Original subtitles

(The raft had been adrift for seventeen days now...)

(...a mere toy to winds and currents...)

(...Odysseus could only tell he was bound eastwards, where his homeland was..)

(...on the first days, he had mostly endured loneliness...)

(...but on the tenth day came also thirst...)

(Under the blazing sun, he was afraid to lose his mind...)

(Now it is all over, he thought, I will just sink and die...)

(Blessed are those who fell under the walls of Troy...)

(If I had perished there by spear, I would have at least had a funeral...)

(...and be honored by a glorious death...)

(...but no one will ever know about this miserable end...)

(Finally, on the eighteenth day, a land appeared in the distance...)

(But a new storm was already coming...)

(Poseidon saw him from mount Solymus and his anger rose...)

(He understood the Gods had changed their mind about Odysseus...)

(...and allowed him to land and escape his misfortunes...)

(But Poseidon, still resentful, cast his wrath on him again..)

(The god of the sea gathered the clouds, and stirred up the waves...)

(Then Odysseus knew that his sufferings were not over...)

(Poseidon made the East and South winds blow gusts...)

(Odysseus was hit by a massive wave, and thrown off the raft...)

Listen to mortals blaming the Gods.

They say all their woes come from us...

...while their own madness only worsens their fate.

- Our father, Zeus, son of Chronos...

... my heart breaks for Odysseus who suffers so much...

Aren't you moved by his plight?

Wasn't he dear to you when he made sacrifices on the Trojan plain?

- Athena, my daughter, how would I forget Odysseus...

... who is so above others by his wisdom?

No, it's Poseidon who seeks revenge for his son Polyphemus,

the Cyclops, whom Odysseus had blinded.

He doesn't put him to death, but keeps him far away from his homeland

But if we all here decide that Odysseus returns to Ithaca...

Poseidon will have to smother his wrath, and abide by our will, whatever he thinks.

(...but Athena stopped the winds...)

(...she calmed down the sea, allowing Odysseus to reach the coast.)

(He embraced the land.)

(He said to the river: Lord, I escaped from the sea.)

(Whoever you are, I am in debt do you)

(Have mercy on me.)

(And just like you conceal embers under ashes....)

(...Odysseus covered himself with leaves.)

(Athena gave him a dreamless sleep...)

(... then went to the city to prepare his his arrival.)

(Like a breath, she entered the bedroom of Nausicaa, the daughter of Alcinous...

(... and got into her dream as a young friend of hers.)

- Nausicaa, did your mother raise you to be so careless...

...that you leave the laundry unwashed?

Your wedding day is near, you must look beautiful...

...all the clothes should be sparkling clean.

Many young Phaeacians want you as their wife...

...and shortly, you will marry.

You have to go the river at dawn...

I will go with you and help you, things will go faster...

... you will hitch up the mules and the carriage as soon as you wake up...

...you know the road is long, and the day will be hard...

(Odysseus came out of the bushes, dirty and repulsive...

(... and the maidens ran in terror.)

(Only Nausicaa remained, reminding the dream she had.)

(Odysseus didn't know if he should fall on his knees before her...)

(... or beg her from afar so she wouldn't get scared.)

-Are you a goddess or a woman?

Your beauty makes you a goddess... are you a daughter of Zeus?

-A daughter of Zeus washing laundry in a river?

-Well at least, you didn't flee. You are not afraid of me?

- Afraid? No, why should I be? -So tell me please...

... what is this land? Last night, the waves threw me on this beach...

...and I don't know yet how I survived the sea.

Help me please!

...I have no treachery in my heart, I am not an evil man...

...please believe me, have mercy!

-Wash yourself and get dressed. My servants will help you.

(After he had washed and dressed, Odysseus kept aside on the beach..)

(Nausicaa thought : this man hasn't come to us against the will of the Gods...

(Now he looks alike a god himself)

(How I wish he would stay and live among us!)

Three times blessed are your mother and father...

Three times blessed are your brothers.

But the man most blessed is the one who leads you homewards.

-Would you like to to eat? -Yes.

My name is Nausicaa. What is yours?

This is the land of the Phaeacian people. Fear nothing among us.

- I will take you to my father. - Who is your father?

- Alcinous, king of this people. Do you beware of me? - No, we'll go.

Soon, you must stop following me so close.

- But how shall I find the city? - By yourself, and with ease.

I don't want people saying: "Look at this man following Nausicaa"

"What does she want with this beautiful stranger?"

Some will think I want to marry you, and went to the river on purpose.

Many young Phaeacians would feel hurt in their pride.

What would you think yourself about a young girl...

... in company of a stranger before her wedding ?

Remember, when you come to court...

... you have to implore my mother first!

Oh Athena, daughter of Zeus...

...who used to protect me, but wouldn't hear me in my distress...

...when I was prisoner of the waves, hear me at last,

..and let Alcinous welcome me as a friend.

(Athena listened, with the face of a young girl...)

(... but in order not to offend Poseidon...)

(...she remained unvisible, and just whispered...)

-Go and do not worry. I will guide your steps.

Do not look at anyone, do not ask anything, until you arrive.

Here you are, this is the court of the King...

All are waiting there for you, because your presence was noticed.

Phaeacians are wary of strangers, you have to win their trust.

They will ask you many questions, and watch you with amazement.

Stay courageous and bold.

A bold man overcomes any obstacle, even the unknown.

-My queen, be honored. I have no weapons nor hostile intentions...

... I just beg for your hospitality...

... may the Gods ever be benevolent to you, your husband and your kin.

My queen, in the name of Zeus, I implore your help and mercy...

It was wise to address the queen first. Her name is Arete...

...she is the niece of her husband Alcinous.

They are both related to Poseidon through Periboea...

... the daughter of the former king of the Giants.

Thus they are of divine origin, pray them for your return.

Just be careful and wise, you can fully trust Arete.

She is honored by all for her wisdom and her love of peace.

(Odysseus had eaten nothing for many days...)

(...he repressed his shame, just taking care of his body...)

(...although he was embarassed to eat and drink in front of all...)

(... he knew that his hosts had to measure his distress...)

(...to understand how much he needed their help...)

- Stranger, you were welcomed as a guest from the Gods...

Tell us now who you are, where you come from, and how you arrived here.

- I am a sailor and my homeland is far away...

... many woes have fallen on me. - Alright, but you don't tell your name.

-The name of a shipwrecked man? Without kin or property?

What name does such a man have?

- He seems to be noble and dignified

- You said you were alone? - Yes, my queen.

- Where and when did you strand on our shores?

- Last night, on the beach near the creek..

- And your ship, and your companions? - I have lost all long ago...

- You sailed alone on open sea? -That's right.

-How? - On a raft, for eighteen days...

... I had ran out of food and water, nothing was left

I was despaired until I saw your land.

- Where do you come from, stranger?

Eight years ago, winds and streams pushed me to the land of the sunset...

... a storm wrecked my ship on the island of Ogygia...

... all my companions perished.

I was saved by a goddess, her name is Calypso...

...I am still alive thanks to the care she took of me, ...

... but once I recovered, she would not let me go.

Twenty days ago, for some reason, she released me...

...and let me build a raft.

- You said you wrecked yesterday and came to this court alone...

... where did you get your clothes? This dress belongs to a son of mine.

Who gave it to you?

Well, who gave it to you? - Your daughter.

- Your daughter, whom I met at sunrise on the beach...

... she was the first to pity me.

-My daughter was misled by her youth...

...she should have taken you here and announce your arrival.

- I told her not to...

...so she would not be blamed if my presence had angered you.

- You are mistaken, as Phaeacians don't lose their temper easily.

...but you did take a risk, and this was brave...

Hospitality is not easy for us indeed, as we have faced evil.

We used to live on an island near the Cyclopes...

... they constantly threatened our peace and our lives...

Thus, my father took his people to a place out of reach.

This island. But is it an island ? You will never know, stranger.

We called our land Scheria...

... but gave no names to rivers or mountains,

so no one would know about them...

Isolation is the price for our peace.

A high price, but peace is priceless.

Now you know why we dislike strangers coming without notice.

-Father, I had a dream. -No, your father is right.

- What dream? - A sudden puff of air came to my room...

... I heard the voice of my friend, the helmsman's daughter ...

She said: Nausicaa, why are you careless? The laundry waits unwashed...

... we'll go tomorrow morning and wash it in the river...

So I went to the river, and there I met the stranger...

-Have you had such dreams before? - Never.

-I don't know who you are, but do know that dreams of innocent souls...

...are messages from the Gods.

A god protects you, and wants us to welcome you.

(Alcinous saw that the mysterious guest was not at rest...)

(...he thought his mind was troubled, and decided to tell him about Phaeacia...)

I see you don't sleep Aren't you tired? Resting would be wise.

- The sky of Phaeacia is very clear.

-True, stars are very bright here. Ships cannot go astray ...

-How often have I watched these stars to find my way...

For years, I asked them in vain to bring me back...

- To your homeland?

- Yes. But they did not take me there...

They just tell me that I am not far away.

The inclination of the Big Dipper leaves no doubt .

-You were blessed by the Gods, as accosting our land is dangerous.

... while leaving it is easy. The skill of our sailors is unmatched...

... none was ever lost at sea...

- Why have your ships a stretched hand on their prow?

- It is a warning. They do not bow to those with evil intentions.

- And why was this ship built here? -It is not meant to sail.

Long ago, my father foretold that one day...

our ships will carry home a man cursed by Poseidon...

... and that the god will be angry at us for this.

So this is a sacrificial offering to the mighty lord of the sea.