The Odyssey: Book 7 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEFGHCIJKLBDJMNO BPQRCSBTUOVWSMJNAOBC LXCYZXLA2ONB2LCC2OD2 AE2AOAWLBF2G2QH2I2J2 K2L2TBLLELSLLLBMM2DN 2LLO2LLBBCLLP2F2J2LQ BLD2BQ2R2S2EMF2T2TJ2 XLR2LLXLU2V2V2| Thus then did Ulysses wait and pray but the girl drove on to | A |
| the town When she reached her father's house she drew up at the | B |
| gateway and her brothers comely as the gods gathered round her | C |
| took the mules out of the waggon and carried the clothes into the | B |
| house while she went to her own room where an old servant | D |
| Eurymedusa of Apeira lit the fire for her This old woman had been | E |
| brought by sea from Apeira and had been chosen as a prize for | F |
| Alcinous because he was king over the Phaecians and the people obeyed | G |
| him as though he were a god She had been nurse to Nausicaa and had | H |
| now lit the fire for her and brought her supper for her into her | C |
| own room | I |
| Presently Ulysses got up to go towards the town and Minerva shed | J |
| a thick mist all round him to hide him in case any of the proud | K |
| Phaecians who met him should be rude to him or ask him who he was | L |
| Then as he was just entering the town she came towards him in the | B |
| likeness of a little girl carrying a pitcher She stood right in front | D |
| of him and Ulysses said | J |
| My dear will you be so kind as to show me the house of king | M |
| Alcinous I am an unfortunate foreigner in distress and do not know | N |
| one in your town and country | O |
| Then Minerva said Yes father stranger I will show you the | B |
| house you want for Alcinous lives quite close to my own father I | P |
| will go before you and show the way but say not a word as you go and | Q |
| do not look at any man nor ask him questions for the people here | R |
| cannot abide strangers and do not like men who come from some other | C |
| place They are a sea faring folk and sail the seas by the grace of | S |
| Neptune in ships that glide along like thought or as a bird in the | B |
| air | T |
| On this she led the way and Ulysses followed in her steps but | U |
| not one of the Phaecians could see him as he passed through the city | O |
| in the midst of them for the great goddess Minerva in her good will | V |
| towards him had hidden him in a thick cloud of darkness He admired | W |
| their harbours ships places of assembly and the lofty walls of | S |
| the city which with the palisade on top of them were very striking | M |
| and when they reached the king's house Minerva said | J |
| This is the house father stranger which you would have me show | N |
| you You will find a number of great people sitting at table but do | A |
| not be afraid go straight in for the bolder a man is the more likely | O |
| he is to carry his point even though he is a stranger First find the | B |
| queen Her name is Arete and she comes of the same family as her | C |
| husband Alcinous They both descend originally from Neptune who was | L |
| father to Nausithous by Periboea a woman of great beauty Periboea | X |
| was the youngest daughter of Eurymedon who at one time reigned over | C |
| the giants but he ruined his ill fated people and lost his own life | Y |
| to boot | Z |
| Neptune however lay with his daughter and she had a son by | X |
| him the great Nausithous who reigned over the Phaecians | L |
| Nausithous had two sons Rhexenor and Alcinous Apollo killed the first | A2 |
| of them while he was still a bridegroom and without male issue but he | O |
| left a daughter Arete whom Alcinous married and honours as no | N |
| other woman is honoured of all those that keep house along with | B2 |
| their husbands | L |
| Thus she both was and still is respected beyond measure by her | C |
| children by Alcinous himself and by the whole people who look | C2 |
| upon her as a goddess and greet her whenever she goes about the city | O |
| for she is a thoroughly good woman both in head and heart and when | D2 |
| any women are friends of hers she will help their husbands also to | A |
| settle their disputes If you can gain her good will you may have | E2 |
| every hope of seeing your friends again and getting safely back to | A |
| your home and country | O |
| Then Minerva left Scheria and went away over the sea She went to | A |
| Marathon and to the spacious streets of Athens where she entered | W |
| the abode of Erechtheus but Ulysses went on to the house of Alcinous | L |
| and he pondered much as he paused a while before reaching the | B |
| threshold of bronze for the splendour of the palace was like that | F2 |
| of the sun or moon The walls on either side were of bronze from end | G2 |
| to end and the cornice was of blue enamel The doors were gold and | Q |
| hung on pillars of silver that rose from a floor of bronze while | H2 |
| the lintel was silver and the hook of the door was of gold | I2 |
| On either side there stood gold and silver mastiffs which Vulcan | J2 |
| with his consummate skill had fashioned expressly to keep watch | K2 |
| over the palace of king Alcinous so they were immortal and could | L2 |
| never grow old Seats were ranged all along the wall here and there | T |
| from one end to the other with coverings of fine woven work which the | B |
| women of the house had made Here the chief persons of the Phaecians | L |
| used to sit and eat and drink for there was abundance at all seasons | L |
| and there were golden figures of young men with lighted torches in | E |
| their hands raised on pedestals to give light by night to those | L |
| who were at table There are fifty maid servants in the house some of | S |
| whom are always grinding rich yellow grain at the mill while others | L |
| work at the loom or sit and spin and their shuttles go backwards | L |
| and forwards like the fluttering of aspen leaves while the linen is | L |
| so closely woven that it will turn oil As the Phaecians are the | B |
| best sailors in the world so their women excel all others in weaving | M |
| for Minerva has taught them all manner of useful arts and they are | M2 |
| very intelligent | D |
| Outside the gate of the outer court there is a large garden of about | N2 |
| four acres with a wall all round it It is full of beautiful trees | L |
| pears pomegranates and the most delicious apples There are luscious | L |
| figs also and olives in full growth The fruits never rot nor fail | O2 |
| all the year round neither winter nor summer for the air is so | L |
| soft that a new crop ripens before the old has dropped Pear grows | L |
| on pear apple on apple and fig on fig and so also with the | B |
| grapes for there is an excellent vineyard on the level ground of a | B |
| part of this the grapes are being made into raisins in another | C |
| part they are being gathered some are being trodden in the wine tubs | L |
| others further on have shed their blossom and are beginning to show | L |
| fruit others again are just changing colour In the furthest part | P2 |
| of the ground there are beautifully arranged beds of flowers that | F2 |
| are in bloom all the year round Two streams go through it the one | J2 |
| turned in ducts throughout the whole garden while the other is | L |
| carried under the ground of the outer court to the house itself and | Q |
| the town's people draw water from it Such then were the | B |
| splendours with which the gods had endowed the house of king Alcinous | L |
| So here Ulysses stood for a while and looked about him but when | D2 |
| he had looked long enough he crossed the threshold and went within the | B |
| precincts of the house There he found all the chief people among | Q2 |
| the Phaecians making their drink offerings to Mercury which they | R2 |
| always did the last thing before going away for the night He went | S2 |
| straight through the court still hidden by the cloak of darkness in | E |
| which Minerva had enveloped him till he reached Arete and King | M |
| Alcinous then he laid his hands upon the knees of the queen and at | F2 |
| that moment the miraculous darkness fell away from him and he became | T2 |
| visible Every one was speechless with surprise at seeing a man there | T |
| but Ulysses began at once with his petition | J2 |
| Queen Arete he exclaimed daughter of great Rhexenor in my | X |
| distress I humbly pray you as also your husband and these your guests | L |
| whom may heaven prosper with long life and happiness and may they | R2 |
| leave their possessions to their children and all the honours | L |
| conferred upon them by the state to help me home to my own country as | L |
| soon as possible for I have been long in trouble and away from my | X |
| friends | L |
| Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and they all held | U2 |
| their peace till presently the old hero Echeneus who was an | V2 |
| excellen | V2 |
Homer
(1)
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