Chapter XI: Book VI

_The meeting between Ulysses and Nausicaa_.

While Ulysses was thus slumbering, Minerva went to the
land of the Phæacians, on which Ulysses had been cast.

Now the Phæacians used to live in Hypereia near the 4
lawless Cyclopes, who were stronger than they were and
plundered them; so their king Nausithous removed them to
Scheria,[12] where they were secure. Nausithous was now
dead, and his son Alcinous was reigning.

Alcinous had an only daughter, Nausicaa, who was in her 15
bedroom fast asleep. Minerva went to her bedside and
appeared to her in a dream, having assumed the form of
one Captain Dymas's daughter, who was a bosom friend of
Nausicaa's. She reminded her of her approaching marriage
(for which, however, the bridegroom had not yet been
decided upon), and upbraided her for not making due
preparation by the washing of her own and of the family
linen. She proposed, therefore, that on the following
morning Nausicaa should take all the unwashed clothes to
the washing cisterns, and said that she would come and
help her: the cisterns being some distance from the town,
she advised Nausicaa to ask her father to let her have a
waggon and mules.

Nausicaa, on waking, told her father and mother about 50
her dream, "Papa, dear,"[13] said she, "could you manage
to let me have a good big waggon? I want to take all our
dirty clothes to the river and wash them. You are the
chief man here, so it is only proper that you should have 60
a clean shirt when you attend meetings of the council.
Moreover you have five sons, two of them married, while
the other three are good looking young bachelors; you
know they always like to have clean linen when they go
out to a dance."

Her father promised her all she wanted. The waggon 71
was made ready, her mother put her up a basket of
provisions, and Nausicaa drove her maids to the bank of
the river, where were the cisterns, through which there
flowed enough clear water to wash clothes however dirty
they might be. They washed their clothes in the pits
by treading upon them, laid them out to dry upon the
sea-beach, had their dinner as the clothes were drying,
and then began to play at ball while Nausicaa sang to
them.

In the course of time, when they were thinking about 110
starting home, Minerva woke Ulysses, who was in the wood
just above them. He sat up, heard the voices and laughter
of the women, and wondered where he was.

He resolved on going to see, but remembering that he had 127
no clothes on, he held a bough of olive before him, and
then, all grim, naked, and unkempt as he was, he came
out and drew near to the women, who all of them ran away
along the beach and the points that jutted into the sea.
Nausicaa, however, stood firm, and Ulysses set himself
to consider whether he should go boldly up to her and
embrace her knees, or speak to her from a respectful
distance.

On the whole he concluded that this would be the most 145
prudent course; and having adopted it, he began by asking
Nausicaa to inform him whether she was a goddess or no.
If she was a goddess, it was obvious from her beauty that
she could only be Diana. If on the other hand she was
a mortal, how happy would he be whose proposals in the
way of settlements had seemed most advantageous, and who
should take her to his own home. Finally he asked her
to be kind enough to give him any old wrapper which she
might have brought with her to wrap the clothes in, and
to show him the way to the town.

Nausicaa replied that he seemed really to be a very 186
sensible person, but that people must put up with their
luck whatever it might happen to be. She then explained
that he had come to the land of the Phæacians, and
promised to conduct him to their city.

Having so said, she told her maids not to be such 198
cowards. "The man," she said, "is quite harmless; we live
away from all neighbours on a land's end, with the sea
roaring on either side of us, and no one can hurt us. See
to this poor fellow, therefore, and give him something to
eat."

When they heard this the maids came back and gave 211
Ulysses a shirt and cloak; they also gave him a bottle
of oil and told him to go and wash in the river, but he
said, "I will not wash myself while you keep standing
there. I cannot bring myself to strip before a number of
good-looking young women." So they went and told their
mistress.

When Ulysses had done washing, Minerva made him look much 224
grander and more imposing, and gave him a thick head of
hair which flowed down in hyacinthine curls about his
shoulders, Nausicaa was very much struck with the change
in his appearance. "At first," she said, "I thought him
quite plain, but now he is of godlike beauty. I wish I
might have such a man as that for my husband, if he would
only stay here. But never mind this; girls, give him
something to eat and drink."

The maids then set meat and drink before Ulysses, who was 247
ravenously hungry. While he was eating, Nausicaa got the
clothes folded up and put on to the cart; after which
she gave him his instructions. "Follow after the cart,"
she said, "along with the maids, till you get near the
houses. As for the town, you will find it lying between
two good harbours, and approached by a narrow neck of 263
land, on either side of which you will see the ships
drawn up--for every man has a place where he can let his
boat lie. You will also see the walls, and the temple of
Neptune standing in the middle of the paved market-place,
with the ship-brokers' shops all round it.

"When you get near the town drop behind, for the people 273
here are very ill-natured, and they would talk about me.
They would say, 'Who is this fine looking stranger that
is going about with Nausicaa? Where did she find him? I
suppose she is going to marry him. Is he a sailor whom
she has picked up from some foreign vessel, or has a god
come down from heaven in answer to her prayers and he is
going to marry her? It would be a good thing if she would
go and find a husband somewhere else, for she will have
nothing to say to any of the many excellent Phæacians who
are in love with her.' This is what people would say,
and I could not blame them, for I should be scandalised
myself if I saw any girl going about with a stranger,
while her father and mother were yet alive, without being
married to him in the face of all the world.

"Do then as I say. When you come to the grove of Minerva 289
a little outside the town, wait till you think I and the
maids must have got home. Then come after us, ask which
is Alcinous's house, and when you reach it go straight
through the outer and inner courts till you come to my
mother. You will see her sitting with her back to a
bearing-post, and spinning her purple yarn by the fire.
My father will be sitting close by her; never mind about
him, but go and embrace my mother's knees for if she
looks favourably on your suit, you will probably get what
you want."

Nausicaa then drove on, and as the sun was about setting 316
they came to the grove of Minerva, where Ulysses sat down
and waited. He prayed Minerva to assist him, and she
heard his prayer, but she would not manifest herself to
him, for she did not want to offend her uncle Neptune.