Book VI   
Nausika and The Wanderer

 
            So Odysseus utterly exhausted and beaten slept the sleep of oblivion while Athena made her way to the Phaeacians.  These special people had once lived in Hyperia, a beautiful country but too close to the Cyclops tribe who harassed them.  So the Phaeacians, under their King Nausithoos, migrated to a new country, a New World on the island of Scheria.  There that King built a well defended city with fine temples and gave out the land in lots to each family.   He had died many generations ago and now Alkinoos ruled.  The gods smiled on him and gave him wisdom – that was the palace Athena entered to plan Odysseus’ return.
            Like a breath of air, Athena went to the bedroom of Nausika – a girl so beautiful you would think her a goddess.  By her bed her girls like graces slept about her.  Athena came into her dream as her sweet childhood friend, Dyma’s daughter, and said:
            “Oh princess there are weddings to be had in this palace – think of all the clothes to wash for those celebrations – think of the joy of your Mother and Father to see you in a wedding gown – come on, we will go to the river and wash those clothes in the sun – we’ll make a day of it – we’ll ask your father the King for the donkey cart and your mother the Queen for a picnic – you know those young men want to marry you and you are the best born here – we’ll ride the donkey cart for fun, and anyway, those washing pools are a ways from town.”
            And with that grey-eyed Athena was off back to the place of the gods – high on Olympus where the gods live in bliss forever; where the rain never falls and the snow never blows – just perfect blue skies forever.
            Now Dawn rose up into the sky on her chariot and woke Nausika who was already in her beautiful robe.  She was full of her dream and went to find her parents – she found her mother spinning yarn blue as the sea on a spindle with her women about her; and  she found her father about to meet the men of state in his stately robe:
            “Oh Daddy!   I want to take the donkey cart with the pretty painted wheels and load it with all our linens – we must wash them, look, you need shining robes, don’t you?  And you have five sons, two married but the others still needing white shirts as they go dancing.  I have to do it all!”
            She said nothing of her own possible wedding but her father saw that special blush:
            “Oh I can’t resist you anything – run along then and the grooms will bring that cart with those pretty wheels and the box on top.”
            And with that he called the stableman and had the light cart brought around and harnessed the donkeys – Nausika ran and collected up the dirty linens and loaded them into the polished box on the cart.  Her mother went to the kitchens and ordered a special picnic, favorite treats, and a golden bottle of olive oil for the girls to use after they swam.  Nausika climbed up – her girls about her – and flashing the whip set those donkeys trotting and clattering out with the wash.
            Down by the lower river the washing pools are always full and flowing: a perfect laundry.  The girls freed the donkeys and sent them off to graze on the sweet clover.  Then the girls took the clothes out and raced to the river making a game of it as they laughed and washed the clothes then spread them out on the wave bleached river stones.  Then they ran into the water and washed themselves, then smoothed their skin with the olive oil and ate their picnic by the river while the sun’s hot breath dried the linens. Their picnic finished they threw off their veils and started a game of ball.  Nausika with her white flashing arms was fastest and best of all as she ran singing to the beat and hitting the ball – when you see Artemis chasing the arrow she has shot, racing down the mountain – high Tygetus or Erymanthus – racing the boar or deer, mountain nymphs running with her (how Leto loves to see them run) with the goddess a full head taller, the fastest and most beautiful: that’s how Nausika looked amongst her girls.
            Now Nausika was about to tell the girls to gather the clothes and fold them, but Athena had a plan – she made them keep playing and had Nausika hit the ball over the head of one of the girls so high and far it landed in the river and they all gave a great shout of laughter and excitement – well, thatwas the shout that woke Odysseus up.
            Odysseus sat up surprised, alert and wondering:
            “Oh sad man, mankind again, but who?  Are these people who like people and obey the laws of hospitality?  Or are these people who eat people?  That shout sounded like teenage girls – or maybe the nymphs of the woods –  could these be people who speak my tongue?  Up with you sore bones and see for yourself.”
            Odysseus pushed through the olive bushes and with one great hand broke off an olive branch to cover himself.  He came out like a mountain lion drenched in rain and wind who goes hunting: in his power and burning eyes he is at ease as he hunts in the herds and flocks, his hungry belly driving him right down to the farm.  That’s how Odysseus looked as he came down on those girls.  He was hungry, salt dried on his skin and bloated from the sea – those girls ran for cover.  All except Nausika because Athena gave her courage and stilled her shaking hands and knees and she stood firm, waiting.
            Odysseus wondered how to approach her.  Should he go down on one knee and touch the back of her knee like a supplicant?  Or should he hold back and make a speech – win her with his words and beg clothing and the way to town.  Yes, that’s the way – use your words and keep your distance.  He might shock her if he touched her, so he made his words beautiful:
            “Oh Princess I do not know if you are goddess or mortal, but if goddess I would say most like Artemis for look at the fine strength and grace you have.  But if mortal, oh happy mother and father, the warm tears that must come to their eyes each time they see you dance.  And oh that lucky blessed man who marries you!  I have never seen such beauty in man or woman: I am in awe.  You know once I saw just the shoot of a palm tree – I was in Delos at Apollo’s altar; I had men under my command on a long voyage that was my ruin – that vision of a palm leaf I have never forgotten and now in you I see that beauty again.  I stand back from you, too beaten to grasp your knees –  I am desperate, twenty days on the winedark sea, waves and gales rushing me on from Ogygia, and now the gods wash me up here with more to suffer: the gods have more and more suffering in store for me.  Oh take pity on me Princess, you are the first soul I have seen – show me the way to town and some rag to throw around myself.  And may the gods give you your prayer: your own home, husband and harmony.  Nothing greater than that: a man and a woman, two hearts, two minds that are one.  A worry to their enemies, joy to their friends: this they know best.”
            Nausika of the white arms replied:
            “Oh stranger, I see no quirk of evil in you, and you are no fool.  We know that the gods hand out good and bad to good and bad alike.  Zeus has given you great pain and you must bear it.  But now you are with us, we understand a man in hardship and we will give you clothes and food.   The town is that way and we are called Phaeacians: we hold this city and land and I am the Princess,  my father the generous King Alkinoos rules here and all power comes from him.”
            Nausika turned and called to her girls:
            “Don’t run away – are you frightened at the sight of a man!  Do you think he’s an enemy?  There is no man who would attack our land: we are loved by all and all the gods.  We live here in the midst of the rolling sea far from anyone.  This man is down on his luck, he begs from us and we will take care of him  We know that beggars come from Zeus, so give this man food and drink then take him down to a sheltered place by the river and help him wash.”
            The girls came back: shy, laughing, teasing each other as they led Odysseus down to the river where they laid out a washed tunic and cloak and they put the olive oil there in a golden flask.  Then Odysseus, not wanting to embarrass the girls, said:
            “Oh you girls with beautiful braids, stand back a little – it has been so long since I washed and oiled myself and I should do it alone, naked as I am.”
            The girls ran back to tell the Princess everything.  Odysseus waded into the river and washed the salt from his body and the sea sludge from his hair.  He rubbed himself with the oil and then put on the clothes they had given him.  Now Athena went to work and made him bigger and more beautiful – she made his hair hang down like wild blooming hyacinth.  Think of the way a jeweler works gold over silver – one who had been trained by Hephaistos – that’s the way Athena made Odysseus beautiful.  He went up and sat a little apart from the girls – dazzling and awesome in his beauty.  The Princess turned to her braided girls and said:
            “Oh girls, the gods can not be all against this man – look at him!  What a sight when we first saw him but now he looks like a god himself.  I would wish my husband to have that look and stay on Skehria forever.  Well… have you given the man some food?”
            The girls listened intently to the Princess and then at once spread out food – the bread and wine and patient Odysseus at last ate – ate ravenously as he hadn’t seen food or drink for long hard days.
            Now the Princess and her girls folded the linens and loaded them on the cart – they hitched up the donkeys and Nausika swung herself up into the driver’s seat and laughing called down to Odysseus:
            “Up friend and let’s go to town – I’ll send you into my father and there you will meet the best of our people.  Now, let’s do it this way.  You hang back a little from the wagon as we walk through the farmland – then we will come into town under the walls and towers, along the basin you will see ships about to be launched.  The agora with its stone benches is there next to
Poseidon’ shrine – and there you will see men at work on the black hulls and the rigging; working the sails and shaping beautiful oars.  We Phaeacians don’t worry about bows and arrows, no, we love masts and oars, we love our boats that race across the open sea.  But those salty dogs will gossip and I wont have it!  Some salt saying look at that handsome man following Nausika: where did she findhim!   Some rover to be her husband; some god dropped out of the sky to answer her prayers.  She looks elsewhere when the best of our own men would marry her now.   No, I wont have that talk as though I’d take up with some strange man before marriage – what would mother and father say!  Listen, here’s a plan to get you before father and win your passage home.  Along the road you will find a grove of trees, Poplars sacred to Athena, and a spring there: one of father’s gardens about as far from town as a strong man’s shout can carry.  Wait there until you think we have arrived at home, then come on into the city and ask for the palace.  You can’t miss it, any child can show you the way: it is the palace of our great hero Alcinoos.   When you are in the courtyard go across the hall to my mother, you will find her in the firelight with her women, she’ll be there spinning wool the color of the sea.  My father’s chair is there facing the fire where he sits like a god taking his wine.  Go past him, kneel before my mother and take her knees – that’s how you will find your way home even if it is a world away.  It all depends on my mother, if she favors you, then soon you will be home with your friends in your own father’s land.”
Nausika’s whip flashed and the donkeys set off at a sharp pace leaving behind the flowing river.  She restrained the team so as not to get too far ahead of Odysseus.  The sun was setting as they came to Athena’s grove and Odysseus stopped there and made this prayer:
“Hear me daughter of Zeus, listen to me now – where were you when Poseidon smashed my boat?  I  beg you now let me find peace and love with these Phaeacian people.”
            Odysseus prayed and Athena heard his prayer – but she would not come to him there, too close to Poseidon’s altar, who still held that anger, anger he would hold until that King was at last home.