Fill high the bowl with Samian wine!
Our virgins dance beneath the shade,
I see their glorious black eyes shine;
But, gazing on each glowing maid,
My own the burning tear-drop laves,
To think such breasts must suckle slaves.

The House of Alcinoüs

(Corfu, The Island)

(From The Odyssey, Book VII)

Ως ἄρα φωνήσασ ̓ ἀπέβη γλαυκώπις Αθήνη πόντον ἐπ ̓ ἀτρύγετον, λίπε δὲ Σχερίην ἐρατεινὴν, ἵκετο δ ̓ ἐς Μαραθῶνα καὶ εὐρυάγυιαν ̓Αθήνην, δῦνε δ' Ερεχθῆος πυκινὸν δόμον. αὐτὰρ Οδυσσεὺς ̓Αλκινόου πρὸς δώματ ̓ ἴε κλυτά· πολλὰ δέ οἱ κῆρ ὥρμαιν ̓ ἱσταμένῳ, πρὶν χάλκεον οὐδὸν ἱκέσθαι. ὥς τε γὰρ ἠελίου αἴγλη πέλεν ἢ σελήνης δῶμα κάθ ̓ ὑψερεφὲς μεγαλήτορος Αλκινόοιο. χάλκεοι μὲν γὰρ τοῖχοι ἐληλάδατ ̓ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, ἐς μυχὸν ἐξ οὐδοῦ, περὶ δὲ θριγκὸς κυάνοιο· χρύσειαι δὲ θύραι πυκινὸν δόμον ἐντὸς ἔεργον· σταθμοὶ δ ̓ ἀργύρεοι ἐν χαλκέῳ ἔστασαν οὐδῷ, ἀργύρεον δ ̓ ἐφ ̓ ὑπερθύριον, χρυσέη δὲ κορώνη.

Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,

Where nothing, save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep; There, swan-like, let me sing and die. A land of slaves shall ne'er be mine, Dash down yon cup of Samian wine! Lord Byron.

The House of Alcinoüs

(Corfu, The Island)

THE

(From The Odyssey, Book VII)

HE blue-eyed Pallas, having spoken thus,
Departed o'er the barren deep. She left
The pleasant isle of Scheria, and repaired
To Marathon and to the spacious streets
Of Athens, entering there the massive halls
Where dwelt Erechtheus, while Ulysses toward
The gorgeous palace of Alcinous turned

His steps, yet stopped and pondered ere he crossed
The threshold. For on every side beneath
The lofty roof of that magnanimous king

A glory shone as of the sun or moon.

There from the threshold, on each side, were walls
Of brass that led towards the inner rooms,
With blue steel cornices. The doors within
The massive building were of gold, and posts
Of silver on the brazen threshold stood,
And silver was the lintel, and above

Its architrave was gold; and on each side

χρύσειοι δ ̓ ἑκάτερθε καὶ ἀργύρεοι κύνες ἦσαν, οὓς Ηφαιστος ἔτευξεν ἰδυίῃσι πραπίδεσσι δῶμα φυλασσέμεναι μεγαλήτορος Αλκινόοιο, ἀθανάτους ὄντας καὶ ἀγήρως ἤματα πάντα. ἐν δὲ θρόνοι περὶ τοῖχον ἐρηρέδατ ̓ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, ἐς μυχὸν ἐξ οὐδοῖο διαμπερές, ἔνθ ̓ ἐνὶ πέπλοι λεπτοὶ ἐύννητοι βεβλήατο, ἔργα γυναικῶν. ἔνθα δὲ Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἑδριόωντο πίνοντες καὶ ἔδοντες· ἐπηετανὸν γὰρ ἔχεσκον. χρύσειοι δ' ἄρα κοῦροι ἐνδμήτων ἐπὶ βωμῶν ἕστασαν αἰθομένας δαΐδας μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχοντες, φαίνοντες νύκτας κατὰ δώματα δαιτυμόνεσσι. πεντήκοντα δέ οἱ δμωαὶ κατὰ δῶμα γυναίκες αἱ μὲν ἀλετρεύουσι μύλης ἔπι μήλοπα καρπὸν, αἱ δ ̓ ἱστοὺς ὑφόωσι καὶ ἠλάκατα στρωφώσιν ἥμεναι, οἷά τε φύλλα μακεδνῆς αἰγείροιο· καιροσέων δ ̓ ὀθονέων ἀπολείβεται ὑγρὸν ἔλαιον. ὅσσον Φαίηκες περὶ πάντων ἴδριες ἀνδρῶν νῆα θοὴν ἐνὶ πόντῳ ἐλαυνέμεν, ὡς δὲ γυναῖκες ἱστῶν τεχνῆσσαι· περὶ γάρ σφισι δῶκεν ̓Αθήνη ἔργα τ ̓ ἐπίστασθαι περικαλλέα καὶ φρένας ἐσθλάς. ἔκτοσθεν δ' αὐλῆς μέγας ὄρχατος ἄγχι θυράων τετράγυος· περὶ δ ̓ ἕρκος ἐλήλαται ἀμφοτέρωθεν. ἔνθα δὲ δένδρεα μακρὰ πεφύκασι τηλεθόωντα,

Stood gold and silver mastiffs, the rare work
Of Vulcan's practised skill, placed there to guard
The house of great Alcinoüs, and endowed
With deathless life, that knows no touch of age.
Along the walls within, on either side,

And from the threshold to the inner rooms,
Were firmly planted thrones on which were laid
Delicate mantles, woven by the hands

Of women.

The Phæacian princes here

Were seated; here they ate and drank, and held
Perpetual banquet. Slender forms of boys
In gold upon the shapely altars stood,
With blazing torches in their hands to light
At eve the palace guests; while fifty maids
Waited within the halls, where some in querns
Ground small the yellow grain; some wove the web
Or twirled the spindle, sitting, with a quick
Light motion, like the aspen's glancing leaves.
The well-wrought tissues glistened as with oil.
As far as the Phæacian race excel

In guiding their swift galleys o'er the deep,
So far the women in their woven work
Surpass all others. Pallas gives them skill
In handiwork and beautiful design.
Without the palace-court, and near the gate,
A spacious garden of four acres lay.

A hedge enclosed it round, and lofty trees
Flourished in generous growth within, the pear

ὄγχναι καὶ ῥοιαὶ καὶ μηλέαι ἀγλαόκαρποι συκέαι τε γλυκεραὶ καὶ ἐλαῖαι τηλεθόωσαι. τάων οὔ ποτε καρπὸς ἀπόλλυται οὐδ ̓ ἀπολείπει χείματος οὐδὲ θέρευς, ἐπετήσιος· ἀλλὰ μάλ ̓ αἰεὶ Ζεφυρίη πνείουσα τὰ μὲν φύει, ἄλλα δὲ πέσσει. ὄγχνη ἐπ ̓ ὄγχνῃ γηράσκει, μῆλον δ ̓ ἐπὶ μήλῳ, αὐτὰρ ἐπὶ σταφυλῇ σταφυλὴ, σύκον δ ̓ ἐπὶ σύκῳ. ἔνθα δέ οἱ πολύκαρπος ἀλωὴ ἐῤῥίζωται, τῆς ἕτερον μὲν θειλόπεδον λευρῷ ἐνὶ χώρῳ τέρσεται ἠελίῳ, ἑτέρας δ ̓ ἄρα τε τρυγόωσιν, ἄλλας δὲ τραπέουσι· πάροιθε δέ τ ̓ ὄμφικές εἰσιν ἄνθος ἀφιεῖσαι, ἕτεραι δ ̓ ὑποπερκάζουσιν. ἔνθα δὲ κοσμηταὶ πρασιαὶ παρὰ νείατον ὄρχον παντοῖαι πεφύασιν, ἐπηετανὸν γανόωσαι· ἐν δὲ δύω κρῆναι ἡ μέν τ ̓ ἀνὰ κῆπον ἅπαντα σκίδναται, ἡ δ ̓ ἑτέρωθεν ὑπ ̓ αὐλῆς οὐδὸν ἵησι πρὸς δόμον ὑψηλὸν, ὅθεν ὑδρεύοντο πολῖται. τοῖ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐν ̓Αλκινόοιο θεῶν ἔσαν ἀγλαὰ δῶρα.

Homer.