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"O queen," he said, "I implore your aid- but tell me, are you agoddess or are you a mortal woman? If you are a goddess and dwell inheaven, I can only conjecture that you are Jove's daughter Diana,for your face and figure resemble none but hers; if on the otherhand you are a mortal and live on earth, thrice happy are yourfather and mother- thrice happy, too, are your brothers and sisters;how proud and delighted they must feel when they see so fair a scionas yourself going out to a dance; most happy, however, of all willhe be whose wedding gifts have been the richest, and who takes youto his own home. I never yet saw any one so beautiful, neither man norwoman, and am lost in admiration as I behold you. I can only compareyou to a young palm tree which I saw when I was at Delos growingnear the altar of Apollo- for I was there, too, with much people afterme, when I was on that journey which has been the source of all mytroubles. Never yet did such a young plant shoot out of the groundas that was, and I admired and wondered at it exactly as I nowadmire and wonder at yourself. I dare not clasp your knees, but I amin great distress; yesterday made the twentieth day that I had beentossing about upon the sea. The winds and waves have taken me allthe way from the Ogygian island, and now fate has flung me upon thiscoast that I may endure still further suffering; for I do not thinkthat I have yet come to the end of it, but rather that heaven hasstill much evil in store for me. "And now, O queen, have pity upon me, for you are the first person Ihave met, and I know no one else in this country. Show me the way toyour town, and let me have anything that you may have brought hitherto wrap your clothes in. May heaven grant you in all things yourheart's desire- husband, house, and a happy, peaceful home; forthere is nothing better in this world than that man and wife should beof one mind in a house. It discomfits their enemies, makes thehearts of their friends glad, and they themselves know more about itthan any one." To this Nausicaa answered, "Stranger, you appear to be a sensible,well-disposed person. There is no accounting for luck; Jove givesprosperity to rich and poor just as he chooses, so you must takewhat he has seen fit to send you, and make the best of it. Now,however, that you have come to this our country, you shall not wantfor clothes nor for anything else that a foreigner in distress mayreasonably look for. I will show you the way to the town, and willtell you the name of our people; we are called Phaeacians, and I amdaughter to Alcinous, in whom the whole power of the state is vested." Then she called her maids and said, "Stay where you are, yougirls. Can you not see a man without running away from him? Do youtake him for a robber or a murderer? Neither he nor any one else cancome here to do us Phaeacians any harm, for we are dear to the gods,and live apart on a land's end that juts into the sounding sea, andhave nothing to do with any other people. This is only some poor manwho has lost his way, and we must be kind to him, for strangers andforeigners in distress are under Jove's protection, and will take whatthey can get and be thankful; so, girls, give the poor fellowsomething to eat and drink, and wash him in the stream at some placethat is sheltered from the wind." On this the maids left off running away and began calling oneanother back. They made Ulysses sit down in the shelter as Nausicaahad told them, and brought him a shirt and cloak. They also broughthim the little golden cruse of oil, and told him to go wash in thestream. But Ulysses said, "Young women, please to stand a little onone side that I may wash the brine from my shoulders and anoint myselfwith oil, for it is long enough since my skin has had a drop of oilupon it. I cannot wash as long as you all keep standing there. I amashamed to strip before a number of good-looking young women."
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