Pope's Odyssey of Homer Author:Homer Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE ODYSSEY. BOOK I. ARGUMENT. MINERVA S DESCENT TO ITHACA. The Poem opens within forty-eight days of the arrival of Ulysses in his dominions. He had... more » now remained seven years in the island of Calypso, when the gods assembled in council proposed the method of his departure from thence, and his return to his native country. For this purpose it is concluded to send Mercury to Calypso, and Pallas immediately descends to Ithaca. She holds a conference with Telemachus, in the shape of Mentes, king of the Taphians; in which she advises him to take a journey, in quest of his father Ulysses, to Pylos and Sparta, where Nestor and Menelaus yet reigned; then, after having visibly displayed her divinity, disappears. The suitors of Penelope make great entertainments, and riot in her palace till night. Phemius sings to them the return of the Grecians, till Penelope puts a stop to the song. Some words arise between the suitors and Telemachus, who summons the council to meet the day following. The man, for wisdom's various arts renowned, Long exercised in woes, O Muse ! resound ; Who, when his arms had wrought the destined fall Of sacred Troy, and razed her heaven-built wall, Wandering from clime to clime, observant strayed, Their manners noted, and their states surveyed. On stormy seas unnumbered toils he bore, Safe with his friends to gain his natal shore: Vain toils! their impious folly dared to prey On herds devoted to the god of day ; The god vindictive doomed them never more, Ah, men unblessed ! to touch that natal shore. Oh, snatch some portion of these acts from fate, Celestial Muse ! and to our world relate. Now at their native realms the Greeks arrived ; All who the wars of ten long years survived, And 'scaped the perils of the gulfy main. Ulysses, sole of all the vict...« less