The Odyssey: Book 6 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFFGHIJDGKALMNOP QRSATUVWXYZA2ZODUJB2 DWC2D2GD2NE2PF2G2PF2 EH2DE2FI2J2F2K2F2LAO FL2VGGAM2ZOLF2N2MO2F 2AWEF2P2Q2R2S2OAGWSW DT2OU2FV2LLW2AX2OOY2 Z2W2OA3LDOFGAAOB3AQ| So here Ulysses slept overcome by sleep and toil but Minerva | A |
| went off to the country and city of the Phaecians a people who used | B |
| to live in the fair town of Hypereia near the lawless Cyclopes Now | C |
| the Cyclopes were stronger than they and plundered them so their king | D |
| Nausithous moved them thence and settled them in Scheria far from all | E |
| other people He surrounded the city with a wall built houses and | F |
| temples and divided the lands among his people but he was dead and | F |
| gone to the house of Hades and King Alcinous whose counsels were | G |
| inspired of heaven was now reigning To his house then did | H |
| Minerva hie in furtherance of the return of Ulysses | I |
| She went straight to the beautifully decorated bedroom in which | J |
| there slept a girl who was as lovely as a goddess Nausicaa | D |
| daughter to King Alcinous Two maid servants were sleeping near her | G |
| both very pretty one on either side of the doorway which was | K |
| closed with well made folding doors Minerva took the form of the | A |
| famous sea captain Dymas's daughter who was a bosom friend of | L |
| Nausicaa and just her own age then coming up to the girl's bedside | M |
| like a breath of wind she hovered over her head and said | N |
| Nausicaa what can your mother have been about to have such a lazy | O |
| daughter Here are your clothes all lying in disorder yet you are | P |
| going to be married almost immediately and should not only be well | Q |
| dressed yourself but should find good clothes for those who attend | R |
| you This is the way to get yourself a good name and to make your | S |
| father and mother proud of you Suppose then that we make tomorrow a | A |
| washing day and start at daybreak I will come and help you so that | T |
| you may have everything ready as soon as possible for all the best | U |
| young men among your own people are courting you and you are not | V |
| going to remain a maid much longer Ask your father therefore to | W |
| have a waggon and mules ready for us at daybreak to take the rugs | X |
| robes and girdles and you can ride too which will be much | Y |
| pleasanter for you than walking for the washing cisterns are some way | Z |
| from the town | A2 |
| When she had said this Minerva went away to Olympus which they | Z |
| say is the everlasting home of the gods Here no wind beats roughly | O |
| and neither rain nor snow can fall but it abides in everlasting | D |
| sunshine and in a great peacefulness of light wherein the blessed | U |
| gods are illumined for ever and ever This was the place to which | J |
| the goddess went when she had given instructions to the girl | B2 |
| By and by morning came and woke Nausicaa who began wondering | D |
| about her dream she therefore went to the other end of the house to | W |
| tell her father and mother all about it and found them in their own | C2 |
| room Her mother was sitting by the fireside spinning her purple | D2 |
| yarn with her maids around her and she happened to catch her father | G |
| just as he was going out to attend a meeting of the town council | D2 |
| which the Phaeacian aldermen had convened She stopped him and said | N |
| Papa dear could you manage to let me have a good big waggon I | E2 |
| want to take all our dirty clothes to the river and wash them You are | P |
| the chief man here so it is only right that you should have a clean | F2 |
| shirt when you attend meetings of the council Moreover you have five | G2 |
| sons at home two of them married while the other three are | P |
| good looking bachelors you know they always like to have clean | F2 |
| linen when they go to a dance and I have been thinking about all | E |
| this | H2 |
| She did not say a word about her own wedding for she did not like | D |
| to but her father knew and said You shall have the mules my | E2 |
| love and whatever else you have a mind for Be off with you and | F |
| the men shall get you a good strong waggon with a body to it that will | I2 |
| hold all your clothes | J2 |
| On this he gave his orders to the servants who got the waggon | F2 |
| out harnessed the mules and put them to while the girl brought | K2 |
| the clothes down from the linen room and placed them on the waggon | F2 |
| Her mother prepared her a basket of provisions with all sorts of | L |
| good things and a goat skin full of wine the girl now got into the | A |
| waggon and her mother gave her also a golden cruse of oil that she | O |
| and her women might anoint themselves Then she took the whip and | F |
| reins and lashed the mules on whereon they set off and their hoofs | L2 |
| clattered on the road They pulled without flagging and carried not | V |
| only Nausicaa and her wash of clothes but the maids also who were | G |
| with her | G |
| When they reached the water side they went to the | A |
| washing cisterns through which there ran at all times enough pure | M2 |
| water to wash any quantity of linen no matter how dirty Here they | Z |
| unharnessed the mules and turned them out to feed on the sweet juicy | O |
| herbage that grew by the water side They took the clothes out of | L |
| the waggon put them in the water and vied with one another in | F2 |
| treading them in the pits to get the dirt out After they had washed | N2 |
| them and got them quite clean they laid them out by the sea side | M |
| where the waves had raised a high beach of shingle and set about | O2 |
| washing themselves and anointing themselves with olive oil Then | F2 |
| they got their dinner by the side of the stream and waited for the | A |
| sun to finish drying the clothes When they had done dinner they threw | W |
| off the veils that covered their heads and began to play at ball | E |
| while Nausicaa sang for them As the huntress Diana goes forth upon | F2 |
| the mountains of Taygetus or Erymanthus to hunt wild boars or deer | P2 |
| and the wood nymphs daughters of Aegis bearing Jove take their sport | Q2 |
| along with her then is Leto proud at seeing her daughter stand a full | R2 |
| head taller than the others and eclipse the loveliest amid a whole | S2 |
| bevy of beauties even so did the girl outshine her handmaids | O |
| When it was time for them to start home and they were folding the | A |
| clothes and putting them into the waggon Minerva began to consider | G |
| how Ulysses should wake up and see the handsome girl who was to | W |
| conduct him to the city of the Phaeacians The girl therefore | S |
| threw a ball at one of the maids which missed her and fell into | W |
| deep water On this they all shouted and the noise they made woke | D |
| Ulysses who sat up in his bed of leaves and began to wonder what it | T2 |
| might all be | O |
| Alas said he to himself what kind of people have I come | U2 |
| amongst Are they cruel savage and uncivilized or hospitable and | F |
| humane I seem to hear the voices of young women and they sound | V2 |
| like those of the nymphs that haunt mountain tops or springs of | L |
| rivers and meadows of green grass At any rate I am among a race of | L |
| men and women Let me try if I cannot manage to get a look at them | W2 |
| As he said this he crept from under his bush and broke off a | A |
| bough covered with thick leaves to hide his nakedness He looked | X2 |
| like some lion of the wilderness that stalks about exulting in his | O |
| strength and defying both wind and rain his eyes glare as he prowls | O |
| in quest of oxen sheep or deer for he is famished and will dare | Y2 |
| break even into a well fenced homestead trying to get at the sheep | Z2 |
| even such did Ulysses seem to the young women as he drew near to them | W2 |
| all naked as he was for he was in great want On seeing one so | O |
| unkempt and so begrimed with salt water the others scampered off | A3 |
| along the spits that jutted out into the sea but the daughter of | L |
| Alcinous stood firm for Minerva put courage into her heart and took | D |
| away all fear from her She stood right in front of Ulysses and he | O |
| doubted whether he should go up to her throw himself at her feet and | F |
| embrace her knees as a suppliant or stay where he was and entreat her | G |
| to give him some clothes and show him the way to the town In the | A |
| end he deemed it best to entreat her from a distance in case the | A |
| girl should take offence at his coming near enough to clasp her knees | O |
| so he addressed her in honeyed and persuasive language | B3 |
| O queen he said I implore your aid but tell me are you a | A |
| goddess or are you a mortal woman If you are a goddess and dwell | Q |
Homer
(1)
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