But when the moving poet
began to tell of other occurrences where Ulysses had been present, the
memory of his brave followers who had been with him in all difficulties,
now swallowed up and lost in the ocean, and of those kings that had fought
with him at Troy, some of whom were dead, some exiles like himself, forced
itself so strongly upon his mind that forgetful where he was he sobbed
outright with passion: which yet he restrained, but not so cunningly but
Alcinous perceived it and without taking notice of it to Ulysses,
privately gave signs that Demodocus should cease from his singing.
Next followed dancing in the Phaeacian fashion, when they would show
respect to their guests; which was succeeded by trials of skill, games of
strength, running, racing, hurling of the quoit, mock fights, hurling of
the javelin, shooting with the bow: in some of which Ulysses modestly
challenging his entertainers, performed such feats of strength and prowess
as gave the admiring Phaeacians fresh reason to imagine that he was either
some god, or hero of the race of the gods.
These solemn shows and pageants in honour of his guest king Alcinous
continued for the space of many days, as if he could never be weary of
showing courtesies to so worthy a stranger. In all this time he never
asked him his name, nor sought to know more of him than he of his own
accord disclosed; till on a day as they were seated feasting, after the
feast was ended, Demodocus being called, as was the custom, to sing some
grave matter, sang how Ulysses, on that night when Troy was fired, made
dreadful proof of his valour, maintaining singly a combat against the
whole household of Deiphobus, to which the divine expresser gave both act
and passion, and breathed such a fire into Ulysses's deeds that it
inspired old death with life in the lively expressing of slaughters, and
rendered life so sweet and passionate in the hearers that all who heard
felt it fleet from them in the narration: which made Ulysses even pity his
own slaughterous deeds, and feel touches of remorse, to see how song can
revive a dead man from the grave, yet no way can it defend a living man
from death; and in imagination he underwent some part of death's horrors,
and felt in his living body a taste of those dying pangs which he had
dealt to others; that with the strong conceit, tears (the true
interpreters of unutterable emotion) stood in his eyes.
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