He spake, and near Alcinoüs took his place Upon a throne. And now they served the feast To each, and mingled wine. A herald led Thither the gentle bard Demodocus, Whom all the people honored. Him they placed Amidst the assembly, where he leaned against A lofty column. Sage Ulysses then Carved from the broad loin of a white-tusked boar A part, where yet a mass of flesh remained Bordered with fat, and to the herald said:—
“Bear this, O herald, to Demodocus, That he may eat. Him, even in my grief, Will I embrace, for worthily the bards Are honored and revered o’er all the earth By every race of men. The Muse herself Hath taught them song; she loves the minstrel tribe.”
He spake; the herald laid the flesh before Demodocus the hero, who received The gift well pleased. Then all the guests put forth Their hands and shared the viands on the board; And when their thirst and hunger were allayed, Thus to the minstrel sage Ulysses spake:—
“Demodocus, above all other men I give thee praise, for either has the Muse, Jove’s daughter, or Apollo, visited And taught thee. Truly hast thou sung the fate Of the Achaian warriors—what they did And suffered—all their labors as if thou Hadst been among them, or hadst heard the tale From an eyewitness. Now, I pray, proceed, And sing the invention of the wooden horse Made by Epeius with Minerva’s aid, And by the chief Ulysses artfully Conveyed into the Trojan citadel, With armed warriors in its womb to lay The city waste. And I, if thou relate The story rightly, will at once declare To all that largely hath some bounteous god Bestowed on thee the holy gift of song.”
He spake; the poet felt the inspiring god, And sang, beginning where the Argives hurled Firebrands among their tents, and sailed away In their