Still, I suppose I must count my goods and see if the crew have gone off with any of them." He counted his goodly coppers and cauldrons, his gold and all his clothes, but there was nothing missing; still he kept grieving about not being in his own country, and wandered up and down by the shore of the sounding sea bewailing his hard fate. Then Minerva came up to him disguised as a young shepherd of delicate and princely mien, with a good cloak folded double about her shoulders; she had sandals on her comely feet and held a javelin in her hand. Ulysses was glad when he saw her, and went straight up to her. "My friend," said he, "you are the first person whom I have met with in this country; I salute you, therefore, and beg you to be well disposed towards me. Protect these my goods, and myself too, for I embrace your knees and pray to you as though you were a god. Tell me, then, and tell me truly, what land and country is this? Who are its inhabitants? Am I on an island, or is this the sea board of some continent?" Minerva answered, "Stranger, you must be very simple, or must have come from somewhere a long way off, not to know what country this is. It is a very celebrated place, and everybody knows it East and West. It is rugged and not a good driving country, but it is by no means a bad island for what there is of it.

ἀλλ΄ ἄγε δὴ τὰ χρήματ΄ ἀριθμήσω καὶ ἴδωμαι͵ μή τί μοι οἴχωνται κοίλης ἐπὶ νηὸς ἄγοντες. ὣς εἰπὼν τρίποδας περικαλλέας ἠδὲ λέβητας ἠρίθμει καὶ χρυσὸν ὑφαντά τε εἵματα καλά. τῶν μὲν ἄρ΄ οὔ τι πόθει· ὁ δ΄ ὀδύρετο πατρίδα γαῖαν ἑρπύζων παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης͵ πόλλ΄ ὀλοφυρόμενος. σχεδόθεν δέ οἱ ἦλθεν Ἀθήνη͵ ἀνδρὶ δέμας εἰκυῖα νέῳ͵ ἐπιβώτορι μήλων͵ παναπάλῳ͵ οἷοί τε ἀνάκτων παῖδες ἔασι͵ δίπτυχον ἀμφ΄ ὤμοισιν ἔχουσ΄ εὐεργέα λώπην· ποσσὶ δ΄ ὑπὸ λιπαροῖσι πέδιλ΄ ἔχε͵ χερσὶ δ΄ ἄκοντα. τὴν δ΄ Ὀδυσσεὺς γήθησεν ἰδὼν καὶ ἐναντίος ἦλθε καί μιν φωνήσας ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· ὦ φίλ΄͵ ἐπεί σε πρῶτα κιχάνω τῷδ΄ ἐνὶ χώρῳ͵ χαῖρέ τε καὶ μή μοί τι κακῷ νόῳ ἀντιβολήσαις͵ ἀλλὰ σάω μὲν ταῦτα͵ σάω δ΄ ἐμέ· σοὶ γὰρ ἐγώ γε εὔχομαι ὥς τε θεῷ καί σευ φίλα γούναθ΄ ἱκάνω. καί μοι τοῦτ΄ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον͵ ὄφρ΄ ἐῢ εἰδῶ· τίς γῆ͵ τίς δῆμος͵ τίνες ἀνέρες ἐγγεγάασιν; ἤ πού τις νήσων εὐδείελος͵ ἦέ τις ἀκτὴ κεῖθ΄ ἁλὶ κεκλιμένη ἐριβώλακος ἠπείροιο; τὸν δ΄ αὖτε προσέειπε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· νήπιός εἰς͵ ὦ ξεῖν΄͵ ἢ τηλόθεν εἰλήλουθας͵ εἰ δὴ τήνδε τε γαῖαν ἀνείρεαι. οὐδέ τι λίην οὕτω νώνυμός ἐστιν· ἴσασι δέ μιν μάλα πολλοί͵ ἠμὲν ὅσοι ναίουσι πρὸς ἠῶ τ΄ ἠέλιόν τε͵ ἠδ΄ ὅσσοι μετόπισθε ποτὶ ζόφον ἠερόεντα. ἦ τοι μὲν τρηχεῖα καὶ οὐχ ἱππήλατός ἐστιν οὐδὲ λίην λυπρή͵ ἀτὰρ οὐδ΄ εὐρεῖα τέτυκται.