Chapter 23

Chapter XXIII
The Odyssey (continued) THE PHAEACIANS. FATE OF THE SUITORS Ulysses clung to the raft while any of its timbers kept together,
and when it no longer yielded him support, binding the girdle
around him, he swam. Minerva smoothed the billows before him and
sent him a wind that rolled the waves towards the shore. The
surf beat high on the rocks and seemed to forbid approach; but at
length finding calm water at the mouth of a gentle stream, he
landed, spent with toil, breathless and speechless and almost
dead. After some time reviving, he kissed the soil, rejoicing,
yet at a loss what course to take. At a short distance he
perceived a wood, to which he turned his steps. There finding a
covert sheltered by intermingling branches alike from the sun and
the rain, he collected a pile of leaves and formed a bed, on
which he stretched himself, and heaping the leaves over him, fell
asleep. The land where he was thrown was Scheria, the country of the
Phaecians. These people dwelt originally near the Cyclopes; but
being oppressed by that savage race, they migrated to the isle of
Scheria, under the conduct of Nausithous their king. They were,
the poet tells us, a people akin to the gods, who appeared
manifestly and feasted among them when they offered sacrifices,
and did not conceal themselves from solitary wayfarers when they
met them. They had abundance of wealth and lived in the
enjoyment of it undisturbed by the alarms of war, for as they
dwelt remote from gain-seeking man, no enemy ever approached
their shores, and they did not even require to make use of bows
and quivers. Their chief employment was navigation. Their
ships, which went with the velocity of birds, were endued with
intelligence; they knew every port and needed no pilot.
Alcinous, the son of Nausithous, was now their king, a wise and
just sovereign, beloved by his people. Now it happened that the very night on which Ulysses was cast
ashore on the Phaeacian island, and while he lay sleeping on his
bed of leaves, Nausicaa, the daughter of the king, had a dream
sent by Minerva, reminding her that her wedding-day was not far
distant, and that it would be but a prudent preparation for that
event to have a general washing of the clothes of the family.
This was no slight affair, for the fountains were at some
distance and the garments must be carried thither. On awaking,
the princess hastened to her parents to tell them what was on her
mind; not alluding to her wedding-day, but finding other reasons
equally good. Her father readily assented and ordered the grooms
to furnish forth a wagon for the purpose. The clothes were put
therein, and the queen mother placed in the wagon, likewise an
abundant supply of food and wine. The princess