Odysseus: The Return

12

I was awakened by a sudden, shrill scream. I sprang to a sitting position and then to my feet. My hand moved instinctively to the sword I no longer had. Where had I ended up this time? In a savage land? Were more difficulties in store for me, more grief? Almost instantly, the cry repeated itself, but I realized it was many voices, all together, girls’ voices, silvery. I walked towards the sound, which had the light-hearted, carefree tone of youth. And I saw a group of girls playing with a ball. The ball had fallen into the river and that’s what their cries were about. One of them had waded into the current to fetch it. She tossed it back to the others and they gleefully resumed their play. Anyone who dropped it was out.

At a short distance, hanging from a line stretched between two wild olive-tree trunks, were some linens drying in the sun. Just a bit further away, two mules yoked to a little cart were tranquilly browsing on wild fennel and chicory. Behind them I could glimpse cultivated fields, vineyards arranged in orderly rows on the slopes of mild hills, olive groves glittering in the clear, sharp morning light. The air was fresh and cool and colours shone brightly in the wake of the storm.

Tears came to my eyes. How long had it been since I’d viewed such a scene? Surely not since my boyhood on Ithaca, with her secret little bays, the coloured gravel at the shore, the torrents that carried the island’s waters off to the sea. My heart swelled with emotion.

I had been washed ashore in a prosperous, orderly land, governed by fair laws and wise rulers, a land in which the young could play carefree.

The girls soon tired of running and shouting and went to sit in the shade. One of them began singing a song and the others joined in. The melody was delightful, but there was a melancholic undercurrent to the harmony that reminded me of watching the colours of the sun sinking into the sea. Then they started chatting and telling each other stories.

They spoke a language similar to mine and I realized I could understand it; it was rich and sonorous with an odd, almost musical cadence. A language that seemed very ancient, making me think that the land where I’d been washed up was remote and isolated. The girls’ clothing was also different, and quite unusual. I’d never seen such fabrics before. One of them, the lovely, luminous girl who had been singing, was sitting on a boulder and telling her friends about a dream she’d had: ‘A girl came to wake me. She resembled a friend of mine who had just got married; it was her voice and it looked like her, but there was something different and strange about her. She said: “What are you still doing lazing in bed? It’s time you found a husband for yourself! Your clothing, and that of your brothers and your father the king, have been gathering dust. You know how much those boys like to dance, and how your father prides himself on wearing fresh garments to the council of elders. Why don’t you go to the river to wash them? It’s a lovely, sunny day. They’ll dry in a moment and the breeze will refresh them with the scent of flowers.”’

‘Really?’ one of her companions broke in. ‘You mean we’re here because a friend of yours appeared to you in a dream?’

‘Well, yes, but it was her and it wasn’t her. I felt a chill and a strong sensation. . as if I were in the presence of royalty.’

My heart started at hearing those words, as I watched the face and eyes of the girl telling the story. I knew exactly what she meant: I’d felt the same thing myself, many times, when my goddess, Athena of the blue-green eyes, touched me. It was she who had sent those girls there to the shore, to help me!

The girl who’d spoken was different from all the rest: her gown was striking and made of precious material; she wore golden earrings and bracelets and rich purple sandals. She truly had the bearing of a princess. The girls playing with her must be high-born as well, judging from their mannerisms and the confidence they had with the pretty one who had spoken. Another group of girls, dressed more humbly, were sitting together at a short distance; handmaids, young slaves in the service of the others. Every now and then one of them would get up to check whether the clothing hanging on the line was dry.

I was about to leave the forest, to go and speak to them, but then I remembered that I was completely naked. They would be frightened and start screaming, they’d run straight off to tell their parents who would hunt me down and beat me bloody. I couldn’t approach them as I was, but I felt as though I could collapse at any moment. I was starving, exhausted and needed help. I had no choice, I would have to leave my hiding place and ask them for something to cover myself with, at least. I looked around, broke off a laurel branch to cover my loins, and came forward. I must have been a horrible sight: encrusted with salt and seaweed, my hair tangled, my eyes red and lips cracked.

It went exactly as I had imagined. As soon as they saw me, the girls started screaming, terrified, and scattered in a panic. Some of them, perhaps, had run off to seek help.

But not all of them: one alone, the most beautiful one, was left standing, unafraid. She regarded me more with curiosity than with anxiety. I was ashamed of my revolting appearance. I didn’t know what to do. Should I embrace her knees, like a supplicant? No, she would take offence at the touch of such a vile-looking stranger. Better to speak to her at a distance.

‘I beseech you, hear my words, wanaxa, whoever you may be, whether a mortal woman or a goddess who inhabits the heavens. You are so beautiful that only Artemis, the goddess who runs in the forest, could resemble you. .’ I saw the hint of a smile and took a step towards her. One only. ‘Do not disdain me for my miserable appearance. I have been at the mercy of sea and storm and fought hard against them. My craft capsized and broke into pieces and I floundered in the waves until last night, when the sea pitched me onto this beach. I lost everything, even the clothing on my back. .’ I bent my head. ‘Give me a rag to cover myself, one of the cloths you use to cover the drying linens. That’s all I need. I was a powerful man once, the chief of many warriors. Many ships followed mine. Now I have nothing.’ The tears falling from my eyes as I spoke were real ones. Hot and bitter, I could feel them at the sides of my mouth. I could not say another word. I stood there, unmoving, a leafy branch my only defence from abjection.

The other girls had begun to creep closer. Perhaps they were ashamed at leaving their mistress on her own, or perhaps they were merely curious to see the foreigner that the sea had thrown up onto the sand.

‘Come closer,’ she said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’

I took a few steps forward. From that distance I could not hide my bristly hair and shrivelled skin. I must have looked like an old man.

‘I’ll have my maidservants wash you. You can put this on.’ She took from the line a magnificent white robe of fine linen, and a cloak to cover my shoulders. She added a little jar of clear oil.

‘No, wanaxa, it’s best that girls who do not yet have husbands do not see the nudity of a grown man. I’ll wash myself.’ I stretched my hand out and took the garment and the oil. Then I drew back until my back bumped against a sandy hard surface, a rock jutting up on the beach. The river curled around it, creating a little pool, before flowing out into the sea. There, sheltered from all eyes by the rock, I washed myself. I held my face under water for a long time so my beard and hair would soften and I sank my fingers into the sand again and again until my nails came out white and clean. There was a lavender bush growing on the side of the rock in the bright sun and I rubbed a spike of it on my chest and my limbs. Then I spread the oil on my skin, which became softer, looking more like a young man’s.

I left the pond and leaned against the rock face to dry off, and then I put on the white robe. At that moment I felt a chill, a sensation of cold and then of heat, and I heard the fast beating of wings. I turned just as a coot took flight from the river’s surface and disappeared into the forest.

I walked back towards the lovely princess. She was intent on watching a duck swimming down the river with her ducklings and she raised her eyes upon seeing my shadow. An expression of surprise crossed her face. She was looking at a man, not a derelict. She ordered a stool to be brought for me and had me sit at a big flat stone where abundant food and a jug of water were waiting for me. I was famished and I could feel the strength flowing back into my limbs as I ate the bread, roast meat and fruit she’d offered. When I had finished this meal, I asked her:

‘What land is this, wanaxa? Who lives here? Is there a city I can reach on foot, where I can ask for help? As soon as I can I will give you back these rich garments, which were not meant for a man reduced so low.’

She drew close, close enough to smell the lavender, I think. She’d understood that I wasn’t a common man, could see that I venerated her beauty and respected her rank.

‘Who are you?’ she asked me. She seemed to be struck by the change I’d undergone. Had my goddess, perhaps, enhanced my looks so she would be fascinated by me?

‘My name is. . I don’t think my name would tell you anything. I’m nothing more than a castaway who has been sorely stricken by bad fortune. Please, tell me where I find myself.’

‘This is an island, foreigner. It’s called Scheria and my people are known as the Phaeacians. We are the best and the boldest sailors in the world. There’s no land that we haven’t reached and none unknown to us. Our island is so distant from any other inhabited land that we’ve never fought a war since we’ve been here, but our men are formidable warriors, ready to die for our homeland if necessary.

‘The city I come from is close by. It’s from there we travelled this morning on the cart you see there, drawn by those mules. It is ruled by my father Alcinous and my mother Arete. I am their daughter, Nausicaa, and I have five brothers, two of whom are married. I’ll gladly take you to our palace — you’ll see wondrous things there. But listen well: as soon as we enter, throw yourself at the feet of my mother, not of my father. If you convince her, you’ll have convinced him as well, and the twelve elders of the council. Tell her the truth.’

I nodded. The girls had finished gathering the dried garments from the line and wrapped them in large cloths, which they loaded onto the cart. Then they all got onto the cart along with the princess. I followed on foot.

We crossed rich pastures with herds of cows and flocks of sheep, vineyards and olive groves, orchards full of trees laden with fruit. Tufts of spiralling leaves rose from tall, luxuriant palm trees, bursting with fruit as well. A couple of wooden bridges allowed us to cross rushing streams like the one that had greeted me at the seashore the night before. Slowly the city began to appear: it encircled a harbour and was surrounded by mighty walls. A citadel stood in a commanding position above the city. Several ships had been pulled aground alongside the road and shipwrights were busy at work planing down oarblades and shaping curved planks for the hulls.

Nausicaa turned to me: ‘Don’t follow me too closely, I don’t want people to talk. They’ll say: “Who is that good-looking stranger the princess has in tow? Where did she find him? Where is she taking him? She must have picked him as her husband. She’s too haughty to accept a nice boy from her own city.” There’s nothing they like better than gossip, you know?’ In the meantime she was pointing at a wood of oaks, cypresses and olive trees at a short distance: ‘See that grove of trees over there? You can wait there for a while. You’ll find shade under the trees, and fresh water. I’ll go to the palace first. Let some time go by before you follow. I’ll come to welcome you at the gate.’

My heart laughed, because that was Nausicaa’s way of telling me that she thought I was a handsome man. Before we parted, she said: ‘As you make your way to the palace, don’t stop to talk to anyone. It’s rare for anyone to come here. As I told you, we’re far away from any other land and people here don’t tend to like strangers.’

I slowed my pace to put more distance between us so I wouldn’t excite the curiosity of the inhabitants and I stopped when I got to the wood that she’d pointed out. I waited there long enough for the princess to reach the palace, counting her steps and measuring her words in my heart. Then, when I was sure sufficient time had passed, I started on my way again. The clothes I wore made me look like one of them and, since I spoke to no one and held my head low as if I were absorbed in thought, no one found me odd enough to stop me.

As I walked up towards the citadel I wondered at the view of the harbour that opened itself up to my eyes: there were hundreds of vessels of every size there, cargo ships and war galleys with curved rostra, bristling with oars. The machines that towered at the end of the wharf were so huge that only Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, could have built something so wondrous. I imagined that they had been posted there to defend the port against any outside aggression. I’d never seen such things.

When I was high enough, I noted with surprise something that had remained hidden to my sight until then: a tall mountain rose behind the city and at its peak was a boulder of enormous dimensions, seemingly as big as the city itself. From the road I was on, which led up to the citadel, I could clearly see that it was perched quite precariously; just a small part of its base was touching the mountain. The back of the boulder was completely detached, and it would appear that any tremor, any vibration of the ground, could have jolted it and sent it tumbling down onto the city. None of the passers-by seemed even slightly alarmed, however. I had to think that the immense boulder had, perhaps, always been there. The city’s inhabitants had been born under its looming threat, and perhaps their fathers and their fathers’ fathers before them. They were not at all frightened by it.

I reached the citadel and found myself standing in front of the palace. I’d never seen anything remotely resembling it. Wide steps led up to an imposing colonnade. The shafts of the columns were ivory in colour and the capitals were painted red and gold. Behind them, in their shadows, stood the entry gate framed by finely sculpted carvings. The same motifs decorated the windows under another colonnaded balcony directly above the entrance, and a magnificent painting graced the walls between them, seeming to portray an entire people migrating from one land to another. A scene of one hundred ships crossing the wide sea. Blue dolphins leapt from the water alongside the long ships with sails bellying in the wind, as though to escort or guide them. In the background was the land the ships were leaving: it was red, with tall swaying palm trees and lions hunting down other long-horned animals.

At the base of the steps were two silver statues, so finely crafted that it seemed Hephaestus himself could have cast and fashioned them using his incomparable skills. I was enchanted: they represented two gigantic Molossian hounds with eyes of flaming jasper and tails curved forward over their backs. I walked towards the steps with the idea of reaching the entrance gate. I had no sooner placed my foot on the first step than the dogs, one after another, turned their heads towards me, opened their mouths full of ivory fangs and let out a terrifying noise, like a bark. Then they began to move their paws and approach me. I stopped in shock, afraid to take my eyes off them, when I heard the ringing of laughter: it was Nausicaa.

I turned towards her as she descended the steps.

I said, still trembling: ‘These statues are marvellous. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.’

Nausicaa smiled: ‘They’re not statues, as you’ve just seen. They are automata.’

I shook my head without understanding.

Nausicaa struck a kettledrum hanging from a pillar and the dog closed their gaping jaws and returned to their guard posts.

‘Now we can enter,’ she said with a smile. ‘Follow me.’

I walked behind her: ‘What does the painting of the ships on the porch above us represent?’

‘The history of the Phaeacians, my people. We have not always lived here on Scheria, this island. We once lived in the land of Hypereia, near the cyclopes. . we call the balcony above us the “porch of morning”. It tells of our exodus.’

I could not help but grimace at the mention of the cyclopes. The memory of the monster who had slaughtered my comrades was still too fresh and too painful.

Nausicaa noticed: ‘What’s wrong, foreigner?’

‘Nothing. I’ve heard say that the cyclopes are horrible, ferocious creatures.’

‘That they are. They were the reason why King Nausithous decided to abandon our ancestral home and to sail here. We are far away from everything else here but we live well, in peace, and we lack nothing. This island is blessed by the gods.’

Perhaps she read uncertainty in my eyes.

‘Why, don’t you think that’s so? You’ve seen crowded markets, the port teeming with ships, our cultivated fields, the fertile pastures and fat livestock.’

‘This is the loveliest place on earth, without a doubt.’

One of her handmaids, in the meantime, had entered the palace, perhaps to announce our arrival. Nausicaa beckoned for me to follow. We crossed an entrance hall guarded by two tall warriors, armed with weapons I’d never seen before and wearing tunics and cloaks matching in colour.

‘Our colours distinguish us from anyone else on the battlefield, should we ever be attacked,’ explained the princess.

We continued down a wide corridor with a floor made of artfully cut stones of different colours. Every now and then there was an inset dolphin carved from blue stone, the same animal I’d seen in the large painting on the facade. I realized they must represent the sea creatures that had guided the Phaeacians in their migration from Hypereia to Scheria. Any population that migrates always has an animal leading them: an eagle, a wolf, a bear. It must be sad to leave your homeland forever.

Just a few more steps and I would be entering the throne room where I would find the king and queen. They would surely be more like gods than mortals. The door was open, guarded by two more sentries. They were very young. I wondered whether they had ever seen combat. Perhaps their fathers had, or their ancestors, when their people had been living near the land of the cyclopes, but surely not these youths. The island was so far from the rest of the world, they would scarcely have seen many foreigners, let alone fought them. When I entered, preceded by the princess, everyone turned to stare at me. They followed me with their eyes as if to observe every minimal detail of my mannerisms: the way I walked and the way I moved my hands. They were surely surprised at the clothing I was wearing, which they must have recognized.

Before me were the king and queen, garbed in simple yet precious robes which they wore with grace and majesty. The queen had brown hair and light, amber-coloured eyes with long, black lashes and fine eyebrows. Her slim, harmonious figure was accented by her gown. The king had black hair with a few white threads here and there, a well-groomed beard and dark, deep eyes. He seemed much older than his wife. I was later to learn from Nausicaa that he was her mother’s uncle, and that he had married Arete after his brother’s death.

I threw myself at the queen’s feet and embraced her knees: ‘Divine wanaxa,’ I said, ‘I am here to beseech your indulgence. I have suffered great misfortune. My raft was wrecked in a storm and I lost everything. The sea tossed me up onto the beach as darkness was falling, after I had spent a day and a night in the throes of the gale clinging on to a log. .’

I could sense that the queen was looking at my skinned, wounded hands and then at the robes I wore.

‘Not a single thing was left to me, not even a rag. From a distance, covering myself as best I could, I appealed to your lovely daughter who was washing linens at the river with her maidservants. I was truly a horrible sight, and all of the girls ran off except for her. She definitely has the courage of a great race in her heart, the sacred strength of her father and the grace and beauty of her mother.

‘It was she who showed me the road leading to the high palace. I beg you to grant me your protection. Have mercy on me.’

Only then did I raise my eyes and I saw that my words had moved the queen. She motioned for me to stand and turned her gaze towards her husband.

I turned to him then: ‘Great king, wanax Alcinous, I implore you to grant me your help and hospitality because I come in need of everything.’

The king nodded. All of his gestures were slow and measured. This was how I imagined the immortal, celestial gods must move as they sat on their thrones in assembly. ‘You’ve already obtained your wish, for whatever my wife desires I desire as well. And because it is our custom to welcome the poor and derelict. Please join us this evening for dinner. When dusk draws near, we shall take our places at well-set tables and cheer our hearts with fine red wine as we listen to the song of our poet, who tells marvellous stories. Nausicaa will meanwhile show you your rooms and give you more garments, sandals and a belt, and finely crafted clasps for your cloak so it will not slip from your shoulders.’

‘My heart is full of gratitude, wanax,’ I replied. ‘From the moment when I began the long voyage of my endless return, I have never been welcomed thus, nor have I ever seen a land more blessed. At first glance, I mistook your daughter for a goddess.’

I bowed deeply, kissed the hand of the king and that of the queen and followed the girl who had taken pity on me out towards the colonnaded porch. The view from the balcony took my breath away, so wondrous were the sights before my eyes. The sun was descending towards the sea and its vermilion light streaked through the passing clouds, scarlet sails flitting above the still, shiny waters of the port.

‘Do you like our island? And our city?’ asked Nausicaa as the declining sun set her cheeks and hair aglow.

‘More than any other place I’ve ever seen in all my life. . But there is one thing that burdens my heart.’

‘What’s that?’

I reached out my hand and pointed to the mountaintop rising beyond the citadel and the palace. ‘There, that enormous mass overhanging the city and the port. From below it looks like part of the mountain, but from here it seems that only a miracle is holding it in place on that rocky cliff. It would take nothing to make it fall.’

I was about to say that Poseidon, the blue god, the shaker of land, could make the island tremble with his trident and cause the boulder to come tumbling down, but these words did not leave my lips. If such a disaster were to happen, the blame could only be mine. I couldn’t bear the thought of bringing harm to such a beautiful and prosperous land, and to the sweet princess who had welcomed, nourished and dressed me and who was now accompanying me to my rooms inside the palace of her father the king.

Nausicaa’s eyes, always so serene, were clouded by fleeting sadness. ‘We don’t think about it, foreign guest. That boulder has rested there since the beginning of time. Why should it fall now?’

‘Forgive me,’ I said. ‘I should not have spoken. I’ve upset you over nothing.’

Nausicaa didn’t answer, but gestured for me to follow her to my quarters and I did so.

When we reached them, she opened the door for me and bid me enter. Her perfect face seemed serene once again. ‘You’re wrong,’ she said. ‘It will never fall. We Phaeacians descend from Poseidon, the blue god, who fathered our first ancestor with a descendant of the Tribe of the Giants, Periboea. Why would he ever cause our land to quake?’

I knew why, but I didn’t have the courage to say it.