So Odysseus clothed himself as best he could, by winding slender branches covered with leaves about him, and left the thicket where he was hidden. He went in the direction of the voices, stalking along like a great lion. When the girls saw him they shrieked and scattered in every direction. Nausicaä alone stood her ground, for Athena gave her courage. When Odysseus saw her he wondered which would be the better, to throw himself at the feet of the maiden and beg her to give him some clothes and to show him the way to the city, or to speak to her with more formality.
It seemed better to him to remain at a distance, and so he addressed her gently, saying: "O queen, I know not whether thou art a goddess or a woman. If thou art a goddess, I should take thee to be Artemis, because thou art so tall and graceful. If, however, thou art a mortal, thrice happy thy father and honored mother. Greatly must they rejoice when they see their beautiful child in the choral dance. But he will be the happiest who shall win thee for a bride.
"I once saw a young palm-tree growing up beside Apollo's altar in the island of Dēlos. It was the most beautiful tree the earth ever produced, and I gazed upon it with wonder and reverence. So am I amazed at thy beauty, and I fear to approach thee and throw myself as a suppliant at thy feet, although I am in sore distress, for great misfortunes have befallen me.
"It was only last night that I escaped from the sea. On my way from Calypso's isle I was driven about for twenty days by the angry waves in a violent storm. Now some god has cast me on this shore to make me undergo new trials, for I do not believe my sufferings have come to an end. Have pity on me, O queen, because thou art the first human being I have met after so many misfortunes.
"I do not know one person in this country. Show me thy city, I pray, and give me an old robe to wear, no matter how coarse and poor, and may the gods bestow all blessings upon thee."
Nausicaä looked at Odysseus in pity and answered: "Stranger, thou dost not seem to me to be a man of mean birth or breeding, and thou art surely in distress. But it is Zeus who distributes gifts to mortals, both the good and the evil things of life, and thou must submit to his will with patience.
"Since thou hast come into our land devoid of all things, even garments, and art helpless, I will give thee clothing and tell thee the way to the city. And I will tell thee about the people living in it, for I am the daughter of the king, Alkinoös, who reigns over this island." When Nausicaä had spoken thus to Odysseus, she turned to her maids and commanded them not to flee from the wanderer, but to bring him food and drink, since Zeus sent the poor and the stranger to be cared for.
And she told them to lead him to some lonely spot by the side of the river, where he might bathe at his ease. So the maids came back and led the hero to a sheltered place and laid a cloak and tunic on the sand, and the bottle of oil which the queen had given Nausicaä, that Odysseus might anoint and clothe himself after his bath; then they ran back to the princess.
Odysseus bathed in the fresh water of the river and washed the salt sea-foam from his hair, and when the bath was over he put on the robes that Nausicaä had sent. Athena shed a halo of beauty over him and caused him to look taller and stronger than before.
As he walked along the beach to rejoin the maidens, they admired his noble and kingly bearing, and Nausicaä said to her maids: "Surely this man does not come among our godlike brothers against the will of the gods. I thought him rough and homely, but now he seems like one of the immortals. I would that I might call a man like him my husband. Make haste to give him food and wine, for he has fasted a long time."