On the Cave of the Nymphs in the Thirteenth Book of the Odyssey - From the Greek of Porphyry #225223

1. What does Homer obscurely signify by the cave in Ithaca, which he describes in the following verses?<br><br>"High at the head a branching olive grows<br>And crowns the pointed cliffs with shady boughs.<br>A cavern pleasant, though involved in night,<br>Beneath it lies, the Naiades' delight:<br>Where bowls and urns of workmanship divine<br>And massy beams in native marble shine;<br>On which the Nymphs amazing webs display,<br>Of purple hue and exquisite array.<br>The busy bees within the urns secure<br>Honey delicious, and like nectar pure.<br>Perpetual waters through the grotto glide,<br>A lofty gate unfolds on either side;<br>That to the north is pervious to mankind:<br>The sacred south t'immortals is consign'd."