"Queen Arete," he exclaimed,
"daughter of great Rhexenor, in my distress I humbly pray you, as
also your husband and these your guests (whom may heaven prosper with
long life and happiness [olbos], and may they leave
their possessions to their children, and all the honors conferred
upon them by the state [dêmos]) to help me home
to my own country as soon as possible; for I have been long in
trouble and away from my friends."
Then he sat down on the hearth
among the ashes and they all held their peace, till presently the old
hero Echeneus, who was an excellent speaker and an elder among the
Phaeacians, plainly and in all honesty addressed them
thus:
"Alkinoos," said he, "it is not
creditable to you that a stranger should be seen sitting among the
ashes of your hearth; every one is waiting to hear what you are about
to say; tell him, then, to rise and take a seat on a stool inlaid
with silver, and bid your servants mix some wine and water that we
may make a drink-offering to Zeus the lord of thunder, who takes all
well-disposed suppliants under his protection; and let the
housekeeper give him some supper, of whatever there may be in the
house."
When Alkinoos heard this he took
Odysseus by the hand, raised him from the hearth, and bade him take
the seat of Laodamas, who had been sitting beside him, and was his
favorite son. A maid servant then brought him water in a beautiful
golden ewer and poured it into a silver basin for him to wash his
hands, and she drew a clean table beside him; an upper servant
brought him bread and offered him many good things of what there was
in the house, and Odysseus ate and drank. Then Alkinoos said to one
of the servants, "Pontonoos, mix a cup of wine and hand it round that
we may make drink-offerings to Zeus the lord of thunder, who is the
protector of all well-disposed suppliants."
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