Without the court and close beside its gate is a large garden, covering four acres; around it runs a hedge on either side.  Here grow tall thrifty trees—­pears, pomegranates, apples with shining fruit, sweet figs and thrifty olives.  On them fruit never fails; it is not gone in winter or in summer, but lasts throughout the year; for constantly the west wind’s breath brings some to bud and mellows others.  Pear ripens upon pear, apple on apple, cluster on cluster, fig on fig.  Here too the teeming vineyard has been planted, one part of which, the drying place, lying on level ground, is heating in the sun; elsewhere men gather grapes; and elsewhere still they tread them.  In front, the grapes are green and shed their flower, but a second row are now just turning dark.  And here trim garden-beds, along the outer line, spring up in every kind and all the year are gay.  Near by, two fountains rise, one scattering its streams throughout the garden, one bounding by another course beneath the courtyard gate toward the high house; from this the towns-folk draw their water.  Such at the palace of Alcinoues were the gods’ splendid gifts.

Here long-tried royal Odysseus stood and gazed.  Then after he had gazed his heart’s fill on all, he quickly crossed the threshold and came within the house.

NOTES

=Phaeacia=:—­The land of the Phaeacians, on the Island of Scheria, or Corcyra, the modern Corfu.

=Athene=:—­Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, skill, and science.  She was interested in war, and protected warlike heroes.

=Cyclops=:—­One of a race of uncouth giants, each of whom had but a single eye, which was in the middle of the forehead.

=Nausithoues=:—­The king of the Phaeacians at the time they entered Scheria.

=Hades=:—­The realm of souls; not necessarily a place of punishment.

=Artemis=:—­Another name for Diana, goddess of the moon.

=Taygetus and Erymanthus=:—­Mountains in Greece.

=Leto=:—­The mother of Artemis.

=Delos=:—­An island in the Aegean Sea.

=Ogygia=:—­The island of the goddess Calypso, who held Odysseus captive for seven years.

=Hephaestus=:—­Another name for Vulcan, the god of the under-world.  He was a skilled worker in metal.

=Poseidon=:—­Neptune, god of the ocean.

=Land-shaker=:—­Neptune.

=Marathon=:—­A plain eighteen miles from Athens.  It was here that the Greeks defeated the Persians in 490 B.C.

=Erectheus=:—­The mythical founder of Attica; he was half man and half serpent.

=THE PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES IN THIS SELECTION=

Al cin’ o us ([)a]l sin’ [+o] [)u] s)
Ap ei’ ra ([.a]p [=i]’ r_a_)
Ap ei re’ an ([)a]p [=i] r[=e]’ [)a]n)
A re’ te ([.a] r[=e]’ t[=e])
Ar’ te mis (aer’ t[+e] m[)i]s)
A the’ ne ([.a] th[=e]’ n[=e])
Ca lyp’ so (k_a_ l[)i]p’ s[=o])