Odysseus and Nausicaa

Odysseus (Ulysses) landed on the shores of the kingdom of Alcinous by a river where the king's daughter Nausicaa came with her maidens to wash clothes. Odysseus, naked but for a loincloth, creeps out of the bushes and approaches the princess. Her attendants, having finished their work, are making a picnic on the grass. They are startled at the sight.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 13 minutes): Claudio Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ulisse, Act I, Duet of Odysseus and Pallas Athene