第八卷描述Odysseus到Phaeacians居住的Scheria島的第二天。昨天Odysseus顯然吃飽睡足，第二天早上起來容光煥發，精神奕奕。國王Alcinous召集各路首領與顯達人士，宣佈馬上為這位陌生訪客被船，幫助他返鄉。從第26-45行，我們可以看到Alcinous的好客與通情達理。首先，Alcinous根本還不知道這位陌生客人姓名，也不知他來自東方，還是西方。ἠοῖος是日出的方向，也是東方的意思。Ἑσπέριος是日落之方向，西方的意思。如果只看中譯本或英譯本，可能會誤會荷馬史詩已有東西對立的概念；其實，詩人在此是強調不知這位客人是從日出之方向來，還是從日落的方向來。我們似乎都用現在的地圖去想像奧德修斯的旅遊，如果換成古代的世界觀與地理概念，應該很不一樣吧?!
Alcinous非常重視這位客人，他強調他們這兒從來沒怠慢任何客人，最重要的關鍵字是: πομπή，分別在31和33行出現，英文翻譯有escort,
conduct, conveyance，意思是提供好的船隻與船員安全地護送客人返回自己的家鄉。細細思考，這字和佛法思維裡的「渡」概念相似。
Alcinous馬上挑選烏黑船隻，選52位人員，備糧食等。同時，請客人到宮殿大廳，一起聆聽盲眼吟唱詩人Demodocus神乎其技的表演。
κέκλυτε, Φαιήκων ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες,
ὄφρ᾽ εἴπω τά με θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κελεύει.
ξεῖνος ὅδ᾽, οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅς τις, ἀλώμενος ἵκετ᾽ ἐμὸν δῶ,
ἠὲ πρὸς ἠοίων ἦ ἑσπερίων ἀνθρώπων:
πομπὴν δ᾽ ὀτρύνει, καὶ λίσσεται ἔμπεδον εἶναι.
ἡμεῖς δ᾽, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ, ἐποτρυνώμεθα πομπήν.
οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τις ἄλλος, ὅτις κ᾽ ἐμὰ δώμαθ᾽ ἵκηται,
ἐνθάδ᾽ ὀδυρόμενος δηρὸν μένει εἵνεκα πομπῆς.
ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε νῆα μέλαιναν ἐρύσσομεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν
πρωτόπλοον, κούρω δὲ δύω καὶ πεντήκοντα
κρινάσθων κατὰ δῆμον, ὅσοι πάρος εἰσὶν ἄριστοι.
δησάμενοι δ᾽ ἐὺ πάντες ἐπὶ κληῖσιν ἐρετμὰ
ἔκβητ᾽: αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα θοὴν ἀλεγύνετε δαῖτα
ἡμέτερόνδ᾽ ἐλθόντες: ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐὺ πᾶσι παρέξω.
κούροισιν μὲν ταῦτ᾽ ἐπιτέλλομαι: αὐτὰρ οἱ ἄλλοι
σκηπτοῦχοι βασιλῆες ἐμὰ πρὸς δώματα καλὰ
ἔρχεσθ᾽, ὄφρα ξεῖνον ἐνὶ μεγάροισι φιλέωμεν,
μηδέ τις ἀρνείσθω. καλέσασθε δὲ θεῖον ἀοιδὸν
Δημόδοκον: τῷ γάρ ῥα θεὸς πέρι δῶκεν ἀοιδὴν
τέρπειν, ὅππῃ θυμὸς ἐποτρύνῃσιν ἀείδειν.
(Odyssey 8. 26-45)
“Listen to me,
you Phaeacian counsellors and leaders.
I’ll tell you what the heart in my chest says.
This stranger here, a man I do not know,
a wanderer, has travelled to my house,
from people in the east or from the west.
He’s asking to be sent away back home
I’ll tell you what the heart in my chest says.
This stranger here, a man I do not know,
a wanderer, has travelled to my house,
from people in the east or from the west.
He’s asking to be sent away back home
and has requested confirmation from us.
So let us act as we have done before
and assist him with his journey. No man
arriving at my palace stays there long
So let us act as we have done before
and assist him with his journey. No man
arriving at my palace stays there long
grieving because he cannot get back home.
Let’s drag a black ship down into the sea
for her first voyage. Then from the citizens
choose fifty-two young men who in the past
have shown they are the best. Once they’ve all lashed
the oars firmly in place, they’ll come ashore,
go to my house, and quickly make a meal.
I will provide enough for everyone.
That’s what I’m ordering for our young men.
But all you other sceptre-bearing kings
should come to my fine home, so in those halls
we can make the stranger welcome. No man
should deny me this. And then summon there
the godlike minstrel Demodocus, the man
who has received from god the gift of song
above all others. He can entertain us
with any song his heart prompts him to sing.”
Let’s drag a black ship down into the sea
for her first voyage. Then from the citizens
choose fifty-two young men who in the past
have shown they are the best. Once they’ve all lashed
the oars firmly in place, they’ll come ashore,
go to my house, and quickly make a meal.
I will provide enough for everyone.
That’s what I’m ordering for our young men.
But all you other sceptre-bearing kings
should come to my fine home, so in those halls
we can make the stranger welcome. No man
should deny me this. And then summon there
the godlike minstrel Demodocus, the man
who has received from god the gift of song
above all others. He can entertain us
with any song his heart prompts him to sing.”
下面圖片與資料出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_compass_winds#mediaviewer/File:Aristotle_wind_rose_(45-degree).svg
Aristotle's wind rose (correspondence to modern
compass directions)
Alternative depiction of the wind rose of Aristotle,
on the basis of his his Meteorologica. This depiction assumes that eight winds
are principal winds (45-degrees) and four are half-winds (22.5-degrees) on a
compass rose, and thus their correspondence with modern compass directions (N,
NNE, NE, etc.) This correspondence is one of several interpretations. It is not
necessarily implied in Aristotle's text. (There are other interpretations, e.g.
30-degree angles each.)
.svg.png)
下面圖片與資料出處:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodocus_(Odyssey_character)
Odysseus departs from the Land of the Pheacians.
Painting by Claude Lorrain
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