And Odysseus of many counsels answered her saying:  ’Hard is it, goddess, for a mortal man that meets thee to discern thee, howsoever wise he be; for thou takest upon thee every shape.  But this I know well, that of old thou wast kindly to me, so long as we sons of the Achaeans made war in Troy.  But so soon as we had sacked the steep city of Priam and had gone on board our ships, and the god had scattered the Achaeans, thereafter I have never beheld thee, daughter of Zeus, nor seen thee coming on board my ship, to ward off sorrow from me—­but I wandered evermore with a stricken heart, till the gods delivered me from my evil case—­even till the day when, within the fat land of the men of Phaeacia, thou didst comfort me with thy words, and thyself didst lead me to their city.  And now I beseech thee in thy father’s name to tell me:  for I deem not that I am come to clear-seen Ithaca, but I roam over some other land, and methinks that thou speakest thus to mock me and beguile my mind.  Tell me whether in very deed I am come to mine own dear country.’

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, answered him:  ’Yea, such a thought as this is ever in thy breast.  Wherefore I may in no wise leave thee in thy grief, so courteous art thou, so ready of wit and so prudent.  Right gladly would any other man on his return from wandering have hasted to behold his children and his wife in his halls; but thou hast no will to learn or to hear aught, till thou hast furthermore made trial of thy wife, who sits as ever in her halls, and wearily for her the nights wane always and the days, in shedding of tears.  But of this I never doubted, but ever knew it in my heart that thou wouldest come home with the loss of all thy company.  Yet, I tell thee, I had no mind to be at strife with Poseidon, my own father’s brother, who laid up wrath in his heart against thee, being angered at the blinding of his dear son.  But come, and I will show thee the place of the dwelling of Ithaca, that thou mayst be assured.  Lo, here is the haven of Phorcys, the ancient one of the sea, and here at the haven’s head is the olive tree with spreading leaves, and hard by it is the pleasant cave and shadowy, sacred to the nymphs that are called the Naiads.  Yonder, behold, is the roofed cavern, where thou offeredst many an acceptable sacrifice of hecatombs to the nymphs; and lo, this hill is Neriton, all clothed in forest.’

Therewith the goddess scattered the mist, and the land appeared.  Then the steadfast goodly Odysseus was glad rejoicing in his own land, and he kissed the earth, the grain-giver.  And anon he prayed to the nymphs, and lifted up his hands, saying: 

’Ye Naiad nymphs, daughters of Zeus, never did I think to look on you again, but now be ye greeted in my loving prayers:  yea, and gifts as aforetime I will give, if the daughter of Zeus, driver of the spoil, suffer me of her grace myself to live, and bring my dear son to manhood.’

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:  ’Be of good courage, and let not thy heart be careful about these things.  But come, let us straightway set thy goods in the secret place of the wondrous cave, that there they may abide for thee safe.  And let us for ourselves advise us how all may be for the very best.’