Odyssey by Homer Book 8 Song 1–The King’s Assembly|Alcinous Calls His People to Honor [Lyric Video]

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At dawn, Alcinous rose and called the elders to assembly. Word spread quickly, and the men gathered in the square. Athena, moving among them in human guise, stirred their hearts to honor the stranger.
Alcinous stood and spoke:
“Friends and counselors, here is a man who has wandered far. Let us give him food, and tomorrow we will launch a ship to carry him home. But today, let us entertain him with games and song, so he may know the honor of the Phaeacians.”
All agreed, and they returned to the halls.

📖 MODERN REINTERPRETATION
This chapter becomes a portrait of leadership that doesn’t posture — it anchors. Alcinous shows what it means to rule by steadiness rather than spectacle, summoning his people not to display power but to renew the shared vow that defines them: hospitality as sacred duty.
In a modern light, this reads like a council meeting that shapes community identity. The Phaeacians aren’t responding out of pity but tradition, almost like a cultural muscle memory. “A guest is a god’s possibility,” their actions seem to say. This song marks the beginning of Odysseus being truly seen, even before he reveals who he is. It’s the first time in the Odyssey he receives unconditional help.
This moment sets the stage for celebration, storytelling, athletic challenge, and the slow unfolding of his name.

CLEANED LYRICS

Now dawn in rose-gold brushed the halls,
And the king stood tall before them all.
He raised his hand, he made his vow—
“Let none forget what honor allows.”

“Hear me, captains, hear me, kin—
A wanderer stands where we begin.
No name he gives, no tale he’s told,
But he wears the weight of storm and cold.
From far he comes, by sea undone—
Shall we not send him toward the sun?”

Let no man turn the stranger bare—
The gods walk cloaked, for all we swear.
Give oars, give sail, give harbor rest—
The guest’s own grief becomes our test.

We are the sons of the water’s path,
Builders of silence, breakers of wrath.
Who comes in peace shall not be harmed—
Our ships are fast, our hearts are armed.
By Zeus who watches suppliant men—
We send him safely home again.

They rose as one from marble seat,
Their sandals drummed in rhythmic beat.
To Alcinous’ halls they made their way—
Where oxen bled for feast and day.
Demodocus, the blind was called,
To sing where silence once enthralled.

“Who comes with nothing but his name—
Shall leave with gold and without shame.
Our law is carved in tide and sky—
The stranger lives, or we defy.”

Send him swift across the foam—
Rowers strong and winds to roam.
Build the ship, prepare the wine—
Peace be his, by hand divine.

So the vow was made at morning’s height—
A stranger cloaked, a hall in light.
Before his name was ever known—
The Phaeacians claimed him as their own.

🕯️ Credits
All music, lyrics, and visuals by Seraphina Stardust and The School of Echoes.

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