vast throng compressed,
Amid them rose Alcinous, and thus the chiefs addressed:
"Phæacian chiefs and elders, hear; your list'ning ears I seek,
The while the promptings of my heart before you all I speak.
This stranger see,—I know not who,—a wand'rer hither come
Perchance from East, perchance from West, unto my palace home.
He prayeth us for escort safe to his own native shore,
And escort safe let us prepare, as we have done before :
For none of all who from of old have ever come to me,
Have supplicated long in vain for escort o'er the sea.
Then haste ye, and a dark-hulled ship launch for its first sea-cruise,
And two-and-fifty oarsmen bold from all the people choose,-
Those whom of all our sailor race we own the flower and pride,-
And to each rower's ordered bench fast let his oar be tied.
Then let them straightway disembark, and to my hall repair,
Where we for all with prompt despatch will plenteous feast prepare.
Such charge, young men, we give to you, and pray you all attend,—
And you, ye sceptre-bearing chiefs, straight to the palace wend.
That this our guest with honours due we there may entertain,
I to the feast bid one and all, and pray that none refrain.
Call thither too Demodocus, the bard to whom great heav'n
Beyond all other sons of men its highest gifts hath giv'n,
His ravished hearers to delight, with charm of voice and lyre,
In tuneful song, whene'er his heart glows with the muse's fire."
He spake, and led the way at once; the sceptred chiefs their king
Quick followed, whilst the herald went the godlike bard to bring.
And two-and-fifty chosen youths, e'en as he gave command,
Betook them each with eager haste down to the salt sea's strand.
But when they to the shore were come, where the dark vessel lay,
They launched the ship upon the wave of the deep harbour bay:
Within her next with busy hand they laid the sails and mast,
And with its twisted leathern thong each man his oar made fast,
All orderly; then spreading forth the sails, upon the tide,
Equipped for use, the ship they left at anchor safe to ride.
Then to the palace of the king the crew set out to go,
And the great throng filled every hall, and court, and portico.
Came young, came old, and for his guests Alcinous on that day
Twelve fatted sheep, eight white-tusked swine, two goodly beeves did slay.
The serving-train each carcass skin, and for the board prepare,
And quickly a right bounteous feast set forth for all to share.
57. And for his guests, &c.
"Nec minus interea sociis ad litora mittit
Viginti tauros, magnorum horrentia centum
Terga suum, pingues centum cum matribus hædos."-VIRG. Æn., i. 633.
Anon the herald with the bard Demodocus drew near,
To whom both good and ill the muse had given, who held him dear:
Ill, that of light's celestial ray she had amerced his eyne;
Good, that she gave to hand and voice her minstrelsy divine.
For him a silver-studded seat in the mid banquet-hall
Pontonous brought, and propped it firm against a column tall.
Then close above the minstrel's head the watchful herald hung
And taught his hand to find the lyre, to tuneful measure strung:
A table fair before him set, whereon a full tray stood,
When thus between the bravest Greeks he saw dire anger spring.
And goblet filled with gen'rous wine, to drink when seemed him good.
Then on the fare before them spread promptly their hands they laid,
Till both of hunger and of thirst the cravings all had stayed.
The muse then fired the bard to sing a glory-song of men,
Whereof the fame to heav'n's expanse had mounted even then.
Of Peleus' and Laertes' sons the wrath did he relate,-
How, angered erst at sacred feast, they strove in hot debate;
And greatly in his royal heart rejoiced Mycena's king,
For thus the oracles of fate Apollo had forecast
In sacred Pytho, when he o'er the stony threshold passed;
And then he knew the tide of war, ordained by Jove of old,
Had now begun alike on Greek and Trojan to be rolled.
While thus the noble minstrel sang, his robe of purple hue
Ulysses with his strong hands grasped, and o'er his head he drew,
Fain from Phæacian gaze his face beneath its folds to hide,
Ashamed lest down his manly cheek the tear be seen to glide.
But when the minstrel ceased his strain he wiped his tears away,
Withdrew the veil, and bared his head once more to light of day,
63. She had amerced, &c.
"Millions of Spirits for his fault amerced
Of Heaven."-MILTON, Par. Lost, i. 609.
Todd's edition of Milton has the following note: "Amerced here has a strange affinity with the Greek ȧμépdw, to deprive, to take away, as Homer has used it much to our purpose, Odyssey, viii. 64—
‘Οφθαλμῶν μὲν ἄμερσε, δίδου δ ̓ ἡδεῖαν ἀοιδὴν.
'The muse amerced him of his eyes, but gave him the faculty of singing sweetly— HUME."
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