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Odysseus lands on the island of Aiolos, keeper of the winds:
He gave me a bag made of the skin taken off a nine-year
ox, stuffed full inside with the courses of all the blowing
winds, for the son of Kronos had set him in charge over
the winds, to hold them still or start them up at his pleasure.
He stowed it away in the hollow ship, tied fast with a silver
string, so there should be no wrong breath of wind, not even
a little, but set the West Wind free to blow me and carry
the ships and the men aboard them on their way; but it was not
so to be, for we were ruined by our own folly.
Nevertheless we sailed on, night and day, for nine days,
and on the tenth at last appeared the land of our fathers,
and we could see people tending fires, we were very close to them.
But then the sweet sleep came upon me, for I was worn out
with always handling the sheet myself, and I would not give it
to any other companion, so we could come home quicker
to our own country; but my companions talked with each other
and said that I was bringing silver and gold home with me,
given me by great-hearted Aiolos, son of Hippotas;
and thus they would speak to each other, each looking at the man next him:
"See now, this man is loved by everybody and favoured
by all, whenever he visits anyone's land and city,
and is bringing home with him handsome treasures taken from the plunder
of Troy, while we, who have gone through everything he has
on the same venture, come home with our hands empty. Now too
Aiolos in favour of friendship has given him all these
goods. Let us quickly look inside and see what is in there,
and how much gold and silver this bag contains inside it."
So he spoke, and the evil counsel of my companions
prevailed, and they opened the bag and the winds all burst out. Suddenly
the storm caught them away and swept them over the water
weeping, away from their own country. |
