In the end he deemed it best to
take to the woods, and he found one upon some high ground not far
from the water. There he crept beneath two shoots of olive that grew
from a single stock - the one ungrafted, while the other had been
grafted. No wind, however squally, could break through the cover they
afforded, nor could the sun's rays pierce them, nor the rain get
through them, so closely did they grow into one another. Odysseus
crept under these and began to make himself a bed to lie on, for
there was a great litter of dead leaves lying about - enough to make
a covering for two or three men even in hard winter weather. He was
glad enough to see this, so he laid himself down and heaped the
leaves all round him. Then, as one who lives alone in the country,
far from any neighbor, hides a brand as fire-seed in the ashes to
save himself from having to get a light elsewhere, even so did
Odysseus cover himself up with leaves; and Athena shed a sweet sleep
upon his eyes, closed his eyelids, and made him lose all memories of
his sorrows .
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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