first, and what last, for many sorrows have the gods laid upon me?
First, I will tell my name, that ye may know it, and that there
may be friendship between us, even when I shall be far away. I am
ULYSSES, SON OF LAERTES. In Ithaca I dwell. Many islands lie about
it, but Ithaca is furthest to the west, and the others face the
sun-rising. Very rugged is this island of Ithaca, but it is the
mother of brave men; verily, there is nothing dearer to a man than
his own country. Calypso, the fair goddess, would have had me
abide with her, to be her husband; but she did not prevail,
because there is nothing that a man loves more than his country
and his parents. But now I will tell thee of all the troubles that
the gods laid upon me as I journeyed from Troy.

"The wind that bare me from Troy brought me to Ismarus [Footnote:
Is'-ma-rus.], which is a city of the Cicones.[Footnote: Ci'-co-
nes.] This I sacked, slaying the people that dwelt therein. But
the people of the city fetched their kinsmen that dwelt in the
mountains, and they overcame us, and drave us to our ships. Six
from each ship perished, but the remainder of us escaped from
death.

"Then we sailed, stricken with grief for our dear comrades, yet
rejoicing that we had escaped from destruction. When we had sailed
a little space, Zeus sent the north wind against us with a mighty
storm, covering with clouds both land and sea, and the ships were
driven before it. So we lowered the sails, and rowed the ships to
the land with all our might. For two days we endured much distress
and sorrow, but on the third, when the morning light appeared, we
hoisted the sails and rested. Then I should have come to my own
country, but the north wind and the sea drave me from my course.