The Odyssey
rendered into English prose
for the use of those who
cannot read the original
By Samuel Butler
Preface to First Edition
This translation is intended to supplement a work entitled "The
Authoress of the Odyssey", which I published in 1897. I could
not give the whole "Odyssey" in that book without making it
unwieldy, I therefore epitomised my translation, which was
already completed and which I now publish in full.
I shall not here argue the two main points dealt with in the work
just mentioned; I have nothing either to add to, or to withdraw from,
what I have there written. The points in question are:
(1) that the "Odyssey" was written entirely at, and drawn
entirely from, the place now called Trapani on the West Coast of
Sicily, alike as regards the Phaeacian and the Ithaca scenes;
while the voyages of Ulysses, when once he is within easy reach
of Sicily, solve themselves into a periplus of the island,
practically from Trapani back to Trapani, via the Lipari islands,
the Straits of Messina, and the island of Pantellaria;
(2) That the poem was entirely written by a very young woman,
who lived at the place now called Trapani, and introduced
herself into her work under the name of Nausicaa.
The main arguments on which I base the first of these somewhat
startling contentions, have been prominently and repeatedly
before the English and Italian public ever since they appeared
(without rejoinder) in the "Athenaeum" for January 30 and
February 20, 1892. Both contentions were urged (also without
rejoinder) in the Johnian "Eagle" for the Lent and October terms
of the same year. Nothing to which I should reply has reached me
from any quarter, and knowing how anxiously I have endeavoured
to learn the existence of any flaws in my argument, I begin to
feel some confidence that, did such flaws exist, I should have
heard, at any rate about some of them, before now. Without,
therefore, for a moment pretending to think that scholars
generally acquiesce in my conclusions, I shall act as thinking
them little likely so to gainsay me as that it will be incumbent
upon me to reply, and shall confine myself to translating the
"Odyssey" for English readers, with such notes as I think will
be found useful. Among these I would especially call attention
to one on xxii. 465-473 which Lord Grimthorpe has kindly allowed
me to make public.
I have repeated several of the illustrations used in "The
Authoress of the Odyssey", and have added two which I hope may
bring the outer court of Ulysses' house more vividly before the
reader. I should like to explain that the presence of a man and
a dog in one illustration is accidental, and was not observed by
me till I developed the negative. In an appendix I have also
reprinted the paragraphs explanatory of the plan of Ulysses'
house, together with the plan itself. The reader is recommended
to study this plan with some attention.
In the preface to my translation of the "Iliad" I have given my
views as to the main principles by which a translator should be
guided, and need not repeat them here, beyond pointing out that
the initial liberty of translating poetry into prose involves
the continual taking of more or less liberty throughout the
translation; for much that is right in poetry is wrong in prose,
and the exigencies of readable prose are the first things to be
considered in a prose translation. That the reader, however, may
see how far I have departed from strict construe, I will print
here Messrs. Butcher and Lang's translation of the sixty lines
or so of the "Odyssey." Their translation runs:
Tell me, Muse, of that man, so ready at need, who wandered
far and wide, after he had sacked the sacred citadel of
Troy, and many were the men whose towns he saw and whose
mind he learnt, yea, and many the woes he suffered in his
heart on the deep, striving to win his own life and the
return of his company. Nay, but even so he saved not his
company, though he desired it sore. For through the
blindness of their own hearts they perished, fools, who
devoured the oxen of Helios Hyperion: but the god took from
them their day of returning. Of these things, goddess,
daughter of Zeus, whencesoever thou hast heard thereof,
declare thou even unto us.
Now all the rest, as many as fled from sheer destruction,
were at home, and had escaped both war and sea, but
Odysseus only, craving for his wife and for his homeward
path, the lady nymph Calypso held, that fair goddess, in her
hollow caves, longing to have him for her lord. But when
now the year had come in the courses of the seasons,
wherein the gods had ordained that he should return home to
Ithaca, not even there was he quit of labours, not even
among his own; but all the gods had pity on him save
Poseidon, who raged continually against godlike Odysseus,
till he came to his own country. Howbeit Poseidon had now
departed for the distant Ethiopians, the Ethiopians that are
sundered in twain, the uttermost of men, abiding some where
Hyperion sinks and some where he rises. There he looked to
receive his hecatomb of bulls and rams, there he made merry
sitting at the feast, but the other gods were gathered in
the halls of Olympian Zeus. Then among them the father of
men and gods began to speak, for he bethought him in his
heart of noble Aegisthus, whom the son of Agamemnon,
far-famed Orestes, slew. Thinking upon him he spake out among
the Immortals:
'Lo you now, how vainly mortal men do blame the gods! For of
us they say comes evil, whereas they even of themselves,
through the blindness of their own hearts, have sorrows
beyond that which is ordained. Even as of late Aegisthus,
beyond that which was ordained, took to him the wedded wife
of the son of Atreus, and killed her lord on his return,
and that with sheer doom before his eyes, since we had
warned him by the embassy of Hermes the keen-sighted, the
slayer of Argos, that he should neither kill the man, nor
woo his wife. For the son of Atreus shall be avenged at the
hand of Orestes, so soon as he shall come to man's estate
and long for his own country. So spake Hermes, yet he
prevailed not on the heart of Aegisthus, for all his good
will; but now hath he paid one price for all.'
And the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, answered him, saying: 'O
father, our father Cronides, throned in the highest; that
man assuredly lies in a death that is his due; so perish
likewise all who work such deeds! But my heart is rent for
wise Odysseus, the hapless one, who far from his friends
this long while suffereth affliction in a sea-girt isle,
where is the navel of the sea, a woodland isle, and
therein a goddess hath her habitation, the daughter of the
wizard Atlas, who knows the depths of every sea, and
himself upholds the tall pillars which keep earth and sky
asunder. His daughter it is that holds the hapless man in
sorrow: and ever with soft and guileful tales she is
wooing him to forgetfulness of Ithaca. But Odysseus
yearning to see if it were but the smoke leap upwards from
his own land, hath a desire to die. As for thee, thine
heart regardeth it not at all, Olympian! What! Did not
Odysseus by the ships of the Argives make thee free
offering of sacrifice in the wide Trojan land? Wherefore
wast thou then so wroth with him, O Zeus?'
The "Odyssey" (as every one knows) abounds in passages borrowed
from the "Iliad"; I had wished to print these in a slightly
different type, with marginal references to the "Iliad," and had
marked them to this end in my MS. I found, however, that the
translation would be thus hopelessly scholasticised, and
abandoned my intention. I would nevertheless urge on those who
have the management of our University presses, that they would
render a great service to students if they would publish a Greek
text of the "Odyssey" with the Iliadic passages printed in a
different type, and with marginal references. I have given the
British Museum a copy of the "Odyssey" with the Iliadic passages
underlined and referred to in MS.; I have also given an "Iliad"
marked with all the Odyssean passages, and their references; but
copies of both the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" so marked ought to be
within easy reach of all students.
Any one who at the present day discusses the questions that have
arisen round the "Iliad" since Wolf's time, without keeping it
well before his reader's mind that the "Odyssey" was
demonstrably written from one single neighbourhood, and hence
(even though nothing else pointed to this conclusion) presumably
by one person only--that it was written certainly before 750,
and in all probability before 1000 B.C.--that the writer of this
very early poem was demonstrably familiar with the "Iliad" as we
now have it, borrowing as freely from those books whose
genuineness has been most impugned, as from those which are
admitted to be by Homer--any one who fails to keep these
points before his readers, is hardly dealing equitably by
them. Any one on the other hand, who will mark his "Iliad" and
his "Odyssey " from the copies in the British Museum above
referred to, and who will draw the only inference that common
sense can draw from the presence of so many identical passages
in both poems, will, I believe, find no difficulty in assigning
their proper value to a large number of books here and on the
Continent that at present enjoy considerable reputations.
Furthermore, and this perhaps is an advantage better worth
securing, he will find that many puzzles of the "Odyssey" cease
to puzzle him on the discovery that they arise from
over-saturation with the "Iliad."
Other difficulties will also disappear as soon as the
development of the poem in the writer's mind is understood. I
have dealt with this at some length in pp. 251-261 of "The
Authoress of the Odyssey". Briefly, the "Odyssey" consists of
two distinct poems: (1) The Return of Ulysses, which alone the
Muse is asked to sing in the opening lines of the poem. This
poem includes the Phaeacian episode, and the account of Ulysses'
adventures as told by himself in Books ix.-xii. It consists of
lines 1-79 (roughly) of Book i., of line 28 of Book v., and
thence without intermission to the middle of line 187 of Book
xiii., at which point the original scheme was abandoned.
(2) The story of Penelope and the suitors, with the episode of
Telemachus' voyage to Pylos. This poem begins with line 80
(roughly) of Book i., is continued to the end of Book iv., and
not resumed till Ulysses wakes in the middle of line 187, Book
xiii., from whence it continues to the end of Book xxiv.
In "The Authoress of the Odyssey", I wrote:
the introduction of lines xi., 115-137 and of line ix.,
535, with the writing a new council of the gods at the
beginning of Book v., to take the place of the one that was
removed to Book i., 1-79, were the only things that were
done to give even a semblance of unity to the old scheme
and the new, and to conceal the fact that the Muse, after
being asked to sing of one subject, spend two-thirds of her
time in singing a very different one, with a climax for
which no-one has asked her. For roughly the Return occupies
eight Books, and Penelope and the Suitors sixteen.
I believe this to be substantially correct.
Lastly, to deal with a very unimportant point, I observe that
the Leipsic Teubner edition of 894 makes Books ii. and iii. end
with a comma. Stops are things of such far more recent date
than the "Odyssey," that there does not seem much use in
adhering to the text in so small a matter; still, from a spirit
of mere conservatism, I have preferred to do so. Why [Greek] at
the beginnings of Books ii. and viii., and [Greek], at the
beginning of Book vii. should have initial capitals in an
edition far too careful to admit a supposition of inadvertence,
when [Greek] at the beginning of Books vi. and xiii., and
[Greek] at the beginning of Book xvii. have no initial
capitals, I cannot determine. No other Books of the "Odyssey"
have initial capitals except the three mentioned unless the
first word of the Book is a proper name.
S. BUTLER.
July 25, 1900.
Preface to Second Edition
Butler's Translation of the "Odyssey" appeared originally in
1900, and The Authoress of the Odyssey in 1897. In the preface
to the new edition of "The Authoress", which is published
simultaneously with this new edition of the Translation, I have
given some account of the genesis of the two books.
The size of the original page has been reduced so as to make
both books uniform with Butler's other works; and, fortunately,
it has been possible, by using a smaller type, to get the
same number of words into each page, so that the references
remain good, and, with the exception of a few minor alterations
and rearrangements now to be enumerated so far as they affect
the Translation, the new editions are faithful reprints of the
original editions, with misprints and obvious errors corrected--
no attempt having been made to edit them or to bring them up
to date.
(a) The Index has been revised.
(b) Owing to the reduction in the size of the page it has been
necessary to shorten some of the headlines, and here advantage
has been taken of various corrections of and additions to the
headlines and shoulder-notes made by Butler in his own copies
of the two books.
(c) For the most part each of the illustrations now occupies
a page, whereas in the original editions they generally appeared
two on the page. It has been necessary to reduce the plan of
the House of Ulysses.
On page 153 of "The Authoress" Butler says: "No great poet
would compare his hero to a paunch full of blood and fat,
cooking before the fire (xx, 24-28)." This passage is not given
in the abridged Story of the "Odyssey" at the beginning of the
book, but in the Translation it occurs in these words:
"Thus he chided with his heart, and checked it into endurance,
but he tossed about as one who turns a paunch full of blood and fat
in front of a hot fire, doing it first on one side then on the other,
that he may get it cooked as soon as possible; even so did he turn
himself about from side to side, thinking all the time how, single-
handed as he was, he should contrive to kill so large a body of men
as the wicked suitors."
It looks as though in the interval between the publication of
"The Authoress" (1897) and of the Translation (1900) Butler had
changed his mind; for in the first case the comparison is between
Ulysses and a paunch full, etc., and in the second it is between
Ulysses and a man who turns a paunch full, etc. The second
comparison is perhaps one which a great poet might make.
In seeing the works through the press I have had the invaluable
assistance of Mr. A. T. Bartholomew of the University Library,
Cambridge, and of Mr. Donald S. Robertson, Fellow of Trinity
College, Cambridge. To both these friends I give my most
cordial thanks for the care and skill exercised by them. Mr.
Robertson has found time for the labour of checking and
correcting all the quotations from and references to the "Iliad"
and "Odyssey," and I believe that it could not have been
better performed. It was, I know, a pleasure for him; and it
would have been a pleasure also for Butler if he could have
known that his work was being shepherded by the son of his old
friend, Mr. H. R. Robertson, who more than half a century ago
was a fellow-student with him at Cary's School of Art in
Streatham Street, Bloomsbury.
HENRY FESTING JONES.
120 MAIDA VALE, W.9.
4th December, 1921.
The Odyssey
Book I
THE GODS IN COUNCIL--MIVERVA'S VISIT TO ITHACA--THE CHALLENGE
FROM TELEMACHUS TO THE SUITORS.
Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and
wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities
did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and
customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea
while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home;
but do what he might he could not save his men, for they
perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of
the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever
reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, oh daughter
of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them.
So now all who escaped death in battle or by shipwreck had got
safely home except Ulysses, and he, though he was longing to
return to his wife and country, was detained by the goddess
Calypso, who had got him into a large cave and wanted to marry
him. But as years went by, there came a time when the gods
settled that he should go back to Ithaca; even then, however,
when he was among his own people, his troubles were not yet
over; nevertheless all the gods had now begun to pity him except
Neptune, who still persecuted him without ceasing and would not
let him get home.
Now Neptune had gone off to the Ethiopians, who are at the
world's end, and lie in two halves, the one looking West and the
other East. {1} He had gone there to accept a hecatomb of sheep
and oxen, and was enjoying himself at his festival; but the
other gods met in the house of Olympian Jove, and the sire of
gods and men spoke first. At that moment he was thinking of
Aegisthus, who had been killed by Agamemnon's son Orestes; so he
said to the other gods:
"See now, how men lay blame upon us gods for what is after all
nothing but their own folly. Look at Aegisthus; he must needs
make love to Agamemnon's wife unrighteously and then kill
Agamemnon, though he knew it would be the death of him; for I
sent Mercury to warn him not to do either of these things,
inasmuch as Orestes would be sure to take his revenge when he
grew up and wanted to return home. Mercury told him this in all
good will but he would not listen, and now he has paid for
everything in full."
Then Minerva said, "Father, son of Saturn, King of kings, it
served Aegisthus right, and so it would any one else who does as
he did; but Aegisthus is neither here nor there; it is for
Ulysses that my heart bleeds, when I think of his sufferings in
that lonely sea-girt island, far away, poor man, from all his
friends. It is an island covered with forest, in the very middle
of the sea, and a goddess lives there, daughter of the magician
Atlas, who looks after the bottom of the ocean, and carries the
great columns that keep heaven and earth asunder. This daughter
of Atlas has got hold of poor unhappy Ulysses, and keeps trying
by every kind of blandishment to make him forget his home, so
that he is tired of life, and thinks of nothing but how he may
once more see the smoke of his own chimneys. You, sir, take no
heed of this, and yet when Ulysses was before Troy did he not
propitiate you with many a burnt sacrifice? Why then should you
keep on being so angry with him?"
And Jove said, "My child, what are you talking about? How can I
forget Ulysses than whom there is no more capable man on earth,
nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live
in heaven? Bear in mind, however, that Neptune is still furious
with Ulysses for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus king of the
Cyclopes. Polyphemus is son to Neptune by the nymph Thoosa,
daughter to the sea-king Phorcys; therefore though he will not
kill Ulysses outright, he torments him by preventing him from
getting home. Still, let us lay our heads together and see how
we can help him to return; Neptune will then be pacified, for if
we are all of a mind he can hardly stand out against us."
And Minerva said, "Father, son of Saturn, King of kings, if,
then, the gods now mean that Ulysses should get home, we should
first send Mercury to the Ogygian island to tell Calypso that we
have made up our minds and that he is to return. In the meantime
I will go to Ithaca, to put heart into Ulysses' son Telemachus;
I will embolden him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak
out to the suitors of his mother Penelope, who persist in eating
up any number of his sheep and oxen; I will also conduct him to
Sparta and to Pylos, to see if he can hear anything about the
return of his dear father--for this will make people speak well
of him."
So saying she bound on her glittering golden sandals,
imperishable, with which she can fly like the wind over land or
sea; she grasped the redoubtable bronze-shod spear, so stout and
sturdy and strong, wherewith she quells the ranks of heroes who
have displeased her, and down she darted from the topmost
summits of Olympus, whereon forthwith she was in Ithaca, at the
gateway of Ulysses' house, disguised as a visitor, Mentes, chief
of the Taphians, and she held a bronze spear in her hand. There
she found the lordly suitors seated on hides of the oxen which
they had killed and eaten, and playing draughts in front of the
house. Men-servants and pages were bustling about to wait upon
them, some mixing wine with water in the mixing-bowls, some
cleaning down the tables with wet sponges and laying them out
again, and some cutting up great quantities of meat.
Telemachus saw her long before any one else did. He was sitting
moodily among the suitors thinking about his brave father, and
how he would send them flying out of the house, if he were to
come to his own again and be honoured as in days gone by. Thus
brooding as he sat among them, he caught sight of Minerva and
went straight to the gate, for he was vexed that a stranger
should be kept waiting for admittance. He took her right hand
in his own, and bade her give him her spear. "Welcome," said
he, "to our house, and when you have partaken of food you shall
tell us what you have come for."
He led the way as he spoke, and Minerva followed him. When they
were within he took her spear and set it in the spear-stand
against a strong bearing-post along with the many other spears
of his unhappy father, and he conducted her to a richly
decorated seat under which he threw a cloth of damask. There was
a footstool also for her feet,{2} and he set another seat near
her for himself, away from the suitors, that she might not be
annoyed while eating by their noise and insolence, and that he
might ask her more freely about his father.
A maid servant then brought them water in a beautiful golden
ewer and poured it into a silver basin for them to wash their
hands, and she drew a clean table beside them. An upper servant
brought them bread, and offered them many good things of what
there was in the house, the carver fetched them plates of all
manner of meats and set cups of gold by their side, and a
manservant brought them wine and poured it out for them.
Then the suitors came in and took their places on the benches
and seats. {3} Forthwith men servants poured water over their
hands, maids went round with the bread-baskets, pages filled the
mixing-bowls with wine and water, and they laid their hands upon
the good things that were before them. As soon as they had had
enough to eat and drink they wanted music and dancing, which are
the crowning embellishments of a banquet, so a servant brought a
lyre to Phemius, whom they compelled perforce to sing to them.
As soon as he touched his lyre and began to sing Telemachus
spoke low to Minerva, with his head close to hers that no man
might hear.
"I hope, sir," said he, "that you will not be offended with what
I am going to say. Singing comes cheap to those who do not pay
for it, and all this is done at the cost of one whose bones lie
rotting in some wilderness or grinding to powder in the surf. If
these men were to see my father come back to Ithaca they would
pray for longer legs rather than a longer purse, for money would
not serve them; but he, alas, has fallen on an ill fate, and
even when people do sometimes say that he is coming, we no
longer heed them; we shall never see him again. And now, sir,
tell me and tell me true, who you are and where you come from.
Tell me of your town and parents, what manner of ship you came
in, how your crew brought you to Ithaca, and of what nation they
declared themselves to be--for you cannot have come by land.
Tell me also truly, for I want to know, are you a stranger to
this house, or have you been here in my father's time? In the
old days we had many visitors for my father went about much
himself."
And Minerva answered, "I will tell you truly and particularly
all about it. I am Mentes, son of Anchialus, and I am King of
the Taphians. I have come here with my ship and crew, on a
voyage to men of a foreign tongue being bound for Temesa {4}
with a cargo of iron, and I shall bring back copper. As for my
ship, it lies over yonder off the open country away from the
town, in the harbour Rheithron {5} under the wooded mountain
Neritum. {6} Our fathers were friends before us, as old Laertes
will tell you, if you will go and ask him. They say, however,
that he never comes to town now, and lives by himself in the
country, faring hardly, with an old woman to look after him and
get his dinner for him, when he comes in tired from pottering
about his vineyard. They told me your father was at home again,
and that was why I came, but it seems the gods are still keeping
him back, for he is not dead yet not on the mainland. It is more
likely he is on some sea-girt island in mid ocean, or a prisoner
among savages who are detaining him against his will. I am no
prophet, and know very little about omens, but I speak as it is
borne in upon me from heaven, and assure you that he will not be
away much longer; for he is a man of such resource that even
though he were in chains of iron he would find some means of
getting home again. But tell me, and tell me true, can Ulysses
really have such a fine looking fellow for a son? You are indeed
wonderfully like him about the head and eyes, for we were close
friends before he set sail for Troy where the flower of all the
Argives went also. Since that time we have never either of us
seen the other."
"My mother," answered Telemachus, tells me I am son to Ulysses,
but it is a wise child that knows his own father. Would that I
were son to one who had grown old upon his own estates, for,
since you ask me, there is no more ill-starred man under heaven
than he who they tell me is my father."
And Minerva said, "There is no fear of your race dying out yet,
while Penelope has such a fine son as you are. But tell me, and
tell me true, what is the meaning of all this feasting, and who
are these people? What is it all about? Have you some banquet,
or is there a wedding in the family--for no one seems to be
bringing any provisions of his own? And the guests--how
atrociously they are behaving; what riot they make over the
whole house; it is enough to disgust any respectable person who
comes near them."
"Sir," said Telemachus, "as regards your question, so long as my
father was here it was well with us and with the house, but the
gods in their displeasure have willed it otherwise, and have
hidden him away more closely than mortal man was ever yet
hidden. I could have borne it better even though he were dead,
if he had fallen with his men before Troy, or had died with
friends around him when the days of his fighting were done; for
then the Achaeans would have built a mound over his ashes, and I
should myself have been heir to his renown; but now the
storm-winds have spirited him away we know not whither; he is
gone without leaving so much as a trace behind him, and I
inherit nothing but dismay. Nor does the matter end simply with
grief for the loss of my father; heaven has laid sorrows upon me
of yet another kind; for the chiefs from all our islands,
Dulichium, Same, and the woodland island of Zacynthus, as also
all the principal men of Ithaca itself, are eating up my house
under the pretext of paying their court to my mother, who will
neither point blank say that she will not marry, {7} nor yet
bring matters to an end; so they are making havoc of my estate,
and before long will do so also with myself."
"Is that so?" exclaimed Minerva, "then you do indeed want
Ulysses home again. Give him his helmet, shield, and a couple of
lances, and if he is the man he was when I first knew him in our
house, drinking and making merry, he would soon lay his hands
about these rascally suitors, were he to stand once more upon
his own threshold. He was then coming from Ephyra, where he had
been to beg poison for his arrows from Ilus, son of Mermerus.
Ilus feared the ever-living gods and would not give him any, but
my father let him have some, for he was very fond of him. If
Ulysses is the man he then was these suitors will have a short
shrift and a sorry wedding.
"But there! It rests with heaven to determine whether he is to
return, and take his revenge in his own house or no; I would,
however, urge you to set about trying to get rid of these
suitors at once. Take my advice, call the Achaean heroes in
assembly to-morrow morning--lay your case before them, and call
heaven to bear you witness. Bid the suitors take themselves off,
each to his own place, and if your mother's mind is set on
marrying again, let her go back to her father, who will find her
a husband and provide her with all the marriage gifts that so
dear a daughter may expect. As for yourself, let me prevail upon
you to take the best ship you can get, with a crew of twenty
men, and go in quest of your father who has so long been
missing. Some one may tell you something, or (and people often
hear things in this way) some heaven-sent message may direct
you. First go to Pylos and ask Nestor; thence go on to Sparta
and visit Menelaus, for he got home last of all the Achaeans; if
you hear that your father is alive and on his way home, you can
put up with the waste these suitors will make for yet another
twelve months. If on the other hand you hear of his death, come
home at once, celebrate his funeral rites with all due pomp,
build a barrow to his memory, and make your mother marry again.
Then, having done all this, think it well over in your mind how,
by fair means or foul, you may kill these suitors in your own
house. You are too old to plead infancy any longer; have you not
heard how people are singing Orestes' praises for having killed
his father's murderer Aegisthus? You are a fine, smart looking
fellow; show your mettle, then, and make yourself a name in
story. Now, however, I must go back to my ship and to my crew,
who will be impatient if I keep them waiting longer; think the
matter over for yourself, and remember what I have said to you."
"Sir," answered Telemachus, "it has been very kind of you to
talk to me in this way, as though I were your own son, and I
will do all you tell me; I know you want to be getting on with
your voyage, but stay a little longer till you have taken a bath
and refreshed yourself. I will then give you a present, and you
shall go on your way rejoicing; I will give you one of great
beauty and value--a keepsake such as only dear friends give to
one another."
Minerva answered, "Do not try to keep me, for I would be on my
way at once. As for any present you may be disposed to make me,
keep it till I come again, and I will take it home with me. You
shall give me a very good one, and I will give you one of no
less value in return."
With these words she flew away like a bird into the air, but she
had given Telemachus courage, and had made him think more than
ever about his father. He felt the change, wondered at it, and
knew that the stranger had been a god, so he went straight to
where the suitors were sitting.
Phemius was still singing, and his hearers sat rapt in silence
as he told the sad tale of the return from Troy, and the ills
Minerva had laid upon the Achaeans. Penelope, daughter of
Icarius, heard his song from her room upstairs, and came down by
the great staircase, not alone, but attended by two of her
handmaids. When she reached the suitors she stood by one of the
bearing posts that supported the roof of the cloisters {8} with
a staid maiden on either side of her. She held a veil, moreover,
before her face, and was weeping bitterly.
"Phemius," she cried, "you know many another feat of gods and
heroes, such as poets love to celebrate. Sing the suitors some
one of these, and let them drink their wine in silence, but
cease this sad tale, for it breaks my sorrowful heart, and
reminds me of my lost husband whom I mourn ever without ceasing,
and whose name was great over all Hellas and middle Argos." {9}
"Mother," answered Telemachus, "let the bard sing what he has a
mind to; bards do not make the ills they sing of; it is Jove,
not they, who makes them, and who sends weal or woe upon mankind
according to his own good pleasure. This fellow means no harm by
singing the ill-fated return of the Danaans, for people always
applaud the latest songs most warmly. Make up your mind to it
and bear it; Ulysses is not the only man who never came back
from Troy, but many another went down as well as he. Go, then,
within the house and busy yourself with your daily duties, your
loom, your distaff, and the ordering of your servants; for
speech is man's matter, and mine above all others {10}--for it
is I who am master here."
She went wondering back into the house, and laid her son's
saying in her heart. Then, going upstairs with her handmaids
into her room, she mourned her dear husband till Minerva shed
sweet sleep over her eyes. But the suitors were clamorous
throughout the covered cloisters {11}, and prayed each one that
he might be her bed fellow.
Then Telemachus spoke, "Shameless," he cried, "and insolent
suitors, let us feast at our pleasure now, and let there be no
brawling, for it is a rare thing to hear a man with such a
divine voice as Phemius has; but in the morning meet me in full
assembly that I may give you formal notice to depart, and feast
at one another's houses, turn and turn about, at your own cost.
If on the other hand you choose to persist in spunging upon one
man, heaven help me, but Jove shall reckon with you in full, and
when you fall in my father's house there shall be no man to
avenge you."
The suitors bit their lips as they heard him, and marvelled at
the boldness of his speech. Then, Antinous, son of Eupeithes,
said, "The gods seem to have given you lessons in bluster and
tall talking; may Jove never grant you to be chief in Ithaca as
your father was before you."
Telemachus answered, "Antinous, do not chide with me, but, god
willing, I will be chief too if I can. Is this the worst fate
you can think of for me? It is no bad thing to be a chief, for
it brings both riches and honour. Still, now that Ulysses is
dead there are many great men in Ithaca both old and young, and
some other may take the lead among them; nevertheless I will be
chief in my own house, and will rule those whom Ulysses has won
for me."
Then Eurymachus, son of Polybus, answered, "It rests with heaven
to decide who shall be chief among us, but you shall be master
in your own house and over your own possessions; no one while
there is a man in Ithaca shall do you violence nor rob you. And
now, my good fellow, I want to know about this stranger. What
country does he come from? Of what family is he, and where is
his estate? Has he brought you news about the return of your
father, or was he on business of his own? He seemed a well to do
man, but he hurried off so suddenly that he was gone in a moment
before we could get to know him."
"My father is dead and gone," answered Telemachus, "and even if
some rumour reaches me I put no more faith in it now. My mother
does indeed sometimes send for a soothsayer and question him,
but I give his prophecyings no heed. As for the stranger, he was
Mentes, son of Anchialus, chief of the Taphians, an old friend
of my father's." But in his heart he knew that it had been the
goddess.
The suitors then returned to their singing and dancing until the
evening; but when night fell upon their pleasuring they went
home to bed each in his own abode. {12} Telemachus's room was
high up in a tower {13} that looked on to the outer court;
hither, then, he hied, brooding and full of thought. A good old
woman, Euryclea, daughter of Ops, the son of Pisenor, went
before him with a couple of blazing torches. Laertes had bought
her with his own money when she was quite young; he gave the
worth of twenty oxen for her, and shewed as much respect to her
in his household as he did to his own wedded wife, but he did
not take her to his bed for he feared his wife's resentment.
{14} She it was who now lighted Telemachus to his room, and she
loved him better than any of the other women in the house did,
for she had nursed him when he was a baby. He opened the door of
his bed room and sat down upon the bed; as he took off his shirt
{15} he gave it to the good old woman, who folded it tidily up,
and hung it for him over a peg by his bed side, after which she
went out, pulled the door to by a silver catch, and drew the
bolt home by means of the strap. {16} But Telemachus as he lay
covered with a woollen fleece kept thinking all night through of
his intended voyage and of the counsel that Minerva had given
him.
Book II
ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE OF ITHACA--SPEECHES OF TELEMACHUS AND OF
THE SUITORS--TELEMACHUS MAKES HIS PREPARATIONS AND STARTS FOR
PYLOS WITH MINERVA DISGUISED AS MENTOR.
Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared
Telemachus rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to
his comely feet, girded his sword about his shoulder, and left
his room looking like an immortal god. He at once sent the
criers round to call the people in assembly, so they called them
and the people gathered thereon; then, when they were got
together, he went to the place of assembly spear in hand--not
alone, for his two hounds went with him. Minerva endowed him
with a presence of such divine comeliness that all marvelled at
him as he went by, and when he took his place in his father's
seat even the oldest councillors made way for him.
Aegyptius, a man bent double with age, and of infinite
experience, was the first to speak. His son Antiphus had gone
with Ulysses to Ilius, land of noble steeds, but the savage
Cyclops had killed him when they were all shut up in the cave,
and had cooked his last dinner for him. {17} He had three sons
left, of whom two still worked on their father's land, while the
third, Eurynomus, was one of the suitors; nevertheless their
father could not get over the loss of Antiphus, and was still
weeping for him when he began his speech.
"Men of Ithaca," he said, "hear my words. From the day Ulysses
left us there has been no meeting of our councillors until now;
who then can it be, whether old or young, that finds it so
necessary to convene us? Has he got wind of some host
approaching, and does he wish to warn us, or would he speak upon
some other matter of public moment? I am sure he is an
excellent person, and I hope Jove will grant him his heart's
desire."
Telemachus took this speech as of good omen and rose at once,
for he was bursting with what he had to say. He stood in the
middle of the assembly and the good herald Pisenor brought him
his staff. Then, turning to Aegyptius, "Sir," said he, "it is I,
as you will shortly learn, who have convened you, for it is I
who am the most aggrieved. I have not got wind of any host
approaching about which I would warn you, nor is there any
matter of public moment on which I would speak. My grieveance
is purely personal, and turns on two great misfortunes which
have fallen upon my house. The first of these is the loss of my
excellent father, who was chief among all you here present, and
was like a father to every one of you; the second is much more
serious, and ere long will be the utter ruin of my estate. The
sons of all the chief men among you are pestering my mother to
marry them against her will. They are afraid to go to her father
Icarius, asking him to choose the one he likes best, and to
provide marriage gifts for his daughter, but day by day they
keep hanging about my father's house, sacrificing our oxen,
sheep, and fat goats for their banquets, and never giving so
much as a thought to the quantity of wine they drink. No estate
can stand such recklessness; we have now no Ulysses to ward off
harm from our doors, and I cannot hold my own against them. I
shall never all my days be as good a man as he was, still I
would indeed defend myself if I had power to do so, for I cannot
stand such treatment any longer; my house is being disgraced and
ruined. Have respect, therefore, to your own consciences and to
public opinion. Fear, too, the wrath of heaven, lest the gods
should be displeased and turn upon you. I pray you by Jove and
Themis, who is the beginning and the end of councils, [do not]
hold back, my friends, and leave me singlehanded {18}--unless it
be that my brave father Ulysses did some wrong to the Achaeans
which you would now avenge on me, by aiding and abetting these
suitors. Moreover, if I am to be eaten out of house and home at
all, I had rather you did the eating yourselves, for I could
then take action against you to some purpose, and serve you with
notices from house to house till I got paid in full, whereas now
I have no remedy." {19}
With this Telemachus dashed his staff to the ground and burst
into tears. Every one was very sorry for him, but they all sat
still and no one ventured to make him an angry answer, save only
Antinous, who spoke thus:
"Telemachus, insolent braggart that you are, how dare you try to
throw the blame upon us suitors? It is your mother's fault not
ours, for she is a very artful woman. This three years past,
and close on four, she had been driving us out of our minds, by
encouraging each one of us, and sending him messages without
meaning one word of what she says. And then there was that other
trick she played us. She set up a great tambour frame in her
room, and began to work on an enormous piece of fine needlework.
'Sweet hearts,' said she, 'Ulysses is indeed dead, still do not
press me to marry again immediately, wait--for I would not have
skill in needlework perish unrecorded--till I have completed a
pall for the hero Laertes, to be in readiness against the time
when death shall take him. He is very rich, and the women of the
place will talk if he is laid out without a pall.'
"This was what she said, and we assented; whereon we could see
her working on her great web all day long, but at night she
would unpick the stitches again by torchlight. She fooled us in
this way for three years and we never found her out, but as time
wore on and she was now in her fourth year, one of her maids who
knew what she was doing told us, and we caught her in the act of
undoing her work, so she had to finish it whether she would or
no. The suitors, therefore, make you this answer, that both you
and the Achaeans may understand-'Send your mother away, and bid
her marry the man of her own and of her father's choice'; for I
do not know what will happen if she goes on plaguing us much
longer with the airs she gives herself on the score of the
accomplishments Minerva has taught her, and because she is so
clever. We never yet heard of such a woman; we know all about
Tyro, Alcmena, Mycene, and the famous women of old, but they
were nothing to your mother any one of them. It was not fair of
her to treat us in that way, and as long as she continues in the
mind with which heaven has now endowed her, so long shall we go
on eating up your estate; and I do not see why she should
change, for she gets all the honour and glory, and it is you who
pay for it, not she. Understand, then, that we will not go back
to our lands, neither here nor elsewhere, till she has made her
choice and married some one or other of us."
Telemachus answered, "Antinous, how can I drive the mother who
bore me from my father's house? My father is abroad and we do
not know whether he is alive or dead. It will be hard on me if I
have to pay Icarius the large sum which I must give him if I
insist on sending his daughter back to him. Not only will he
deal rigorously with me, but heaven will also punish me; for my
mother when she leaves the house will call on the Erinyes to
avenge her; besides, it would not be a creditable thing to do,
and I will have nothing to say to it. If you choose to take
offence at this, leave the house and feast elsewhere at one
another's houses at your own cost turn and turn about. If, on
the other hand, you elect to persist in spunging upon one man,
heaven help me, but Jove shall reckon with you in full, and when
you fall in my father's house there shall be no man to avenge
you."
As he spoke Jove sent two eagles from the top of the mountain,
and they flew on and on with the wind, sailing side by side in
their own lordly flight. When they were right over the middle of
the assembly they wheeled and circled about, beating the air
with their wings and glaring death into the eyes of them that
were below; then, fighting fiercely and tearing at one another,
they flew off towards the right over the town. The people
wondered as they saw them, and asked each other what all this
might be; whereon Halitherses, who was the best prophet and
reader of omens among them, spoke to them plainly and in all
honesty, saying:
"Hear me, men of Ithaca, and I speak more particularly to the
suitors, for I see mischief brewing for them. Ulysses is not
going to be away much longer; indeed he is close at hand to deal
out death and destruction, not on them alone, but on many
another of us who live in Ithaca. Let us then be wise in time,
and put a stop to this wickedness before he comes. Let the
suitors do so of their own accord; it will be better for them,
for I am not prophesying without due knowledge; everything has
happened to Ulysses as I foretold when the Argives set out for
Troy, and he with them. I said that after going through much
hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the
twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this
is coming true."
Eurymachus son of Polybus then said, "Go home, old man, and
prophesy to your own children, or it may be worse for them. I
can read these omens myself much better than you can; birds are
always flying about in the sunshine somewhere or other, but they
seldom mean anything. Ulysses has died in a far country, and it
is a pity you are not dead along with him, instead of prating
here about omens and adding fuel to the anger of Telemachus
which is fierce enough as it is. I suppose you think he will
give you something for your family, but I tell you--and it shall
surely be--when an old man like you, who should know better,
talks a young one over till he becomes troublesome, in the first
place his young friend will only fare so much the worse--he will
take nothing by it, for the suitors will prevent this--and in
the next, we will lay a heavier fine, sir, upon yourself than
you will at all like paying, for it will bear hardly upon you.
As for Telemachus, I warn him in the presence of you all to send
his mother back to her father, who will find her a husband and
provide her with all the marriage gifts so dear a daughter may
expect. Till then we shall go on harassing him with our suit;
for we fear no man, and care neither for him, with all his fine
speeches, nor for any fortune-telling of yours. You may preach
as much as you please, but we shall only hate you the more. We
shall go back and continue to eat up Telemachus's estate without
paying him, till such time as his mother leaves off tormenting
us by keeping us day after day on the tiptoe of expectation,
each vying with the other in his suit for a prize of such rare
perfection. Besides we cannot go after the other women whom we
should marry in due course, but for the way in which she treats
us."
Then Telemachus said, "Eurymachus, and you other suitors, I
shall say no more, and entreat you no further, for the gods and
the people of Ithaca now know my story. Give me, then, a ship
and a crew of twenty men to take me hither and thither, and I
will go to Sparta and to Pylos in quest of my father who has so
long been missing. Some one may tell me something, or (and
people often hear things in this way) some heaven-sent message
may direct me. If I can hear of him as alive and on his way home
I will put up with the waste you suitors will make for yet
another twelve months. If on the other hand I hear of his
death, I will return at once, celebrate his funeral rites with
all due pomp, build a barrow to his memory, and make my mother
marry again."
With these words he sat down, and Mentor {20} who had been a
friend of Ulysses, and had been left in charge of everything
with full authority over the servants, rose to speak. He, then,
plainly and in all honesty addressed them thus:
"Hear me, men of Ithaca, I hope that you may never have a kind
and well-disposed ruler any more, nor one who will govern you
equitably; I hope that all your chiefs henceforward may be cruel
and unjust, for there is not one of you but has forgotten
Ulysses, who ruled you as though he were your father. I am not
half so angry with the suitors, for if they choose to do
violence in the naughtiness of their hearts, and wager their
heads that Ulysses will not return, they can take the high hand
and eat up his estate, but as for you others I am shocked at the
way in which you all sit still without even trying to stop such
scandalous goings on--which you could do if you chose, for you
are many and they are few."
Leiocritus, son of Evenor, answered him saying, "Mentor, what
folly is all this, that you should set the people to stay us? It
is a hard thing for one man to fight with many about his
victuals. Even though Ulysses himself were to set upon us while
we are feasting in his house, and do his best to oust us, his
wife, who wants him back so very badly, would have small cause
for rejoicing, and his blood would be upon his own head if he
fought against such great odds. There is no sense in what you
have been saying. Now, therefore, do you people go about your
business, and let his father's old friends, Mentor and
Halitherses, speed this boy on his journey, if he goes at
all--which I do not think he will, for he is more likely to stay
where he is till some one comes and tells him something."
On this he broke up the assembly, and every man went back to his
own abode, while the suitors returned to the house of Ulysses.
Then Telemachus went all alone by the sea side, washed his hands
in the grey waves, and prayed to Minerva.
"Hear me," he cried, "you god who visited me yesterday, and bade
me sail the seas in search of my father who has so long been
missing. I would obey you, but the Achaeans, and more
particularly the wicked suitors, are hindering me that I cannot
do so."
As he thus prayed, Minerva came close up to him in the likeness
and with the voice of Mentor. "Telemachus," said she, "if you
are made of the same stuff as your father you will be neither
fool nor coward henceforward, for Ulysses never broke his word
nor left his work half done. If, then, you take after him, your
voyage will not be fruitless, but unless you have the blood of
Ulysses and of Penelope in your veins I see no likelihood of
your succeeding. Sons are seldom as good men as their fathers;
they are generally worse, not better; still, as you are not
going to be either fool or coward henceforward, and are not
entirely without some share of your father's wise discernment, I
look with hope upon your undertaking. But mind you never make
common cause with any of those foolish suitors, for they have
neither sense nor virtue, and give no thought to death and to
the doom that will shortly fall on one and all of them, so that
they shall perish on the same day. As for your voyage, it shall
not be long delayed; your father was such an old friend of mine
that I will find you a ship, and will come with you myself. Now,
however, return home, and go about among the suitors; begin
getting provisions ready for your voyage; see everything well
stowed, the wine in jars, and the barley meal, which is the
staff of life, in leathern bags, while I go round the town and
beat up volunteers at once. There are many ships in Ithaca both
old and new; I will run my eye over them for you and will choose
the best; we will get her ready and will put out to sea without
delay."
Thus spoke Minerva daughter of Jove, and Telemachus lost no time
in doing as the goddess told him. He went moodily home, and
found the suitors flaying goats and singeing pigs in the outer
court. Antinous came up to him at once and laughed as he took
his hand in his own, saying, "Telemachus, my fine fire-eater,
bear no more ill blood neither in word nor deed, but eat and
drink with us as you used to do. The Achaeans will find you in
everything--a ship and a picked crew to boot--so that you can
set sail for Pylos at once and get news of your noble father."
"Antinous," answered Telemachus, "I cannot eat in peace, nor
take pleasure of any kind with such men as you are. Was it not
enough that you should waste so much good property of mine while
I was yet a boy? Now that I am older and know more about it, I
am also stronger, and whether here among this people, or by
going to Pylos, I will do you all the harm I can. I shall go,
and my going will not be in vain--though, thanks to you suitors,
I have neither ship nor crew of my own, and must be passenger
not captain."
As he spoke he snatched his hand from that of Antinous.
Meanwhile the others went on getting dinner ready about the
buildings, {21} jeering at him tauntingly as they did so.
"Telemachus," said one youngster, "means to be the death of us;
I suppose he thinks he can bring friends to help him from Pylos,
or again from Sparta, where he seems bent on going. Or will he
go to Ephyra as well, for poison to put in our wine and kill
us?"
Another said, "Perhaps if Telemachus goes on board ship, he will
be like his father and perish far from his friends. In this
case we should have plenty to do, for we could then divide up
his property amongst us: as for the house we can let his mother
and the man who marries her have that."
This was how they talked. But Telemachus went down into the
lofty and spacious store-room where his father's treasure of
gold and bronze lay heaped up upon the floor, and where the
linen and spare clothes were kept in open chests. Here, too,
there was a store of fragrant olive oil, while casks of old,
well-ripened wine, unblended and fit for a god to drink, were
ranged against the wall in case Ulysses should come home again
after all. The room was closed with well-made doors opening in
the middle; moreover the faithful old house-keeper Euryclea,
daughter of Ops the son of Pisenor, was in charge of everything
both night and day. Telemachus called her to the store-room and
said:
"Nurse, draw me off some of the best wine you have, after what
you are keeping for my father's own drinking, in case, poor man,
he should escape death, and find his way home again after all.
Let me have twelve jars, and see that they all have lids; also
fill me some well-sewn leathern bags with barley meal--about
twenty measures in all. Get these things put together at once,
and say nothing about it. I will take everything away this
evening as soon as my mother has gone upstairs for the night. I
am going to Sparta and to Pylos to see if I can hear anything
about the return of my dear father.
When Euryclea heard this she began to cry, and spoke fondly to
him, saying, "My dear child, what ever can have put such notion
as that into your head? Where in the world do you want to go
to--you, who are the one hope of the house? Your poor father is
dead and gone in some foreign country nobody knows where, and as
soon as your back is turned these wicked ones here will be
scheming to get you put out of the way, and will share all your
possessions among themselves; stay where you are among your own
people, and do not go wandering and worrying your life out on
the barren ocean."
"Fear not, nurse," answered Telemachus, "my scheme is not
without heaven's sanction; but swear that you will say nothing
about all this to my mother, till I have been away some ten or
twelve days, unless she hears of my having gone, and asks you;
for I do not want her to spoil her beauty by crying."
The old woman swore most solemnly that she would not, and when
she had completed her oath, she began drawing off the wine into
jars, and getting the barley meal into the bags, while
Telemachus went back to the suitors.
Then Minerva bethought her of another matter. She took his
shape, and went round the town to each one of the crew, telling
them to meet at the ship by sundown. She went also to Noemon son
of Phronius, and asked him to let her have a ship--which he was
very ready to do. When the sun had set and darkness was over all
the land, she got the ship into the water, put all the tackle on
board her that ships generally carry, and stationed her at the
end of the harbour. Presently the crew came up, and the goddess
spoke encouragingly to each of them.
Furthermore she went to the house of Ulysses, and threw the
suitors into a deep slumber. She caused their drink to fuddle
them, and made them drop their cups from their hands, so that
instead of sitting over their wine, they went back into the town
to sleep, with their eyes heavy and full of drowsiness. Then she
took the form and voice of Mentor, and called Telemachus to come
outside.
"Telemachus," said she, "the men are on board and at their oars,
waiting for you to give your orders, so make haste and let us be
off."
On this she led the way, while Telemachus followed in her steps.
When they got to the ship they found the crew waiting by the
water side, and Telemachus said, "Now my men, help me to get the
stores on board; they are all put together in the cloister, and
my mother does not know anything about it, nor any of the maid
servants except one."
With these words he led the way and the others followed after.
When they had brought the things as he told them, Telemachus
went on board, Minerva going before him and taking her seat in
the stern of the vessel, while Telemachus sat beside her. Then
the men loosed the hawsers and took their places on the benches.
Minerva sent them a fair wind from the West, {22} that whistled
over the deep blue waves {23} whereon Telemachus told them to
catch hold of the ropes and hoist sail, and they did as he told
them. They set the mast in its socket in the cross plank, raised
it, and made it fast with the forestays; then they hoisted their
white sails aloft with ropes of twisted ox hide. As the sail
bellied out with the wind, the ship flew through the deep blue
water, and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward.
Then they made all fast throughout the ship, filled the mixing
bowls to the brim, and made drink offerings to the immortal gods
that are from everlasting, but more particularly to the
grey-eyed daughter of Jove.
Thus, then, the ship sped on her way through the watches of the
night from dark till dawn,
Book III
TELEMACHUS VISITS NESTOR AT PYLOS.
but as the sun was rising from the fair sea {24} into the
firmament of heaven to shed light on mortals and immortals, they
reached Pylos the city of Neleus. Now the people of Pylos were
gathered on the sea shore to offer sacrifice of black bulls to
Neptune lord of the Earthquake. There were nine guilds with
five hundred men in each, and there were nine bulls to each
guild. As they were eating the inward meats {25} and burning the
thigh bones [on the embers] in the name of Neptune, Telemachus
and his crew arrived, furled their sails, brought their ship to
anchor, and went ashore.
Minerva led the way and Telemachus followed her. Presently she
said, "Telemachus, you must not be in the least shy or nervous;
you have taken this voyage to try and find out where your father
is buried and how he came by his end; so go straight up to
Nestor that we may see what he has got to tell us. Beg of him to
speak the truth, and he will tell no lies, for he is an
excellent person."
"But how, Mentor," replied Telemachus, "dare I go up to Nestor,
and how am I to address him? I have never yet been used to
holding long conversations with people, and am ashamed to begin
questioning one who is so much older than myself."
"Some things, Telemachus," answered Minerva, "will be suggested
to you by your own instinct, and heaven will prompt you further;
for I am assured that the gods have been with you from the time
of your birth until now."
She then went quickly on, and Telemachus followed in her steps
till they reached the place where the guilds of the Pylian
people were assembled. There they found Nestor sitting with his
sons, while his company round him were busy getting dinner
ready, and putting pieces of meat on to the spits {26} while
other pieces were cooking. When they saw the strangers they
crowded round them, took them by the hand and bade them take
their places. Nestor's son Pisistratus at once offered his hand
to each of them, and seated them on some soft sheepskins that
were lying on the sands near his father and his brother
Thrasymedes. Then he gave them their portions of the inward
meats and poured wine for them into a golden cup, handing it to
Minerva first, and saluting her at the same time.
"Offer a prayer, sir," said he, "to King Neptune, for it is his
feast that you are joining; when you have duly prayed and made
your drink offering, pass the cup to your friend that he may do
so also. I doubt not that he too lifts his hands in prayer, for
man cannot live without God in the world. Still he is younger
than you are, and is much of an age with myself, so I will give
you the precedence."
As he spoke he handed her the cup. Minerva thought it very right
and proper of him to have given it to herself first; {27} she
accordingly began praying heartily to Neptune. "O thou," she
cried, "that encirclest the earth, vouchsafe to grant the
prayers of thy servants that call upon thee. More especially we
pray thee send down thy grace on Nestor and on his sons;
thereafter also make the rest of the Pylian people some handsome
return for the goodly hecatomb they are offering you. Lastly,
grant Telemachus and myself a happy issue, in respect of the
matter that has brought us in our ship to Pylos."
When she had thus made an end of praying, she handed the cup to
Telemachus and he prayed likewise. By and by, when the outer
meats were roasted and had been taken off the spits, the carvers
gave every man his portion and they all made an excellent
dinner. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Nestor,
knight of Gerene, began to speak.
"Now," said he, "that our guests have done their dinner, it will
be best to ask them who they are. Who, then, sir strangers, are
you, and from what port have you sailed? Are you traders? or do
you sail the seas as rovers with your hand against every man,
and every man's hand against you?"
Telemachus answered boldly, for Minerva had given him courage to
ask about his father and get himself a good name.
"Nestor," said he, "son of Neleus, honour to the Achaean name,
you ask whence we come, and I will tell you. We come from Ithaca
under Neritum, {28} and the matter about which I would speak is
of private not public import. I seek news of my unhappy father
Ulysses, who is said to have sacked the town of Troy in company
with yourself. We know what fate befell each one of the other
heroes who fought at Troy, but as regards Ulysses heaven has
hidden from us the knowledge even that he is dead at all, for no
one can certify us in what place he perished, nor say whether he
fell in battle on the mainland, or was lost at sea amid the
waves of Amphitrite. Therefore I am suppliant at your knees, if
haply you may be pleased to tell me of his melancholy end,
whether you saw it with your own eyes, or heard it from some
other traveller, for he was a man born to trouble. Do not soften
things out of any pity for me, but tell me in all plainness
exactly what you saw. If my brave father Ulysses ever did you
loyal service, either by word or deed, when you Achaeans were
harassed among the Trojans, bear it in mind now as in my favour
and tell me truly all."
"My friend," answered Nestor, "you recall a time of much sorrow
to my mind, for the brave Achaeans suffered much both at sea,
while privateering under Achilles, and when fighting before the
great city of king Priam. Our best men all of them fell
there--Ajax, Achilles, Patroclus peer of gods in counsel, and my
own dear son Antilochus, a man singularly fleet of foot and in
fight valiant. But we suffered much more than this; what mortal
tongue indeed could tell the whole story? Though you were to
stay here and question me for five years, or even six, I could
not tell you all that the Achaeans suffered, and you would turn
homeward weary of my tale before it ended. Nine long years did
we try every kind of stratagem, but the hand of heaven was
against us; during all this time there was no one who could
compare with your father in subtlety--if indeed you are his
son--I can hardly believe my eyes--and you talk just like him
too--no one would say that people of such different ages could
speak so much alike. He and I never had any kind of difference
from first to last neither in camp nor council, but in
singleness of heart and purpose we advised the Argives how all
might be ordered for the best.
"When, however, we had sacked the city of Priam, and were setting
sail in our ships as heaven had dispersed us, then Jove saw fit
to vex the Argives on their homeward voyage; for they had not
all been either wise or understanding, and hence many came to a
bad end through the displeasure of Jove's daughter Minerva, who
brought about a quarrel between the two sons of Atreus.
"The sons of Atreus called a meeting which was not as it should
be, for it was sunset and the Achaeans were heavy with wine.
When they explained why they had called the people together, it
seemed that Menelaus was for sailing homeward at once, and this
displeased Agamemnon, who thought that we should wait till we
had offered hecatombs to appease the anger of Minerva. Fool that
he was, he might have known that he would not prevail with her,
for when the gods have made up their minds they do not change
them lightly. So the two stood bandying hard words, whereon the
Achaeans sprang to their feet with a cry that rent the air, and
were of two minds as to what they should do.
"That night we rested and nursed our anger, for Jove was
hatching mischief against us. But in the morning some of us drew
our ships into the water and put our goods with our women on
board, while the rest, about half in number, stayed behind with
Agamemnon. We--the other half--embarked and sailed; and the
ships went well, for heaven had smoothed the sea. When we
reached Tenedos we offered sacrifices to the gods, for we were
longing to get home; cruel Jove, however, did not yet mean that
we should do so, and raised a second quarrel in the course of
which some among us turned their ships back again, and sailed
away under Ulysses to make their peace with Agamemnon; but I,
and all the ships that were with me pressed forward, for I saw
that mischief was brewing. The son of Tydeus went on also with
me, and his crews with him. Later on Menelaus joined us at
Lesbos, and found us making up our minds about our course--for
we did not know whether to go outside Chios by the island of
Psyra, keeping this to our left, or inside Chios, over against
the stormy headland of Mimas. So we asked heaven for a sign, and
were shown one to the effect that we should be soonest out of
danger if we headed our ships across the open sea to Euboea.
This we therefore did, and a fair wind sprang up which gave us a
quick passage during the night to Geraestus, {29} where we
offered many sacrifices to Neptune for having helped us so far
on our way. Four days later Diomed and his men stationed their
ships in Argos, but I held on for Pylos, and the wind never fell
light from the day when heaven first made it fair for me.
"Therefore, my dear young friend, I returned without hearing
anything about the others. I know neither who got home safely
nor who were lost but, as in duty bound, I will give you without
reserve the reports that have reached me since I have been here
in my own house. They say the Myrmidons returned home safely
under Achilles' son Neoptolemus; so also did the valiant son of
Poias, Philoctetes. Idomeneus, again, lost no men at sea, and
all his followers who escaped death in the field got safe home
with him to Crete. No matter how far out of the world you live,
you will have heard of Agamemnon and the bad end he came to at
the hands of Aegisthus--and a fearful reckoning did Aegisthus
presently pay. See what a good thing it is for a man to leave a
son behind him to do as Orestes did, who killed false Aegisthus
the murderer of his noble father. You too, then--for you are a
tall smart-looking fellow--show your mettle and make yourself a
name in story."
"Nestor son of Neleus," answered Telemachus, "honour to the
Achaean name, the Achaeans applaud Orestes and his name will
live through all time for he has avenged his father nobly. Would
that heaven might grant me to do like vengeance on the insolence
of the wicked suitors, who are ill treating me and plotting my
ruin; but the gods have no such happiness in store for me and
for my father, so we must bear it as best we may."
"My friend," said Nestor, "now that you remind me, I remember to
have heard that your mother has many suitors, who are ill
disposed towards you and are making havoc of your estate. Do you
submit to this tamely, or are public feeling and the voice of
heaven against you? Who knows but what Ulysses may come back
after all, and pay these scoundrels in full, either
single-handed or with a force of Achaeans behind him? If
Minerva were to take as great a liking to you as she did to
Ulysses when we were fighting before Troy (for I never yet saw
the gods so openly fond of any one as Minerva then was of your
father), if she would take as good care of you as she did of
him, these wooers would soon some of them forget their wooing."
Telemachus answered, "I can expect nothing of the kind; it would
be far too much to hope for. I dare not let myself think of it.
Even though the gods themselves willed it no such good fortune
could befall me."
On this Minerva said, "Telemachus, what are you talking about?
Heaven has a long arm if it is minded to save a man; and if it
were me, I should not care how much I suffered before getting
home, provided I could be safe when I was once there. I would
rather this, than get home quickly, and then be killed in my own
house as Agamemnon was by the treachery of Aegisthus and his
wife. Still, death is certain, and when a man's hour is come,
not even the gods can save him, no matter how fond they are of
him."
"Mentor," answered Telemachus, "do not let us talk about it any
more. There is no chance of my father's ever coming back; the
gods have long since counselled his destruction. There is
something else, however, about which I should like to ask
Nestor, for he knows much more than any one else does. They say
he has reigned for three generations so that it is like talking
to an immortal. Tell me, therefore, Nestor, and tell me true;
how did Agamemnon come to die in that way? What was Menelaus
doing? And how came false Aegisthus to kill so far better a man
than himself? Was Menelaus away from Achaean Argos, voyaging
elsewhither among mankind, that Aegisthus took heart and killed
Agamemnon?"
"I will tell you truly," answered Nestor, "and indeed you have
yourself divined how it all happened. If Menelaus when he got
back from Troy had found Aegisthus still alive in his house,
there would have been no barrow heaped up for him, not even when
he was dead, but he would have been thrown outside the city to
dogs and vultures, and not a woman would have mourned him, for
he had done a deed of great wickedness; but we were over there,
fighting hard at Troy, and Aegisthus, who was taking his ease
quietly in the heart of Argos, cajoled Agamemnon's wife
Clytemnestra with incessant flattery.
"At first she would have nothing to do with his wicked scheme,
for she was of a good natural disposition; {30} moreover there
was a bard with her, to whom Agamemnon had given strict orders
on setting out for Troy, that he was to keep guard over his
wife; but when heaven had counselled her destruction, Aegisthus
carried this bard off to a desert island and left him there for
crows and seagulls to batten upon--after which she went
willingly enough to the house of Aegisthus. Then he offered many
burnt sacrifices to the gods, and decorated many temples with
tapestries and gilding, for he had succeeded far beyond his
expectations.
"Meanwhile Menelaus and I were on our way home from Troy, on
good terms with one another. When we got to Sunium, which is the
point of Athens, Apollo with his painless shafts killed Phrontis
the steersman of Menelaus' ship (and never man knew better how
to handle a vessel in rough weather) so that he died then and
there with the helm in his hand, and Menelaus, though very
anxious to press forward, had to wait in order to bury his
comrade and give him his due funeral rites. Presently, when he
too could put to sea again, and had sailed on as far as the
Malean heads, Jove counselled evil against him and made it blow
hard till the waves ran mountains high. Here he divided his
fleet and took the one half towards Crete where the Cydonians
dwell round about the waters of the river Iardanus. There is a
high headland hereabouts stretching out into the sea from a
place called Gortyn, and all along this part of the coast as far
as Phaestus the sea runs high when there is a south wind
blowing, but arter Phaestus the coast is more protected, for a
small headland can make a great shelter. Here this part of the
fleet was driven on to the rocks and wrecked; but the crews just
managed to save themselves. As for the other five ships, they
were taken by winds and seas to Egypt, where Menelaus gathered
much gold and substance among people of an alien speech.
Meanwhile Aegisthus here at home plotted his evil deed. For
seven years after he had killed Agamemnon he ruled in Mycene,
and the people were obedient under him, but in the eighth year
Orestes came back from Athens to be his bane, and killed the
murderer of his father. Then he celebrated the funeral rites of
his mother and of false Aegisthus by a banquet to the people of
Argos, and on that very day Menelaus came home, {31} with as
much treasure as his ships could carry.
"Take my advice then, and do not go travelling about for long so
far from home, nor leave your property with such dangerous
people in your house; they will eat up everything you have among
them, and you will have been on a fool's errand. Still, I should
advise you by all means to go and visit Menelaus, who has lately
come off a voyage among such distant peoples as no man could
ever hope to get back from, when the winds had once carried him
so far out of his reckoning; even birds cannot fly the distance
in a twelve-month, so vast and terrible are the seas that they
must cross. Go to him, therefore, by sea, and take your own men
with you; or if you would rather travel by land you can have a
chariot, you can have horses, and here are my sons who can
escort you to Lacedaemon where Menelaus lives. Beg of him to
speak the truth, and he will tell you no lies, for he is an
excellent person."
As he spoke the sun set and it came on dark, whereon Minerva
said, "Sir, all that you have said is well; now, however, order
the tongues of the victims to be cut, and mix wine that we may
make drink-offerings to Neptune, and the other immortals, and
then go to bed, for it is bed time. People should go away early
and not keep late hours at a religious festival."
Thus spoke the daughter of Jove, and they obeyed her saying. Men
servants poured water over the hands of the guests, while pages
filled the mixing-bowls with wine and water, and handed it round
after giving every man his drink offering; then they threw the
tongues of the victims into the fire, and stood up to make their
drink offerings. When they had made their offerings and had
drunk each as much as he was minded, Minerva and Telemachus were
for going on board their ship, but Nestor caught them up at once
and stayed them.
"Heaven and the immortal gods," he exclaimed, "forbid that you
should leave my house to go on board of a ship. Do you think I
am so poor and short of clothes, or that I have so few cloaks
and as to be unable to find comfortable beds both for myself and
for my guests? Let me tell you I have store both of rugs and
cloaks, and shall not permit the son of my old friend Ulysses to
camp down on the deck of a ship--not while I live--nor yet will
my sons after me, but they will keep open house as I have done."
Then Minerva answered, "Sir, you have spoken well, and it will
be much better that Telemachus should do as you have said; he,
therefore, shall return with you and sleep at your house, but I
must go back to give orders to my crew, and keep them in good
heart. I am the only older person among them; the rest are all
young men of Telemachus' own age, who have taken this voyage out
of friendship; so I must return to the ship and sleep there.
Moreover to-morrow I must go to the Cauconians where I have a
large sum of money long owing to me. As for Telemachus, now that
he is your guest, send him to Lacedaemon in a chariot, and let
one of your sons go with him. Be pleased to also provide him
with your best and fleetest horses."
When she had thus spoken, she flew away in the form of an eagle,
and all marvelled as they beheld it. Nestor was astonished, and
took Telemachus by the hand. "My friend," said he, "I see that
you are going to be a great hero some day, since the gods wait
upon you thus while you are still so young. This can have been
none other of those who dwell in heaven than Jove's redoubtable
daughter, the Trito-born, who shewed such favour towards your
brave father among the Argives. Holy queen," he continued,
"vouchsafe to send down thy grace upon myself, my good wife, and
my children. In return, I will offer you in sacrifice a
broad-browed heifer of a year old, unbroken, and never yet
brought by man under the yoke. I will gild her horns, and will
offer her up to you in sacrifice."
Thus did he pray, and Minerva heard his prayer. He then led the
way to his own house, followed by his sons and sons in law. When
they had got there and had taken their places on the benches and
seats, he mixed them a bowl of sweet wine that was eleven years
old when the housekeeper took the lid off the jar that held it.
As he mixed the wine, he prayed much and made drink offerings to
Minerva, daughter of Aegis-bearing Jove. Then, when they had
made their drink offerings and had drunk each as much as he was
minded, the others went home to bed each in his own abode; but
Nestor put Telemachus to sleep in the room that was over the
gateway along with Pisistratus, who was the only unmarried son
now left him. As for himself, he slept in an inner room of the
house, with the queen his wife by his side.
Now when the child of morning rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,
Nestor left his couch and took his seat on the benches of white
and polished marble that stood in front of his house. Here
aforetime sat Neleus, peer of gods in counsel, but he was now
dead, and had gone to the house of Hades; so Nestor sat in his
seat sceptre in hand, as guardian of the public weal. His sons
as they left their rooms gathered round him, Echephron,
Stratius, Perseus, Aretus, and Thrasymedes; the sixth son was
Pisistratus, and when Telemachus joined them they made him sit
with them. Nestor then addressed them.
"My sons," said he, "make haste to do as I shall bid you. I wish
first and foremost to propitiate the great goddess Minerva, who
manifested herself visibly to me during yesterday's festivities.
Go, then, one or other of you to the plain, tell the stockman to
look me out a heifer, and come on here with it at once. Another
must go to Telemachus' ship, and invite all the crew, leaving
two men only in charge of the vessel. Some one else will run and
fetch Laerceus the goldsmith to gild the horns of the heifer.
The rest, stay all of you where you are; tell the maids in the
house to prepare an excellent dinner, and to fetch seats, and
logs of wood for a burnt offering. Tell them also to bring me
some clear spring water."
On this they hurried off on their several errands. The heifer
was brought in from the plain, and Telemachus's crew came from
the ship; the goldsmith brought the anvil, hammer, and tongs,
with which he worked his gold, and Minerva herself came to
accept the sacrifice. Nestor gave out the gold, and the smith
gilded the horns of the heifer that the goddess might have
pleasure in their beauty. Then Stratius and Echephron brought
her in by the horns; Aretus fetched water from the house in a
ewer that had a flower pattern on it, and in his other hand he
held a basket of barley meal; sturdy Thrasymedes stood by with a
sharp axe, ready to strike the heifer, while Perseus held a
bucket. Then Nestor began with washing his hands and sprinkling
the barley meal, and he offered many a prayer to Minerva as he
threw a lock from the heifer's head upon the fire.
When they had done praying and sprinkling the barley meal {32}
Thrasymedes dealt his blow, and brought the heifer down with a
stroke that cut through the tendons at the base of her neck,
whereon the daughters and daughters in law of Nestor, and his
venerable wife Eurydice (she was eldest daughter to Clymenus)
screamed with delight. Then they lifted the heifer's head from
off the ground, and Pisistratus cut her throat. When she had
done bleeding and was quite dead, they cut her up. They cut out
the thigh bones all in due course, wrapped them round in two
layers of fat, and set some pieces of raw meat on the top of
them; then Nestor laid them upon the wood fire and poured wine
over them, while the young men stood near him with five-pronged
spits in their hands. When the thighs were burned and they had
tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest of the meat up small,
put the pieces on the spits and toasted them over the fire.
Meanwhile lovely Polycaste, Nestor's youngest daughter, washed
Telemachus. When she had washed him and anointed him with oil,
she brought him a fair mantle and shirt, {33} and he looked like
a god as he came from the bath and took his seat by the side of
Nestor. When the outer meats were done they drew them off the
spits and sat down to dinner where they were waited upon by some
worthy henchmen, who kept pouring them out their wine in cups of
gold. As soon as they had had had enough to eat and drink Nestor
said, "Sons, put Telemachus's horses to the chariot that he may
start at once."
Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said, and yoked
the fleet horses to the chariot. The housekeeper packed them up
a provision of bread, wine, and sweet meats fit for the sons of
princes. Then Telemachus got into the chariot, while Pisistratus
gathered up the reins and took his seat beside him. He lashed
the horses on and they flew forward nothing loth into the open
country, leaving the high citadel of Pylos behind them. All that
day did they travel, swaying the yoke upon their necks till the
sun went down and darkness was over all the land. Then they
reached Pherae where Diocles lived, who was son to Ortilochus
and grandson to Alpheus. Here they passed the night and Diocles
entertained them hospitably. When the child of morning,
rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, they again yoked their horses and
drove out through the gateway under the echoing gatehouse. {34}
Pisistratus lashed the horses on and they flew forward nothing
loth; presently they came to the corn lands of the open country,
and in the course of time completed their journey, so well did
their steeds take them. {35}
Now when the sun had set and darkness was over the land,
Book IV
THE VISIT TO KING MENELAUS, WHO TELLS HIS STORY--MEANWHILE THE
SUITORS IN ITHACA PLOT AGAINST TELEMACHUS.
they reached the low lying city of Lacedaemon, where they drove
straight to the abode of Menelaus {36} [and found him in his own
house, feasting with his many clansmen in honour of the wedding
of his son, and also of his daughter, whom he was marrying to
the son of that valiant warrior Achilles. He had given his
consent and promised her to him while he was still at Troy, and
now the gods were bringing the marriage about; so he was sending
her with chariots and horses to the city of the Myrmidons over
whom Achilles' son was reigning. For his only son he had found
a bride from Sparta, {37} the daughter of Alector. This son,
Megapenthes, was born to him of a bondwoman, for heaven
vouchsafed Helen no more children after she had borne Hermione,
who was fair as golden Venus herself.
So the neighbours and kinsmen of Menelaus were feasting and
making merry in his house. There was a bard also to sing to them
and play his lyre, while two tumblers went about performing in
the midst of them when the man struck up with his tune.] {38}
Telemachus and the son of Nestor stayed their horses at the
gate, whereon Eteoneus servant to Menelaus came out, and as soon
as he saw them ran hurrying back into the house to tell his
Master. He went close up to him and said, "Menelaus, there are
some strangers come here, two men, who look like sons of Jove.
What are we to do? Shall we take their horses out, or tell them
to find friends elsewhere as they best can?"
Menelaus was very angry and said, "Eteoneus, son of Boethous,
you never used to be a fool, but now you talk like a simpleton.
Take their horses out, of course, and show the strangers in that
they may have supper; you and I have staid often enough at other
people's houses before we got back here, where heaven grant that
we may rest in peace henceforward."
So Eteoneus bustled back and bade the other servants come with
him. They took their sweating steeds from under the yoke, made
them fast to the mangers, and gave them a feed of oats and
barley mixed. Then they leaned the chariot against the end wall
of the courtyard, and led the way into the house. Telemachus and
Pisistratus were astonished when they saw it, for its splendour
was as that of the sun and moon; then, when they had admired
everything to their heart's content, they went into the bath
room and washed themselves.
When the servants had washed them and anointed them with oil,
they brought them woollen cloaks and shirts, and the two took
their seats by the side of Menelaus. A maid-servant brought them
water in a beautiful golden ewer, and poured it into a silver
basin for them to wash their hands; and she drew a clean table
beside them. An upper servant brought them bread, and offered
them many good things of what there was in the house, while the
carver fetched them plates of all manner of meats and set cups
of gold by their side.
Menelaus then greeted them saying, "Fall to, and welcome; when
you have done supper I shall ask who you are, for the lineage of
such men as you cannot have been lost. You must be descended
from a line of sceptre-bearing kings, for poor people do not
have such sons as you are."
On this he handed them {39} a piece of fat roast loin, which had
been set near him as being a prime part, and they laid their
hands on the good things that were before them; as soon as they
had had enough to eat and drink, Telemachus said to the son of
Nestor, with his head so close that no one might hear, "Look,
Pisistratus, man after my own heart, see the gleam of bronze and
gold--of amber, {40} ivory, and silver. Everything is so
splendid that it is like seeing the palace of Olympian Jove. I
am lost in admiration."
Menelaus overheard him and said, "No one, my sons, can hold his
own with Jove, for his house and everything about him is
immortal; but among mortal men--well, there may be another who
has as much wealth as I have, or there may not; but at all
events I have travelled much and have undergone much hardship,
for it was nearly eight years before I could get home with my
fleet. I went to Cyprus, Phoenicia and the Egyptians; I went
also to the Ethiopians, the Sidonians, and the Erembians, and to
Libya where the lambs have horns as soon as they are born, and
the sheep lamb down three times a year. Every one in that
country, whether master or man, has plenty of cheese, meat, and
good milk, for the ewes yield all the year round. But while I
was travelling and getting great riches among these people, my
brother was secretly and shockingly murdered through the perfidy
of his wicked wife, so that I have no pleasure in being lord of
all this wealth. Whoever your parents may be they must have told
you about all this, and of my heavy loss in the ruin {41} of a
stately mansion fully and magnificently furnished. Would that I
had only a third of what I now have so that I had stayed at
home, and all those were living who perished on the plain of
Troy, far from Argos. I often grieve, as I sit here in my house,
for one and all of them. At times I cry aloud for sorrow, but
presently I leave off again, for crying is cold comfort and one
soon tires of it. Yet grieve for these as I may, I do so for one
man more than for them all. I cannot even think of him without
loathing both food and sleep, so miserable does he make me, for
no one of all the Achaeans worked so hard or risked so much as
he did. He took nothing by it, and has left a legacy of sorrow
to myself, for he has been gone a long time, and we know not
whether he is alive or dead. His old father, his long-suffering
wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus, whom he left behind him
an infant in arms, are plunged in grief on his account."
Thus spoke Menelaus, and the heart of Telemachus yearned as he
bethought him of his father. Tears fell from his eyes as he
heard him thus mentioned, so that he held his cloak before his
face with both hands. When Menelaus saw this he doubted whether
to let him choose his own time for speaking, or to ask him at
once and find what it was all about.
While he was thus in two minds Helen came down from her high
vaulted and perfumed room, looking as lovely as Diana herself.
Adraste brought her a seat, Alcippe a soft woollen rug while
Phylo fetched her the silver work-box which Alcandra wife of
Polybus had given her. Polybus lived in Egyptian Thebes, which
is the richest city in the whole world; he gave Menelaus two
baths, both of pure silver, two tripods, and ten talents of
gold; besides all this, his wife gave Helen some beautiful
presents, to wit, a golden distaff, and a silver work box that
ran on wheels, with a gold band round the top of it. Phylo now
placed this by her side, full of fine spun yarn, and a distaff
charged with violet coloured wool was laid upon the top of it.
Then Helen took her seat, put her feet upon the footstool, and
began to question her husband. {42}
"Do we know, Menelaus," said she, "the names of these strangers
who have come to visit us? Shall I guess right or wrong?--but I
cannot help saying what I think. Never yet have I seen either
man or woman so like somebody else (indeed when I look at him I
hardly know what to think) as this young man is like Telemachus,
whom Ulysses left as a baby behind him, when you Achaeans went
to Troy with battle in your hearts, on account of my most
shameless self."
"My dear wife," replied Menelaus, "I see the likeness just as
you do. His hands and feet are just like Ulysses; so is his
hair, with the shape of his head and the expression of his eyes.
Moreover, when I was talking about Ulysses, and saying how much
he had suffered on my account, tears fell from his eyes, and he
hid his face in his mantle."
Then Pisistratus said, "Menelaus, son of Atreus, you are right
in thinking that this young man is Telemachus, but he is very
modest, and is ashamed to come here and begin opening up
discourse with one whose conversation is so divinely interesting
as your own. My father, Nestor, sent me to escort him hither,
for he wanted to know whether you could give him any counsel or
suggestion. A son has always trouble at home when his father has
gone away leaving him without supporters; and this is how
Telemachus is now placed, for his father is absent, and there is
no one among his own people to stand by him."
"Bless my heart," replied Menelaus, "then I am receiving a visit
from the son of a very dear friend, who suffered much hardship
for my sake. I had always hoped to entertain him with most
marked distinction when heaven had granted us a safe return from
beyond the seas. I should have founded a city for him in Argos,
and built him a house. I should have made him leave Ithaca with
his goods, his son, and all his people, and should have sacked
for them some one of the neighbouring cities that are subject to
me. We should thus have seen one another continually, and
nothing but death could have interrupted so close and happy an
intercourse. I suppose, however, that heaven grudged us such
great good fortune, for it has prevented the poor fellow from
ever getting home at all."
Thus did he speak, and his words set them all a weeping. Helen
wept, Telemachus wept, and so did Menelaus, nor could
Pisistratus keep his eyes from filling, when he remembered his
dear brother Antilochus whom the son of bright Dawn had killed.
Thereon he said to Menelaus,
"Sir, my father Nestor, when we used to talk about you at home,
told me you were a person of rare and excellent understanding.
If, then, it be possible, do as I would urge you. I am not fond
of crying while I am getting my supper. Morning will come in due
course, and in the forenoon I care not how much I cry for those
that are dead and gone. This is all we can do for the poor
things. We can only shave our heads for them and wring the tears
from our cheeks. I had a brother who died at Troy; he was by no
means the worst man there; you are sure to have known him--his
name was Antilochus; I never set eyes upon him myself, but they
say that he was singularly fleet of foot and in fight valiant."
"Your discretion, my friend," answered Menelaus, "is beyond your
years. It is plain you take after your father. One can soon see
when a man is son to one whom heaven has blessed both as regards
wife and offspring--and it has blessed Nestor from first to last
all his days, giving him a green old age in his own house, with
sons about him who are both well disposed and valiant. We will
put an end therefore to all this weeping, and attend to our
supper again. Let water be poured over our hands. Telemachus and
I can talk with one another fully in the morning."
On this Asphalion, one of the servants, poured water over their
hands and they laid their hands on the good things that were
before them.
Then Jove's daughter Helen bethought her of another matter. She
drugged the wine with an herb that banishes all care, sorrow,
and ill humour. Whoever drinks wine thus drugged cannot shed a
single tear all the rest of the day, not even though his father
and mother both of them drop down dead, or he sees a brother or
a son hewn in pieces before his very eyes. This drug, of such
sovereign power and virtue, had been given to Helen by Polydamna
wife of Thon, a woman of Egypt, where there grow all sorts of
herbs, some good to put into the mixing bowl and others
poisonous. Moreover, every one in the whole country is a skilled
physician, for they are of the race of Paeeon. When Helen had
put this drug in the bowl, and had told the servants to serve
the wine round, she said:
"Menelaus, son of Atreus, and you my good friends, sons of
honourable men (which is as Jove wills, for he is the giver both
of good and evil, and can do what he chooses), feast here as you
will, and listen while I tell you a tale in season. I cannot
indeed name every single one of the exploits of Ulysses, but I
can say what he did when he was before Troy, and you Achaeans
were in all sorts of difficulties. He covered himself with
wounds and bruises, dressed himself all in rags, and entered the
enemy's city looking like a menial or a beggar, and quite
different from what he did when he was among his own people. In
this disguise he entered the city of Troy, and no one said
anything to him. I alone recognised him and began to question
him, but he was too cunning for me. When, however, I had washed
and anointed him and had given him clothes, and after I had
sworn a solemn oath not to betray him to the Trojans till he had
got safely back to his own camp and to the ships, he told me all
that the Achaeans meant to do. He killed many Trojans and got
much information before he reached the Argive camp, for all
which things the Trojan women made lamentation, but for my own
part I was glad, for my heart was beginning to yearn after my
home, and I was unhappy about the wrong that Venus had done me
in taking me over there, away from my country, my girl, and my
lawful wedded husband, who is indeed by no means deficient
either in person or understanding."
Then Menelaus said, "All that you have been saying, my dear
wife, is true. I have travelled much, and have had much to do
with heroes, but I have never seen such another man as Ulysses.
What endurance too, and what courage he displayed within the
wooden horse, wherein all the bravest of the Argives were lying
in wait to bring death and destruction upon the Trojans. {43} At
that moment you came up to us; some god who wished well to the
Trojans must have set you on to it and you had Deiphobus with
you. Three times did you go all round our hiding place and pat
it; you called our chiefs each by his own name, and mimicked all
our wives -Diomed, Ulysses, and I from our seats inside heard
what a noise you made. Diomed and I could not make up our minds
whether to spring out then and there, or to answer you from
inside, but Ulysses held us all in check, so we sat quite still,
all except Anticlus, who was beginning to answer you, when
Ulysses clapped his two brawny hands over his mouth, and kept
them there. It was this that saved us all, for he muzzled
Anticlus till Minerva took you away again."
"How sad," exclaimed Telemachus, "that all this was of no avail
to save him, nor yet his own iron courage. But now, sir, be
pleased to send us all to bed, that we may lie down and enjoy
the blessed boon of sleep."
On this Helen told the maid servants to set beds in the room
that was in the gatehouse, and to make them with good red rugs,
and spread coverlets on the top of them with woollen cloaks for
the guests to wear. So the maids went out, carrying a torch, and
made the beds, to which a man-servant presently conducted the
strangers. Thus, then, did Telemachus and Pisistratus sleep
there in the forecourt, while the son of Atreus lay in an inner
room with lovely Helen by his side.
When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, Menelaus
rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to his comely
feet, girded his sword about his shoulders, and left his room
looking like an immortal god. Then, taking a seat near
Telemachus he said:
"And what, Telemachus, has led you to take this long sea voyage
to Lacedaemon? Are you on public, or private business? Tell me
all about it."
"I have come, sir," replied Telemachus, "to see if you can tell
me anything about my father. I am being eaten out of house and
home; my fair estate is being wasted, and my house is full of
miscreants who keep killing great numbers of my sheep and oxen,
on the pretence of paying their addresses to my mother.
Therefore, I am suppliant at your knees if haply you may tell me
about my father's melancholy end, whether you saw it with your
own eyes, or heard it from some other traveller; for he was a
man born to trouble. Do not soften things out of any pity for
myself, but tell me in all plainness exactly what you saw. If
my brave father Ulysses ever did you loyal service either by
word or deed, when you Achaeans were harassed by the Trojans,
bear it in mind now as in my favour and tell me truly all."
Menelaus on hearing this was very much shocked. "So," he
exclaimed, "these cowards would usurp a brave man's bed? A hind
might as well lay her new born young in the lair of a lion, and
then go off to feed in the forest or in some grassy dell: the
lion when he comes back to his lair will make short work with
the pair of them--and so will Ulysses with these suitors. By
father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo, if Ulysses is still the man
that he was when he wrestled with Philomeleides in Lesbos, and
threw him so heavily that all the Achaeans cheered him--if he is
still such and were to come near these suitors, they would have
a short shrift and a sorry wedding. As regards your questions,
however, I will not prevaricate nor deceive you, but will tell
you without concealment all that the old man of the sea told me.
"I was trying to come on here, but the gods detained me in
Egypt, for my hecatombs had not given them full satisfaction,
and the gods are very strict about having their dues. Now off
Egypt, about as far as a ship can sail in a day with a good
stiff breeze behind her, there is an island called Pharos--it
has a good harbour from which vessels can get out into open sea
when they have taken in water--and here the gods becalmed me
twenty days without so much as a breath of fair wind to help me
forward. We should have run clean out of provisions and my men
would have starved, if a goddess had not taken pity upon me and
saved me in the person of Idothea, daughter to Proteus, the old
man of the sea, for she had taken a great fancy to me.
"She came to me one day when I was by myself, as I often was,
for the men used to go with their barbed hooks, all over the
island in the hope of catching a fish or two to save them from
the pangs of hunger. 'Stranger,' said she, 'it seems to me that
you like starving in this way--at any rate it does not greatly
trouble you, for you stick here day after day, without even
trying to get away though your men are dying by inches.'
"'Let me tell you,' said I, 'whichever of the goddesses you may
happen to be, that I am not staying here of my own accord, but
must have offended the gods that live in heaven. Tell me,
therefore, for the gods know everything, which of the immortals
it is that is hindering me in this way, and tell me also how I
may sail the sea so as to reach my home.'
"'Stranger,' replied she, 'I will make it all quite clear to
you. There is an old immortal who lives under the sea
hereabouts and whose name is Proteus. He is an Egyptian, and
people say he is my father; he is Neptune's head man and knows
every inch of ground all over the bottom of the sea. If you can
snare him and hold him tight, he will tell you about your
voyage, what courses you are to take, and how you are to sail
the sea so as to reach your home. He will also tell you, if you
so will, all that has been going on at your house both good and
bad, while you have been away on your long and dangerous
journey.'
"'Can you show me,' said I, 'some stratagem by means of which I
may catch this old god without his suspecting it and finding me
out? For a god is not easily caught--not by a mortal man.'
"'Stranger,' said she, 'I will make it all quite clear to you.
About the time when the sun shall have reached mid heaven, the
old man of the sea comes up from under the waves, heralded by
the West wind that furs the water over his head. As soon as he
has come up he lies down, and goes to sleep in a great sea cave,
where the seals--Halosydne's chickens as they call them--come up
also from the grey sea, and go to sleep in shoals all round him;
and a very strong and fish-like smell do they bring with them.
{44} Early to-morrow morning I will take you to this place and
will lay you in ambush. Pick out, therefore, the three best men
you have in your fleet, and I will tell you all the tricks that
the old man will play you.
"'First he will look over all his seals, and count them; then,
when he has seen them and tallied them on his five fingers, he
will go to sleep among them, as a shepherd among his sheep. The
moment you see that he is asleep seize him; put forth all your
strength and hold him fast, for he will do his very utmost to
get away from you. He will turn himself into every kind of
creature that goes upon the earth, and will become also both
fire and water; but you must hold him fast and grip him tighter
and tighter, till he begins to talk to you and comes back to
what he was when you saw him go to sleep; then you may slacken
your hold and let him go; and you can ask him which of the gods
it is that is angry with you, and what you must do to reach your
home over the seas.'
"Having so said she dived under the waves, whereon I turned back
to the place where my ships were ranged upon the shore; and my
heart was clouded with care as I went along. When I reached my
ship we got supper ready, for night was falling, and camped down
upon the beach.
"When the child of morning rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, I took
the three men on whose prowess of all kinds I could most rely,
and went along by the sea-side, praying heartily to heaven.
Meanwhile the goddess fetched me up four seal skins from the
bottom of the sea, all of them just skinned, for she meant
playing a trick upon her father. Then she dug four pits for us
to lie in, and sat down to wait till we should come up. When we
were close to her, she made us lie down in the pits one after
the other, and threw a seal skin over each of us. Our ambuscade
would have been intolerable, for the stench of the fishy seals
was most distressing {45}--who would go to bed with a sea
monster if he could help it?--but here, too, the goddess helped
us, and thought of something that gave us great relief, for she
put some ambrosia under each man's nostrils, which was so
fragrant that it killed the smell of the seals. {46}
"We waited the whole morning and made the best of it, watching
the seals come up in hundreds to bask upon the sea shore, till
at noon the old man of the sea came up too, and when he had
found his fat seals he went over them and counted them. We were
among the first he counted, and he never suspected any guile,
but laid himself down to sleep as soon as he had done counting.
Then we rushed upon him with a shout and seized him; on which he
began at once with his old tricks, and changed himself first
into a lion with a great mane; then all of a sudden he became a
dragon, a leopard, a wild boar; the next moment he was running
water, and then again directly he was a tree, but we stuck to
him and never lost hold, till at last the cunning old creature
became distressed, and said, 'Which of the gods was it, Son of
Atreus, that hatched this plot with you for snaring me and
seizing me against my will? What do you want?'
"'You know that yourself, old man,' I answered, 'you will gain
nothing by trying to put me off. It is because I have been kept
so long in this island, and see no sign of my being able to get
away. I am losing all heart; tell me, then, for you gods know
everything, which of the immortals it is that is hindering me,
and tell me also how I may sail the sea so as to reach my home?'
"Then,' he said, 'if you would finish your voyage and get home
quickly, you must offer sacrifices to Jove and to the rest of
the gods before embarking; for it is decreed that you shall not
get back to your friends, and to your own house, till you have
returned to the heaven-fed stream of Egypt, and offered holy
hecatombs to the immortal gods that reign in heaven. When you
have done this they will let you finish your voyage.'
"I was broken hearted when I heard that I must go back all that
long and terrible voyage to Egypt; {47} nevertheless, I
answered, 'I will do all, old man, that you have laid upon me;
but now tell me, and tell me true, whether all the Achaeans whom
Nestor and I left behind us when we set sail from Troy have got
home safely, or whether any one of them came to a bad end either
on board his own ship or among his friends when the days of his
fighting were done.'
"'Son of Atreus,' he answered, 'why ask me? You had better not
know what I can tell you, for your eyes will surely fill when
you have heard my story. Many of those about whom you ask are
dead and gone, but many still remain, and only two of the chief
men among the Achaeans perished during their return home. As for
what happened on the field of battle--you were there yourself. A
third Achaean leader is still at sea, alive, but hindered from
returning. Ajax was wrecked, for Neptune drove him on to the
great rocks of Gyrae; nevertheless, he let him get safe out of
the water, and in spite of all Minerva's hatred he would have
escaped death, if he had not ruined himself by boasting. He
said the gods could not drown him even though they had tried to
do so, and when Neptune heard this large talk, he seized his
trident in his two brawny hands, and split the rock of Gyrae in
two pieces. The base remained where it was, but the part on
which Ajax was sitting fell headlong into the sea and carried
Ajax with it; so he drank salt water and was drowned.
"'Your brother and his ships escaped, for Juno protected him,
but when he was just about to reach the high promontory of
Malea, he was caught by a heavy gale which carried him out to
sea again sorely against his will, and drove him to the foreland
where Thyestes used to dwell, but where Aegisthus was then
living. By and by, however, it seemed as though he was to return
safely after all, for the gods backed the wind into its old
quarter and they reached home; whereon Agamemnon kissed his
native soil, and shed tears of joy at finding himself in his own
country.
"'Now there was a watchman whom Aegisthus kept always on the
watch, and to whom he had promised two talents of gold. This man
had been looking out for a whole year to make sure that
Agamemnon did not give him the slip and prepare war; when,
therefore, this man saw Agamemnon go by, he went and told
Aegisthus, who at once began to lay a plot for him. He picked
twenty of his bravest warriors and placed them in ambuscade on
one side the cloister, while on the opposite side he prepared a
banquet. Then he sent his chariots and horsemen to Agamemnon,
and invited him to the feast, but he meant foul play. He got him
there, all unsuspicious of the doom that was awaiting him, and
killed him when the banquet was over as though he were
butchering an ox in the shambles; not one of Agamemnon's
followers was left alive, nor yet one of Aegisthus', but they
were all killed there in the cloisters.'
"Thus spoke Proteus, and I was broken hearted as I heard him. I
sat down upon the sands and wept; I felt as though I could no
longer bear to live nor look upon the light of the sun.
Presently, when I had had my fill of weeping and writhing upon
the ground, the old man of the sea said, 'Son of Atreus, do not
waste any more time in crying so bitterly; it can do no manner
of good; find your way home as fast as ever you can, for
Aegisthus may be still alive, and even though Orestes has been
beforehand with you in killing him, you may yet come in for his
funeral.'
"On this I took comfort in spite of all my sorrow, and said, 'I
know, then, about these two; tell me, therefore, about the third
man of whom you spoke; is he still alive, but at sea, and unable
to get home? or is he dead? Tell me, no matter how much it may
grieve me.'
"'The third man,' he answered, 'is Ulysses who dwells in Ithaca.
I can see him in an island sorrowing bitterly in the house of
the nymph Calypso, who is keeping him prisoner, and he cannot
reach his home for he has no ships nor sailors to take him over
the sea. As for your own end, Menelaus, you shall not die in
Argos, but the gods will take you to the Elysian plain, which is
at the ends of the world. There fair-haired Rhadamanthus reigns,
and men lead an easier life than any where else in the world,
for in Elysium there falls not rain, nor hail, nor snow, but
Oceanus breathes ever with a West wind that sings softly from
the sea, and gives fresh life to all men. This will happen to
you because you have married Helen, and are Jove's son-in-law.'
"As he spoke he dived under the waves, whereon I turned back to
the ships with my companions, and my heart was clouded with care
as I went along. When we reached the ships we got supper ready,
for night was falling, and camped down upon the beach. When the
child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, we drew our ships
into the water, and put our masts and sails within them; then we
went on board ourselves, took our seats on the benches, and
smote the grey sea with our oars. I again stationed my ships in
the heaven-fed stream of Egypt, and offered hecatombs that were
full and sufficient. When I had thus appeased heaven's anger, I
raised a barrow to the memory of Agamemnon that his name might
live for ever, after which I had a quick passage home, for the
gods sent me a fair wind.
"And now for yourself--stay here some ten or twelve days longer,
and I will then speed you on your way. I will make you a noble
present of a chariot and three horses. I will also give you a
beautiful chalice that so long as you live you may think of me
whenever you make a drink-offering to the immortal gods."
"Son of Atreus," replied Telemachus, "do not press me to stay
longer; I should be contented to remain with you for another
twelve months; I find your conversation so delightful that I
should never once wish myself at home with my parents; but my
crew whom I have left at Pylos are already impatient, and you
are detaining me from them. As for any present you may be
disposed to make me, I had rather that it should he a piece of
plate. I will take no horses back with me to Ithaca, but will
leave them to adorn your own stables, for you have much flat
ground in your kingdom where lotus thrives, as also meadow-sweet
and wheat and barley, and oats with their white and spreading
ears; whereas in Ithaca we have neither open fields nor
racecourses, and the country is more fit for goats than horses,
and I like it the better for that. {48} None of our islands have
much level ground, suitable for horses, and Ithaca least of
all."
Menelaus smiled and took Telemachus's hand within his own.
"What you say," said he, "shows that you come of good family. I
both can, and will, make this exchange for you, by giving you
the finest and most precious piece of plate in all my house. It
is a mixing bowl by Vulcan's own hand, of pure silver, except
the rim, which is inlaid with gold. Phaedimus, king of the
Sidonians, gave it me in the course of a visit which I paid him
when I returned thither on my homeward journey. I will make you
a present of it."
Thus did they converse [and guests kept coming to the king's
house. They brought sheep and wine, while their wives had put up
bread for them to take with them; so they were busy cooking
their dinners in the courts]. {49}
Meanwhile the suitors were throwing discs or aiming with spears
at a mark on the levelled ground in front of Ulysses' house, and
were behaving with all their old insolence. Antinous and
Eurymachus, who were their ringleaders and much the foremost
among them all, were sitting together when Noemon son of
Phronius came up and said to Antinous,
"Have we any idea, Antinous, on what day Telemachus returns from
Pylos? He has a ship of mine, and I want it, to cross over to
Elis: I have twelve brood mares there with yearling mule foals
by their side not yet broken in, and I want to bring one of them
over here and break him."
They were astounded when they heard this, for they had made sure
that Telemachus had not gone to the city of Neleus. They
thought he was only away somewhere on the farms, and was with
the sheep, or with the swineherd; so Antinous said, "When did he
go? Tell me truly, and what young men did he take with him? Were
they freemen or his own bondsmen--for he might manage that too?
Tell me also, did you let him have the ship of your own free
will because he asked you, or did he take it without your
leave?"
"I lent it him," answered Noemon, "what else could I do when a
man of his position said he was in a difficulty, and asked me to
oblige him? I could not possibly refuse. As for those who went
with him they were the best young men we have, and I saw Mentor
go on board as captain--or some god who was exactly like him. I
cannot understand it, for I saw Mentor here myself yesterday
morning, and yet he was then setting out for Pylos."
Noemon then went back to his father's house, but Antinous and
Eurymachus were very angry. They told the others to leave off
playing, and to come and sit down along with themselves. When
they came, Antinous son of Eupeithes spoke in anger. His heart
was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he said:
"Good heavens, this voyage of Telemachus is a very serious
matter; we had made sure that it would come to nothing, but the
young fellow has got away in spite of us, and with a picked crew
too. He will be giving us trouble presently; may Jove take him
before he is full grown. Find me a ship, therefore, with a crew
of twenty men, and I will lie in wait for him in the straits
between Ithaca and Samos; he will then rue the day that he set
out to try and get news of his father."
Thus did he speak, and the others applauded his saying; they
then all of them went inside the buildings.
It was not long ere Penelope came to know what the suitors were
plotting; for a man servant, Medon, overheard them from outside
the outer court as they were laying their schemes within, and
went to tell his mistress. As he crossed the threshold of her
room Penelope said: "Medon, what have the suitors sent you here
for? Is it to tell the maids to leave their master's business
and cook dinner for them? I wish they may neither woo nor dine
henceforward, neither here nor anywhere else, but let this be
the very last time, for the waste you all make of my son's
estate. Did not your fathers tell you when you were children,
how good Ulysses had been to them--never doing anything
high-handed, nor speaking harshly to anybody? Kings may say
things sometimes, and they may take a fancy to one man and
dislike another, but Ulysses never did an unjust thing by
anybody--which shows what bad hearts you have, and that there is
no such thing as gratitude left in this world."
Then Medon said, "I wish, Madam, that this were all; but they
are plotting something much more dreadful now--may heaven
frustrate their design. They are going to try and murder
Telemachus as he is coming home from Pylos and Lacedaemon, where
he has been to get news of his father."
Then Penelope's heart sank within her, and for a long time she
was speechless; her eyes filled with tears, and she could find
no utterance. At last, however, she said, "Why did my son leave
me? What business had he to go sailing off in ships that make
long voyages over the ocean like sea-horses? Does he want to die
without leaving any one behind him to keep up his name?"
"I do not know," answered Medon, "whether some god set him on to
it, or whether he went on his own impulse to see if he could
find out if his father was dead, or alive and on his way home."
Then he went downstairs again, leaving Penelope in an agony of
grief. There were plenty of seats in the house, but she had no
heart for sitting on any one of them; she could only fling
herself on the floor of her own room and cry; whereon all the
maids in the house, both old and young, gathered round her and
began to cry too, till at last in a transport of sorrow she
exclaimed,
"My dears, heaven has been pleased to try me with more
affliction than any other woman of my age and country. First I
lost my brave and lion-hearted husband, who had every good
quality under heaven, and whose name was great over all Hellas
and middle Argos, and now my darling son is at the mercy of the
winds and waves, without my having heard one word about his
leaving home. You hussies, there was not one of you would so
much as think of giving me a call out of my bed, though you all
of you very well knew when he was starting. If I had known he
meant taking this voyage, he would have had to give it up, no
matter how much he was bent upon it, or leave me a corpse behind
him--one or other. Now, however, go some of you and call old
Dolius, who was given me by my father on my marriage, and who is
my gardener. Bid him go at once and tell everything to Laertes,
who may be able to hit on some plan for enlisting public
sympathy on our side, as against those who are trying to
exterminate his own race and that of Ulysses."
Then the dear old nurse Euryclea said, "You may kill me, Madam,
or let me live on in your house, whichever you please, but I
will tell you the real truth. I knew all about it, and gave him
everything he wanted in the way of bread and wine, but he made
me take my solemn oath that I would not tell you anything for
some ten or twelve days, unless you asked or happened to hear of
his having gone, for he did not want you to spoil your beauty by
crying. And now, Madam, wash your face, change your dress, and
go upstairs with your maids to offer prayers to Minerva,
daughter of Aegis-bearing Jove, for she can save him even though
he be in the jaws of death. Do not trouble Laertes: he has
trouble enough already. Besides, I cannot think that the gods
hate die race of the race of the son of Arceisius so much, but
there will be a son left to come up after him, and inherit both
the house and the fair fields that lie far all round it."
With these words she made her mistress leave off crying, and
dried the tears from her eyes. Penelope washed her face, changed
her dress, and went upstairs with her maids. She then put some
bruised barley into a basket and began praying to Minerva.
"Hear me," she cried, "Daughter of Aegis-bearing Jove,
unweariable. If ever Ulysses while he was here burned you fat
thigh bones of sheep or heifer, bear it in mind now as in my
favour, and save my darling son from the villainy of the
suitors."
She cried aloud as she spoke, and the goddess heard her prayer;
meanwhile the suitors were clamorous throughout the covered
cloister, and one of them said:
"The queen is preparing for her marriage with one or other of
us. Little does she dream that her son has now been doomed to
die."
This was what they said, but they did not know what was going to
happen. Then Antinous said, "Comrades, let there be no loud
talking, lest some of it get carried inside. Let us be up and
do that in silence, about which we are all of a mind."
He then chose twenty men, and they went down to their ship and
to the sea side; they drew the vessel into the water and got her
mast and sails inside her; they bound the oars to the thole-pins
with twisted thongs of leather, all in due course, and spread
the white sails aloft, while their fine servants brought them
their armour. Then they made the ship fast a little way out,
came on shore again, got their suppers, and waited till night
should fall.
But Penelope lay in her own room upstairs unable to eat or
drink, and wondering whether her brave son would escape, or be
overpowered by the wicked suitors. Like a lioness caught in the
toils with huntsmen hemming her in on every side she thought and
thought till she sank into a slumber, and lay on her bed bereft
of thought and motion.
Then Minerva bethought her of another matter, and made a vision
in the likeness of Penelope's sister Iphthime daughter of
Icarius who had married Eumelus and lived in Pherae. She told
the vision to go to the house of Ulysses, and to make Penelope
leave off crying, so it came into her room by the hole through
which the thong went for pulling the door to, and hovered over
her head saying,
"You are asleep, Penelope: the gods who live at ease will not
suffer you to weep and be so sad. Your son has done them no
wrong, so he will yet come back to you."
Penelope, who was sleeping sweetly at the gates of dreamland,
answered, "Sister, why have you come here? You do not come very
often, but I suppose that is because you live such a long way
off. Am I, then, to leave off crying and refrain from all the
sad thoughts that torture me? I, who have lost my brave and
lion-hearted husband, who had every good quality under heaven,
and whose name was great over all Hellas and middle Argos; and
now my darling son has gone off on board of a ship--a foolish
fellow who has never been used to roughing it, nor to going
about among gatherings of men. I am even more anxious about him
than about my husband; I am all in a tremble when I think of
him, lest something should happen to him, either from the people
among whom he has gone, or by sea, for he has many enemies who
are plotting against him, and are bent on killing him before he
can return home."
Then the vision said, "Take heart, and be not so much dismayed.
There is one gone with him whom many a man would be glad enough
to have stand by his side, I mean Minerva; it is she who has
compassion upon you, and who has sent me to bear you this
message."
"Then," said Penelope, "if you are a god or have been sent here
by divine commission, tell me also about that other unhappy
one--is he still alive, or is he already dead and in the house
of Hades?"
And the vision said, "I shall not tell you for certain whether
he is alive or dead, and there is no use in idle conversation."
Then it vanished through the thong-hole of the door and was
dissipated into thin air; but Penelope rose from her sleep
refreshed and comforted, so vivid had been her dream.
Meantime the suitors went on board and sailed their ways over
the sea, intent on murdering Telemachus. Now there is a rocky
islet called Asteris, of no great size, in mid channel between
Ithaca and Samos, and there is a harbour on either side of it
where a ship can lie. Here then the Achaeans placed themselves
in ambush.
Book V
CALYPSO--ULYSSES REACHES SCHERIA ON A RAFT.
And now, as Dawn rose from her couch beside Tithonus--harbinger
of light alike to mortals and immortals--the gods met in council
and with them, Jove the lord of thunder, who is their king.
Thereon Minerva began to tell them of the many sufferings of
Ulysses, for she pitied him away there in the house of the nymph
Calypso.
"Father Jove," said she, "and all you other gods that live in
everlasting bliss, I hope there may never be such a thing as a
kind and well-disposed ruler any more, nor one who will govern
equitably. I hope they will be all henceforth cruel and unjust,
for there is not one of his subjects but has forgotten Ulysses,
who ruled them as though he were their father. There he is,
lying in great pain in an island where dwells the nymph Calypso,
who will not let him go; and he cannot get back to his own
country, for he can find neither ships nor sailors to take him
over the sea. Furthermore, wicked people are now trying to
murder his only son Telemachus, who is coming home from Pylos
and Lacedaemon, where he has been to see if he can get news of
his father."
"What, my dear, are you talking about?" replied her father, "did
you not send him there yourself, because you thought it would
help Ulysses to get home and punish the suitors? Besides, you
are perfectly able to protect Telemachus, and to see him safely
home again, while the suitors have to come hurry-skurrying back
without having killed him."
When he had thus spoken, he said to his son Mercury, "Mercury,
you are our messenger, go therefore and tell Calypso we have
decreed that poor Ulysses is to return home. He is to be
convoyed neither by gods nor men, but after a perilous voyage of
twenty days upon a raft he is to reach fertile Scheria, {50} the
land of the Phaeacians, who are near of kin to the gods, and
will honour him as though he were one of ourselves. They will
send him in a ship to his own country, and will give him more
bronze and gold and raiment than he would have brought back from
Troy, if he had had all his prize money and had got home without
disaster. This is how we have settled that he shall return to
his country and his friends."
Thus he spoke, and Mercury, guide and guardian, slayer of Argus,
did as he was told. Forthwith he bound on his glittering golden
sandals with which he could fly like the wind over land and sea.
He took the wand with which he seals men's eyes in sleep or
wakes them just as he pleases, and flew holding it in his hand
over Pieria; then he swooped down through the firmament till he
reached the level of the sea, whose waves he skimmed like a
cormorant that flies fishing every hole and corner of the ocean,
and drenching its thick plumage in the spray. He flew and flew
over many a weary wave, but when at last he got to the island
which was his journey's end, he left the sea and went on by land
till he came to the cave where the nymph Calypso lived.
He found her at home. There was a large fire burning on the
hearth, and one could smell from far the fragrant reek of
burning cedar and sandal wood. As for herself, she was busy at
her loom, shooting her golden shuttle through the warp and
singing beautifully. Round her cave there was a thick wood of
alder, poplar, and sweet smelling cypress trees, wherein all
kinds of great birds had built their nests--owls, hawks, and
chattering sea-crows that occupy their business in the waters. A
vine loaded with grapes was trained and grew luxuriantly about
the mouth of the cave; there were also four running rills of
water in channels cut pretty close together, and turned hither
and thither so as to irrigate the beds of violets and luscious
herbage over which they flowed. {51} Even a god could not help
being charmed with such a lovely spot, so Mercury stood still
and looked at it; but when he had admired it sufficiently he
went inside the cave.
Calypso knew him at once--for the gods all know each other, no
matter how far they live from one another--but Ulysses was not
within; he was on the sea-shore as usual, looking out upon the
barren ocean with tears in his eyes, groaning and breaking his
heart for sorrow. Calypso gave Mercury a seat and said: "Why
have you come to see me, Mercury--honoured, and ever
welcome--for you do not visit me often? Say what you want; I
will do it for you at once if I can, and if it can be done at
all; but come inside, and let me set refreshment before you."
As she spoke she drew a table loaded with ambrosia beside him
and mixed him some red nectar, so Mercury ate and drank till he
had had enough, and then said:
"We are speaking god and goddess to one another, and you ask me
why I have come here, and I will tell you truly as you would
have me do. Jove sent me; it was no doing of mine; who could
possibly want to come all this way over the sea where there are
no cities full of people to offer me sacrifices or choice
hecatombs? Nevertheless I had to come, for none of us other
gods can cross Jove, nor transgress his orders. He says that you
have here the most ill-starred of all those who fought nine
years before the city of King Priam and sailed home in the tenth
year after having sacked it. On their way home they sinned
against Minerva, {52} who raised both wind and waves against
them, so that all his brave companions perished, and he alone
was carried hither by wind and tide. Jove says that you are to
let this man go at once, for it is decreed that he shall not
perish here, far from his own people, but shall return to his
house and country and see his friends again."
Calypso trembled with rage when she heard this, "You gods," she
exclaimed, "ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You are always
jealous and hate seeing a goddess take a fancy to a mortal man,
and live with him in open matrimony. So when rosy-fingered Dawn
made love to Orion, you precious gods were all of you furious
till Diana went and killed him in Ortygia. So again when Ceres
fell in love with Iasion, and yielded to him in a
thrice-ploughed fallow field, Jove came to hear of it before so
very long and killed Iasion with his thunderbolts. And now you
are angry with me too because I have a man here. I found the
poor creature sitting all alone astride of a keel, for Jove had
struck his ship with lightning and sunk it in mid ocean, so that
all his crew were drowned, while he himself was driven by wind
and waves on to my island. I got fond of him and cherished him,
and had set my heart on making him immortal, so that he should
never grow old all his days; still I cannot cross Jove, nor
bring his counsels to nothing; therefore, if he insists upon it,
let the man go beyond the seas again; but I cannot send him
anywhere myself for I have neither ships nor men who can take
him. Nevertheless I will readily give him such advice, in all
good faith, as will be likely to bring him safely to his own
country."
"Then send him away," said Mercury, "or Jove will be angry with
you and punish you".
On this he took his leave, and Calypso went out to look for
Ulysses, for she had heard Jove's message. She found him sitting
upon the beach with his eyes ever filled with tears, and dying
of sheer home sickness; for he had got tired of Calypso, and
though he was forced to sleep with her in the cave by night, it
was she, not he, that would have it so. As for the day time, he
spent it on the rocks and on the sea shore, weeping, crying
aloud for his despair, and always looking out upon the sea.
Calypso then went close up to him said:
"My poor fellow, you shall not stay here grieving and fretting
your life out any longer. I am going to send you away of my own
free will; so go, cut some beams of wood, and make yourself a
large raft with an upper deck that it may carry you safely over
the sea. I will put bread, wine, and water on board to save you
from starving. I will also give you clothes, and will send you a
fair wind to take you home, if the gods in heaven so will
it--for they know more about these things, and can settle them
better than I can."
Ulysses shuddered as he heard her. "Now goddess," he answered,
"there is something behind all this; you cannot be really
meaning to help me home when you bid me do such a dreadful thing
as put to sea on a raft. Not even a well found ship with a fair
wind could venture on such a distant voyage: nothing that you
can say or do shall make me go on board a raft unless you first
solemnly swear that you mean me no mischief."
Calypso smiled at this and caressed him with her hand: "You know
a great deal," said she, "but you are quite wrong here. May
heaven above and earth below be my witnesses, with the waters of
the river Styx--and this is the most solemn oath which a blessed
god can take--that I mean you no sort of harm, and am only
advising you to do exactly what I should do myself in your
place. I am dealing with you quite straightforwardly; my heart
is not made of iron, and I am very sorry for you."
When she had thus spoken she led the way rapidly before him, and
Ulysses followed in her steps; so the pair, goddess and man,
went on and on till they came to Calypso's cave, where Ulysses
took the seat that Mercury had just left. Calypso set meat and
drink before him of the food that mortals eat; but her maids
brought ambrosia and nectar for herself, and they laid their
hands on the good things that were before them. When they had
satisfied themselves with meat and drink, Calypso spoke, saying:
"Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, so you would start home to your
own land at once? Good luck go with you, but if you could only
know how much suffering is in store for you before you get back
to your own country, you would stay where you are, keep house
along with me, and let me make you immortal, no matter how
anxious you may be to see this wife of yours, of whom you are
thinking all the time day after day; yet I flatter myself that I
am no whit less tall or well-looking than she is, for it is not
to be expected that a mortal woman should compare in beauty with
an immortal."
"Goddess," replied Ulysses, "do not be angry with me about this.
I am quite aware that my wife Penelope is nothing like so tall
or so beautiful as yourself. She is only a woman, whereas you
are an immortal. Nevertheless, I want to get home, and can think
of nothing else. If some god wrecks me when I am on the sea, I
will bear it and make the best of it. I have had infinite
trouble both by land and sea already, so let this go with the
rest."
Presently the sun set and it became dark, whereon the pair
retired into the inner part of the cave and went to bed.
When the child of morning rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, Ulysses
put on his shirt and cloak, while the goddess wore a dress of a
light gossamer fabric, very fine and graceful, with a beautiful
golden girdle about her waist and a veil to cover her head. She
at once set herself to think how she could speed Ulysses on his
way. So she gave him a great bronze axe that suited his hands;
it was sharpened on both sides, and had a beautiful olive-wood
handle fitted firmly on to it. She also gave him a sharp adze,
and then led the way to the far end of the island where the
largest trees grew--alder, poplar and pine, that reached the
sky--very dry and well seasoned, so as to sail light for him in
the water. {53} Then, when she had shown him where the best
trees grew, Calypso went home, leaving him to cut them, which he
soon finished doing. He cut down twenty trees in all and adzed
them smooth, squaring them by rule in good workmanlike fashion.
Meanwhile Calypso came back with some augers, so he bored holes
with them and fitted the timbers together with bolts and rivets.
He made the raft as broad as a skilled shipwright makes the beam
of a large vessel, and he fixed a deck on top of the ribs, and
ran a gunwale all round it. He also made a mast with a yard arm,
and a rudder to steer with. He fenced the raft all round with
wicker hurdles as a protection against the waves, and then he
threw on a quantity of wood. By and by Calypso brought him some
linen to make the sails, and he made these too, excellently,
making them fast with braces and sheets. Last of all, with the
help of levers, he drew the raft down into the water.
In four days he had completed the whole work, and on the fifth
Calypso sent him from the island after washing him and giving
him some clean clothes. She gave him a goat skin full of black
wine, and another larger one of water; she also gave him a
wallet full of provisions, and found him in much good meat.
Moreover, she made the wind fair and warm for him, and gladly
did Ulysses spread his sail before it, while he sat and guided
the raft skilfully by means of the rudder. He never closed his
eyes, but kept them fixed on the Pleiads, on late-setting
Bootes, and on the Bear--which men also call the wain, and which
turns round and round where it is, facing Orion, and alone never
dipping into the stream of Oceanus--for Calypso had told him to
keep this to his left. Days seven and ten did he sail over the
sea, and on the eighteenth the dim outlines of the mountains on
the nearest part of the Phaeacian coast appeared, rising like a
shield on the horizon.
But King Neptune, who was returning from the Ethiopians, caught
sight of Ulysses a long way off, from the mountains of the
Solymi. He could see him sailing upon the sea, and it made him
very angry, so he wagged his head and muttered to himself,
saying, "Good heavens, so the gods have been changing their
minds about Ulysses while I was away in Ethiopia, and now he is
close to the land of the Phaeacians, where it is decreed that he
shall escape from the calamities that have befallen him. Still,
he shall have plenty of hardship yet before he has done with
it."
Thereon he gathered his clouds together, grasped his trident,
stirred it round in the sea, and roused the rage of every wind
that blows till earth, sea, and sky were hidden in cloud, and
night sprang forth out of the heavens. Winds from East, South,
North, and West fell upon him all at the same time, and a
tremendous sea got up, so that Ulysses' heart began to fail him.
"Alas," he said to himself in his dismay, "what ever will become
of me? I am afraid Calypso was right when she said I should have
trouble by sea before I got back home. It is all coming true.
How black is Jove making heaven with his clouds, and what a sea
the winds are raising from every quarter at once. I am now safe
to perish. Blest and thrice blest were those Danaans who fell
before Troy in the cause of the sons of Atreus. Would that I had
been killed on the day when the Trojans were pressing me so
sorely about the dead body of Achilles, for then I should have
had due burial and the Achaeans would have honoured my name; but
now it seems that I shall come to a most pitiable end."
As he spoke a sea broke over him with such terrific fury that
the raft reeled again, and he was carried overboard a long way
off. He let go the helm, and the force of the hurricane was so
great that it broke the mast half way up, and both sail and yard
went over into the sea. For a long time Ulysses was under water,
and it was all he could do to rise to the surface again, for the
clothes Calypso had given him weighed him down; but at last he
got his head above water and spat out the bitter brine that was
running down his face in streams. In spite of all this, however,
he did not lose sight of his raft, but swam as fast as he could
towards it, got hold of it, and climbed on board again so as to
escape drowning. The sea took the raft and tossed it about as
Autumn winds whirl thistledown round and round upon a road. It
was as though the South, North, East, and West winds were all
playing battledore and shuttlecock with it at once.
When he was in this plight, Ino daughter of Cadmus, also called
Leucothea, saw him. She had formerly been a mere mortal, but had
been since raised to the rank of a marine goddess. Seeing in
what great distress Ulysses now was, she had compassion upon
him, and, rising like a sea-gull from the waves, took her seat
upon the raft.
"My poor good man," said she, "why is Neptune so furiously angry
with you? He is giving you a great deal of trouble, but for all
his bluster he will not kill you. You seem to be a sensible
person, do then as I bid you; strip, leave your raft to drive
before the wind, and swim to the Phaeacian coast where better
luck awaits you. And here, take my veil and put it round your
chest; it is enchanted, and you can come to no harm so long as
you wear it. As soon as you touch land take it off, throw it
back as far as you can into the sea, and then go away again."
With these words she took off her veil and gave it him. Then she
dived down again like a sea-gull and vanished beneath the dark
blue waters.
But Ulysses did not know what to think. "Alas," he said to
himself in his dismay, "this is only some one or other of the
gods who is luring me to ruin by advising me to quit my raft. At
any rate I will not do so at present, for the land where she
said I should be quit of all troubles seemed to be still a good
way off. I know what I will do--I am sure it will be best--no
matter what happens I will stick to the raft as long as her
timbers hold together, but when the sea breaks her up I will
swim for it; I do not see how I can do any better than this."
While he was thus in two minds, Neptune sent a terrible great
wave that seemed to rear itself above his head till it broke
right over the raft, which then went to pieces as though it were
a heap of dry chaff tossed about by a whirlwind. Ulysses got
astride of one plank and rode upon it as if he were on
horseback; he then took off the clothes Calypso had given him,
bound Ino's veil under his arms, and plunged into the
sea--meaning to swim on shore. King Neptune watched him as he
did so, and wagged his head, muttering to himself and saying,
"There now, swim up and down as you best can till you fall in
with well-to-do people. I do not think you will be able to say
that I have let you off too lightly." On this he lashed his
horses and drove to Aegae where his palace is.
But Minerva resolved to help Ulysses, so she bound the ways of
all the winds except one, and made them lie quite still; but she
roused a good stiff breeze from the North that should lay the
waters till Ulysses reached the land of the Phaeacians where he
would be safe.
Thereon he floated about for two nights and two days in the
water, with a heavy swell on the sea and death staring him in
the face; but when the third day broke, the wind fell and there
was a dead calm without so much as a breath of air stirring. As
he rose on the swell he looked eagerly ahead, and could see land
quite near. Then, as children rejoice when their dear father
begins to get better after having for a long time borne sore
affliction sent him by some angry spirit, but the gods deliver
him from evil, so was Ulysses thankful when he again saw land
and trees, and swam on with all his strength that he might once
more set foot upon dry ground. When, however, he got within
earshot, he began to hear the surf thundering up against the
rocks, for the swell still broke against them with a terrific
roar. Everything was enveloped in spray; there were no harbours
where a ship might ride, nor shelter of any kind, but only
headlands, low-lying rocks, and mountain tops.
Ulysses' heart now began to fail him, and he said despairingly
to himself, "Alas, Jove has let me see land after swimming so
far that I had given up all hope, but I can find no landing
place, for the coast is rocky and surf-beaten, the rocks are
smooth and rise sheer from the sea, with deep water close under
them so that I cannot climb out for want of foot hold. I am
afraid some great wave will lift me off my legs and dash me
against the rocks as I leave the water--which would give me a
sorry landing. If, on the other hand, I swim further in search
of some shelving beach or harbour, a hurricane may carry me out
to sea again sorely against my will, or heaven may send some
great monster of the deep to attack me; for Amphitrite breeds
many such, and I know that Neptune is very angry with me."
While he was thus in two minds a wave caught him and took him
with such force against the rocks that he would have been
smashed and torn to pieces if Minerva had not shown him what to
do. He caught hold of the rock with both hands and clung to it
groaning with pain till the wave retired, so he was saved that
time; but presently the wave came on again and carried him back
with it far into the sea--tearing his hands as the suckers of a
polypus are torn when some one plucks it from its bed, and the
stones come up along with it--even so did the rocks tear the
skin from his strong hands, and then the wave drew him deep down
under the water.
Here poor Ulysses would have certainly perished even in spite of
his own destiny, if Minerva had not helped him to keep his wits
about him. He swam seaward again, beyond reach of the surf that
was beating against the land, and at the same time he kept
looking towards the shore to see if he could find some haven, or
a spit that should take the waves aslant. By and by, as he swam
on, he came to the mouth of a river, and here he thought would
be the best place, for there were no rocks, and it afforded
shelter from the wind. He felt that there was a current, so he
prayed inwardly and said:
"Hear me, O King, whoever you may be, and save me from the anger
of the sea-god Neptune, for I approach you prayerfully. Any one
who has lost his way has at all times a claim even upon the
gods, wherefore in my distress I draw near to your stream, and
cling to the knees of your riverhood. Have mercy upon me, O
king, for I declare myself your suppliant."
Then the god staid his stream and stilled the waves, making all
calm before him, and bringing him safely into the mouth of the
river. Here at last Ulysses' knees and strong hands failed him,
for the sea had completely broken him. His body was all swollen,
and his mouth and nostrils ran down like a river with sea-water,
so that he could neither breathe nor speak, and lay swooning
from sheer exhaustion; presently, when he had got his breath and
came to himself again, he took off the scarf that Ino had given
him and threw it back into the salt {54} stream of the river,
whereon Ino received it into her hands from the wave that bore
it towards her. Then he left the river, laid himself down among
the rushes, and kissed the bounteous earth.
"Alas," he cried to himself in his dismay, "what ever will
become of me, and how is it all to end? If I stay here upon the
river bed through the long watches of the night, I am so
exhausted that the bitter cold and damp may make an end of
me--for towards sunrise there will be a keen wind blowing from
off the river. If, on the other hand, I climb the hill side,
find shelter in the woods, and sleep in some thicket, I may
escape the cold and have a good night's rest, but some savage
beast may take advantage of me and devour me."
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 an ungrafted sucker, 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. Ulysses 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 Ulysses cover himself up with
leaves; and Minerva shed a sweet sleep upon his eyes, closed his
eyelids, and made him lose all memories of his sorrows.
Book VI
THE MEETING BETWEEN NAUSICAA AND ULYSSES.
So here Ulysses slept, overcome by sleep and toil; but Minerva
went off to the country and city of the Phaeacians--a people
who used to live in the fair town of Hypereia, near the lawless
Cyclopes. Now the Cyclopes were stronger than they and plundered
them, so their king Nausithous moved them thence and settled
them in Scheria, far from all other people. He surrounded the
city with a wall, built houses and temples, and divided the
lands among his people; but he was dead and gone to the house of
Hades, and King Alcinous, whose counsels were inspired of
heaven, was now reigning. To his house, then, did Minerva hie in
furtherance of the return of Ulysses.
She went straight to the beautifully decorated bedroom in which
there slept a girl who was as lovely as a goddess, Nausicaa,
daughter to King Alcinous. Two maid servants were sleeping near
her, both very pretty, one on either side of the doorway, which
was closed with well made folding doors. Minerva took the form
of the famous sea captain Dymas's daughter, who was a bosom
friend of Nausicaa and just her own age; then, coming up to the
girl's bedside like a breath of wind, she hovered over her head
and said:
"Nausicaa, what can your mother have been about, to have such a
lazy daughter? Here are your clothes all lying in disorder, yet
you are going to be married almost immediately, and should not
only be well dressed yourself, but should find good clothes for
those who attend you. This is the way to get yourself a good
name, and to make your father and mother proud of you. Suppose,
then, that we make tomorrow a washing day, and start at
daybreak. I will come and help you so that you may have
everything ready as soon as possible, for all the best young men
among your own people are courting you, and you are not going to
remain a maid much longer. Ask your father, therefore, to have a
waggon and mules ready for us at daybreak, to take the rugs,
robes, and girdles, and you can ride, too, which will be much
pleasanter for you than walking, for the washing-cisterns are
some way from the town."
When she had said this Minerva went away to Olympus, which they
say is the everlasting home of the gods. Here no wind beats
roughly, and neither rain nor snow can fall; but it abides in
everlasting sunshine and in a great peacefulness of light,
wherein the blessed gods are illumined for ever and ever. This
was the place to which the goddess went when she had given
instructions to the girl.
By and by morning came and woke Nausicaa, who began wondering
about her dream; she therefore went to the other end of the
house to tell her father and mother all about it, and found them
in their own room. Her mother was sitting by the fireside
spinning her purple yarn with her maids around her, and she
happened to catch her father just as he was going out to attend
a meeting of the town council, which the Phaeacian aldermen had
convened. She stopped him and said:
"Papa dear, could you manage to let me have a good big waggon? I
want to take all our dirty clothes to the river and wash them.
You are the chief man here, so it is only right that you should
have a clean shirt when you attend meetings of the council.
Moreover, you have five sons at home, two of them married, while
the other three are good looking bachelors; you know they always
like to have clean linen when they go to a dance, and I have
been thinking about all this."
She did not say a word about her own wedding, for she did not
like to, but her father knew and said, "You shall have the
mules, my love, and whatever else you have a mind for. Be off
with you, and the men shall get you a good strong waggon with a
body to it that will hold all your clothes."
On this he gave his orders to the servants, who got the waggon
out, harnessed the mules, and put them to, while the girl
brought the clothes down from the linen room and placed them on
the waggon. Her mother prepared her a basket of provisions with
all sorts of good things, and a goat skin full of wine; the girl
now got into the waggon, and her mother gave her also a golden
cruse of oil, that she and her women might anoint themselves.
Then she took the whip and reins and lashed the mules on,
whereon they set off, and their hoofs clattered on the road.
They pulled without flagging, and carried not only Nausicaa and
her wash of clothes, but the maids also who were with her.
When they reached the water side they went to the washing
cisterns, through which there ran at all times enough pure water
to wash any quantity of linen, no matter how dirty. Here they
unharnessed the mules and turned them out to feed on the sweet
juicy herbage that grew by the water side. They took the clothes
out of the waggon, put them in the water, and vied with one
another in treading them in the pits to get the dirt out. After
they had washed them and got them quite clean, they laid them
out by the sea side, where the waves had raised a high beach of
shingle, and set about washing themselves and anointing
themselves with olive oil. Then they got their dinner by the
side of the stream, and waited for the sun to finish drying the
clothes. When they had done dinner they threw off the veils that
covered their heads and began to play at ball, while Nausicaa
sang for them. As the huntress Diana goes forth upon the
mountains of Taygetus or Erymanthus to hunt wild boars or deer,
and the wood nymphs, daughters of Aegis-bearing Jove, take their
sport along with her (then is Leto proud at seeing her daughter
stand a full head taller than the others, and eclipse the
loveliest amid a whole bevy of beauties), even so did the girl
outshine her handmaids.
When it was time for them to start home, and they were folding
the clothes and putting them into the waggon, Minerva began to
consider how Ulysses should wake up and see the handsome girl
who was to conduct him to the city of the Phaeacians. The girl,
therefore, threw a ball at one of the maids, which missed her
and fell into deep water. On this they all shouted, and the
noise they made woke Ulysses, who sat up in his bed of leaves
and began to wonder what it might all be.
"Alas," said he to himself, "what kind of people have I come
amongst? Are they cruel, savage, and uncivilised, or hospitable
and humane? I seem to hear the voices of young women, and they
sound like those of the nymphs that haunt mountain tops, or
springs of rivers and meadows of green grass. At any rate I am
among a race of men and women. Let me try if I cannot manage to
get a look at them."
As he said this he crept from under his bush, and broke off a
bough covered with thick leaves to hide his nakedness. He
looked like some lion of the wilderness that stalks about
exulting in his strength and defying both wind and rain; his
eyes glare as he prowls in quest of oxen, sheep, or deer, for he
is famished, and will dare break even into a well fenced
homestead, trying to get at the sheep--even such did Ulysses
seem to the young women, as he drew near to them all naked as he
was, for he was in great want. On seeing one so unkempt and so
begrimed with salt water, the others scampered off along the
spits that jutted out into the sea, but the daughter of Alcinous
stood firm, for Minerva put courage into her heart and took away
all fear from her. She stood right in front of Ulysses, and he
doubted whether he should go up to her, throw himself at her
feet, and embrace her knees as a suppliant, or stay where he was
and entreat her to give him some clothes and show him the way to
the town. In the end he deemed it best to entreat her from a
distance in case the girl should take offence at his coming near
enough to clasp her knees, so he addressed her in honeyed and
persuasive language.
"O queen," he said, "I implore your aid--but tell me, are you a
goddess or are you a mortal woman? If you are a goddess and
dwell in heaven, I can only conjecture that you are Jove's
daughter Diana, for your face and figure resemble none but hers;
if on the other hand you are a mortal and live on earth, thrice
happy are your father and mother--thrice happy, too, are your
brothers and sisters; how proud and delighted they must feel
when they see so fair a scion as yourself going out to a dance;
most happy, however, of all will he be whose wedding gifts have
been the richest, and who takes you to his own home. I never yet
saw any one so beautiful, neither man nor woman, and am lost in
admiration as I behold you. I can only compare you to a young
palm tree which I saw when I was at Delos growing near the altar
of Apollo--for I was there, too, with much people after me, when
I was on that journey which has been the source of all my
troubles. Never yet did such a young plant shoot out of the
ground as that was, and I admired and wondered at it exactly as
I now admire and wonder at yourself. I dare not clasp your
knees, but I am in great distress; yesterday made the twentieth
day that I had been tossing about upon the sea. The winds and
waves have taken me all the way from the Ogygian island, {55}
and now fate has flung me upon this coast that I may endure
still further suffering; for I do not think that I have yet come
to the end of it, but rather that heaven has still much evil in
store for me.
"And now, O queen, have pity upon me, for you are the first
person I have met, and I know no one else in this country. Show
me the way to your town, and let me have anything that you may
have brought hither to wrap your clothes in. May heaven grant
you in all things your heart's desire--husband, house, and a
happy, peaceful home; for there is nothing better in this world
than that man and wife should be of one mind in a house. It
discomfits their enemies, makes the hearts of their friends
glad, and they themselves know more about it than any one."
To this Nausicaa answered, "Stranger, you appear to be a
sensible, well-disposed person. There is no accounting for luck;
Jove gives prosperity to rich and poor just as he chooses, so
you must take what he has seen fit to send you, and make the
best of it. Now, however, that you have come to this our
country, you shall not want for clothes nor for anything else
that a foreigner in distress may reasonably look for. I will
show you the way to the town, and will tell you the name of our
people; we are called Phaeacians, and I am daughter to Alcinous,
in whom the whole power of the state is vested."
Then she called her maids and said, "Stay where you are, you
girls. Can you not see a man without running away from him? Do
you take him for a robber or a murderer? Neither he nor any one
else can come here to do us Phaeacians any harm, for we are dear
to the gods, and live apart on a land's end that juts into the
sounding sea, and have nothing to do with any other people. This
is only some poor man who has lost his way, and we must be kind
to him, for strangers and foreigners in distress are under
Jove's protection, and will take what they can get and be
thankful; so, girls, give the poor fellow something to eat and
drink, and wash him in the stream at some place that is
sheltered from the wind."
On this the maids left off running away and began calling one
another back. They made Ulysses sit down in the shelter as
Nausicaa had told them, and brought him a shirt and cloak. They
also brought him the little golden cruse of oil, and told him to
go and wash in the stream. But Ulysses said, "Young women,
please to stand a little on one side that I may wash the brine
from my shoulders and anoint myself with oil, for it is long
enough since my skin has had a drop of oil upon it. I cannot
wash as long as you all keep standing there. I am ashamed to
strip {56} before a number of good looking young women."
Then they stood on one side and went to tell the girl, while
Ulysses washed himself in the stream and scrubbed the brine from
his back and from his broad shoulders. When he had thoroughly
washed himself, and had got the brine out of his hair, he
anointed himself with oil, and put on the clothes which the girl
had given him; Minerva then made him look taller and stronger
than before, she also made the hair grow thick on the top of his
head, and flow down in curls like hyacinth blossoms; she
glorified him about the head and shoulders as a skilful workman
who has studied art of all kinds under Vulcan and Minerva
enriches a piece of silver plate by gilding it--and his work is
full of beauty. Then he went and sat down a little way off upon
the beach, looking quite young and handsome, and the girl gazed
on him with admiration; then she said to her maids:
"Hush, my dears, for I want to say something. I believe the gods
who live in heaven have sent this man to the Phaeacians. When I
first saw him I thought him plain, but now his appearance is
like that of the gods who dwell in heaven. I should like my
future husband to be just such another as he is, if he would
only stay here and not want to go away. However, give him
something to eat and drink."
They did as they were told, and set food before Ulysses, who ate
and drank ravenously, for it was long since he had had food of
any kind. Meanwhile, Nausicaa bethought her of another matter.
She got the linen folded and placed in the waggon, she then
yoked the mules, and, as she took her seat, she called Ulysses:
"Stranger," said she, "rise and let us be going back to the
town; I will introduce you at the house of my excellent father,
where I can tell you that you will meet all the best people
among the Phaeacians. But be sure and do as I bid you, for you
seem to be a sensible person. As long as we are going past the
fields and farm lands, follow briskly behind the waggon along
with the maids and I will lead the way myself. Presently,
however, we shall come to the town, where you will find a high
wall running all round it, and a good harbour on either side
with a narrow entrance into the city, and the ships will be
drawn up by the road side, for every one has a place where his
own ship can lie. You will see the market place with a temple of
Neptune in the middle of it, and paved with large stones bedded
in the earth. Here people deal in ship's gear of all kinds, such
as cables and sails, and here, too, are the places where oars
are made, for the Phaeacians are not a nation of archers; they
know nothing about bows and arrows, but are a sea-faring folk,
and pride themselves on their masts, oars, and ships, with which
they travel far over the sea.
"I am afraid of the gossip and scandal that may be set on foot
against me later on; for the people here are very ill-natured,
and some low fellow, if he met us, might say, 'Who is this
fine-looking stranger that is going about with Nausicaa? Where
did she find him? I suppose she is going to marry him. Perhaps
he is a vagabond sailor whom she has taken from some foreign
vessel, for we have no neighbours; or some god has at last come
down from heaven in answer to her prayers, and she is going to
live with him all the rest of her life. It would be a good thing
if she would take herself off and find a husband somewhere else,
for she will not look at one of the many excellent young
Phaeacians who are in love with her.' This is the kind of
disparaging remark that would be made about me, and I could not
complain, for I should myself be scandalised at seeing any other
girl do the like, and go about with men in spite of everybody,
while her father and mother were still alive, and without having
been married in the face of all the world.
"If, therefore, you want my father to give you an escort and to
help you home, do as I bid you; you will see a beautiful grove
of poplars by the road side dedicated to Minerva; it has a well
in it and a meadow all round it. Here my father has a field of
rich garden ground, about as far from the town as a man's voice
will carry. Sit down there and wait for a while till the rest of
us can get into the town and reach my father's house. Then, when
you think we must have done this, come into the town and ask the
way to the house of my father Alcinous. You will have no
difficulty in finding it; any child will point it out to you,
for no one else in the whole town has anything like such a fine
house as he has. When you have got past the gates and through
the outer court, go right across the inner court till you come
to my mother. You will find her sitting by the fire and spinning
her purple wool by firelight. It is a fine sight to see her as
she leans back against one of the bearing-posts with her maids
all ranged behind her. Close to her seat stands that of my
father, on which he sits and topes like an immortal god. Never
mind him, but go up to my mother, and lay your hands upon her
knees if you would get home quickly. If you can gain her over,
you may hope to see your own country again, no matter how
distant it may be."
So saying she lashed the mules with her whip and they left the
river. The mules drew well, and their hoofs went up and down
upon the road. She was careful not to go too fast for Ulysses
and the maids who were following on foot along with the waggon,
so she plied her whip with judgement. As the sun was going down
they came to the sacred grove of Minerva, and there Ulysses sat
down and prayed to the mighty daughter of Jove.
"Hear me," he cried, "daughter of Aegis-bearing Jove,
unweariable, hear me now, for you gave no heed to my prayers
when Neptune was wrecking me. Now, therefore, have pity upon me
and grant that I may find friends and be hospitably received by
the Phaeacians."
Thus did he pray, and Minerva heard his prayer, but she would
not show herself to him openly, for she was afraid of her uncle
Neptune, who was still furious in his endeavors to prevent
Ulysses from getting home.
Book VII
RECEPTION OF ULYSSES AT THE PALACE OF KING ALCINOUS.
Thus, then, did Ulysses wait and pray; but the girl drove on to
the town. When she reached her father's house she drew up at the
gateway, and her brothers--comely as the gods--gathered round
her, took the mules out of the waggon, and carried the clothes
into the house, while she went to her own room, where an old
servant, Eurymedusa of Apeira, lit the fire for her. This old
woman had been brought by sea from Apeira, and had been chosen
as a prize for Alcinous because he was king over the Phaeacians,
and the people obeyed him as though he were a god. {57} She had
been nurse to Nausicaa, and had now lit the fire for her, and
brought her supper for her into her own room.
Presently Ulysses got up to go towards the town; and Minerva
shed a thick mist all round him to hide him in case any of the
proud Phaeacians who met him should be rude to him, or ask him
who he was. Then, as he was just entering the town, she came
towards him in the likeness of a little girl carrying a pitcher.
She stood right in front of him, and Ulysses said:
"My dear, will you be so kind as to show me the house of king
Alcinous? I am an unfortunate foreigner in distress, and do not
know one in your town and country."
Then Minerva said, "Yes, father stranger, I will show you the
house you want, for Alcinous lives quite close to my own father.
I will go before you and show the way, but say not a word as you
go, and do not look at any man, nor ask him questions; for the
people here cannot abide strangers, and do not like men who come
from some other place. They are a sea-faring folk, and sail the
seas by the grace of Neptune in ships that glide along like
thought, or as a bird in the air."
On this she led the way, and Ulysses followed in her steps; but
not one of the Phaeacians could see him as he passed through the
city in the midst of them; for the great goddess Minerva in her
good will towards him had hidden him in a thick cloud of
darkness. He admired their harbours, ships, places of assembly,
and the lofty walls of the city, which, with the palisade on top
of them, were very striking, and when they reached the king's
house Minerva said:
"This is the house, father stranger, which you would have me
show you. You will find a number of great people sitting at
table, but do not be afraid; go straight in, for the bolder a
man is the more likely he is to carry his point, even though he
is a stranger. First find the queen. Her name is Arete, and she
comes of the same family as her husband Alcinous. They both
descend originally from Neptune, who was father to Nausithous by
Periboea, a woman of great beauty. Periboea was the youngest
daughter of Eurymedon, who at one time reigned over the giants,
but he ruined his ill-fated people and lost his own life to
boot.
"Neptune, however, lay with his daughter, and she had a son by
him, the great Nausithous, who reigned over the Phaeacians.
Nausithous had two sons Rhexenor and Alcinous; {58} Apollo
killed the first of them while he was still a bridegroom and
without male issue; but he left a daughter Arete, whom Alcinous
married, and honours as no other woman is honoured of all those
that keep house along with their husbands.
"Thus she both was, and still is, respected beyond measure by
her children, by Alcinous himself, and by the whole people, who
look upon her as a goddess, and greet her whenever she goes
about the city, for she is a thoroughly good woman both in head
and heart, and when any women are friends of hers, she will help
their husbands also to settle their disputes. If you can gain
her good will, you may have every hope of seeing your friends
again, and getting safely back to your home and country."
Then Minerva left Scheria and went away over the sea. She went
to Marathon {59} and to the spacious streets of Athens, where
she entered the abode of Erechtheus; but Ulysses went on to the
house of Alcinous, and he pondered much as he paused a while
before reaching the threshold of bronze, for the splendour of
the palace was like that of the sun or moon. The walls on either
side were of bronze from end to end, and the cornice was of blue
enamel. The doors were gold, and hung on pillars of silver that
rose from a floor of bronze, while the lintel was silver and the
hook of the door was of gold.
On either side there stood gold and silver mastiffs which
Vulcan, with his consummate skill, had fashioned expressly to
keep watch over the palace of king Alcinous; so they were
immortal and could never grow old. Seats were ranged all along
the wall, here and there from one end to the other, with
coverings of fine woven work which the women of the house had
made. Here the chief persons of the Phaeacians used to sit and
eat and drink, for there was abundance at all seasons; and there
were golden figures of young men with lighted torches in their
hands, raised on pedestals, to give light by night to those who
were at table. There are {60} fifty maid servants in the house,
some of whom are always grinding rich yellow grain at the mill,
while others work at the loom, or sit and spin, and their
shuttles go backwards and forwards like the fluttering of aspen
leaves, while the linen is so closely woven that it will turn
oil. As the Phaeacians are the best sailors in the world, so
their women excel all others in weaving, for Minerva has taught
them all manner of useful arts, and they are very intelligent.
Outside the gate of the outer court there is a large garden of
about four acres with a wall all round it. It is full of
beautiful trees--pears, pomegranates, and the most delicious
apples. There are luscious figs also, and olives in full growth.
The fruits never rot nor fail all the year round, neither winter
nor summer, for the air is so soft that a new crop ripens before
the old has dropped. Pear grows on pear, apple on apple, and fig
on fig, and so also with the grapes, for there is an excellent
vineyard: on the level ground of a part of this, the grapes are
being made into raisins; in another part they are being
gathered; some are being trodden in the wine tubs, others
further on have shed their blossom and are beginning to show
fruit, others again are just changing colour. In the furthest
part of the ground there are beautifully arranged beds of
flowers that are in bloom all the year round. Two streams go
through it, the one turned in ducts throughout the whole garden,
while the other is carried under the ground of the outer court
to the house itself, and the town's people draw water from it.
Such, then, were the splendours with which the gods had endowed
the house of king Alcinous.
So here Ulysses stood for a while and looked about him, but when
he had looked long enough he crossed the threshold and went
within the precincts of the house. There he found all the chief
people among the Phaeacians making their drink offerings to
Mercury, which they always did the last thing before going away
for the night. {61} He went straight through the court, still
hidden by the cloak of darkness in which Minerva had enveloped
him, till he reached Arete and King Alcinous; then he laid his
hands upon the knees of the queen, and at that moment the
miraculous darkness fell away from him and he became visible.
Every one was speechless with surprise at seeing a man there,
but Ulysses began at once with his petition.
"Queen Arete," he exclaimed, "daughter of great Rhexenor, in my
distress I humbly pray you, as also your husband and these your
guests (whom may heaven prosper with long life and happiness,
and may they leave their possessions to their children, and all
the honours conferred upon them by the state) to help me home to
my own country as soon as possible; for I have been long in
trouble and away from my friends."
Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and they all held
their peace, till presently the old hero Echeneus, who was an
excellent speaker and an elder among the Phaeacians, plainly and
in all honesty addressed them thus:
"Alcinous," said he, "it is not creditable to you that a
stranger should be seen sitting among the ashes of your hearth;
every one is waiting to hear what you are about to say; tell
him, then, to rise and take a seat on a stool inlaid with
silver, and bid your servants mix some wine and water that we
may make a drink offering to Jove the lord of thunder, who takes
all well disposed suppliants under his protection; and let the
housekeeper give him some supper, of whatever there may be in
the house."
When Alcinous heard this he took Ulysses by the hand, raised him
from the hearth, and bade him take the seat of Laodamas, who had
been sitting beside him, and was his favourite son. A maid
servant then brought him water in a beautiful golden ewer and
poured it into a silver basin for him to wash his hands, and she
drew a clean table beside him; an upper servant brought him
bread and offered him many good things of what there was in the
house, and Ulysses ate and drank. Then Alcinous said to one of
the servants, "Pontonous, mix a cup of wine and hand it round
that we may make drink-offerings to Jove the lord of thunder,
who is the protector of all well-disposed suppliants."
Pontonous then mixed wine and water, and handed it round after
giving every man his drink-offering. When they had made their
offerings, and had drunk each as much as he was minded, Alcinous
said:
"Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians, hear my words.
You have had your supper, so now go home to bed. To-morrow
morning I shall invite a still larger number of aldermen, and
will give a sacrificial banquet in honour of our guest; we can
then discuss the question of his escort, and consider how we may
at once send him back rejoicing to his own country without
trouble or inconvenience to himself, no matter how distant it
may be. We must see that he comes to no harm while on his
homeward journey, but when he is once at home he will have to
take the luck he was born with for better or worse like other
people. It is possible, however, that the stranger is one of the
immortals who has come down from heaven to visit us; but in this
case the gods are departing from their usual practice, for
hitherto they have made themselves perfectly clear to us when we
have been offering them hecatombs. They come and sit at our
feasts just like one of our selves, and if any solitary wayfarer
happens to stumble upon some one or other of them, they affect
no concealment, for we are as near of kin to the gods as the
Cyclopes and the savage giants are." {62}
Then Ulysses said: "Pray, Alcinous, do not take any such notion
into your head. I have nothing of the immortal about me, neither
in body nor mind, and most resemble those among you who are the
most afflicted. Indeed, were I to tell you all that heaven has
seen fit to lay upon me, you would say that I was still worse
off than they are. Nevertheless, let me sup in spite of sorrow,
for an empty stomach is a very importunate thing, and thrusts
itself on a man's notice no matter how dire is his distress. I
am in great trouble, yet it insists that I shall eat and drink,
bids me lay aside all memory of my sorrows and dwell only on the
due replenishing of itself. As for yourselves, do as you
propose, and at break of day set about helping me to get home. I
shall be content to die if I may first once more behold my
property, my bondsmen, and all the greatness of my house." {63}
Thus did he speak. Every one approved his saying, and agreed
that he should have his escort inasmuch as he had spoken
reasonably. Then when they had made their drink offerings, and
had drunk each as much as he was minded they went home to bed
every man in his own abode, leaving Ulysses in the cloister with
Arete and Alcinous while the servants were taking the things
away after supper. Arete was the first to speak, for she
recognised the shirt, cloak, and good clothes that Ulysses was
wearing, as the work of herself and of her maids; so she said,
"Stranger, before we go any further, there is a question I
should like to ask you. Who, and whence are you, and who gave
you those clothes? Did you not say you had come here from beyond
the sea?"
And Ulysses answered, "It would be a long story Madam, were I to
relate in full the tale of my misfortunes, for the hand of
heaven has been laid heavy upon me; but as regards your
question, there is an island far away in the sea which is called
'the Ogygian.' Here dwells the cunning and powerful goddess
Calypso, daughter of Atlas. She lives by herself far from all
neighbours human or divine. Fortune, however, brought me to her
hearth all desolate and alone, for Jove struck my ship with his
thunderbolts, and broke it up in mid-ocean. My brave comrades
were drowned every man of them, but I stuck to the keel and was
carried hither and thither for the space of nine days, till at
last during the darkness of the tenth night the gods brought me
to the Ogygian island where the great goddess Calypso lives. She
took me in and treated me with the utmost kindness; indeed she
wanted to make me immortal that I might never grow old, but she
could not persuade me to let her do so.
"I stayed with Calypso seven years straight on end, and watered
the good clothes she gave me with my tears during the whole
time; but at last when the eighth year came round she bade me
depart of her own free will, either because Jove had told her
she must, or because she had changed her mind. She sent me from
her island on a raft, which she provisioned with abundance of
bread and wine. Moreover she gave me good stout clothing, and
sent me a wind that blew both warm and fair. Days seven and ten
did I sail over the sea, and on the eighteenth I caught sight of
the first outlines of the mountains upon your coast--and glad
indeed was I to set eyes upon them. Nevertheless there was still
much trouble in store for me, for at this point Neptune would
let me go no further, and raised a great storm against me; the
sea was so terribly high that I could no longer keep to my raft,
which went to pieces under the fury of the gale, and I had to
swim for it, till wind and current brought me to your shores.
"There I tried to land, but could not, for it was a bad place
and the waves dashed me against the rocks, so I again took to
the sea and swam on till I came to a river that seemed the most
likely landing place, for there were no rocks and it was
sheltered from the wind. Here, then, I got out of the water and
gathered my senses together again. Night was coming on, so I
left the river, and went into a thicket, where I covered myself
all over with leaves, and presently heaven sent me off into a
very deep sleep. Sick and sorry as I was I slept among the
leaves all night, and through the next day till afternoon, when
I woke as the sun was westering, and saw your daughter's maid
servants playing upon the beach, and your daughter among them
looking like a goddess. I besought her aid, and she proved to be
of an excellent disposition, much more so than could be expected
from so young a person--for young people are apt to be
thoughtless. She gave me plenty of bread and wine, and when she
had had me washed in the river she also gave me the clothes in
which you see me. Now, therefore, though it has pained me to do
so, I have told you the whole truth."
Then Alcinous said, "Stranger, it was very wrong of my daughter
not to bring you on at once to my house along with the maids,
seeing that she was the first person whose aid you asked."
"Pray do not scold her," replied Ulysses; "she is not to blame.
She did tell me to follow along with the maids, but I was
ashamed and afraid, for I thought you might perhaps be
displeased if you saw me. Every human being is sometimes a
little suspicious and irritable."
"Stranger," replied Alcinous, "I am not the kind of man to get
angry about nothing; it is always better to be reasonable; but
by Father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo, now that I see what kind of
person you are, and how much you think as I do, I wish you would
stay here, marry my daughter, and become my son-in-law. If you
will stay I will give you a house and an estate, but no one
(heaven forbid) shall keep you here against your own wish, and
that you may be sure of this I will attend tomorrow to the
matter of your escort. You can sleep {64} during the whole
voyage if you like, and the men shall sail you over smooth
waters either to your own home, or wherever you please, even
though it be a long way further off than Euboea, which those of
my people who saw it when they took yellow-haired Rhadamanthus
to see Tityus the son of Gaia, tell me is the furthest of any
place--and yet they did the whole voyage in a single day without
distressing themselves, and came back again afterwards. You will
thus see how much my ships excel all others, and what
magnificent oarsmen my sailors are."
Then was Ulysses glad and prayed aloud saying, "Father Jove,
grant that Alcinous may do all as he has said, for so he will
win an imperishable name among mankind, and at the same time I
shall return to my country."
Thus did they converse. Then Arete told her maids to set a bed
in the room that was in the gatehouse, and make it with good red
rugs, and to spread coverlets on the top of them with woollen
cloaks for Ulysses to wear. The maids thereon went out with
torches in their hands, and when they had made the bed they came
up to Ulysses and said, "Rise, sir stranger, and come with us
for your bed is ready," and glad indeed was he to go to his
rest.
So Ulysses slept in a bed placed in a room over the echoing
gateway; but Alcinous lay in the inner part of the house, with
the queen his wife by his side.
Book VIII
BANQUET IN THE HOUSE OF ALCINOUS--THE GAMES.
Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared,
Alcinous and Ulysses both rose, and Alcinous led the way to the
Phaeacian place of assembly, which was near the ships. When they
got there they sat down side by side on a seat of polished
stone, while Minerva took the form of one of Alcinous' servants,
and went round the town in order to help Ulysses to get home.
She went up to the citizens, man by man, and said, "Aldermen and
town councillors of the Phaeacians, come to the assembly all of
you and listen to the stranger who has just come off a long
voyage to the house of King Alcinous; he looks like an immortal
god."
With these words she made them all want to come, and they
flocked to the assembly till seats and standing room were alike
crowded. Every one was struck with the appearance of Ulysses,
for Minerva had beautified him about the head and shoulders,
making him look taller and stouter than he really was, that he
might impress the Phaeacians favourably as being a very
remarkable man, and might come off well in the many trials of
skill to which they would challenge him. Then, when they were
got together, Alcinous spoke:
"Hear me," said he, "aldermen and town councillors of the
Phaeacians, that I may speak even as I am minded. This stranger,
whoever he may be, has found his way to my house from somewhere
or other either East or West. He wants an escort and wishes to
have the matter settled. Let us then get one ready for him, as
we have done for others before him; indeed, no one who ever yet
came to my house has been able to complain of me for not
speeding on his way soon enough. Let us draw a ship into the
sea--one that has never yet made a voyage--and man her with two
and fifty of our smartest young sailors. Then when you have made
fast your oars each by his own seat, leave the ship and come to
my house to prepare a feast. {65} I will find you in everything.
I am giving these instructions to the young men who will form
the crew, for as regards you aldermen and town councillors, you
will join me in entertaining our guest in the cloisters. I can
take no excuses, and we will have Demodocus to sing to us; for
there is no bard like him whatever he may choose to sing about."
Alcinous then led the way, and the others followed after, while
a servant went to fetch Demodocus. The fifty-two picked oarsmen
went to the sea shore as they had been told, and when they got
there they drew the ship into the water, got her mast and sails
inside her, bound the oars to the thole-pins with twisted thongs
of leather, all in due course, and spread the white sails aloft.
They moored the vessel a little way out from land, and then came
on shore and went to the house of King Alcinous. The out houses,
{66} yards, and all the precincts were filled with crowds of men
in great multitudes both old and young; and Alcinous killed them
a dozen sheep, eight full grown pigs, and two oxen. These they
skinned and dressed so as to provide a magnificent banquet.
A servant presently led in the famous bard Demodocus, whom the
muse had dearly loved, but to whom she had given both good and
evil, for though she had endowed him with a divine gift of song,
she had robbed him of his eyesight. Pontonous set a seat for
him among the guests, leaning it up against a bearing-post. He
hung the lyre for him on a peg over his head, and showed him
where he was to feel for it with his hands. He also set a fair
table with a basket of victuals by his side, and a cup of wine
from which he might drink whenever he was so disposed.
The company then laid their hands upon the good things that were
before them, but as soon as they had had enough to eat and
drink, the muse inspired Demodocus to sing the feats of heroes,
and more especially a matter that was then in the mouths of all
men, to wit, the quarrel between Ulysses and Achilles, and the
fierce words that they heaped on one another as they sat
together at a banquet. But Agamemnon was glad when he heard his
chieftains quarrelling with one another, for Apollo had foretold
him this at Pytho when he crossed the stone floor to consult the
oracle. Here was the beginning of the evil that by the will of
Jove fell both upon Danaans and Trojans.
Thus sang the bard, but Ulysses drew his purple mantle over his
head and covered his face, for he was ashamed to let the
Phaeacians see that he was weeping. When the bard left off
singing he wiped the tears from his eyes, uncovered his face,
and, taking his cup, made a drink-offering to the gods; but when
the Phaeacians pressed Demodocus to sing further, for they
delighted in his lays, then Ulysses again drew his mantle over
his head and wept bitterly. No one noticed his distress except
Alcinous, who was sitting near him, and heard the heavy sighs
that he was heaving. So he at once said, "Aldermen and town
councillors of the Phaeacians, we have had enough now, both of
the feast, and of the minstrelsy that is its due accompaniment;
let us proceed therefore to the athletic sports, so that our
guest on his return home may be able to tell his friends how
much we surpass all other nations as boxers, wrestlers, jumpers,
and runners."
With these words he led the way, and the others followed after.
A servant hung Demodocus's lyre on its peg for him, led him out
of the cloister, and set him on the same way as that along which
all the chief men of the Phaeacians were going to see the
sports; a crowd of several thousands of people followed them,
and there were many excellent competitors for all the prizes.
Acroneos, Ocyalus, Elatreus, Nauteus, Prymneus, Anchialus,
Eretmeus, Ponteus, Proreus, Thoon, Anabesineus, and Amphialus
son of Polyneus son of Tecton. There was also Euryalus son of
Naubolus, who was like Mars himself, and was the best looking
man among the Phaeacians except Laodamas. Three sons of
Alcinous, Laodamas, Halios, and Clytoneus, competed also.
The foot races came first. The course was set out for them from
the starting post, and they raised a dust upon the plain as they
all flew forward at the same moment. Clytoneus came in first by
a long way; he left every one else behind him by the length of
the furrow that a couple of mules can plough in a fallow field.
{67} They then turned to the painful art of wrestling, and here
Euryalus proved to be the best man. Amphialus excelled all the
others in jumping, while at throwing the disc there was no one
who could approach Elatreus. Alcinous's son Laodamas was the
best boxer, and he it was who presently said, when they had all
been diverted with the games, "Let us ask the stranger whether
he excels in any of these sports; he seems very powerfully
built; his thighs, calves, hands, and neck are of prodigious
strength, nor is he at all old, but he has suffered much lately,
and there is nothing like the sea for making havoc with a man,
no matter how strong he is."
"You are quite right, Laodamas," replied Euryalus, "go up to
your guest and speak to him about it yourself."
When Laodamas heard this he made his way into the middle of the
crowd and said to Ulysses, "I hope, Sir, that you will enter
yourself for some one or other of our competitions if you are
skilled in any of them--and you must have gone in for many a one
before now. There is nothing that does any one so much credit
all his life long as the showing himself a proper man with his
hands and feet. Have a try therefore at something, and banish
all sorrow from your mind. Your return home will not be long
delayed, for the ship is already drawn into the water, and the
crew is found."
Ulysses answered, "Laodamas, why do you taunt me in this way? my
mind is set rather on cares than contests; I have been through
infinite trouble, and am come among you now as a suppliant,
praying your king and people to further me on my return home."
Then Euryalus reviled him outright and said, "I gather, then,
that you are unskilled in any of the many sports that men
generally delight in. I suppose you are one of those grasping
traders that go about in ships as captains or merchants, and who
think of nothing but of their outward freights and homeward
cargoes. There does not seem to be much of the athlete about
you."
"For shame, Sir," answered Ulysses, fiercely, "you are an
insolent fellow--so true is it that the gods do not grace all
men alike in speech, person, and understanding. One man may be
of weak presence, but heaven has adorned this with such a good
conversation that he charms every one who sees him; his honeyed
moderation carries his hearers with him so that he is leader in
all assemblies of his fellows, and wherever he goes he is looked
up to. Another may be as handsome as a god, but his good looks
are not crowned with discretion. This is your case. No god could
make a finer looking fellow than you are, but you are a fool.
Your ill-judged remarks have made me exceedingly angry, and you
are quite mistaken, for I excel in a great many athletic
exercises; indeed, so long as I had youth and strength, I was
among the first athletes of the age. Now, however, I am worn out
by labour and sorrow, for I have gone through much both on the
field of battle and by the waves of the weary sea; still, in
spite of all this I will compete, for your taunts have stung me
to the quick."
So he hurried up without even taking his cloak off, and seized a
disc, larger, more massive and much heavier than those used by
the Phaeacians when disc-throwing among themselves. {68} Then,
swinging it back, he threw it from his brawny hand, and it made
a humming sound in the air as he did so. The Phaeacians quailed
beneath the rushing of its flight as it sped gracefully from his
hand, and flew beyond any mark that had been made yet. Minerva,
in the form of a man, came and marked the place where it had
fallen. "A blind man, Sir," said she, "could easily tell your
mark by groping for it--it is so far ahead of any other. You may
make your mind easy about this contest, for no Phaeacian can
come near to such a throw as yours."
Ulysses was glad when he found he had a friend among the
lookers-on, so he began to speak more pleasantly. "Young men,"
said he, "come up to that throw if you can, and I will throw
another disc as heavy or even heavier. If anyone wants to have a
bout with me let him come on, for I am exceedingly angry; I will
box, wrestle, or run, I do not care what it is, with any man of
you all except Laodamas, but not with him because I am his
guest, and one cannot compete with one's own personal friend. At
least I do not think it a prudent or a sensible thing for a
guest to challenge his host's family at any game, especially
when he is in a foreign country. He will cut the ground from
under his own feet if he does; but I make no exception as
regards any one else, for I want to have the matter out and know
which is the best man. I am a good hand at every kind of
athletic sport known among mankind. I am an excellent archer.
In battle I am always the first to bring a man down with my
arrow, no matter how many more are taking aim at him alongside
of me. Philoctetes was the only man who could shoot better than
I could when we Achaeans were before Troy and in practice. I far
excel every one else in the whole world, of those who still eat
bread upon the face of the earth, but I should not like to shoot
against the mighty dead, such as Hercules, or Eurytus the
Oechalian--men who could shoot against the gods themselves. This
in fact was how Eurytus came prematurely by his end, for Apollo
was angry with him and killed him because he challenged him as
an archer. I can throw a dart farther than any one else can
shoot an arrow. Running is the only point in respect of which I
am afraid some of the Phaeacians might beat me, for I have been
brought down very low at sea; my provisions ran short, and
therefore I am still weak."
They all held their peace except King Alcinous, who began, "Sir,
we have had much pleasure in hearing all that you have told us,
from which I understand that you are willing to show your
prowess, as having been displeased with some insolent remarks
that have been made to you by one of our athletes, and which
could never have been uttered by any one who knows how to talk
with propriety. I hope you will apprehend my meaning, and will
explain to any one of your chief men who may be dining with
yourself and your family when you get home, that we have an
hereditary aptitude for accomplishments of all kinds. We are not
particularly remarkable for our boxing, nor yet as wrestlers,
but we are singularly fleet of foot and are excellent sailors.
We are extremely fond of good dinners, music, and dancing; we
also like frequent changes of linen, warm baths, and good beds,
so now, please, some of you who are the best dancers set about
dancing, that our guest on his return home may be able to tell
his friends how much we surpass all other nations as sailors,
runners, dancers, and minstrels. Demodocus has left his lyre at
my house, so run some one or other of you and fetch it for him."
On this a servant hurried off to bring the lyre from the king's
house, and the nine men who had been chosen as stewards stood
forward. It was their business to manage everything connected
with the sports, so they made the ground smooth and marked a
wide space for the dancers. Presently the servant came back
with Demodocus's lyre, and he took his place in the midst of
them, whereon the best young dancers in the town began to foot
and trip it so nimbly that Ulysses was delighted with the merry
twinkling of their feet.
Meanwhile the bard began to sing the loves of Mars and Venus,
and how they first began their intrigue in the house of Vulcan.
Mars made Venus many presents, and defiled King Vulcan's
marriage bed, so the sun, who saw what they were about, told
Vulcan. Vulcan was very angry when he heard such dreadful news,
so he went to his smithy brooding mischief, got his great anvil
into its place, and began to forge some chains which none could
either unloose or break, so that they might stay there in that
place. {69} When he had finished his snare he went into his
bedroom and festooned the bed-posts all over with chains like
cobwebs; he also let many hang down from the great beam of the
ceiling. Not even a god could see them so fine and subtle were
they. As soon as he had spread the chains all over the bed, he
made as though he were setting out for the fair state of Lemnos,
which of all places in the world was the one he was most fond
of. But Mars kept no blind look out, and as soon as he saw him
start, hurried off to his house, burning with love for Venus.
Now Venus was just come in from a visit to her father Jove, and
was about sitting down when Mars came inside the house, and said
as he took her hand in his own, "Let us go to the couch of
Vulcan: he is not at home, but is gone off to Lemnos among the
Sintians, whose speech is barbarous."
She was nothing loth, so they went to the couch to take their
rest, whereon they were caught in the toils which cunning Vulcan
had spread for them, and could neither get up nor stir hand or
foot, but found too late that they were in a trap. Then Vulcan
came up to them, for he had turned back before reaching Lemnos,
when his scout the sun told him what was going on. He was in a
furious passion, and stood in the vestibule making a dreadful
noise as he shouted to all the gods.
"Father Jove," he cried, "and all you other blessed gods who
live for ever, come here and see the ridiculous and disgraceful
sight that I will show you. Jove's daughter Venus is always
dishonouring me because I am lame. She is in love with Mars, who
is handsome and clean built, whereas I am a cripple--but my
parents are to blame for that, not I; they ought never to have
begotten me. Come and see the pair together asleep on my bed. It
makes me furious to look at them. They are very fond of one
another, but I do not think they will lie there longer than they
can help, nor do I think that they will sleep much; there,
however, they shall stay till her father has repaid me the sum I
gave him for his baggage of a daughter, who is fair but not
honest."
On this the gods gathered to the house of Vulcan.
Earth-encircling Neptune came, and Mercury the bringer of luck,
and King Apollo, but the goddesses staid at home all of them for
shame. Then the givers of all good things stood in the doorway,
and the blessed gods roared with inextinguishable laughter, as
they saw how cunning Vulcan had been, whereon one would turn
towards his neighbour saying:
"Ill deeds do not prosper, and the weak confound the strong. See
how limping Vulcan, lame as he is, has caught Mars who is the
fleetest god in heaven; and now Mars will be cast in heavy
damages."
Thus did they converse, but King Apollo said to Mercury,
"Messenger Mercury, giver of good things, you would not care how
strong the chains were, would you, if you could sleep with
Venus?"
"King Apollo," answered Mercury, "I only wish I might get the
chance, though there were three times as many chains--and you
might look on, all of you, gods and goddesses, but I would sleep
with her if I could."
The immortal gods burst out laughing as they heard him, but
Neptune took it all seriously, and kept on imploring Vulcan to
set Mars free again. "Let him go," he cried, "and I will
undertake, as you require, that he shall pay you all the damages
that are held reasonable among the immortal gods."
"Do not," replied Vulcan, "ask me to do this; a bad man's bond
is bad security; what remedy could I enforce against you if Mars
should go away and leave his debts behind him along with his
chains?"
"Vulcan," said Neptune, "if Mars goes away without paying his
damages, I will pay you myself." So Vulcan answered, "In this
case I cannot and must not refuse you."
Thereon he loosed the bonds that bound them, and as soon as they
were free they scampered off, Mars to Thrace and laughter-loving
Venus to Cyprus and to Paphos, where is her grove and her altar
fragrant with burnt offerings. Here the Graces bathed her, and
anointed her with oil of ambrosia such as the immortal gods make
use of, and they clothed her in raiment of the most enchanting
beauty.
Thus sang the bard, and both Ulysses and the seafaring
Phaeacians were charmed as they heard him.
Then Alcinous told Laodamas and Halius to dance alone, for there
was no one to compete with them. So they took a red ball which
Polybus had made for them, and one of them bent himself
backwards and threw it up towards the clouds, while the other
jumped from off the ground and caught it with ease before it
came down again. When they had done throwing the ball straight
up into the air they began to dance, and at the same time kept
on throwing it backwards and forwards to one another, while all
the young men in the ring applauded and made a great stamping
with their feet. Then Ulysses said:
"King Alcinous, you said your people were the nimblest dancers
in the world, and indeed they have proved themselves to be so. I
was astonished as I saw them."
The king was delighted at this, and exclaimed to the Phaeacians,
"Aldermen and town councillors, our guest seems to be a person
of singular judgement; let us give him such proof of our
hospitality as he may reasonably expect. There are twelve chief
men among you, and counting myself there are thirteen;
contribute, each of you, a clean cloak, a shirt, and a talent of
fine gold; let us give him all this in a lump down at once, so
that when he gets his supper he may do so with a light heart. As
for Euryalus he will have to make a formal apology and a present
too, for he has been rude."
Thus did he speak. The others all of them applauded his saying,
and sent their servants to fetch the presents. Then Euryalus
said, "King Alcinous, I will give the stranger all the
satisfaction you require. He shall have my sword, which is of
bronze, all but the hilt, which is of silver. I will also give
him the scabbard of newly sawn ivory into which it fits. It will
be worth a great deal to him."
As he spoke he placed the sword in the hands of Ulysses and
said, "Good luck to you, father stranger; if anything has been
said amiss may the winds blow it away with them, and may heaven
grant you a safe return, for I understand you have been long
away from home, and have gone through much hardship."
To which Ulysses answered, "Good luck to you too my friend, and
may the gods grant you every happiness. I hope you will not miss
the sword you have given me along with your apology."
With these words he girded the sword about his shoulders and
towards sundown the presents began to make their appearance, as
the servants of the donors kept bringing them to the house of
King Alcinous; here his sons received them, and placed them
under their mother's charge. Then Alcinous led the way to the
house and bade his guests take their seats.
"Wife," said he, turning to Queen Arete, "Go, fetch the best
chest we have, and put a clean cloak and shirt in it. Also, set
a copper on the fire and heat some water; our guest will take a
warm bath; see also to the careful packing of the presents that
the noble Phaeacians have made him; he will thus better enjoy
both his supper and the singing that will follow. I shall myself
give him this golden goblet--which is of exquisite
workmanship--that he may be reminded of me for the rest of his
life whenever he makes a drink offering to Jove, or to any of
the gods." {70}
Then Arete told her maids to set a large tripod upon the fire as
fast as they could, whereon they set a tripod full of bath water
on to a clear fire; they threw on sticks to make it blaze, and
the water became hot as the flame played about the belly of the
tripod. {71} Meanwhile Arete brought a magnificent chest from
her own room, and inside it she packed all the beautiful
presents of gold and raiment which the Phaeacians had brought.
Lastly she added a cloak and a good shirt from Alcinous, and
said to Ulysses:
"See to the lid yourself, and have the whole bound round at
once, for fear any one should rob you by the way when you are
asleep in your ship." {72}
When Ulysses heard this he put the lid on the chest and made it
fast with a bond that Circe had taught him. He had done so
before an upper servant told him to come to the bath and wash
himself. He was very glad of a warm bath, for he had had no one
to wait upon him ever since he left the house of Calypso, who as
long as he remained with her had taken as good care of him as
though he had been a god. When the servants had done washing
and anointing him with oil, and had given him a clean cloak and
shirt, he left the bath room and joined the guests who were
sitting over their wine. Lovely Nausicaa stood by one of the
bearing-posts supporting the roof of the cloister, and admired
him as she saw him pass. "Farewell stranger," said she, "do not
forget me when you are safe at home again, for it is to me first
that you owe a ransom for having saved your life."
And Ulysses said, "Nausicaa, daughter of great Alcinous, may
Jove the mighty husband of Juno, grant that I may reach my home;
so shall I bless you as my guardian angel all my days, for it
was you who saved me."
When he had said this, he seated himself beside Alcinous.
Supper was then served, and the wine was mixed for drinking. A
servant led in the favourite bard Demodocus, and set him in the
midst of the company, near one of the bearing-posts supporting
the cloister, that he might lean against it. Then Ulysses cut
off a piece of roast pork with plenty of fat (for there was
abundance left on the joint) and said to a servant, "Take this
piece of pork over to Demodocus and tell him to eat it; for all
the pain his lays may cause me I will salute him none the less;
bards are honoured and respected throughout the world, for the
muse teaches them their songs and loves them."
The servant carried the pork in his fingers over to Demodocus,
who took it and was very much pleased. They then laid their
hands on the good things that were before them, and as soon as
they had had to eat and drink, Ulysses said to Demodocus,
"Demodocus, there is no one in the world whom I admire more than
I do you. You must have studied under the Muse, Jove's daughter,
and under Apollo, so accurately do you sing the return of the
Achaeans with all their sufferings and adventures. If you were
not there yourself, you must have heard it all from some one who
was. Now, however, change your song and tell us of the wooden
horse which Epeus made with the assistance of Minerva, and which
Ulysses got by stratagem into the fort of Troy after freighting
it with the men who afterwards sacked the city. If you will sing
this tale aright I will tell all the world how magnificently
heaven has endowed you."
The bard inspired of heaven took up the story at the point where
some of the Argives set fire to their tents and sailed away
while others, hidden within the horse, {73} were waiting with
Ulysses in the Trojan place of assembly. For the Trojans
themselves had drawn the horse into their fortress, and it stood
there while they sat in council round it, and were in three
minds as to what they should do. Some were for breaking it up
then and there; others would have it dragged to the top of the
rock on which the fortress stood, and then thrown down the
precipice; while yet others were for letting it remain as an
offering and propitiation for the gods. And this was how they
settled it in the end, for the city was doomed when it took in
that horse, within which were all the bravest of the Argives
waiting to bring death and destruction on the Trojans. Anon he
sang how the sons of the Achaeans issued from the horse, and
sacked the town, breaking out from their ambuscade. He sang how
they overran the city hither and thither and ravaged it, and how
Ulysses went raging like Mars along with Menelaus to the house
of Deiphobus. It was there that the fight raged most furiously,
nevertheless by Minerva's help he was victorious.
All this he told, but Ulysses was overcome as he heard him, and
his cheeks were wet with tears. He wept as a woman weeps when
she throws herself on the body of her husband who has fallen
before his own city and people, fighting bravely in defence of
his home and children. She screams aloud and flings her arms
about him as he lies gasping for breath and dying, but her
enemies beat her from behind about the back and shoulders, and
carry her off into slavery, to a life of labour and sorrow, and
the beauty fades from her cheeks--even so piteously did Ulysses
weep, but none of those present perceived his tears except
Alcinous, who was sitting near him, and could hear the sobs and
sighs that he was heaving. The king, therefore, at once rose and
said:
"Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians, let Demodocus
cease his song, for there are those present who do not seem to
like it. From the moment that we had done supper and Demodocus
began to sing, our guest has been all the time groaning and
lamenting. He is evidently in great trouble, so let the bard
leave off, that we may all enjoy ourselves, hosts and guest
alike. This will be much more as it should be, for all these
festivities, with the escort and the presents that we are making
with so much good will are wholly in his honour, and any one
with even a moderate amount of right feeling knows that he ought
to treat a guest and a suppliant as though he were his own
brother.
"Therefore, Sir, do you on your part affect no more concealment
nor reserve in the matter about which I shall ask you; it will
be more polite in you to give me a plain answer; tell me the
name by which your father and mother over yonder used to call
you, and by which you were known among your neighbours and
fellow-citizens. There is no one, neither rich nor poor, who is
absolutely without any name whatever, for people's fathers and
mothers give them names as soon as they are born. Tell me also
your country, nation, and city, that our ships may shape their
purpose accordingly and take you there. For the Phaeacians have
no pilots; their vessels have no rudders as those of other
nations have, but the ships themselves understand what it is
that we are thinking about and want; they know all the cities
and countries in the whole world, and can traverse the sea just
as well even when it is covered with mist and cloud, so that
there is no danger of being wrecked or coming to any harm. Still
I do remember hearing my father say that Neptune was angry with
us for being too easy-going in the matter of giving people
escorts. He said that one of these days he should wreck a ship
of ours as it was returning from having escorted some one, {74}
and bury our city under a high mountain. This is what my used to
say, but whether the god will carry out his threat or no is a
matter which he will decide for himself.
"And now, tell me and tell me true. Where have you been
wandering, and in what countries have you travelled? Tell us of
the peoples themselves, and of their cities--who were hostile,
savage and uncivilised, and who, on the other hand, hospitable
and humane. Tell us also why you are made so unhappy on hearing
about the return of the Argive Danaans from Troy. The gods
arranged all this, and sent them their misfortunes in order that
future generations might have something to sing about. Did you
lose some brave kinsman of your wife's when you were before
Troy? a son-in-law or father-in-law--which are the nearest
relations a man has outside his own flesh and blood? or was it
some brave and kindly-natured comrade--for a good friend is as
dear to a man as his own brother?"
Book IX
ULYSSES DECLARES HIMSELF AND BEGINS HIS STORY---THE CICONS,
LOTOPHAGI, AND CYCLOPES.
And Ulysses answered, "King Alcinous, it is a good thing to hear
a bard with such a divine voice as this man has. There is
nothing better or more delightful than when a whole people make
merry together, with the guests sitting orderly to listen, while
the table is loaded with bread and meats, and the cup-bearer
draws wine and fills his cup for every man. This is indeed as
fair a sight as a man can see. Now, however, since you are
inclined to ask the story of my sorrows, and rekindle my own sad
memories in respect of them, I do not know how to begin, nor yet
how to continue and conclude my tale, for the hand of heaven has
been laid heavily upon me.
"Firstly, then, I will tell you my name that you too may know
it, and one day, if I outlive this time of sorrow, may become my
guests though I live so far away from all of you. I am Ulysses
son of Laertes, renowned among mankind for all manner of
subtlety, so that my fame ascends to heaven. I live in Ithaca,
where there is a high mountain called Neritum, covered with
forests; and not far from it there is a group of islands very
near to one another--Dulichium, Same, and the wooded island of
Zacynthus. It lies squat on the horizon, all highest up in the
sea towards the sunset, while the others lie away from it
towards dawn. {75} It is a rugged island, but it breeds brave
men, and my eyes know none that they better love to look upon.
The goddess Calypso kept me with her in her cave, and wanted me
to marry her, as did also the cunning Aeaean goddess Circe; but
they could neither of them persuade me, for there is nothing
dearer to a man than his own country and his parents, and
however splendid a home he may have in a foreign country, if it
be far from father or mother, he does not care about it. Now,
however, I will tell you of the many hazardous adventures which
by Jove's will I met with on my return from Troy.
"When I had set sail thence the wind took me first to Ismarus,
which is the city of the Cicons. There I sacked the town and put
the people to the sword. We took their wives and also much
booty, which we divided equitably amongst us, so that none might
have reason to complain. I then said that we had better make off
at once, but my men very foolishly would not obey me, so they
staid there drinking much wine and killing great numbers of
sheep and oxen on the sea shore. Meanwhile the Cicons cried out
for help to other Cicons who lived inland. These were more in
number, and stronger, and they were more skilled in the art of
war, for they could fight, either from chariots or on foot as
the occasion served; in the morning, therefore, they came as
thick as leaves and bloom in summer, and the hand of heaven was
against us, so that we were hard pressed. They set the battle in
array near the ships, and the hosts aimed their bronze-shod
spears at one another. {76} So long as the day waxed and it was
still morning, we held our own against them, though they were
more in number than we; but as the sun went down, towards the
time when men loose their oxen, the Cicons got the better of us,
and we lost half a dozen men from every ship we had; so we got
away with those that were left.
"Thence we sailed onward with sorrow in our hearts, but glad to
have escaped death though we had lost our comrades, nor did we
leave till we had thrice invoked each one of the poor fellows
who had perished by the hands of the Cicons. Then Jove raised
the North wind against us till it blew a hurricane, so that land
and sky were hidden in thick clouds, and night sprang forth out
of the heavens. We let the ships run before the gale, but the
force of the wind tore our sails to tatters, so we took them
down for fear of shipwreck, and rowed our hardest towards the
land. There we lay two days and two nights suffering much alike
from toil and distress of mind, but on the morning of the third
day we again raised our masts, set sail, and took our places,
letting the wind and steersmen direct our ship. I should have
got home at that time unharmed had not the North wind and the
currents been against me as I was doubling Cape Malea, and set
me off my course hard by the island of Cythera.
"I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon
the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the
Lotus-eaters, who live on a food that comes from a kind of
flower. Here we landed to take in fresh water, and our crews got
their mid-day meal on the shore near the ships. When they had
eaten and drunk I sent two of my company to see what manner of
men the people of the place might be, and they had a third man
under them. They started at once, and went about among the
Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the
lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off
caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what
had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus
{77} with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their
return; nevertheless, though they wept bitterly I forced them
back to the ships and made them fast under the benches. Then I
told the rest to go on board at once, lest any of them should
taste of the lotus and leave off wanting to get home, so they
took their places and smote the grey sea with their oars.
"We sailed hence, always in much distress, till we came to the
land of the lawless and inhuman Cyclopes. Now the Cyclopes
neither plant nor plough, but trust in providence, and live on
such wheat, barley, and grapes as grow wild without any kind of
tillage, and their wild grapes yield them wine as the sun and
the rain may grow them. They have no laws nor assemblies of the
people, but live in caves on the tops of high mountains; each is
lord and master in his family, and they take no account of their
neighbours.
"Now off their harbour there lies a wooded and fertile island
not quite close to the land of the Cyclopes, but still not far.
It is over-run with wild goats, that breed there in great
numbers and are never disturbed by foot of man; for
sportsmen--who as a rule will suffer so much hardship in forest
or among mountain precipices--do not go there, nor yet again is
it ever ploughed or fed down, but it lies a wilderness untilled
and unsown from year to year, and has no living thing upon it
but only goats. For the Cyclopes have no ships, nor yet
shipwrights who could make ships for them; they cannot therefore
go from city to city, or sail over the sea to one another's
country as people who have ships can do; if they had had these
they would have colonised the island, {78} for it is a very good
one, and would yield everything in due season. There are meadows
that in some places come right down to the sea shore, well
watered and full of luscious grass; grapes would do there
excellently; there is level land for ploughing, and it would
always yield heavily at harvest time, for the soil is deep.
There is a good harbour where no cables are wanted, nor yet
anchors, nor need a ship be moored, but all one has to do is to
beach one's vessel and stay there till the wind becomes fair for
putting out to sea again. At the head of the harbour there is a
spring of clear water coming out of a cave, and there are
poplars growing all round it.
"Here we entered, but so dark was the night that some god must
have brought us in, for there was nothing whatever to be seen. A
thick mist hung all round our ships; {79} the moon was hidden
behind a mass of clouds so that no one could have seen the
island if he had looked for it, nor were there any breakers to
tell us we were close in shore before we found ourselves upon
the land itself; when, however, we had beached the ships, we
took down the sails, went ashore and camped upon the beach till
daybreak.
"When the child of morning, rosy-fingered dawn appeared, we
admired the island and wandered all over it, while the nymphs
Jove's daughters roused the wild goats that we might get some
meat for our dinner. On this we fetched our spears and bows and
arrows from the ships, and dividing ourselves into three bands
began to shoot the goats. Heaven sent us excellent sport; I had
twelve ships with me, and each ship got nine goats, while my own
ship had ten; thus through the livelong day to the going down of
the sun we ate and drank our fill, and we had plenty of wine
left, for each one of us had taken many jars full when we sacked
the city of the Cicons, and this had not yet run out. While we
were feasting we kept turning our eyes towards the land of the
Cyclopes, which was hard by, and saw the smoke of their stubble
fires. We could almost fancy we heard their voices and the
bleating of their sheep and goats, but when the sun went down
and it came on dark, we camped down upon the beach, and next
morning I called a council.
"'Stay here, my brave fellows,' said I, 'all the rest of you,
while I go with my ship and exploit these people myself: I want
to see if they are uncivilised savages, or a hospitable and
humane race.'
"I went on board, bidding my men to do so also and loose the
hawsers; so they took their places and smote the grey sea with
their oars. When we got to the land, which was not far, there,
on the face of a cliff near the sea, we saw a great cave
overhung with laurels. It was a station for a great many sheep
and goats, and outside there was a large yard, with a high wall
round it made of stones built into the ground and of trees both
pine and oak. This was the abode of a huge monster who was then
away from home shepherding his flocks. He would have nothing to
do with other people, but led the life of an outlaw. He was a
horrid creature, not like a human being at all, but resembling
rather some crag that stands out boldly against the sky on the
top of a high mountain.
"I told my men to draw the ship ashore, and stay where they
were, all but the twelve best among them, who were to go along
with myself. I also took a goatskin of sweet black wine which
had been given me by Maron, son of Euanthes, who was priest of
Apollo the patron god of Ismarus, and lived within the wooded
precincts of the temple. When we were sacking the city we
respected him, and spared his life, as also his wife and child;
so he made me some presents of great value--seven talents of
fine gold, and a bowl of silver, with twelve jars of sweet wine,
unblended, and of the most exquisite flavour. Not a man nor maid
in the house knew about it, but only himself, his wife, and one
housekeeper: when he drank it he mixed twenty parts of water to
one of wine, and yet the fragrance from the mixing-bowl was so
exquisite that it was impossible to refrain from drinking. I
filled a large skin with this wine, and took a wallet full of
provisions with me, for my mind misgave me that I might have to
deal with some savage who would be of great strength, and would
respect neither right nor law.
"We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we
went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His
cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and
kids than his pens could hold. They were kept in separate
flocks; first there were the hoggets, then the oldest of the
younger lambs and lastly the very young ones {80} all kept apart
from one another; as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and
milk pails into which he milked, were swimming with whey. When
they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some
cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then
return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and
sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had
done so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see the
owner himself, in the hope that he might give me a present.
When, however, we saw him my poor men found him ill to deal
with.
"We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate
others of them, and then sat waiting till the Cyclops should
come in with his sheep. When he came, he brought in with him a
huge load of dry firewood to light the fire for his supper, and
this he flung with such a noise on to the floor of his cave that
we hid ourselves for fear at the far end of the cavern.
Meanwhile he drove all the ewes inside, as well as the she-goats
that he was going to milk, leaving the males, both rams and
he-goats, outside in the yards. Then he rolled a huge stone to
the mouth of the cave--so huge that two and twenty strong
four-wheeled waggons would not be enough to draw it from its
place against the doorway. When he had so done he sat down and
milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each
of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it
aside in wicker strainers, but the other half he poured into
bowls that he might drink it for his supper. When he had got
through with all his work, he lit the fire, and then caught
sight of us, whereon he said:
"'Strangers, who are you? Where do sail from? Are you traders,
or do you sail the sea as rovers, with your hands against every
man, and every man's hand against you?'
"We were frightened out of our senses by his loud voice and
monstrous form, but I managed to say, 'We are Achaeans on our
way home from Troy, but by the will of Jove, and stress of
weather, we have been driven far out of our course. We are the
people of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, who has won infinite renown
throughout the whole world, by sacking so great a city and
killing so many people. We therefore humbly pray you to show us
some hospitality, and otherwise make us such presents as
visitors may reasonably expect. May your excellency fear the
wrath of heaven, for we are your suppliants, and Jove takes all
respectable travellers under his protection, for he is the
avenger of all suppliants and foreigners in distress.'
"To this he gave me but a pitiless answer, 'Stranger,' said he,
'you are a fool, or else you know nothing of this country. Talk
to me, indeed, about fearing the gods or shunning their anger?
We Cyclopes do not care about Jove or any of your blessed gods,
for we are ever so much stronger than they. I shall not spare
either yourself or your companions out of any regard for Jove,
unless I am in the humour for doing so. And now tell me where
you made your ship fast when you came on shore. Was it round the
point, or is she lying straight off the land?'
"He said this to draw me out, but I was too cunning to be caught
in that way, so I answered with a lie; 'Neptune,' said I, 'sent
my ship on to the rocks at the far end of your country, and
wrecked it. We were driven on to them from the open sea, but I
and those who are with me escaped the jaws of death.'
"The cruel wretch vouchsafed me not one word of answer, but with
a sudden clutch he gripped up two of my men at once and dashed
them down upon the ground as though they had been puppies. Their
brains were shed upon the ground, and the earth was wet with
their blood. Then he tore them limb from limb and supped upon
them. He gobbled them up like a lion in the wilderness, flesh,
bones, marrow, and entrails, without leaving anything uneaten.
As for us, we wept and lifted up our hands to heaven on seeing
such a horrid sight, for we did not know what else to do; but
when the Cyclops had filled his huge paunch, and had washed down
his meal of human flesh with a drink of neat milk, he stretched
himself full length upon the ground among his sheep, and went to
sleep. I was at first inclined to seize my sword, draw it, and
drive it into his vitals, but I reflected that if I did we
should all certainly be lost, for we should never be able to
shift the stone which the monster had put in front of the door.
So we stayed sobbing and sighing where we were till morning
came.
"When the child of morning, rosy-fingered dawn, appeared, he
again lit his fire, milked his goats and ewes, all quite
rightly, and then let each have her own young one; as soon as he
had got through with all his work, he clutched up two more of my
men, and began eating them for his morning's meal. Presently,
with the utmost ease, he rolled the stone away from the door and
drove out his sheep, but he at once put it back again--as easily
as though he were merely clapping the lid on to a quiver full of
arrows. As soon as he had done so he shouted, and cried 'Shoo,
shoo,' after his sheep to drive them on to the mountain; so I
was left to scheme some way of taking my revenge and covering
myself with glory.
"In the end I deemed it would be the best plan to do as follows:
The Cyclops had a great club which was lying near one of the
sheep pens; it was of green olive wood, and he had cut it
intending to use it for a staff as soon as it should be dry. It
was so huge that we could only compare it to the mast of a
twenty-oared merchant vessel of large burden, and able to
venture out into open sea. I went up to this club and cut off
about six feet of it; I then gave this piece to the men and told
them to fine it evenly off at one end, which they proceeded to
do, and lastly I brought it to a point myself, charring the end
in the fire to make it harder. When I had done this I hid it
under dung, which was lying about all over the cave, and told
the men to cast lots which of them should venture along with
myself to lift it and bore it into the monster's eye while he
was asleep. The lot fell upon the very four whom I should have
chosen, and I myself made five. In the evening the wretch came
back from shepherding, and drove his flocks into the cave--this
time driving them all inside, and not leaving any in the yards;
I suppose some fancy must have taken him, or a god must have
prompted him to do so. As soon as he had put the stone back to
its place against the door, he sat down, milked his ewes and his
goats all quite rightly, and then let each have her own young
one; when he had got through with all this work, he gripped up
two more of my men, and made his supper off them. So I went up
to him with an ivy-wood bowl of black wine in my hands:
"'Look here, Cyclops,' said I, you have been eating a great deal
of man's flesh, so take this and drink some wine, that you may
see what kind of liquor we had on board my ship. I was bringing
it to you as a drink-offering, in the hope that you would take
compassion upon me and further me on my way home, whereas all
you do is to go on ramping and raving most intolerably. You
ought to be ashamed of yourself; how can you expect people to
come see you any more if you treat them in this way?'
"He then took the cup and drank. He was so delighted with the
taste of the wine that he begged me for another bowl full. 'Be
so kind,' he said, 'as to give me some more, and tell me your
name at once. I want to make you a present that you will be glad
to have. We have wine even in this country, for our soil grows
grapes and the sun ripens them, but this drinks like Nectar and
Ambrosia all in one.'
"I then gave him some more; three times did I fill the bowl for
him, and three times did he drain it without thought or heed;
then, when I saw that the wine had got into his head, I said to
him as plausibly as I could: 'Cyclops, you ask my name and I
will tell it you; give me, therefore, the present you promised
me; my name is Noman; this is what my father and mother and my
friends have always called me.'
"But the cruel wretch said, 'Then I will eat all Noman's
comrades before Noman himself, and will keep Noman for the last.
This is the present that I will make him.'
As he spoke he reeled, and fell sprawling face upwards on the
ground. His great neck hung heavily backwards and a deep sleep
took hold upon him. Presently he turned sick, and threw up both
wine and the gobbets of human flesh on which he had been
gorging, for he was very drunk. Then I thrust the beam of wood
far into the embers to heat it, and encouraged my men lest any
of them should turn faint-hearted. When the wood, green though
it was, was about to blaze, I drew it out of the fire glowing
with heat, and my men gathered round me, for heaven had filled
their hearts with courage. We drove the sharp end of the beam
into the monster's eye, and bearing upon it with all my weight I
kept turning it round and round as though I were boring a hole
in a ship's plank with an auger, which two men with a wheel and
strap can keep on turning as long as they choose. Even thus did
we bore the red hot beam into his eye, till the boiling blood
bubbled all over it as we worked it round and round, so that the
steam from the burning eyeball scalded his eyelids and eyebrows,
and the roots of the eye sputtered in the fire. As a blacksmith
plunges an axe or hatchet into cold water to temper it--for it
is this that gives strength to the iron--and it makes a great
hiss as he does so, even thus did the Cyclops' eye hiss round
the beam of olive wood, and his hideous yells made the cave ring
again. We ran away in a fright, but he plucked the beam all
besmirched with gore from his eye, and hurled it from him in a
frenzy of rage and pain, shouting as he did so to the other
Cyclopes who lived on the bleak headlands near him; so they
gathered from all quarters round his cave when they heard him
crying, and asked what was the matter with him.
"'What ails you, Polyphemus,' said they, 'that you make such a
noise, breaking the stillness of the night, and preventing us
from being able to sleep? Surely no man is carrying off your
sheep? Surely no man is trying to kill you either by fraud or by
force? '
"But Polyphemus shouted to them from inside the cave, 'Noman is
killing me by fraud; no man is killing me by force.'
"'Then,' said they, 'if no man is attacking you, you must be
ill; when Jove makes people ill, there is no help for it, and
you had better pray to your father Neptune.'
"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of
my clever stratagem, but the Cyclops, groaning and in an agony
of pain, felt about with his hands till he found the stone and
took it from the door; then he sat in the doorway and stretched
his hands in front of it to catch anyone going out with the
sheep, for he thought I might be foolish enough to attempt this.
"As for myself I kept on puzzling to think how I could best save
my own life and those of my companions; I schemed and schemed,
as one who knows that his life depends upon it, for the danger
was very great. In the end I deemed that this plan would be the
best; the male sheep were well grown, and carried a heavy black
fleece, so I bound them noiselessly in threes together, with
some of the withies on which the wicked monster used to sleep.
There was to be a man under the middle sheep, and the two on
either side were to cover him, so that there were three sheep to
each man. As for myself there was a ram finer than any of the
others, so I caught hold of him by the back, esconced myself in
the thick wool under his belly, and flung on patiently to his
fleece, face upwards, keeping a firm hold on it all the time.
"Thus, then, did we wait in great fear of mind till morning
came, but when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn,
appeared, the male sheep hurried out to feed, while the ewes
remained bleating about the pens waiting to be milked, for their
udders were full to bursting; but their master in spite of all
his pain felt the backs of all the sheep as they stood upright,
without being sharp enough to find out that the men were
underneath their bellies. As the ram was going out, last of all,
heavy with its fleece and with the weight of my crafty self,
Polyphemus laid hold of it and said:
"'My good ram, what is it that makes you the last to leave my
cave this morning? You are not wont to let the ewes go before
you, but lead the mob with a run whether to flowery mead or
bubbling fountain, and are the first to come home again at
night; but now you lag last of all. Is it because you know your
master has lost his eye, and are sorry because that wicked Noman
and his horrid crew has got him down in his drink and blinded
him? But I will have his life yet. If you could understand and
talk, you would tell me where the wretch is hiding, and I would
dash his brains upon the ground till they flew all over the
cave. I should thus have some satisfaction for the harm this
no-good Noman has done me.'
"As he spoke he drove the ram outside, but when we were a little
way out from the cave and yards, I first got from under the
ram's belly, and then freed my comrades; as for the sheep, which
were very fat, by constantly heading them in the right direction
we managed to drive them down to the ship. The crew rejoiced
greatly at seeing those of us who had escaped death, but wept
for the others whom the Cyclops had killed. However, I made
signs to them by nodding and frowning that they were to hush
their crying, and told them to get all the sheep on board at
once and put out to sea; so they went aboard, took their places,
and smote the grey sea with their oars. Then, when I had got as
far out as my voice would reach, I began to jeer at the Cyclops.
"'Cyclops,' said I, 'you should have taken better measure of
your man before eating up his comrades in your cave. You
wretch, eat up your visitors in your own house? You might have
known that your sin would find you out, and now Jove and the
other gods have punished you.'
"He got more and more furious as he heard me, so he tore the top
from off a high mountain, and flung it just in front of my ship
so that it was within a little of hitting the end of the rudder.
{81} The sea quaked as the rock fell into it, and the wash of
the wave it raised carried us back towards the mainland, and
forced us towards the shore. But I snatched up a long pole and
kept the ship off, making signs to my men by nodding my head,
that they must row for their lives, whereon they laid out with a
will. When we had got twice as far as we were before, I was for
jeering at the Cyclops again, but the men begged and prayed of
me to hold my tongue.
"'Do not,' they exclaimed, 'be mad enough to provoke this savage
creature further; he has thrown one rock at us already which
drove us back again to the mainland, and we made sure it had
been the death of us; if he had then heard any further sound of
voices he would have pounded our heads and our ship's timbers
into a jelly with the rugged rocks he would have heaved at us,
for he can throw them a long way.'
"But I would not listen to them, and shouted out to him in my
rage, 'Cyclops, if any one asks you who it was that put your eye
out and spoiled your beauty, say it was the valiant warrior
Ulysses, son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca.'
"On this he groaned, and cried out, 'Alas, alas, then the old
prophecy about me is coming true. There was a prophet here, at
one time, a man both brave and of great stature, Telemus son of
Eurymus, who was an excellent seer, and did all the prophesying
for the Cyclopes till he grew old; he told me that all this
would happen to me some day, and said I should lose my sight by
the hand of Ulysses. I have been all along expecting some one of
imposing presence and superhuman strength, whereas he turns out
to be a little insignificant weakling, who has managed to blind
my eye by taking advantage of me in my drink; come here, then,
Ulysses, that I may make you presents to show my hospitality,
and urge Neptune to help you forward on your journey--for
Neptune and I are father and son. He, if he so will, shall heal
me, which no one else neither god nor man can do.'
"Then I said, 'I wish I could be as sure of killing you outright
and sending you down to the house of Hades, as I am that it will
take more than Neptune to cure that eye of yours.'
"On this he lifted up his hands to the firmament of heaven and
prayed, saying, 'Hear me, great Neptune; if I am indeed your own
true begotten son, grant that Ulysses may never reach his home
alive; or if he must get back to his friends at last, let him do
so late and in sore plight after losing all his men [let him
reach his home in another man's ship and find trouble in his
house.'] {82}
"Thus did he pray, and Neptune heard his prayer. Then he picked
up a rock much larger than the first, swung it aloft and hurled
it with prodigious force. It fell just short of the ship, but
was within a little of hitting the end of the rudder. The sea
quaked as the rock fell into it, and the wash of the wave it
raised drove us onwards on our way towards the shore of the
island.
"When at last we got to the island where we had left the rest of
our ships, we found our comrades lamenting us, and anxiously
awaiting our return. We ran our vessel upon the sands and got
out of her on to the sea shore; we also landed the Cyclops'
sheep, and divided them equitably amongst us so that none might
have reason to complain. As for the ram, my companions agreed
that I should have it as an extra share; so I sacrificed it on
the sea shore, and burned its thigh bones to Jove, who is the
lord of all. But he heeded not my sacrifice, and only thought
how he might destroy both my ships and my comrades.
"Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun we
feasted our fill on meat and drink, but when the sun went down
and it came on dark, we camped upon the beach. When the child
of morning rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, I bade my men on board
and loose the hawsers. Then they took their places and smote the
grey sea with their oars; so we sailed on with sorrow in our
hearts, but glad to have escaped death though we had lost our
comrades.
Book X
AEOLUS, THE LAESTRYGONES, CIRCE.
"Thence we went on to the Aeolian island where lives Aeolus son
of Hippotas, dear to the immortal gods. It is an island that
floats (as it were) upon the sea, {83} iron bound with a wall
that girds it. Now, Aeolus has six daughters and six lusty sons,
so he made the sons marry the daughters, and they all live with
their dear father and mother, feasting and enjoying every
conceivable kind of luxury. All day long the atmosphere of the
house is loaded with the savour of roasting meats till it groans
again, yard and all; but by night they sleep on their well made
bedsteads, each with his own wife between the blankets. These
were the people among whom we had now come.
"Aeolus entertained me for a whole month asking me questions all
the time about Troy, the Argive fleet, and the return of the
Achaeans. I told him exactly how everything had happened, and
when I said I must go, and asked him to further me on my way, he
made no sort of difficulty, but set about doing so at once.
Moreover, he flayed me a prime ox-hide to hold the ways of the
roaring winds, which he shut up in the hide as in a sack--for
Jove had made him captain over the winds, and he could stir or
still each one of them according to his own pleasure. He put the
sack in the ship and bound the mouth so tightly with a silver
thread that not even a breath of a side-wind could blow from any
quarter. The West wind which was fair for us did he alone let
blow as it chose; but it all came to nothing, for we were lost
through our own folly.
"Nine days and nine nights did we sail, and on the tenth day our
native land showed on the horizon. We got so close in that we
could see the stubble fires burning, and I, being then dead
beat, fell into a light sleep, for I had never let the rudder
out of my own hands, that we might get home the faster. On this
the men fell to talking among themselves, and said I was
bringing back gold and silver in the sack that Aeolus had given
me. 'Bless my heart,' would one turn to his neighbour, saying,
'how this man gets honoured and makes friends to whatever city
or country he may go. See what fine prizes he is taking home
from Troy, while we, who have travelled just as far as he has,
come back with hands as empty as we set out with--and now Aeolus
has given him ever so much more. Quick--let us see what it all
is, and how much gold and silver there is in the sack he gave
him.'
"Thus they talked and evil counsels prevailed. They loosed the
sack, whereupon the wind flew howling forth and raised a storm
that carried us weeping out to sea and away from our own
country. Then I awoke, and knew not whether to throw myself into
the sea or to live on and make the best of it; but I bore it,
covered myself up, and lay down in the ship, while the men
lamented bitterly as the fierce winds bore our fleet back to the
Aeolian island.
"When we reached it we went ashore to take in water, and dined
hard by the ships. Immediately after dinner I took a herald and
one of my men and went straight to the house of Aeolus, where I
found him feasting with his wife and family; so we sat down as
suppliants on the threshold. They were astounded when they saw
us and said, 'Ulysses, what brings you here? What god has been
ill-treating you? We took great pains to further you on your
way home to Ithaca, or wherever it was that you wanted to go
to.'
"Thus did they speak, but I answered sorrowfully, 'My men have
undone me; they, and cruel sleep, have ruined me. My friends,
mend me this mischief, for you can if you will.'
"I spoke as movingly as I could, but they said nothing, till
their father answered, 'Vilest of mankind, get you gone at once
out of the island; him whom heaven hates will I in no wise help.
Be off, for you come here as one abhorred of heaven.' And with
these words he sent me sorrowing from his door.
"Thence we sailed sadly on till the men were worn out with long
and fruitless rowing, for there was no longer any wind to help
them. Six days, night and day did we toil, and on the seventh
day we reached the rocky stronghold of Lamus--Telepylus, the
city of the Laestrygonians, where the shepherd who is driving in
his sheep and goats [to be milked] salutes him who is driving
out his flock [to feed] and this last answers the salute. In
that country a man who could do without sleep might earn double
wages, one as a herdsman of cattle, and another as a shepherd,
for they work much the same by night as they do by day. {84}
"When we reached the harbour we found it land-locked under steep
cliffs, with a narrow entrance between two headlands. My
captains took all their ships inside, and made them fast close
to one another, for there was never so much as a breath of wind
inside, but it was always dead calm. I kept my own ship outside,
and moored it to a rock at the very end of the point; then I
climbed a high rock to reconnoitre, but could see no sign
neither of man nor cattle, only some smoke rising from the
ground. So I sent two of my company with an attendant to find
out what sort of people the inhabitants were.
"The men when they got on shore followed a level road by which
the people draw their firewood from the mountains into the town,
till presently they met a young woman who had come outside to
fetch water, and who was daughter to a Laestrygonian named
Antiphates. She was going to the fountain Artacia from which the
people bring in their water, and when my men had come close up
to her, they asked her who the king of that country might be,
and over what kind of people he ruled; so she directed them to
her father's house, but when they got there they found his wife
to be a giantess as huge as a mountain, and they were horrified
at the sight of her.
"She at once called her husband Antiphates from the place of
assembly, and forthwith he set about killing my men. He snatched
up one of them, and began to make his dinner off him then and
there, whereon the other two ran back to the ships as fast as
ever they could. But Antiphates raised a hue-and-cry after them,
and thousands of sturdy Laestrygonians sprang up from every
quarter--ogres, not men. They threw vast rocks at us from the
cliffs as though they had been mere stones, and I heard the
horrid sound of the ships crunching up against one another, and
the death cries of my men, as the Laestrygonians speared them
like fishes and took them home to eat them. While they were thus
killing my men within the harbour I drew my sword, cut the cable
of my own ship, and told my men to row with all their might if
they too would not fare like the rest; so they laid out for
their lives, and we were thankful enough when we got into open
water out of reach of the rocks they hurled at us. As for the
others there was not one of them left.
"Thence we sailed sadly on, glad to have escaped death, though
we had lost our comrades, and came to the Aeaean island, where
Circe lives--a great and cunning goddess who is own sister to
the magician Aeetes--for they are both children of the sun by
Perse, who is daughter to Oceanus. We brought our ship into a
safe harbour without a word, for some god guided us thither, and
having landed we lay there for two days and two nights, worn out
in body and mind. When the morning of the third day came I took
my spear and my sword, and went away from the ship to
reconnoitre, and see if I could discover signs of human
handiwork, or hear the sound of voices. Climbing to the top of a
high look-out I espied the smoke of Circe's house rising upwards
amid a dense forest of trees, and when I saw this I doubted
whether, having seen the smoke, I would not go on at once and
find out more, but in the end I deemed it best to go back to the
ship, give the men their dinners, and send some of them instead
of going myself.
"When I had nearly got back to the ship some god took pity upon
my solitude, and sent a fine antlered stag right into the middle
of my path. He was coming down his pasture in the forest to
drink of the river, for the heat of the sun drove him, and as he
passed I struck him in the middle of the back; the bronze point
of the spear went clean through him, and he lay groaning in the
dust until the life went out of him. Then I set my foot upon
him, drew my spear from the wound, and laid it down; I also
gathered rough grass and rushes and twisted them into a fathom
or so of good stout rope, with which I bound the four feet of
the noble creature together; having so done I hung him round my
neck and walked back to the ship leaning upon my spear, for the
stag was much too big for me to be able to carry him on my
shoulder, steadying him with one hand. As I threw him down in
front of the ship, I called the men and spoke cheeringly man by
man to each of them. 'Look here my friends,' said I, 'we are not
going to die so much before our time after all, and at any rate
we will not starve so long as we have got something to eat and
drink on board.' On this they uncovered their heads upon the sea
shore and admired the stag, for he was indeed a splendid fellow.
Then, when they had feasted their eyes upon him sufficiently,
they washed their hands and began to cook him for dinner.
"Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun we
stayed there eating and drinking our fill, but when the sun went
down and it came on dark, we camped upon the sea shore. When the
child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, I called a
council and said, 'My friends, we are in very great
difficulties; listen therefore to me. We have no idea where the
sun either sets or rises, {85} so that we do not even know East
from West. I see no way out of it; nevertheless, we must try and
find one. We are certainly on an island, for I went as high as I
could this morning, and saw the sea reaching all round it to the
horizon; it lies low, but towards the middle I saw smoke rising
from out of a thick forest of trees.'
"Their hearts sank as they heard me, for they remembered how
they had been treated by the Laestrygonian Antiphates, and by
the savage ogre Polyphemus. They wept bitterly in their dismay,
but there was nothing to be got by crying, so I divided them
into two companies and set a captain over each; I gave one
company to Eurylochus, while I took command of the other myself.
Then we cast lots in a helmet, and the lot fell upon Eurylochus;
so he set out with his twenty-two men, and they wept, as also
did we who were left behind.
"When they reached Circe's house they found it built of cut
stones, on a site that could be seen from far, in the middle of
the forest. There were wild mountain wolves and lions prowling
all round it--poor bewitched creatures whom she had tamed by her
enchantments and drugged into subjection. They did not attack my
men, but wagged their great tails, fawned upon them, and rubbed
their noses lovingly against them. {86} As hounds crowd round
their master when they see him coming from dinner--for they know
he will bring them something--even so did these wolves and lions
with their great claws fawn upon my men, but the men were
terribly frightened at seeing such strange creatures. Presently
they reached the gates of the goddess's house, and as they stood
there they could hear Circe within, singing most beautifully as
she worked at her loom, making a web so fine, so soft, and of
such dazzling colours as no one but a goddess could weave. On
this Polites, whom I valued and trusted more than any other of
my men, said, 'There is some one inside working at a loom and
singing most beautifully; the whole place resounds with it, let
us call her and see whether she is woman or goddess.'
"They called her and she came down, unfastened the door, and
bade them enter. They, thinking no evil, followed her, all
except Eurylochus, who suspected mischief and staid outside.
When she had got them into her house, she set them upon benches
and seats and mixed them a mess with cheese, honey, meal, and
Pramnian wine, but she drugged it with wicked poisons to make
them forget their homes, and when they had drunk she turned them
into pigs by a stroke of her wand, and shut them up in her
pig-styes. They were like pigs--head, hair, and all, and they
grunted just as pigs do; but their senses were the same as
before, and they remembered everything.
"Thus then were they shut up squealing, and Circe threw them
some acorns and beech masts such as pigs eat, but Eurylochus
hurried back to tell me about the sad fate of our comrades. He
was so overcome with dismay that though he tried to speak he
could find no words to do so; his eyes filled with tears and he
could only sob and sigh, till at last we forced his story out of
him, and he told us what had happened to the others.
"'We went,' said he, 'as you told us, through the forest, and in
the middle of it there was a fine house built with cut stones in
a place that could be seen from far. There we found a woman, or
else she was a goddess, working at her loom and singing sweetly;
so the men shouted to her and called her, whereon she at once
came down, opened the door, and invited us in. The others did
not suspect any mischief so they followed her into the house,
but I staid where I was, for I thought there might be some
treachery. From that moment I saw them no more, for not one of
them ever came out, though I sat a long time watching for them.'
"Then I took my sword of bronze and slung it over my shoulders;
I also took my bow, and told Eurylochus to come back with me and
shew me the way. But he laid hold of me with both his hands and
spoke piteously, saying, 'Sir, do not force me to go with you,
but let me stay here, for I know you will not bring one of them
back with you, nor even return alive yourself; let us rather see
if we cannot escape at any rate with the few that are left us,
for we may still save our lives.'
"'Stay where you are, then,' answered I, 'eating and drinking at
the ship, but I must go, for I am most urgently bound to do so.'
"With this I left the ship and went up inland. When I got
through the charmed grove, and was near the great house of the
enchantress Circe, I met Mercury with his golden wand, disguised
as a young man in the hey-day of his youth and beauty with the
down just coming upon his face. He came up to me and took my
hand within his own, saying, 'My poor unhappy man, whither are
you going over this mountain top, alone and without knowing the
way? Your men are shut up in Circe's pigstyes, like so many wild
boars in their lairs. You surely do not fancy that you can set
them free? I can tell you that you will never get back and will
have to stay there with the rest of them. But never mind, I will
protect you and get you out of your difficulty. Take this herb,
which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go
to Circe's house, it will be a talisman to you against every
kind of mischief.
"'And I will tell you of all the wicked witchcraft that Circe
will try to practice upon you. She will mix a mess for you to
drink, and she will drug the meal with which she makes it, but
she will not be able to charm you, for the virtue of the herb
that I shall give you will prevent her spells from working. I
will tell you all about it. When Circe strikes you with her
wand, draw your sword and spring upon her as though you were
going to kill her. She will then be frightened, and will desire
you to go to bed with her; on this you must not point blank
refuse her, for you want her to set your companions free, and to
take good care also of yourself, but you must make her swear
solemnly by all the blessed gods that she will plot no further
mischief against you, or else when she has got you naked she
will unman you and make you fit for nothing.'
"As he spoke he pulled the herb out of the ground and shewed me
what it was like. The root was black, while the flower was as
white as milk; the gods call it Moly, and mortal men cannot
uproot it, but the gods can do whatever they like.
"Then Mercury went back to high Olympus passing over the wooded
island; but I fared onward to the house of Circe, and my heart
was clouded with care as I walked along. When I got to the gates
I stood there and called the goddess, and as soon as she heard
me she came down, opened the door, and asked me to come in; so I
followed her--much troubled in my mind. She set me on a richly
decorated seat inlaid with silver, there was a footstool also
under my feet, and she mixed a mess in a golden goblet for me to
drink; but she drugged it, for she meant me mischief. When she
had given it me, and I had drunk it without its charming me, she
struck me with her wand. 'There now,' she cried, 'be off to the
pigstye, and make your lair with the rest of them.'
"But I rushed at her with my sword drawn as though I would kill
her, whereon she fell with a loud scream, clasped my knees, and
spoke piteously, saying, 'Who and whence are you? from what
place and people have you come? How can it be that my drugs have
no power to charm you? Never yet was any man able to stand so
much as a taste of the herb I gave you; you must be spell-proof;
surely you can be none other than the bold hero Ulysses, who
Mercury always said would come here some day with his ship while
on his way home from Troy; so be it then; sheathe your sword and
let us go to bed, that we may make friends and learn to trust
each other.'
"And I answered, 'Circe, how can you expect me to be friendly
with you when you have just been turning all my men into pigs?
And now that you have got me here myself, you mean me mischief
when you ask me to go to bed with you, and will unman me and
make me fit for nothing. I shall certainly not consent to go to
bed with you unless you will first take your solemn oath to plot
no further harm against me.'
"So she swore at once as I had told her, and when she had
completed her oath then I went to bed with her.
"Meanwhile her four servants, who are her housemaids, set about
their work. They are the children of the groves and fountains,
and of the holy waters that run down into the sea. One of them
spread a fair purple cloth over a seat, and laid a carpet
underneath it. Another brought tables of silver up to the seats,
and set them with baskets of gold. A third mixed some sweet
wine with water in a silver bowl and put golden cups upon the
tables, while the fourth brought in water and set it to boil in
a large cauldron over a good fire which she had lighted. When
the water in the cauldron was boiling, {87} she poured cold into
it till it was just as I liked it, and then she set me in a bath
and began washing me from the cauldron about the head and
shoulders, to take the tire and stiffness out of my limbs. As
soon as she had done washing me and anointing me with oil, she
arrayed me in a good cloak and shirt and led me to a richly
decorated seat inlaid with silver; there was a footstool also
under my feet. A maid servant then brought me water in a
beautiful golden ewer and poured it into a silver basin for me
to wash my hands, and she drew a clean table beside me; an upper
servant brought me bread and offered me many things of what
there was in the house, and then Circe bade me eat, but I would
not, and sat without heeding what was before me, still moody and
suspicious.
"When Circe saw me sitting there without eating, and in great
grief, she came to me and said, 'Ulysses, why do you sit like
that as though you were dumb, gnawing at your own heart, and
refusing both meat and drink? Is it that you are still
suspicious? You ought not to be, for I have already sworn
solemnly that I will not hurt you.'
"And I said, 'Circe, no man with any sense of what is right can
think of either eating or drinking in your house until you have
set his friends free and let him see them. If you want me to eat
and drink, you must free my men and bring them to me that I may
see them with my own eyes.'
"When I had said this she went straight through the court with
her wand in her hand and opened the pigstye doors. My men came
out like so many prime hogs and stood looking at her, but she
went about among them and anointed each with a second drug,
whereon the bristles that the bad drug had given them fell off,
and they became men again, younger than they were before, and
much taller and better looking. They knew me at once, seized me
each of them by the hand, and wept for joy till the whole house
was filled with the sound of their halloa-ballooing, and Circe
herself was so sorry for them that she came up to me and said,
'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, go back at once to the sea where
you have left your ship, and first draw it on to the land.
Then, hide all your ship's gear and property in some cave, and
come back here with your men.'
"I agreed to this, so I went back to the sea shore, and found
the men at the ship weeping and wailing most piteously. When
they saw me the silly blubbering fellows began frisking round me
as calves break out and gambol round their mothers, when they
see them coming home to be milked after they have been feeding
all day, and the homestead resounds with their lowing. They
seemed as glad to see me as though they had got back to their
own rugged Ithaca, where they had been born and bred. 'Sir,'
said the affectionate creatures, 'we are as glad to see you back
as though we had got safe home to Ithaca; but tell us all about
the fate of our comrades.'
"I spoke comfortingly to them and said, 'We must draw our ship
on to the land, and hide the ship's gear with all our property
in some cave; then come with me all of you as fast as you can to
Circe's house, where you will find your comrades eating and
drinking in the midst of great abundance.'
"On this the men would have come with me at once, but Eurylochus
tried to hold them back and said, 'Alas, poor wretches that we
are, what will become of us? Rush not on your ruin by going to
the house of Circe, who will turn us all into pigs or wolves or
lions, and we shall have to keep guard over her house. Remember
how the Cyclops treated us when our comrades went inside his
cave, and Ulysses with them. It was all through his sheer folly
that those men lost their lives.'
"When I heard him I was in two minds whether or no to draw the
keen blade that hung by my sturdy thigh and cut his head off in
spite of his being a near relation of my own; but the men
interceded for him and said, 'Sir, if it may so be, let this
fellow stay here and mind the ship, but take the rest of us with
you to Circe's house.'
"On this we all went inland, and Eurylochus was not left behind
after all, but came on too, for he was frightened by the severe
reprimand that I had given him.
"Meanwhile Circe had been seeing that the men who had been left
behind were washed and anointed with olive oil; she had also
given them woollen cloaks and shirts, and when we came we found
them all comfortably at dinner in her house. As soon as the men
saw each other face to face and knew one another, they wept for
joy and cried aloud till the whole palace rang again. Thereon
Circe came up to me and said, 'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes,
tell your men to leave off crying; I know how much you have all
of you suffered at sea, and how ill you have fared among cruel
savages on the mainland, but that is over now, so stay here, and
eat and drink till you are once more as strong and hearty as you
were when you left Ithaca; for at present you are weakened both
in body and mind; you keep all the time thinking of the
hardships you have suffered during your travels, so that you
have no more cheerfulness left in you.'
"Thus did she speak and we assented. We stayed with Circe for a
whole twelvemonth feasting upon an untold quantity both of meat
and wine. But when the year had passed in the waning of moons
and the long days had come round, my men called me apart and
said, 'Sir, it is time you began to think about going home, if
so be you are to be spared to see your house and native country
at all.'
"Thus did they speak and I assented. Thereon through the
livelong day to the going down of the sun we feasted our fill on
meat and wine, but when the sun went down and it came on dark
the men laid themselves down to sleep in the covered cloisters.
I, however, after I had got into bed with Circe, besought her by
her knees, and the goddess listened to what I had got to say.
'Circe,' said I, 'please to keep the promise you made me about
furthering me on my homeward voyage. I want to get back and so
do my men, they are always pestering me with their complaints as
soon as ever your back is turned.'
"And the goddess answered, 'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, you
shall none of you stay here any longer if you do not want to,
but there is another journey which you have got to take before
you can sail homewards. You must go to the house of Hades and of
dread Proserpine to consult the ghost of the blind Theban
prophet Teiresias, whose reason is still unshaken. To him alone
has Proserpine left his understanding even in death, but the
other ghosts flit about aimlessly.'
"I was dismayed when I heard this. I sat up in bed and wept, and
would gladly have lived no longer to see the light of the sun,
but presently when I was tired of weeping and tossing myself
about, I said, 'And who shall guide me upon this voyage--for the
house of Hades is a port that no ship can reach.'
"'You will want no guide,' she answered; 'raise your mast, set
your white sails, sit quite still, and the North Wind will blow
you there of itself. When your ship has traversed the waters of
Oceanus, you will reach the fertile shore of Proserpine's
country with its groves of tall poplars and willows that shed
their fruit untimely; here beach your ship upon the shore of
Oceanus, and go straight on to the dark abode of Hades. You will
find it near the place where the rivers Pyriphlegethon and
Cocytus (which is a branch of the river Styx) flow into Acheron,
and you will see a rock near it, just where the two roaring
rivers run into one another.
"'When you have reached this spot, as I now tell you, dig a
trench a cubit or so in length, breadth, and depth, and pour
into it as a drink-offering to all the dead, first, honey mixed
with milk, then wine, and in the third place water--sprinkling
white barley meal over the whole. Moreover you must offer many
prayers to the poor feeble ghosts, and promise them that when
you get back to Ithaca you will sacrifice a barren heifer to
them, the best you have, and will load the pyre with good
things. More particularly you must promise that Teiresias shall
have a black sheep all to himself, the finest in all your
flocks.
"'When you shall have thus besought the ghosts with your
prayers, offer them a ram and a black ewe, bending their heads
towards Erebus; but yourself turn away from them as though you
would make towards the river. On this, many dead men's ghosts
will come to you, and you must tell your men to skin the two
sheep that you have just killed, and offer them as a burnt
sacrifice with prayers to Hades and to Proserpine. Then draw
your sword and sit there, so as to prevent any other poor ghost
from coming near the split blood before Teiresias shall have
answered your questions. The seer will presently come to you,
and will tell you about your voyage--what stages you are to
make, and how you are to sail the sea so as to reach your home.'
"It was day-break by the time she had done speaking, so she
dressed me in my shirt and cloak. As for herself she threw a
beautiful light gossamer fabric over her shoulders, fastening it
with a golden girdle round her waist, and she covered her head
with a mantle. Then I went about among the men everywhere all
over the house, and spoke kindly to each of them man by man:
'You must not lie sleeping here any longer,' said I to them, 'we
must be going, for Circe has told me all about it.' And on this
they did as I bade them.
"Even so, however, I did not get them away without misadventure.
We had with us a certain youth named Elpenor, not very
remarkable for sense or courage, who had got drunk and was lying
on the house-top away from the rest of the men, to sleep off his
liquor in the cool. When he heard the noise of the men bustling
about, he jumped up on a sudden and forgot all about coming down
by the main staircase, so he tumbled right off the roof and
broke his neck, and his soul went down to the house of Hades.
"When I had got the men together I said to them, 'You think you
are about to start home again, but Circe has explained to me
that instead of this, we have got to go to the house of Hades
and Proserpine to consult the ghost of the Theban prophet
Teiresias.'
"The men were broken-hearted as they heard me, and threw
themselves on the ground groaning and tearing their hair, but
they did not mend matters by crying. When we reached the sea
shore, weeping and lamenting our fate, Circe brought the ram and
the ewe, and we made them fast hard by the ship. She passed
through the midst of us without our knowing it, for who can see
the comings and goings of a god, if the god does not wish to be
seen?
Book XI
THE VISIT TO THE DEAD. {88}
"Then, when we had got down to the sea shore we drew our ship
into the water and got her mast and sails into her; we also put
the sheep on board and took our places, weeping and in great
distress of mind. Circe, that great and cunning goddess, sent us
a fair wind that blew dead aft and staid steadily with us
keeping our sails all the time well filled; so we did whatever
wanted doing to the ship's gear and let her go as the wind and
helmsman headed her. All day long her sails were full as she
held her course over the sea, but when the sun went down and
darkness was over all the earth, we got into the deep waters of
the river Oceanus, where lie the land and city of the Cimmerians
who live enshrouded in mist and darkness which the rays of the
sun never pierce neither at his rising nor as he goes down again
out of the heavens, but the poor wretches live in one long
melancholy night. When we got there we beached the ship, took
the sheep out of her, and went along by the waters of Oceanus
till we came to the place of which Circe had told us.
"Here Perimedes and Eurylochus held the victims, while I drew my
sword and dug the trench a cubit each way. I made a
drink-offering to all the dead, first with honey and milk, then
with wine, and thirdly with water, and I sprinkled white barley
meal over the whole, praying earnestly to the poor feckless
ghosts, and promising them that when I got back to Ithaca I
would sacrifice a barren heifer for them, the best I had, and
would load the pyre with good things. I also particularly
promised that Teiresias should have a black sheep to himself,
the best in all my flocks. When I had prayed sufficiently to the
dead, I cut the throats of the two sheep and let the blood run
into the trench, whereon the ghosts came trooping up from
Erebus--brides, {89} young bachelors, old men worn out with
toil, maids who had been crossed in love, and brave men who had
been killed in battle, with their armour still smirched with
blood; they came from every quarter and flitted round the trench
with a strange kind of screaming sound that made me turn pale
with fear. When I saw them coming I told the men to be quick and
flay the carcasses of the two dead sheep and make burnt
offerings of them, and at the same time to repeat prayers to
Hades and to Proserpine; but I sat where I was with my sword
drawn and would not let the poor feckless ghosts come near the
blood till Teiresias should have answered my questions.
"The first ghost that came was that of my comrade Elpenor, for
he had not yet been laid beneath the earth. We had left his body
unwaked and unburied in Circe's house, for we had had too much
else to do. I was very sorry for him, and cried when I saw him:
'Elpenor,' said I, 'how did you come down here into this gloom
and darkness? You have got here on foot quicker than I have with
my ship.'
"'Sir,' he answered with a groan, 'it was all bad luck, and my
own unspeakable drunkenness. I was lying asleep on the top of
Circe's house, and never thought of coming down again by the
great staircase but fell right off the roof and broke my neck,
so my soul came down to the house of Hades. And now I beseech
you by all those whom you have left behind you, though they are
not here, by your wife, by the father who brought you up when
you were a child, and by Telemachus who is the one hope of your
house, do what I shall now ask you. I know that when you leave
this limbo you will again hold your ship for the Aeaean island.
Do not go thence leaving me unwaked and unburied behind you, or
I may bring heaven's anger upon you; but burn me with whatever
armour I have, build a barrow for me on the sea shore, that may
tell people in days to come what a poor unlucky fellow I was,
and plant over my grave the oar I used to row with when I was
yet alive and with my messmates.' And I said, 'My poor fellow, I
will do all that you have asked of me.'
"Thus, then, did we sit and hold sad talk with one another, I on
the one side of the trench with my sword held over the blood,
and the ghost of my comrade saying all this to me from the other
side. Then came the ghost of my dead mother Anticlea, daughter
to Autolycus. I had left her alive when I set out for Troy and
was moved to tears when I saw her, but even so, for all my
sorrow I would not let her come near the blood till I had asked
my questions of Teiresias.
"Then came also the ghost of Theban Teiresias, with his golden
sceptre in his hand. He knew me and said, 'Ulysses, noble son of
Laertes, why, poor man, have you left the light of day and come
down to visit the dead in this sad place? Stand back from the
trench and withdraw your sword that I may drink of the blood and
answer your questions truly.'
"So I drew back, and sheathed my sword, whereon when he had
drank of the blood he began with his prophecy.
"'You want to know,' said he, 'about your return home, but
heaven will make this hard for you. I do not think that you will
escape the eye of Neptune, who still nurses his bitter grudge
against you for having blinded his son. Still, after much
suffering you may get home if you can restrain yourself and your
companions when your ship reaches the Thrinacian island, where
you will find the sheep and cattle belonging to the sun, who
sees and gives ear to everything. If you leave these flocks
unharmed and think of nothing but of getting home, you may yet
after much hardship reach Ithaca; but if you harm them, then I
forewarn you of the destruction both of your ship and of your
men. Even though you may yourself escape, you will return in bad
plight after losing all your men, [in another man's ship, and
you will find trouble in your house, which will be overrun by
high-handed people, who are devouring your substance under the
pretext of paying court and making presents to your wife.
"'When you get home you will take your revenge on these suitors;
and after you have killed them by force or fraud in your own
house, you must take a well made oar and carry it on and on,
till you come to a country where the people have never heard of
the sea and do not even mix salt with their food, nor do they
know anything about ships, and oars that are as the wings of a
ship. I will give you this certain token which cannot escape
your notice. A wayfarer will meet you and will say it must be a
winnowing shovel that you have got upon your shoulder; on this
you must fix the oar in the ground and sacrifice a ram, a bull,
and a boar to Neptune. {90} Then go home and offer hecatombs to
all the gods in heaven one after the other. As for yourself,
death shall come to you from the sea, and your life shall ebb
away very gently when you are full of years and peace of mind,
and your people shall bless you. All that I have said will come
true].' {91}
"'This,' I answered, 'must be as it may please heaven, but tell
me and tell me and tell me true, I see my poor mother's ghost
close by us; she is sitting by the blood without saying a word,
and though I am her own son she does not remember me and speak
to me; tell me, Sir, how I can make her know me.'
"'That,' said he, 'I can soon do. Any ghost that you let taste
of the blood will talk with you like a reasonable being, but if
you do not let them have any blood they will go away again.'
"On this the ghost of Teiresias went back to the house of Hades,
for his prophecyings had now been spoken, but I sat still where
I was until my mother came up and tasted the blood. Then she
knew me at once and spoke fondly to me, saying, 'My son, how did
you come down to this abode of darkness while you are still
alive? It is a hard thing for the living to see these places,
for between us and them there are great and terrible waters, and
there is Oceanus, which no man can cross on foot, but he must
have a good ship to take him. Are you all this time trying to
find your way home from Troy, and have you never yet got back to
Ithaca nor seen your wife in your own house?'
"'Mother,' said I, 'I was forced to come here to consult the
ghost of the Theban prophet Teiresias. I have never yet been
near the Achaean land nor set foot on my native country, and I
have had nothing but one long series of misfortunes from the
very first day that I set out with Agamemnon for Ilius, the land
of noble steeds, to fight the Trojans. But tell me, and tell me
true, in what way did you die? Did you have a long illness, or
did heaven vouchsafe you a gentle easy passage to eternity? Tell
me also about my father, and the son whom I left behind me, is
my property still in their hands, or has some one else got hold
of it, who thinks that I shall not return to claim it? Tell me
again what my wife intends doing, and in what mind she is; does
she live with my son and guard my estate securely, or has she
made the best match she could and married again?'
"My mother answered, 'Your wife still remains in your house, but
she is in great distress of mind and spends her whole time in
tears both night and day. No one as yet has got possession of
your fine property, and Telemachus still holds your lands
undisturbed. He has to entertain largely, as of course he must,
considering his position as a magistrate, {92} and how every one
invites him; your father remains at his old place in the country
and never goes near the town. He has no comfortable bed nor
bedding; in the winter he sleeps on the floor in front of the
fire with the men and goes about all in rags, but in summer,
when the warm weather comes on again, he lies out in the
vineyard on a bed of vine leaves thrown any how upon the ground.
He grieves continually about your never having come home, and
suffers more and more as he grows older. As for my own end it
was in this wise: heaven did not take me swiftly and painlessly
in my own house, nor was I attacked by any illness such as those
that generally wear people out and kill them, but my longing to
know what you were doing and the force of my affection for
you--this it was that was the death of me.' {93}
"Then I tried to find some way of embracing my poor mother's
ghost. Thrice I sprang towards her and tried to clasp her in my
arms, but each time she flitted from my embrace as it were a
dream or phantom, and being touched to the quick I said to her,
'Mother, why do you not stay still when I would embrace you? If
we could throw our arms around one another we might find sad
comfort in the sharing of our sorrows even in the house of
Hades; does Proserpine want to lay a still further load of grief
upon me by mocking me with a phantom only?'
"'My son,' she answered, 'most ill-fated of all mankind, it is
not Proserpine that is beguiling you, but all people are like
this when they are dead. The sinews no longer hold the flesh and
bones together; these perish in the fierceness of consuming fire
as soon as life has left the body, and the soul flits away as
though it were a dream. Now, however, go back to the light of
day as soon as you can, and note all these things that you may
tell them to your wife hereafter.'
"Thus did we converse, and anon Proserpine sent up the ghosts of
the wives and daughters of all the most famous men. They
gathered in crowds about the blood, and I considered how I might
question them severally. In the end I deemed that it would be
best to draw the keen blade that hung by my sturdy thigh, and
keep them from all drinking the blood at once. So they came up
one after the other, and each one as I questioned her told me
her race and lineage.
"The first I saw was Tyro. She was daughter of Salmoneus and
wife of Cretheus the son of Aeolus. {94} She fell in love with
the river Enipeus who is much the most beautiful river in the
whole world. Once when she was taking a walk by his side as
usual, Neptune, disguised as her lover, lay with her at the
mouth of the river, and a huge blue wave arched itself like a
mountain over them to hide both woman and god, whereon he loosed
her virgin girdle and laid her in a deep slumber. When the god
had accomplished the deed of love, he took her hand in his own
and said, 'Tyro, rejoice in all good will; the embraces of the
gods are not fruitless, and you will have fine twins about this
time twelve months. Take great care of them. I am Neptune, so
now go home, but hold your tongue and do not tell any one.'
"Then he dived under the sea, and she in due course bore Pelias
and Neleus, who both of them served Jove with all their might.
Pelias was a great breeder of sheep and lived in Iolcus, but the
other lived in Pylos. The rest of her children were by Cretheus,
namely, Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon, who was a mighty warrior
and charioteer.
"Next to her I saw Antiope, daughter to Asopus, who could boast
of having slept in the arms of even Jove himself, and who bore
him two sons Amphion and Zethus. These founded Thebes with its
seven gates, and built a wall all round it; for strong though
they were they could not hold Thebes till they had walled it.
"Then I saw Alcmena, the wife of Amphitryon, who also bore to
Jove indomitable Hercules; and Megara who was daughter to great
King Creon, and married the redoubtable son of Amphitryon.
"I also saw fair Epicaste mother of king Oedipodes whose awful
lot it was to marry her own son without suspecting it. He
married her after having killed his father, but the gods
proclaimed the whole story to the world; whereon he remained
king of Thebes, in great grief for the spite the gods had borne
him; but Epicaste went to the house of the mighty jailor Hades,
having hanged herself for grief, and the avenging spirits
haunted him as for an outraged mother--to his ruing bitterly
thereafter.
"Then I saw Chloris, whom Neleus married for her beauty, having
given priceless presents for her. She was youngest daughter to
Amphion son of Iasus and king of Minyan Orchomenus, and was
Queen in Pylos. She bore Nestor, Chromius, and Periclymenus, and
she also bore that marvellously lovely woman Pero, who was wooed
by all the country round; but Neleus would only give her to him
who should raid the cattle of Iphicles from the grazing grounds
of Phylace, and this was a hard task. The only man who would
undertake to raid them was a certain excellent seer, {95} but
the will of heaven was against him, for the rangers of the
cattle caught him and put him in prison; nevertheless when a
full year had passed and the same season came round again,
Iphicles set him at liberty, after he had expounded all the
oracles of heaven. Thus, then, was the will of Jove
accomplished.
"And I saw Leda the wife of Tyndarus, who bore him two famous
sons, Castor breaker of horses, and Pollux the mighty boxer.
Both these heroes are lying under the earth, though they are
still alive, for by a special dispensation of Jove, they die and
come to life again, each one of them every other day throughout
all time, and they have the rank of gods.
"After her I saw Iphimedeia wife of Aloeus who boasted the
embrace of Neptune. She bore two sons Otus and Ephialtes, but
both were short lived. They were the finest children that were
ever born in this world, and the best looking, Orion only
excepted; for at nine years old they were nine fathoms high, and
measured nine cubits round the chest. They threatened to make
war with the gods in Olympus, and tried to set Mount Ossa on the
top of Mount Olympus, and Mount Pelion on the top of Ossa, that
they might scale heaven itself, and they would have done it too
if they had been grown up, but Apollo, son of Leto, killed both
of them, before they had got so much as a sign of hair upon
their cheeks or chin.
"Then I saw Phaedra, and Procris, and fair Ariadne daughter of
the magician Minos, whom Theseus was carrying off from Crete to
Athens, but he did not enjoy her, for before he could do so
Diana killed her in the island of Dia on account of what Bacchus
had said against her.
"I also saw Maera and Clymene and hateful Eriphyle, who sold her
own husband for gold. But it would take me all night if I were
to name every single one of the wives and daughters of heroes
whom I saw, and it is time for me to go to bed, either on board
ship with my crew, or here. As for my escort, heaven and
yourselves will see to it."
Here he ended, and the guests sat all of them enthralled and
speechless throughout the covered cloister. Then Arete said to
them:--
"What do you think of this man, O Phaeacians? Is he not tall and
good looking, and is he not clever? True, he is my own guest,
but all of you share in the distinction. Do not be in a hurry to
send him away, nor niggardly in the presents you make to one who
is in such great need, for heaven has blessed all of you with
great abundance."
Then spoke the aged hero Echeneus who was one of the oldest men
among them, "My friends," said he, "what our august queen has
just said to us is both reasonable and to the purpose, therefore
be persuaded by it; but the decision whether in word or deed
rests ultimately with King Alcinous."
"The thing shall be done," exclaimed Alcinous, "as surely as I
still live and reign over the Phaeacians. Our guest is indeed
very anxious to get home, still we must persuade him to remain
with us until to-morrow, by which time I shall be able to get
together the whole sum that I mean to give him. As regards his
escort it will be a matter for you all, and mine above all
others as the chief person among you."
And Ulysses answered, "King Alcinous, if you were to bid me to
stay here for a whole twelve months, and then speed me on my
way, loaded with your noble gifts, I should obey you gladly and
it would redound greatly to my advantage, for I should return
fuller-handed to my own people, and should thus be more
respected and beloved by all who see me when I get back to
Ithaca."
"Ulysses," replied Alcinous, "not one of us who sees you has any
idea that you are a charlatan or a swindler. I know there are
many people going about who tell such plausible stories that it
is very hard to see through them, but there is a style about
your language which assures me of your good disposition.
Moreover you have told the story of your own misfortunes, and
those of the Argives, as though you were a practiced bard; but
tell me, and tell me true, whether you saw any of the mighty
heroes who went to Troy at the same time with yourself, and
perished there. The evenings are still at their longest, and it
is not yet bed time--go on, therefore, with your divine story,
for I could stay here listening till tomorrow morning, so long
as you will continue to tell us of your adventures."
"Alcinous," answered Ulysses, "there is a time for making
speeches, and a time for going to bed; nevertheless, since you
so desire, I will not refrain from telling you the still sadder
tale of those of my comrades who did not fall fighting with the
Trojans, but perished on their return, through the treachery of
a wicked woman.
"When Proserpine had dismissed the female ghosts in all
directions, the ghost of Agamemnon son of Atreus came sadly up
to me, surrounded by those who had perished with him in the
house of Aegisthus. As soon as he had tasted the blood, he knew
me, and weeping bitterly stretched out his arms towards me to
embrace me; but he had no strength nor substance any more, and I
too wept and pitied him as I beheld him. 'How did you come by
your death,' said I, 'King Agamemnon? Did Neptune raise his
winds and waves against you when you were at sea, or did your
enemies make an end of you on the main land when you were
cattle-lifting or sheep-stealing, or while they were fighting in
defence of their wives and city?'
"'Ulysses,' he answered, 'noble son of Laertes, I was not lost
at sea in any storm of Neptune's raising, nor did my foes
despatch me upon the mainland, but Aegisthus and my wicked wife
were the death of me between them. He asked me to his house,
feasted me, and then butchered me most miserably as though I
were a fat beast in a slaughter house, while all around me my
comrades were slain like sheep or pigs for the wedding
breakfast, or picnic, or gorgeous banquet of some great
nobleman. You must have seen numbers of men killed either in a
general engagement, or in single combat, but you never saw
anything so truly pitiable as the way in which we fell in that
cloister, with the mixing bowl and the loaded tables lying all
about, and the ground reeking with our blood. I heard Priam's
daughter Cassandra scream as Clytemnestra killed her close
beside me. I lay dying upon the earth with the sword in my body,
and raised my hands to kill the slut of a murderess, but she
slipped away from me; she would not even close my lips nor my
eyes when I was dying, for there is nothing in this world so
cruel and so shameless as a woman when she has fallen into such
guilt as hers was. Fancy murdering her own husband! I thought I
was going to be welcomed home by my children and my servants,
but her abominable crime has brought disgrace on herself and all
women who shall come after--even on the good ones.'
"And I said, 'In truth Jove has hated the house of Atreus from
first to last in the matter of their women's counsels. See how
many of us fell for Helen's sake, and now it seems that
Clytemnestra hatched mischief against you too during your
absence.'
"'Be sure, therefore,' continued Agamemnon, 'and not be too
friendly even with your own wife. Do not tell her all that you
know perfectly well yourself. Tell her a part only, and keep
your own counsel about the rest. Not that your wife, Ulysses, is
likely to murder you, for Penelope is a very admirable woman,
and has an excellent nature. We left her a young bride with an
infant at her breast when we set out for Troy. This child no
doubt is now grown up happily to man's estate, {96} and he and
his father will have a joyful meeting and embrace one another as
it is right they should do, whereas my wicked wife did not even
allow me the happiness of looking upon my son, but killed me ere
I could do so. Furthermore I say--and lay my saying to your
heart--do not tell people when you are bringing your ship to
Ithaca, but steal a march upon them, for after all this there is
no trusting women. But now tell me, and tell me true, can you
give me any news of my son Orestes? Is he in Orchomenus, or at
Pylos, or is he at Sparta with Menelaus--for I presume that he
is still living.'
"And I said, 'Agamemnon, why do you ask me? I do not know
whether your son is alive or dead, and it is not right to talk
when one does not know.'
"As we two sat weeping and talking thus sadly with one another
the ghost of Achilles came up to us with Patroclus, Antilochus,
and Ajax who was the finest and goodliest man of all the Danaans
after the son of Peleus. The fleet descendant of Aeacus knew me
and spoke piteously, saying, 'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes,
what deed of daring will you undertake next, that you venture
down to the house of Hades among us silly dead, who are but the
ghosts of them that can labour no more?'
"And I said, 'Achilles, son of Peleus, foremost champion of the
Achaeans, I came to consult Teiresias, and see if he could
advise me about my return home to Ithaca, for I have never yet
been able to get near the Achaean land, nor to set foot in my
own country, but have been in trouble all the time. As for you,
Achilles, no one was ever yet so fortunate as you have been, nor
ever will be, for you were adored by all us Argives as long as
you were alive, and now that you are here you are a great prince
among the dead. Do not, therefore, take it so much to heart even
if you are dead.'
"'Say not a word,' he answered, 'in death's favour; I would
rather be a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above
ground than king of kings among the dead. But give me news about
my son; is he gone to the wars and will he be a great soldier,
or is this not so? Tell me also if you have heard anything about
my father Peleus--does he still rule among the Myrmidons, or do
they show him no respect throughout Hellas and Phthia now that
he is old and his limbs fail him? Could I but stand by his side,
in the light of day, with the same strength that I had when I
killed the bravest of our foes upon the plain of Troy--could I
but be as I then was and go even for a short time to my father's
house, any one who tried to do him violence or supersede him
would soon rue it.'
"'I have heard nothing,' I answered, 'of Peleus, but I can tell
you all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own
ship from Scyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war
before Troy he was always first to speak, and his judgement was
unerring. Nestor and I were the only two who could surpass him;
and when it came to fighting on the plain of Troy, he would
never remain with the body of his men, but would dash on far in
front, foremost of them all in valour. Many a man did he kill in
battle--I cannot name every single one of those whom he slew
while fighting on the side of the Argives, but will only say how
he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son of Telephus, who was
the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; many others also of
the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman's bribes.
Moreover, when all the bravest of the Argives went inside the
horse that Epeus had made, and it was left to me to settle when
we should either open the door of our ambuscade, or close it,
though all the other leaders and chief men among the Danaans
were drying their eyes and quaking in every limb, I never once
saw him turn pale nor wipe a tear from his cheek; he was all the
time urging me to break out from the horse--grasping the handle
of his sword and his bronze-shod spear, and breathing fury
against the foe. Yet when we had sacked the city of Priam he got
his handsome share of the prize money and went on board (such is
the fortune of war) without a wound upon him, neither from a
thrown spear nor in close combat, for the rage of Mars is a
matter of great chance.'
"When I had told him this, the ghost of Achilles strode off
across a meadow full of asphodel, exulting over what I had said
concerning the prowess of his son.
"The ghosts of other dead men stood near me and told me each his
own melancholy tale; but that of Ajax son of Telamon alone held
aloof--still angry with me for having won the cause in our
dispute about the armour of Achilles. Thetis had offered it as
a prize, but the Trojan prisoners and Minerva were the judges.
Would that I had never gained the day in such a contest, for it
cost the life of Ajax, who was foremost of all the Danaans after
the son of Peleus, alike in stature and prowess.
"When I saw him I tried to pacify him and said, 'Ajax, will you
not forget and forgive even in death, but must the judgement
about that hateful armour still rankle with you? It cost us
Argives dear enough to lose such a tower of strength as you were
to us. We mourned you as much as we mourned Achilles son of
Peleus himself, nor can the blame be laid on anything but on the
spite which Jove bore against the Danaans, for it was this that
made him counsel your destruction--come hither, therefore, bring
your proud spirit into subjection, and hear what I can tell
you.'
"He would not answer, but turned away to Erebus and to the other
ghosts; nevertheless, I should have made him talk to me in spite
of his being so angry, or I should have gone on talking to him,
{97} only that there were still others among the dead whom I
desired to see.
"Then I saw Minos son of Jove with his golden sceptre in his
hand sitting in judgement on the dead, and the ghosts were
gathered sitting and standing round him in the spacious house of
Hades, to learn his sentences upon them.
"After him I saw huge Orion in a meadow full of asphodel driving
the ghosts of the wild beasts that he had killed upon the
mountains, and he had a great bronze club in his hand,
unbreakable for ever and ever.
"And I saw Tityus son of Gaia stretched upon the plain and
covering some nine acres of ground. Two vultures on either side
of him were digging their beaks into his liver, and he kept on
trying to beat them off with his hands, but could not; for he
had violated Jove's mistress Leto as she was going through
Panopeus on her way to Pytho.
"I saw also the dreadful fate of Tantalus, who stood in a lake
that reached his chin; he was dying to quench his thirst, but
could never reach the water, for whenever the poor creature
stooped to drink, it dried up and vanished, so that there was
nothing but dry ground--parched by the spite of heaven. There
were tall trees, moreover, that shed their fruit over his
head--pears, pomegranates, apples, sweet figs and juicy olives,
but whenever the poor creature stretched out his hand to take
some, the wind tossed the branches back again to the clouds.
"And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious
stone with both his hands. With hands and feet he tried to roll
it up to the top of the hill, but always, just before he could
roll it over on to the other side, its weight would be too much
for him, and the pitiless stone {98} would come thundering down
again on to the plain. Then he would begin trying to push it up
hill again, and the sweat ran off him and the steam rose after
him.
"After him I saw mighty Hercules, but it was his phantom only,
for he is feasting ever with the immortal gods, and has lovely
Hebe to wife, who is daughter of Jove and Juno. The ghosts were
screaming round him like scared birds flying all whithers. He
looked black as night with his bare bow in his hands and his
arrow on the string, glaring around as though ever on the point
of taking aim. About his breast there was a wondrous golden belt
adorned in the most marvellous fashion with bears, wild boars,
and lions with gleaming eyes; there was also war, battle, and
death. The man who made that belt, do what he might, would
never be able to make another like it. Hercules knew me at once
when he saw me, and spoke piteously, saying, 'My poor Ulysses,
noble son of Laertes, are you too leading the same sorry kind of
life that I did when I was above ground? I was son of Jove, but
I went through an infinity of suffering, for I became bondsman
to one who was far beneath me--a low fellow who set me all
manner of labours. He once sent me here to fetch the
hell-hound--for he did not think he could find anything harder
for me than this, but I got the hound out of Hades and brought
him to him, for Mercury and Minerva helped me.'
"On this Hercules went down again into the house of Hades, but I
stayed where I was in case some other of the mighty dead should
come to me. And I should have seen still other of them that are
gone before, whom I would fain have seen--Theseus and
Pirithous--glorious children of the gods, but so many thousands
of ghosts came round me and uttered such appalling cries, that I
was panic stricken lest Proserpine should send up from the house
of Hades the head of that awful monster Gorgon. On this I
hastened back to my ship and ordered my men to go on board at
once and loose the hawsers; so they embarked and took their
places, whereon the ship went down the stream of the river
Oceanus. We had to row at first, but presently a fair wind
sprang up.
Book XII
THE SIRENS, SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS, THE CATTLE OF THE SUN.
"After we were clear of the river Oceanus, and had got out into
the open sea, we went on till we reached the Aeaean island where
there is dawn and sun-rise as in other places. We then drew our
ship on to the sands and got out of her on to the shore, where
we went to sleep and waited till day should break.
"Then, when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared,
I sent some men to Circe's house to fetch the body of Elpenor.
We cut firewood from a wood where the headland jutted out into
the sea, and after we had wept over him and lamented him we
performed his funeral rites. When his body and armour had been
burned to ashes, we raised a cairn, set a stone over it, and at
the top of the cairn we fixed the oar that he had been used to
row with.
"While we were doing all this, Circe, who knew that we had got
back from the house of Hades, dressed herself and came to us as
fast as she could; and her maid servants came with her bringing
us bread, meat, and wine. Then she stood in the midst of us and
said, 'You have done a bold thing in going down alive to the
house of Hades, and you will have died twice, to other people's
once; now, then, stay here for the rest of the day, feast your
fill, and go on with your voyage at daybreak tomorrow morning.
In the meantime I will tell Ulysses about your course, and will
explain everything to him so as to prevent your suffering from
misadventure either by land or sea.'
"We agreed to do as she had said, and feasted through the
livelong day to the going down of the sun, but when the sun had
set and it came on dark, the men laid themselves down to sleep
by the stern cables of the ship. Then Circe took me by the hand
and bade me be seated away from the others, while she reclined
by my side and asked me all about our adventures.
"'So far so good,' said she, when I had ended my story, 'and now
pay attention to what I am about to tell you--heaven itself,
indeed, will recall it to your recollection. First you will come
to the Sirens who enchant all who come near them. If any one
unwarily draws in too close and hears the singing of the Sirens,
his wife and children will never welcome him home again, for
they sit in a green field and warble him to death with the
sweetness of their song. There is a great heap of dead men's
bones lying all around, with the flesh still rotting off them.
Therefore pass these Sirens by, and stop your men's ears with
wax that none of them may hear; but if you like you can listen
yourself, for you may get the men to bind you as you stand
upright on a cross piece half way up the mast, {99} and they
must lash the rope's ends to the mast itself, that you may have
the pleasure of listening. If you beg and pray the men to
unloose you, then they must bind you faster.
"'When your crew have taken you past these Sirens, I cannot give
you coherent directions {100} as to which of two courses you are
to take; I will lay the two alternatives before you, and you
must consider them for yourself. On the one hand there are some
overhanging rocks against which the deep blue waves of
Amphitrite beat with terrific fury; the blessed gods call these
rocks the Wanderers. Here not even a bird may pass, no, not even
the timid doves that bring ambrosia to Father Jove, but the
sheer rock always carries off one of them, and Father Jove has
to send another to make up their number; no ship that ever yet
came to these rocks has got away again, but the waves and
whirlwinds of fire are freighted with wreckage and with the
bodies of dead men. The only vessel that ever sailed and got
through, was the famous Argo on her way from the house of Aetes,
and she too would have gone against these great rocks, only that
Juno piloted her past them for the love she bore to Jason.
"'Of these two rocks the one reaches heaven and its peak is lost
in a dark cloud. This never leaves it, so that the top is never
clear not even in summer and early autumn. No man though he had
twenty hands and twenty feet could get a foothold on it and
climb it, for it runs sheer up, as smooth as though it had been
polished. In the middle of it there is a large cavern, looking
West and turned towards Erebus; you must take your ship this
way, but the cave is so high up that not even the stoutest
archer could send an arrow into it. Inside it Scylla sits and
yelps with a voice that you might take to be that of a young
hound, but in truth she is a dreadful monster and no one--not
even a god--could face her without being terror-struck. She has
twelve mis-shapen feet, and six necks of the most prodigious
length; and at the end of each neck she has a frightful head
with three rows of teeth in each, all set very close together,
so that they would crunch any one to death in a moment, and she
sits deep within her shady cell thrusting out her heads and
peering all round the rock, fishing for dolphins or dogfish or
any larger monster that she can catch, of the thousands with
which Amphitrite teems. No ship ever yet got past her without
losing some men, for she shoots out all her heads at once, and
carries off a man in each mouth.
"'You will find the other rock lie lower, but they are so close
together that there is not more than a bow-shot between them. [A
large fig tree in full leaf {101} grows upon it], and under it
lies the sucking whirlpool of Charybdis. Three times in the day
does she vomit forth her waters, and three times she sucks them
down again; see that you be not there when she is sucking, for
if you are, Neptune himself could not save you; you must hug the
Scylla side and drive ship by as fast as you can, for you had
better lose six men than your whole crew.'
"'Is there no way,' said I, 'of escaping Charybdis, and at the
same time keeping Scylla off when she is trying to harm my men?'
"'You dare devil,' replied the goddess, 'you are always wanting
to fight somebody or something; you will not let yourself be
beaten even by the immortals. For Scylla is not mortal; moreover
she is savage, extreme, rude, cruel and invincible. There is no
help for it; your best chance will be to get by her as fast as
ever you can, for if you dawdle about her rock while you are
putting on your armour, she may catch you with a second cast of
her six heads, and snap up another half dozen of your men; so
drive your ship past her at full speed, and roar out lustily to
Crataiis who is Scylla's dam, bad luck to her; she will then
stop her from making a second raid upon you.'
"'You will now come to the Thrinacian island, and here you will
see many herds of cattle and flocks of sheep belonging to the
sun-god--seven herds of cattle and seven flocks of sheep, with
fifty head in each flock. They do not breed, nor do they become
fewer in number, and they are tended by the goddesses Phaethusa
and Lampetie, who are children of the sun-god Hyperion by
Neaera. Their mother when she had borne them and had done
suckling them sent them to the Thrinacian island, which was a
long way off, to live there and look after their father's flocks
and herds. If you leave these flocks unharmed, and think of
nothing but getting home, you may yet after much hardship reach
Ithaca; but if you harm them, then I forewarn you of the
destruction both of your ship and of your comrades; and even
though you may yourself escape, you will return late, in bad
plight, after losing all your men.'
"Here she ended, and dawn enthroned in gold began to show in
heaven, whereon she returned inland. I then went on board and
told my men to loose the ship from her moorings; so they at once
got into her, took their places, and began to smite the grey sea
with their oars. Presently the great and cunning goddess Circe
befriended us with a fair wind that blew dead aft, and staid
steadily with us, keeping our sails well filled, so we did
whatever wanted doing to the ship's gear, and let her go as wind
and helmsman headed her.
"Then, being much troubled in mind, I said to my men, 'My
friends, it is not right that one or two of us alone should know
the prophecies that Circe has made me, I will therefore tell you
about them, so that whether we live or die we may do so with our
eyes open. First she said we were to keep clear of the Sirens,
who sit and sing most beautifully in a field of flowers; but she
said I might hear them myself so long as no one else did.
Therefore, take me and bind me to the crosspiece half way up the
mast; bind me as I stand upright, with a bond so fast that I
cannot possibly break away, and lash the rope's ends to the mast
itself. If I beg and pray you to set me free, then bind me more
tightly still.'
"I had hardly finished telling everything to the men before we
reached the island of the two Sirens, {102} for the wind had
been very favourable. Then all of a sudden it fell dead calm;
there was not a breath of wind nor a ripple upon the water, so
the men furled the sails and stowed them; then taking to their
oars they whitened the water with the foam they raised in
rowing. Meanwhile I look a large wheel of wax and cut it up
small with my sword. Then I kneaded the wax in my strong hands
till it became soft, which it soon did between the kneading and
the rays of the sun-god son of Hyperion. Then I stopped the ears
of all my men, and they bound me hands and feet to the mast as I
stood upright on the cross piece; but they went on rowing
themselves. When we had got within earshot of the land, and the
ship was going at a good rate, the Sirens saw that we were
getting in shore and began with their singing.
"'Come here,' they sang, 'renowned Ulysses, honour to the
Achaean name, and listen to our two voices. No one ever sailed
past us without staying to hear the enchanting sweetness of our
song--and he who listens will go on his way not only charmed,
but wiser, for we know all the ills that the gods laid upon the
Argives and Trojans before Troy, and can tell you everything
that is going to happen over the whole world.'
"They sang these words most musically, and as I longed to hear
them further I made signs by frowning to my men that they should
set me free; but they quickened their stroke, and Eurylochus and
Perimedes bound me with still stronger bonds till we had got out
of hearing of the Sirens' voices. Then my men took the wax from
their ears and unbound me.
"Immediately after we had got past the island I saw a great wave
from which spray was rising, and I heard a loud roaring sound.
The men were so frightened that they loosed hold of their oars,
for the whole sea resounded with the rushing of the waters,
{103} but the ship stayed where it was, for the men had left off
rowing. I went round, therefore, and exhorted them man by man
not to lose heart.
"'My friends,' said I, 'this is not the first time that we have
been in danger, and we are in nothing like so bad a case as when
the Cyclops shut us up in his cave; nevertheless, my courage and
wise counsel saved us then, and we shall live to look back on
all this as well. Now, therefore, let us all do as I say, trust
in Jove and row on with might and main. As for you, coxswain,
these are your orders; attend to them, for the ship is in your
hands; turn her head away from these steaming rapids and hug the
rock, or she will give you the slip and be over yonder before
you know where you are, and you will be the death of us.'
"So they did as I told them; but I said nothing about the awful
monster Scylla, for I knew the men would not go on rowing if I
did, but would huddle together in the hold. In one thing only
did I disobey Circe's strict instructions--I put on my armour.
Then seizing two strong spears I took my stand on the ship's
bows, for it was there that I expected first to see the monster
of the rock, who was to do my men so much harm; but I could not
make her out anywhere, though I strained my eyes with looking
the gloomy rock all over and over.
"Then we entered the Straits in great fear of mind, for on the
one hand was Scylla, and on the other dread Charybdis kept
sucking up the salt water. As she vomited it up, it was like the
water in a cauldron when it is boiling over upon a great fire,
and the spray reached the top of the rocks on either side. When
she began to suck again, we could see the water all inside
whirling round and round, and it made a deafening sound as it
broke against the rocks. We could see the bottom of the
whirlpool all black with sand and mud, and the men were at their
wits ends for fear. While we were taken up with this, and were
expecting each moment to be our last, Scylla pounced down
suddenly upon us and snatched up my six best men. I was looking
at once after both ship and men, and in a moment I saw their
hands and feet ever so high above me, struggling in the air as
Scylla was carrying them off, and I heard them call out my name
in one last despairing cry. As a fisherman, seated, spear in
hand, upon some jutting rock {104} throws bait into the water to
deceive the poor little fishes, and spears them with the ox's
horn with which his spear is shod, throwing them gasping on to
the land as he catches them one by one--even so did Scylla land
these panting creatures on her rock and munch them up at the
mouth of her den, while they screamed and stretched out their
hands to me in their mortal agony. This was the most sickening
sight that I saw throughout all my voyages.
"When we had passed the [Wandering] rocks, with Scylla and
terrible Charybdis, we reached the noble island of the sun-god,
where were the goodly cattle and sheep belonging to the sun
Hyperion. While still at sea in my ship I could bear the cattle
lowing as they came home to the yards, and the sheep bleating.
Then I remembered what the blind Theban prophet Teiresias had
told me, and how carefully Aeaean Circe had warned me to shun
the island of the blessed sun-god. So being much troubled I said
to the men, 'My men, I know you are hard pressed, but listen
while I tell you the prophecy that Teiresias made me, and how
carefully Aeaean Circe warned me to shun the island of the
blessed sun-god, for it was here, she said, that our worst
danger would lie. Head the ship, therefore, away from the
island.'
"The men were in despair at this, and Eurylochus at once gave me
an insolent answer. 'Ulysses,' said he, 'you are cruel; you are
very strong yourself and never get worn out; you seem to be made
of iron, and now, though your men are exhausted with toil and
want of sleep, you will not let them land and cook themselves a
good supper upon this island, but bid them put out to sea and go
faring fruitlessly on through the watches of the flying night.
It is by night that the winds blow hardest and do so much
damage; how can we escape should one of those sudden squalls
spring up from South West or West, which so often wreck a vessel
when our lords the gods are unpropitious? Now, therefore, let
us obey the behests of night and prepare our supper here hard by
the ship; to-morrow morning we will go on board again and put
out to sea.'
"Thus spoke Eurylochus, and the men approved his words. I saw
that heaven meant us a mischief and said, 'You force me to
yield, for you are many against one, but at any rate each one of
you must take his solemn oath that if he meet with a herd of
cattle or a large flock of sheep, he will not be so mad as to
kill a single head of either, but will be satisfied with the
food that Circe has given us.'
"They all swore as I bade them, and when they had completed
their oath we made the ship fast in a harbour that was near a
stream of fresh water, and the men went ashore and cooked their
suppers. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, they
began talking about their poor comrades whom Scylla had snatched
up and eaten; this set them weeping and they went on crying till
they fell off into a sound sleep.
"In the third watch of the night when the stars had shifted
their places, Jove raised a great gale of wind that flew a
hurricane so that land and sea were covered with thick clouds,
and night sprang forth out of the heavens. When the child of
morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, we brought the ship to
land and drew her into a cave wherein the sea-nymphs hold their
courts and dances, and I called the men together in council.
"'My friends,' said I, 'we have meat and drink in the ship, let
us mind, therefore, and not touch the cattle, or we shall suffer
for it; for these cattle and sheep belong to the mighty sun, who
sees and gives ear to everything.' And again they promised that
they would obey.
"For a whole month the wind blew steadily from the South, and
there was no other wind, but only South and East. {105} As long
as corn and wine held out the men did not touch the cattle when
they were hungry; when, however, they had eaten all there was in
the ship, they were forced to go further afield, with hook and
line, catching birds, and taking whatever they could lay their
hands on; for they were starving. One day, therefore, I went up
inland that I might pray heaven to show me some means of getting
away. When I had gone far enough to be clear of all my men, and
had found a place that was well sheltered from the wind, I
washed my hands and prayed to all the gods in Olympus till by
and by they sent me off into a sweet sleep.
"Meanwhile Eurylochus had been giving evil counsel to the men,
'Listen to me,' said he, 'my poor comrades. All deaths are bad
enough but there is none so bad as famine. Why should not we
drive in the best of these cows and offer them in sacrifice to
the immortal gods? If we ever get back to Ithaca, we can build a
fine temple to the sun-god and enrich it with every kind of
ornament; if, however, he is determined to sink our ship out of
revenge for these homed cattle, and the other gods are of the
same mind, I for one would rather drink salt water once for all
and have done with it, than be starved to death by inches in
such a desert island as this is.'
"Thus spoke Eurylochus, and the men approved his words. Now the
cattle, so fair and goodly, were feeding not far from the ship;
the men, therefore, drove in the best of them, and they all
stood round them saying their prayers, and using young
oak-shoots instead of barley-meal, for there was no barley left.
When they had done praying they killed the cows and dressed
their carcasses; they cut out the thigh bones, wrapped them
round in two layers of fat, and set some pieces of raw meat on
top of them. They had no wine with which to make drink-offerings
over the sacrifice while it was cooking, so they kept pouring on
a little water from time to time while the inward meats were
being grilled; then, when the thigh bones were burned and they
had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small and put
the pieces upon the spits.
"By this time my deep sleep had left me, and I turned back to
the ship and to the sea shore. As I drew near I began to smell
hot roast meat, so I groaned out a prayer to the immortal gods.
'Father Jove,' I exclaimed, 'and all you other gods who live in
everlasting bliss, you have done me a cruel mischief by the
sleep into which you have sent me; see what fine work these men
of mine have been making in my absence.'
"Meanwhile Lampetie went straight off to the sun and told him we
had been killing his cows, whereon he flew into a great rage,
and said to the immortals, 'Father Jove, and all you other gods
who live in everlasting bliss, I must have vengeance on the crew
of Ulysses' ship: they have had the insolence to kill my cows,
which were the one thing I loved to look upon, whether I was
going up heaven or down again. If they do not square accounts
with me about my cows, I will go down to Hades and shine there
among the dead.'
"'Sun,' said Jove, 'go on shining upon us gods and upon mankind
over the fruitful earth. I will shiver their ship into little
pieces with a bolt of white lightning as soon as they get out to
sea.'
"I was told all this by Calypso, who said she had heard it from
the mouth of Mercury.
"As soon as I got down to my ship and to the sea shore I rebuked
each one of the men separately, but we could see no way out of
it, for the cows were dead already. And indeed the gods began at
once to show signs and wonders among us, for the hides of the
cattle crawled about, and the joints upon the spits began to low
like cows, and the meat, whether cooked or raw, kept on making a
noise just as cows do.
"For six days my men kept driving in the best cows and feasting
upon them, but when Jove the son of Saturn had added a seventh
day, the fury of the gale abated; we therefore went on board,
raised our masts, spread sail, and put out to sea. As soon as we
were well away from the island, and could see nothing but sky
and sea, the son of Saturn raised a black cloud over our ship,
and the sea grew dark beneath it. We did not get on much
further, for in another moment we were caught by a terrific
squall from the West that snapped the forestays of the mast so
that it fell aft, while all the ship's gear tumbled about at the
bottom of the vessel. The mast fell upon the head of the
helmsman in the ship's stern, so that the bones of his head were
crushed to pieces, and he fell overboard as though he were
diving, with no more life left in him.
"Then Jove let fly with his thunderbolts, and the ship went
round and round, and was filled with fire and brimstone as the
lightning struck it. The men all fell into the sea; they were
carried about in the water round the ship, looking like so many
sea-gulls, but the god presently deprived them of all chance of
getting home again.
"I stuck to the ship till the sea knocked her sides from her
keel (which drifted about by itself) and struck the mast out of
her in the direction of the keel; but there was a backstay of
stout ox-thong still hanging about it, and with this I lashed
the mast and keel together, and getting astride of them was
carried wherever the winds chose to take me.
"[The gale from the West had now spent its force, and the wind
got into the South again, which frightened me lest I should be
taken back to the terrible whirlpool of Charybdis. This indeed
was what actually happened, for I was borne along by the waves
all night, and by sunrise had reached the rock of Scylla, and
the whirlpool. She was then sucking down the salt sea water,
{106} but I was carried aloft toward the fig tree, which I
caught hold of and clung on to like a bat. I could not plant my
feet anywhere so as to stand securely, for the roots were a long
way off and the boughs that overshadowed the whole pool were too
high, too vast, and too far apart for me to reach them; so I
hung patiently on, waiting till the pool should discharge my
mast and raft again--and a very long while it seemed. A jury-man
is not more glad to get home to supper, after having been long
detained in court by troublesome cases, than I was to see my
raft beginning to work its way out of the whirlpool again. At
last I let go with my hands and feet, and fell heavily into the
sea, hard by my raft on to which I then got, and began to row
with my hands. As for Scylla, the father of gods and men would
not let her get further sight of me--otherwise I should have
certainly been lost.] {107}
"Hence I was carried along for nine days till on the tenth night
the gods stranded me on the Ogygian island, where dwells the
great and powerful goddess Calypso. She took me in and was kind
to me, but I need say no more about this, for I told you and
your noble wife all about it yesterday, and I hate saying the
same thing over and over again."
Book XIII
ULYSSES LEAVES SCHERIA AND RETURNS TO ITHACA.
Thus did he speak, and they all held their peace throughout the
covered cloister, enthralled by the charm of his story, till
presently Alcinous began to speak.
"Ulysses," said he, "now that you have reached my house I doubt
not you will get home without further misadventure no matter how
much you have suffered in the past. To you others, however, who
come here night after night to drink my choicest wine and listen
to my bard, I would insist as follows. Our guest has already
packed up the clothes, wrought gold, {108} and other valuables
which you have brought for his acceptance; let us now,
therefore, present him further, each one of us, with a large
tripod and a cauldron. We will recoup ourselves by the levy of a
general rate; for private individuals cannot be expected to bear
the burden of such a handsome present."
Every one approved of this, and then they went home to bed each
in his own abode. When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn,
appeared they hurried down to the ship and brought their
cauldrons with them. Alcinous went on board and saw everything
so securely stowed under the ship's benches that nothing could
break adrift and injure the rowers. Then they went to the house
of Alcinous to get dinner, and he sacrificed a bull for them in
honour of Jove who is the lord of all. They set the steaks to
grill and made an excellent dinner, after which the inspired
bard, Demodocus, who was a favourite with every one, sang to
them; but Ulysses kept on turning his eyes towards the sun, as
though to hasten his setting, for he was longing to be on his
way. As one who has been all day ploughing a fallow field with a
couple of oxen keeps thinking about his supper and is glad when
night comes that he may go and get it, for it is all his legs
can do to carry him, even so did Ulysses rejoice when the sun
went down, and he at once said to the Phaeacians, addressing
himself more particularly to King Alcinous:
"Sir, and all of you, farewell. Make your drink-offerings and
send me on my way rejoicing, for you have fulfilled my heart's
desire by giving me an escort, and making me presents, which
heaven grant that I may turn to good account; may I find my
admirable wife living in peace among friends, {109} and may you
whom I leave behind me give satisfaction to your wives and
children; {110} may heaven vouchsafe you every good grace, and
may no evil thing come among your people."
Thus did he speak. His hearers all of them approved his saying
and agreed that he should have his escort inasmuch as he had
spoken reasonably. Alcinous therefore said to his servant,
"Pontonous, mix some wine and hand it round to everybody, that
we may offer a prayer to father Jove, and speed our guest upon
his way."
Pontonous mixed the wine and handed it to every one in turn; the
others each from his own seat made a drink-offering to the
blessed gods that live in heaven, but Ulysses rose and placed
the double cup in the hands of queen Arete.
"Farewell, queen," said he, "henceforward and for ever, till age
and death, the common lot of mankind, lay their hands upon you.
I now take my leave; be happy in this house with your children,
your people, and with king Alcinous."
As he spoke he crossed the threshold, and Alcinous sent a man to
conduct him to his ship and to the sea shore. Arete also sent
some maidservants with him--one with a clean shirt and cloak,
another to carry his strong box, and a third with corn and wine.
When they got to the water side the crew took these things and
put them on board, with all the meat and drink; but for Ulysses
they spread a rug and a linen sheet on deck that he might sleep
soundly in the stern of the ship. Then he too went on board and
lay down without a word, but the crew took every man his place
and loosed the hawser from the pierced stone to which it had
been bound. Thereon, when they began rowing out to sea, Ulysses
fell into a deep, sweet, and almost deathlike slumber. {111}
The ship bounded forward on her way as a four in hand chariot
flies over the course when the horses feel the whip. Her prow
curvetted as it were the neck of a stallion, and a great wave of
dark blue water seethed in her wake. She held steadily on her
course, and even a falcon, swiftest of all birds, could not have
kept pace with her. Thus, then, she cut her way through the
water, carrying one who was as cunning as the gods, but who was
now sleeping peacefully, forgetful of all that he had suffered
both on the field of battle and by the waves of the weary sea.
When the bright star that heralds the approach of dawn began to
show, the ship drew near to land. {112} Now there is in Ithaca a
haven of the old merman Phorcys, which lies between two points
that break the line of the sea and shut the harbour in. These
shelter it from the storms of wind and sea that rage outside, so
that, when once within it, a ship may lie without being even
moored. At the head of this harbour there is a large olive tree,
and at no great distance a fine overarching cavern sacred to the
nymphs who are called Naiads. {113} There are mixing bowls
within it and wine-jars of stone, and the bees hive there.
Moreover, there are great looms of stone on which the nymphs
weave their robes of sea purple--very curious to see--and at all
times there is water within it. It has two entrances, one facing
North by which mortals can go down into the cave, while the
other comes from the South and is more mysterious; mortals
cannot possibly get in by it, it is the way taken by the gods.
Into this harbour, then, they took their ship, for they knew the
place. {114} She had so much way upon her that she ran half her
own length on to the shore; {115} when, however, they had
landed, the first thing they did was to lift Ulysses with his
rug and linen sheet out of the ship, and lay him down upon the
sand still fast asleep. Then they took out the presents which
Minerva had persuaded the Phaeacians to give him when he was
setting out on his voyage homewards. They put these all
together by the root of the olive tree, away from the road, for
fear some passer by {116} might come and steal them before
Ulysses awoke; and then they made the best of their way home
again.
But Neptune did not forget the threats with which he had already
threatened Ulysses, so he took counsel with Jove. "Father
Jove," said he, "I shall no longer be held in any sort of
respect among you gods, if mortals like the Phaeacians, who are
my own flesh and blood, show such small regard for me. I said I
would let Ulysses get home when he had suffered sufficiently. I
did not say that he should never get home at all, for I knew you
had already nodded your head about it, and promised that he
should do so; but now they have brought him in a ship fast
asleep and have landed him in Ithaca after loading him with more
magnificent presents of bronze, gold, and raiment than he would
ever have brought back from Troy, if he had had his share of the
spoil and got home without misadventure."
And Jove answered, "What, O Lord of the Earthquake, are you
talking about? The gods are by no means wanting in respect for
you. It would be monstrous were they to insult one so old and
honoured as you are. As regards mortals, however, if any of them
is indulging in insolence and treating you disrespectfully, it
will always rest with yourself to deal with him as you may think
proper, so do just as you please."
"I should have done so at once," replied Neptune, "if I were not
anxious to avoid anything that might displease you; now,
therefore, I should like to wreck the Phaeacian ship as it is
returning from its escort. This will stop them from escorting
people in future; and I should also like to bury their city
under a huge mountain."
"My good friend," answered Jove, "I should recommend you at the
very moment when the people from the city are watching the ship
on her way, to turn it into a rock near the land and looking
like a ship. This will astonish everybody, and you can then bury
their city under the mountain."
When earth-encircling Neptune heard this he went to Scheria
where the Phaeacians live, and stayed there till the ship, which
was making rapid way, had got close in. Then he went up to it,
turned it into stone, and drove it down with the flat of his
hand so as to root it in the ground. After this he went away.
The Phaeacians then began talking among themselves, and one
would turn towards his neighbour, saying, "Bless my heart, who
is it that can have rooted the ship in the sea just as she was
getting into port? We could see the whole of her only a moment
ago."
This was how they talked, but they knew nothing about it; and
Alcinous said, "I remember now the old prophecy of my father. He
said that Neptune would be angry with us for taking every one so
safely over the sea, and would one day wreck a Phaeacian ship as
it was returning from an escort, and bury our city under a high
mountain. This was what my old father used to say, and now it is
all coming true. {117} Now therefore let us all do as I say; in
the first place we must leave off giving people escorts when
they come here, and in the next let us sacrifice twelve picked
bulls to Neptune that he may have mercy upon us, and not bury
our city under the high mountain." When the people heard this
they were afraid and got ready the bulls.
Thus did the chiefs and rulers of the Phaeacians pray to king
Neptune, standing round his altar; and at the same time {118}
Ulysses woke up once more upon his own soil. He had been so long
away that he did not know it again; moreover, Jove's daughter
Minerva had made it a foggy day, so that people might not know
of his having come, and that she might tell him everything
without either his wife or his fellow citizens and friends
recognising him {119} until he had taken his revenge upon the
wicked suitors. Everything, therefore, seemed quite different to
him--the long straight tracks, the harbours, the precipices, and
the goodly trees, appeared all changed as he started up and
looked upon his native land. So he smote his thighs with the
flat of his hands and cried aloud despairingly.
"Alas," he exclaimed, "among what manner of people am I fallen?
Are they savage and uncivilised or hospitable and humane? Where
shall I put all this treasure, and which way shall I go? I wish
I had staid over there with the Phaeacians; or I could have gone
to some other great chief who would have been good to me and
given me an escort. As it is I do not know where to put my
treasure, and I cannot leave it here for fear somebody else
should get hold of it. In good truth the chiefs and rulers of
the Phaeacians have not been dealing fairly by me, and have left
me in the wrong country; they said they would take me back to
Ithaca and they have not done so: may Jove the protector of
suppliants chastise them, for he watches over everybody and
punishes those who do wrong. Still, I suppose I must count my
goods and see if the crew have gone off with any of them."
He counted his goodly coppers and cauldrons, his gold and all
his clothes, but there was nothing missing; still he kept
grieving about not being in his own country, and wandered up and
down by the shore of the sounding sea bewailing his hard fate.
Then Minerva came up to him disguised as a young shepherd of
delicate and princely mien, with a good cloak folded double
about her shoulders; she had sandals on her comely feet and held
a javelin in her hand. Ulysses was glad when he saw her, and
went straight up to her.
"My friend," said he, "you are the first person whom I have met
with in this country; I salute you, therefore, and beg you to be
well disposed towards me. Protect these my goods, and myself
too, for I embrace your knees and pray to you as though you were
a god. Tell me, then, and tell me truly, what land and country
is this? Who are its inhabitants? Am I on an island, or is this
the sea board of some continent?"
Minerva answered, "Stranger, you must be very simple, or must
have come from somewhere a long way off, not to know what
country this is. It is a very celebrated place, and everybody
knows it East and West. It is rugged and not a good driving
country, but it is by no means a bad island for what there is of
it. It grows any quantity of corn and also wine, for it is
watered both by rain and dew; it breeds cattle also and goats;
all kinds of timber grow here, and there are watering places
where the water never runs dry; so, sir, the name of Ithaca is
known even as far as Troy, which I understand to be a long way
off from this Achaean country."
Ulysses was glad at finding himself, as Minerva told him, in his
own country, and he began to answer, but he did not speak the
truth, and made up a lying story in the instinctive wiliness of
his heart.
"I heard of Ithaca," said he, "when I was in Crete beyond the
seas, and now it seems I have reached it with all these
treasures. I have left as much more behind me for my children,
but am flying because I killed Orsilochus son of Idomeneus, the
fleetest runner in Crete. I killed him because he wanted to rob
me of the spoils I had got from Troy with so much trouble and
danger both on the field of battle and by the waves of the weary
sea; he said I had not served his father loyally at Troy as
vassal, but had set myself up as an independent ruler, so I lay
in wait for him with one of my followers by the road side, and
speared him as he was coming into town from the country. It was
a very dark night and nobody saw us; it was not known,
therefore, that I had killed him, but as soon as I had done so I
went to a ship and besought the owners, who were Phoenicians, to
take me on board and set me in Pylos or in Elis where the Epeans
rule, giving them as much spoil as satisfied them. They meant no
guile, but the wind drove them off their course, and we sailed
on till we came hither by night. It was all we could do to get
inside the harbour, and none of us said a word about supper
though we wanted it badly, but we all went on shore and lay down
just as we were. I was very tired and fell asleep directly, so
they took my goods out of the ship, and placed them beside me
where I was lying upon the sand. Then they sailed away to
Sidonia, and I was left here in great distress of mind."
Such was his story, but Minerva smiled and caressed him with her
hand. Then she took the form of a woman, fair, stately, and
wise, "He must be indeed a shifty lying fellow," said she, "who
could surpass you in all manner of craft even though you had a
god for your antagonist. Dare devil that you are, full of
guile, unwearying in deceit, can you not drop your tricks and
your instinctive falsehood, even now that you are in your own
country again? We will say no more, however, about this, for we
can both of us deceive upon occasion--you are the most
accomplished counsellor and orator among all mankind, while I
for diplomacy and subtlety have no equal among the gods. Did
you not know Jove's daughter Minerva--me, who have been ever
with you, who kept watch over you in all your troubles, and who
made the Phaeacians take so great a liking to you? And now,
again, I am come here to talk things over with you, and help you
to hide the treasure I made the Phaeacians give you; I want to
tell you about the troubles that await you in your own house;
you have got to face them, but tell no one, neither man nor
woman, that you have come home again. Bear everything, and put
up with every man's insolence, without a word."
And Ulysses answered, "A man, goddess, may know a great deal,
but you are so constantly changing your appearance that when he
meets you it is a hard matter for him to know whether it is you
or not. This much, however, I know exceedingly well; you were
very kind to me as long as we Achaeans were fighting before
Troy, but from the day on which we went on board ship after
having sacked the city of Priam, and heaven dispersed us--from
that day, Minerva, I saw no more of you, and cannot ever
remember your coming to my ship to help me in a difficulty; I
had to wander on sick and sorry till the gods delivered me from
evil and I reached the city of the Phaeacians, where you
encouraged me and took me into the town. {120} And now, I
beseech you in your father's name, tell me the truth, for I do
not believe I am really back in Ithaca. I am in some other
country and you are mocking me and deceiving me in all you have
been saying. Tell me then truly, have I really got back to my
own country?"
"You are always taking something of that sort in your head,"
replied Minerva, "and that is why I cannot desert you in your
afflictions; you are so plausible, shrewd and shifty. Any one
but yourself on returning from so long a voyage would at once
have gone home to see his wife and children, but you do not seem
to care about asking after them or hearing any news about them
till you have exploited your wife, who remains at home vainly
grieving for you, and having no peace night or day for the tears
she sheds on your behalf. As for my not coming near you, I was
never uneasy about you, for I was certain you would get back
safely though you would lose all your men, and I did not wish to
quarrel with my uncle Neptune, who never forgave you for having
blinded his son. {121} I will now, however, point out to you the
lie of the land, and you will then perhaps believe me. This is
the haven of the old merman Phorcys, and here is the olive tree
that grows at the head of it; [near it is the cave sacred to the
Naiads;] {122} here too is the overarching cavern in which you
have offered many an acceptable hecatomb to the nymphs, and this
is the wooded mountain Neritum."
As she spoke the goddess dispersed the mist and the land
appeared. Then Ulysses rejoiced at finding himself again in his
own land, and kissed the bounteous soil; he lifted up his hands
and prayed to the nymphs, saying, "Naiad nymphs, daughters of
Jove, I made sure that I was never again to see you, now
therefore I greet you with all loving salutations, and I will
bring you offerings as in the old days, if Jove's redoubtable
daughter will grant me life, and bring my son to manhood."
"Take heart, and do not trouble yourself about that," rejoined
Minerva, "let us rather set about stowing your things at once in
the cave, where they will be quite safe. Let us see how we can
best manage it all."
Therewith she went down into the cave to look for the safest
hiding places, while Ulysses brought up all the treasure of
gold, bronze, and good clothing which the Phaeacians had given
him. They stowed everything carefully away, and Minerva set a
stone against the door of the cave. Then the two sat down by the
root of the great olive, and consulted how to compass the
destruction of the wicked suitors.
"Ulysses," said Minerva, "noble son of Laertes, think how you
can lay hands on these disreputable people who have been lording
it in your house these three years, courting your wife and
making wedding presents to her, while she does nothing but
lament your absence, giving hope and sending encouraging
messages {123} to every one of them, but meaning the very
opposite of all she says."
And Ulysses answered, "In good truth, goddess, it seems I should
have come to much the same bad end in my own house as Agamemnon
did, if you had not given me such timely information. Advise me
how I shall best avenge myself. Stand by my side and put your
courage into my heart as on the day when we loosed Troy's fair
diadem from her brow. Help me now as you did then, and I will
fight three hundred men, if you, goddess, will be with me."
"Trust me for that," said she, "I will not lose sight of you
when once we set about it, and I imagine that some of those who
are devouring your substance will then bespatter the pavement
with their blood and brains. I will begin by disguising you so
that no human being shall know you; I will cover your body with
wrinkles; you shall lose all your yellow hair; I will clothe you
in a garment that shall fill all who see it with loathing; I
will blear your fine eyes for you, and make you an unseemly
object in the sight of the suitors, of your wife, and of the son
whom you left behind you. Then go at once to the swineherd who
is in charge of your pigs; he has been always well affected
towards you, and is devoted to Penelope and your son; you will
find him feeding his pigs near the rock that is called Raven
{124} by the fountain Arethusa, where they are fattening on
beechmast and spring water after their manner. Stay with him and
find out how things are going, while I proceed to Sparta and see
your son, who is with Menelaus at Lacedaemon, where he has gone
to try and find out whether you are still alive." {125}
"But why," said Ulysses, "did you not tell him, for you knew all
about it? Did you want him too to go sailing about amid all
kinds of hardship while others are eating up his estate?"
Minerva answered, "Never mind about him, I sent him that he
might be well spoken of for having gone. He is in no sort of
difficulty, but is staying quite comfortably with Menelaus, and
is surrounded with abundance of every kind. The suitors have
put out to sea and are lying in wait for him, for they mean to
kill him before he can get home. I do not much think they will
succeed, but rather that some of those who are now eating up
your estate will first find a grave themselves."
As she spoke Minerva touched him with her wand and covered him
with wrinkles, took away all his yellow hair, and withered the
flesh over his whole body; she bleared his eyes, which were
naturally very fine ones; she changed his clothes and threw an
old rag of a wrap about him, and a tunic, tattered, filthy, and
begrimed with smoke; she also gave him an undressed deer skin as
an outer garment, and furnished him with a staff and a wallet
all in holes, with a twisted thong for him to sling it over his
shoulder.
When the pair had thus laid their plans they parted, and the
goddess went straight to Lacedaemon to fetch Telemachus.
Book XIV
ULYSSES IN THE HUT WITH EUMAEUS.
Ulysses now left the haven, and took the rough track up through
the wooded country and over the crest of the mountain till he
reached the place where Minerva had said that he would find the
swineherd, who was the most thrifty servant he had. He found him
sitting in front of his hut, which was by the yards that he had
built on a site which could be seen from far. He had made them
spacious {126} and fair to see, with a free run for the pigs all
round them; he had built them during his master's absence, of
stones which he had gathered out of the ground, without saying
anything to Penelope or Laertes, and he had fenced them on top
with thorn bushes. Outside the yard he had run a strong fence of
oaken posts, split, and set pretty close together, while inside
he had built twelve styes near one another for the sows to lie
in. There were fifty pigs wallowing in each stye, all of them
breeding sows; but the boars slept outside and were much fewer
in number, for the suitors kept on eating them, and the
swineherd had to send them the best he had continually. There
were three hundred and sixty boar pigs, and the herdsman's four
hounds, which were as fierce as wolves, slept always with them.
The swineherd was at that moment cutting out a pair of sandals
{127} from a good stout ox hide. Three of his men were out
herding the pigs in one place or another, and he had sent the
fourth to town with a boar that he had been forced to send the
suitors that they might sacrifice it and have their fill of
meat.
When the hounds saw Ulysses they set up a furious barking and
flew at him, but Ulysses was cunning enough to sit down and
loose his hold of the stick that he had in his hand: still, he
would have been torn by them in his own homestead had not the
swineherd dropped his ox hide, rushed full speed through the
gate of the yard and driven the dogs off by shouting and
throwing stones at them. Then he said to Ulysses, "Old man, the
dogs were likely to have made short work of you, and then you
would have got me into trouble. The gods have given me quite
enough worries without that, for I have lost the best of
masters, and am in continual grief on his account. I have to
attend swine for other people to eat, while he, if he yet lives
to see the light of day, is starving in some distant land. But
come inside, and when you have had your fill of bread and wine,
tell me where you come from, and all about your misfortunes."
On this the swineherd led the way into the hut and bade him sit
down. He strewed a good thick bed of rushes upon the floor, and
on the top of this he threw the shaggy chamois skin--a great
thick one--on which he used to sleep by night. Ulysses was
pleased at being made thus welcome, and said "May Jove, sir, and
the rest of the gods grant you your heart's desire in return for
the kind way in which you have received me."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "Stranger, though a
still poorer man should come here, it would not be right for me
to insult him, for all strangers and beggars are from Jove. You
must take what you can get and be thankful, for servants live in
fear when they have young lords for their masters; and this is
my misfortune now, for heaven has hindered the return of him who
would have been always good to me and given me something of my
own--a house, a piece of land, a good looking wife, and all else
that a liberal master allows a servant who has worked hard for
him, and whose labour the gods have prospered as they have mine
in the situation which I hold. If my master had grown old here
he would have done great things by me, but he is gone, and I
wish that Helen's whole race were utterly destroyed, for she has
been the death of many a good man. It was this matter that took
my master to Ilius, the land of noble steeds, to fight the
Trojans in the cause of king Agamemnon."
As he spoke he bound his girdle round him and went to the styes
where the young sucking pigs were penned. He picked out two
which he brought back with him and sacrificed. He singed them,
cut them up, and spitted them; when the meat was cooked he
brought it all in and set it before Ulysses, hot and still on
the spit, whereon Ulysses sprinkled it over with white barley
meal. The swineherd then mixed wine in a bowl of ivy-wood, and
taking a seat opposite Ulysses told him to begin.
"Fall to, stranger," said he, "on a dish of servant's pork. The
fat pigs have to go to the suitors, who eat them up without
shame or scruple; but the blessed gods love not such shameful
doings, and respect those who do what is lawful and right. Even
the fierce freebooters who go raiding on other people's land,
and Jove gives them their spoil--even they, when they have
filled their ships and got home again live conscience-stricken,
and look fearfully for judgement; but some god seems to have
told these people that Ulysses is dead and gone; they will not,
therefore, go back to their own homes and make their offers of
marriage in the usual way, but waste his estate by force,
without fear or stint. Not a day or night comes out of heaven,
but they sacrifice not one victim nor two only, and they take
the run of his wine, for he was exceedingly rich. No other great
man either in Ithaca or on the mainland is as rich as he was; he
had as much as twenty men put together. I will tell you what he
had. There are twelve herds of cattle upon the main land, and
as many flocks of sheep, there are also twelve droves of pigs,
while his own men and hired strangers feed him twelve widely
spreading herds of goats. Here in Ithaca he runs even large
flocks of goats on the far end of the island, and they are in
the charge of excellent goat herds. Each one of these sends the
suitors the best goat in the flock every day. As for myself, I
am in charge of the pigs that you see here, and I have to keep
picking out the best I have and sending it to them."
This was his story, but Ulysses went on eating and drinking
ravenously without a word, brooding his revenge. When he had
eaten enough and was satisfied, the swineherd took the bowl from
which he usually drank, filled it with wine, and gave it to
Ulysses, who was pleased, and said as he took it in his hands,
"My friend, who was this master of yours that bought you and
paid for you, so rich and so powerful as you tell me? You say he
perished in the cause of King Agamemnon; tell me who he was, in
case I may have met with such a person. Jove and the other gods
know, but I may be able to give you news of him, for I have
travelled much."
Eumaeus answered, "Old man, no traveller who comes here with
news will get Ulysses' wife and son to believe his story.
Nevertheless, tramps in want of a lodging keep coming with their
mouths full of lies, and not a word of truth; every one who
finds his way to Ithaca goes to my mistress and tells her
falsehoods, whereon she takes them in, makes much of them, and
asks them all manner of questions, crying all the time as women
will when they have lost their husbands. And you too, old man,
for a shirt and a cloak would doubtless make up a very pretty
story. But the wolves and birds of prey have long since torn
Ulysses to pieces, or the fishes of the sea have eaten him, and
his bones are lying buried deep in sand upon some foreign shore;
he is dead and gone, and a bad business it is for all his
friends--for me especially; go where I may I shall never find so
good a master, not even if I were to go home to my mother and
father where I was bred and born. I do not so much care,
however, about my parents now, though I should dearly like to
see them again in my own country; it is the loss of Ulysses that
grieves me most; I cannot speak of him without reverence though
he is here no longer, for he was very fond of me, and took such
care of me that wherever he may be I shall always honour his
memory."
"My friend," replied Ulysses, "you are very positive, and very
hard of belief about your master's coming home again,
nevertheless I will not merely say, but will swear, that he is
coming. Do not give me anything for my news till he has actually
come, you may then give me a shirt and cloak of good wear if you
will. I am in great want, but I will not take anything at all
till then, for I hate a man, even as I hate hell fire, who lets
his poverty tempt him into lying. I swear by king Jove, by the
rites of hospitality, and by that hearth of Ulysses to which I
have now come, that all will surely happen as I have said it
will. Ulysses will return in this self same year; with the end
of this moon and the beginning of the next he will be here to do
vengeance on all those who are ill treating his wife and son."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "Old man, you will
neither get paid for bringing good news, nor will Ulysses ever
come home; drink your wine in peace, and let us talk about
something else. Do not keep on reminding me of all this; it
always pains me when any one speaks about my honoured master. As
for your oath we will let it alone, but I only wish he may come,
as do Penelope, his old father Laertes, and his son Telemachus.
I am terribly unhappy too about this same boy of his; he was
running up fast into manhood, and bade fare to be no worse man,
face and figure, than his father, but some one, either god or
man, has been unsettling his mind, so he has gone off to Pylos
to try and get news of his father, and the suitors are lying in
wait for him as he is coming home, in the hope of leaving the
house of Arceisius without a name in Ithaca. But let us say no
more about him, and leave him to be taken, or else to escape if
the son of Saturn holds his hand over him to protect him. And
now, old man, tell me your own story; tell me also, for I want
to know, who you are and where you come from. Tell me of your
town and parents, what manner of ship you came in, how crew
brought you to Ithaca, and from what country they professed to
come--for you cannot have come by land."
And Ulysses answered, "I will tell you all about it. If there
were meat and wine enough, and we could stay here in the hut
with nothing to do but to eat and drink while the others go to
their work, I could easily talk on for a whole twelve months
without ever finishing the story of the sorrows with which it
has pleased heaven to visit me.
"I am by birth a Cretan; my father was a well to do man, who had
many sons born in marriage, whereas I was the son of a slave
whom he had purchased for a concubine; nevertheless, my father
Castor son of Hylax (whose lineage I claim, and who was held in
the highest honour among the Cretans for his wealth, prosperity,
and the valour of his sons) put me on the same level with my
brothers who had been born in wedlock. When, however, death took
him to the house of Hades, his sons divided his estate and cast
lots for their shares, but to me they gave a holding and little
else; nevertheless, my valour enabled me to marry into a rich
family, for I was not given to bragging, or shirking on the
field of battle. It is all over now; still, if you look at the
straw you can see what the ear was, for I have had trouble
enough and to spare. Mars and Minerva made me doughty in war;
when I had picked my men to surprise the enemy with an ambuscade
I never gave death so much as a thought, but was the first to
leap forward and spear all whom I could overtake. Such was I in
battle, but I did not care about farm work, nor the frugal home
life of those who would bring up children. My delight was in
ships, fighting, javelins, and arrows--things that most men
shudder to think of; but one man likes one thing and another
another, and this was what I was most naturally inclined to.
Before the Achaeans went to Troy, nine times was I in command of
men and ships on foreign service, and I amassed much wealth. I
had my pick of the spoil in the first instance, and much more
was allotted to me later on.
"My house grew apace and I became a great man among the Cretans,
but when Jove counselled that terrible expedition, in which so
many perished, the people required me and Idomeneus to lead
their ships to Troy, and there was no way out of it, for they
insisted on our doing so. There we fought for nine whole years,
but in the tenth we sacked the city of Priam and sailed home
again as heaven dispersed us. Then it was that Jove devised evil
against me. I spent but one month happily with my children,
wife, and property, and then I conceived the idea of making a
descent on Egypt, so I fitted out a fine fleet and manned it. I
had nine ships, and the people flocked to fill them. For six
days I and my men made feast, and I found them many victims both
for sacrifice to the gods and for themselves, but on the seventh
day we went on board and set sail from Crete with a fair North
wind behind us though we were going down a river. Nothing went
ill with any of our ships, and we had no sickness on board, but
sat where we were and let the ships go as the wind and steersmen
took them. On the fifth day we reached the river Aegyptus; there
I stationed my ships in the river, bidding my men stay by them
and keep guard over them while I sent out scouts to reconnoitre
from every point of vantage.
"But the men disobeyed my orders, took to their own devices, and
ravaged the land of the Egyptians, killing the men, and taking
their wives and children captive. The alarm was soon carried to
the city, and when they heard the war cry, the people came out
at daybreak till the plain was filled with horsemen and foot
soldiers and with the gleam of armour. Then Jove spread panic
among my men, and they would no longer face the enemy, for they
found themselves surrounded. The Egyptians killed many of us,
and took the rest alive to do forced labour for them. Jove,
however, put it in my mind to do thus--and I wish I had died
then and there in Egypt instead, for there was much sorrow in
store for me--I took off my helmet and shield and dropped my
spear from my hand; then I went straight up to the king's
chariot, clasped his knees and kissed them, whereon he spared my
life, bade me get into his chariot, and took me weeping to his
own home. Many made at me with their ashen spears and tried to
kill me in their fury, but the king protected me, for he feared
the wrath of Jove the protector of strangers, who punishes those
who do evil.
"I stayed there for seven years and got together much money
among the Egyptians, for they all gave me something; but when it
was now going on for eight years there came a certain
Phoenician, a cunning rascal, who had already committed all
sorts of villainy, and this man talked me over into going with
him to Phoenicia, where his house and his possessions lay. I
stayed there for a whole twelve months, but at the end of that
time when months and days had gone by till the same season had
come round again, he set me on board a ship bound for Libya, on
a pretence that I was to take a cargo along with him to that
place, but really that he might sell me as a slave and take the
money I fetched. I suspected his intention, but went on board
with him, for I could not help it.
"The ship ran before a fresh North wind till we had reached the
sea that lies between Crete and Libya; there, however, Jove
counselled their destruction, for as soon as we were well out
from Crete and could see nothing but sea and sky, he raised a
black cloud over our ship and the sea grew dark beneath it. Then
Jove let fly with his thunderbolts and the ship went round and
round and was filled with fire and brimstone as the lightning
struck it. The men fell all into the sea; they were carried
about in the water round the ship looking like so many
sea-gulls, but the god presently deprived them of all chance of
getting home again. I was all dismayed. Jove, however, sent the
ship's mast within my reach, which saved my life, for I clung to
it, and drifted before the fury of the gale. Nine days did I
drift but in the darkness of the tenth night a great wave bore
me on to the Thesprotian coast. There Pheidon king of the
Thesprotians entertained me hospitably without charging me
anything at all--for his son found me when I was nearly dead
with cold and fatigue, whereon he raised me by the hand, took me
to his father's house and gave me clothes to wear.
"There it was that I heard news of Ulysses, for the king told me
he had entertained him, and shown him much hospitality while he
was on his homeward journey. He showed me also the treasure of
gold, and wrought iron that Ulysses had got together. There was
enough to keep his family for ten generations, so much had he
left in the house of king Pheidon. But the king said Ulysses had
gone to Dodona that he might learn Jove's mind from the god's
high oak tree, and know whether after so long an absence he
should return to Ithaca openly, or in secret. Moreover the king
swore in my presence, making drink-offerings in his own house as
he did so, that the ship was by the water side, and the crew
found, that should take him to his own country. He sent me off
however before Ulysses returned, for there happened to be a
Thesprotian ship sailing for the wheat-growing island of
Dulichium, and he told those in charge of her to be sure and
take me safely to King Acastus.
"These men hatched a plot against me that would have reduced me
to the very extreme of misery, for when the ship had got some
way out from land they resolved on selling me as a slave. They
stripped me of the shirt and cloak that I was wearing, and gave
me instead the tattered old clouts in which you now see me;
then, towards nightfall, they reached the tilled lands of
Ithaca, and there they bound me with a strong rope fast in the
ship, while they went on shore to get supper by the sea side.
But the gods soon undid my bonds for me, and having drawn my
rags over my head I slid down the rudder into the sea, where I
struck out and swam till I was well clear of them, and came
ashore near a thick wood in which I lay concealed. They were
very angry at my having escaped and went searching about for me,
till at last they thought it was no further use and went back to
their ship. The gods, having hidden me thus easily, then took me
to a good man's door--for it seems that I am not to die yet
awhile."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "Poor unhappy
stranger, I have found the story of your misfortunes extremely
interesting, but that part about Ulysses is not right; and you
will never get me to believe it. Why should a man like you go
about telling lies in this way? I know all about the return of
my master. The gods one and all of them detest him, or they
would have taken him before Troy, or let him die with friends
around him when the days of his fighting were done; for then the
Achaeans would have built a mound over his ashes and his son
would have been heir to his renown, but now the storm winds have
spirited him away we know not whither.
"As for me I live out of the way here with the pigs, and never
go to the town unless when Penelope sends for me on the arrival
of some news about Ulysses. Then they all sit round and ask
questions, both those who grieve over the king's absence, and
those who rejoice at it because they can eat up his property
without paying for it. For my own part I have never cared about
asking anyone else since the time when I was taken in by an
Aetolian, who had killed a man and come a long way till at last
he reached my station, and I was very kind to him. He said he
had seen Ulysses with Idomeneus among the Cretans, refitting his
ships which had been damaged in a gale. He said Ulysses would
return in the following summer or autumn with his men, and that
he would bring back much wealth. And now you, you unfortunate
old man, since fate has brought you to my door, do not try to
flatter me in this way with vain hopes. It is not for any such
reason that I shall treat you kindly, but only out of respect
for Jove the god of hospitality, as fearing him and pitying
you."
Ulysses answered, "I see that you are of an unbelieving mind; I
have given you my oath, and yet you will not credit me; let us
then make a bargain, and call all the gods in heaven to witness
it. If your master comes home, give me a cloak and shirt of good
wear, and send me to Dulichium where I want to go; but if he
does not come as I say he will, set your men on to me, and tell
them to throw me from yonder precipice, as a warning to tramps
not to go about the country telling lies."
"And a pretty figure I should cut then," replied Eumaeus, "both
now and hereafter, if I were to kill you after receiving you
into my hut and showing you hospitality. I should have to say my
prayers in good earnest if I did; but it is just supper time and
I hope my men will come in directly, that we may cook something
savoury for supper."
Thus did they converse, and presently the swineherds came up
with the pigs, which were then shut up for the night in their
styes, and a tremendous squealing they made as they were being
driven into them. But Eumaeus called to his men and said, "Bring
in the best pig you have, that I may sacrifice him for this
stranger, and we will take toll of him ourselves. We have had
trouble enough this long time feeding pigs, while others reap
the fruit of our labour."
On this he began chopping firewood, while the others brought in
a fine fat five year old boar pig, and set it at the altar.
Eumaeus did not forget the gods, for he was a man of good
principles, so the first thing he did was to cut bristles from
the pig's face and throw them into the fire, praying to all the
gods as he did so that Ulysses might return home again. Then he
clubbed the pig with a billet of oak which he had kept back when
he was chopping the firewood, and stunned it, while the others
slaughtered and singed it. Then they cut it up, and Eumaeus
began by putting raw pieces from each joint on to some of the
fat; these he sprinkled with barley meal, and laid upon the
embers; they cut the rest of the meat up small, put the pieces
upon the spits and roasted them till they were done; when they
had taken them off the spits they threw them on to the dresser
in a heap. The swineherd, who was a most equitable man, then
stood up to give every one his share. He made seven portions;
one of these he set apart for Mercury the son of Maia and the
nymphs, praying to them as he did so; the others he dealt out to
the men man by man. He gave Ulysses some slices cut lengthways
down the loin as a mark of especial honour, and Ulysses was much
pleased. "I hope, Eumaeus," said he, "that Jove will be as well
disposed towards you as I am, for the respect you are showing to
an outcast like myself."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "Eat, my good fellow,
and enjoy your supper, such as it is. God grants this, and
withholds that, just as he thinks right, for he can do whatever
he chooses."
As he spoke he cut off the first piece and offered it as a burnt
sacrifice to the immortal gods; then he made them a
drink-offering, put the cup in the hands of Ulysses, and sat
down to his own portion. Mesaulius brought them their bread; the
swineherd had brought this man on his own account from among the
Taphians during his master's absence, and had paid for him with
his own money without saying anything either to his mistress or
Laertes. They then laid their hands upon the good things that
were before them, and when they had had enough to eat and drink,
Mesaulius took away what was left of the bread, and they all
went to bed after having made a hearty supper.
Now the night came on stormy and very dark, for there was no
moon. It poured without ceasing, and the wind blew strong from
the West, which is a wet quarter, so Ulysses thought he would
see whether Eumaeus, in the excellent care he took of him, would
take off his own cloak and give it him, or make one of his men
give him one. "Listen to me," said he, "Eumaeus and the rest of
you; when I have said a prayer I will tell you something. It is
the wine that makes me talk in this way; wine will make even a
wise man fall to singing; it will make him chuckle and dance and
say many a word that he had better leave unspoken; still, as I
have begun, I will go on. Would that I were still young and
strong as when we got up an ambuscade before Troy. Menelaus and
Ulysses were the leaders, but I was in command also, for the
other two would have it so. When we had come up to the wall of
the city we crouched down beneath our armour and lay there under
cover of the reeds and thick brushwood that grew about the
swamp. It came on to freeze with a North wind blowing; the snow
fell small and fine like hoar frost, and our shields were coated
thick with rime. The others had all got cloaks and shirts, and
slept comfortably enough with their shields about their
shoulders, but I had carelessly left my cloak behind me, not
thinking that I should be too cold, and had gone off in nothing
but my shirt and shield. When the night was two-thirds through
and the stars had shifted their places, I nudged Ulysses who was
close to me with my elbow, and he at once gave me his ear.
"'Ulysses,' said I, 'this cold will be the death of me, for I
have no cloak; some god fooled me into setting off with nothing
on but my shirt, and I do not know what to do.'
"Ulysses, who was as crafty as he was valiant, hit upon the
following plan:
"'Keep still,' said he in a low voice, 'or the others will hear
you.' Then he raised his head on his elbow.
"'My friends,' said he, 'I have had a dream from heaven in my
sleep. We are a long way from the ships; I wish some one would
go down and tell Agamemnon to send us up more men at once.'
"On this Thoas son of Andraemon threw off his cloak and set out
running to the ships, whereon I took the cloak and lay in it
comfortably enough till morning. Would that I were still young
and strong as I was in those days, for then some one of you
swineherds would give me a cloak both out of good will and for
the respect due to a brave soldier; but now people look down
upon me because my clothes are shabby."
And Eumaeus answered, "Old man, you have told us an excellent
story, and have said nothing so far but what is quite
satisfactory; for the present, therefore, you shall want neither
clothing nor anything else that a stranger in distress may
reasonably expect, but to-morrow morning you have to shake your
own old rags about your body again, for we have not many spare
cloaks nor shirts up here, but every man has only one. When
Ulysses' son comes home again he will give you both cloak and
shirt, and send you wherever you may want to go."
With this he got up and made a bed for Ulysses by throwing some
goatskins and sheepskins on the ground in front of the fire.
Here Ulysses lay down, and Eumaeus covered him over with a great
heavy cloak that he kept for a change in case of extraordinarily
bad weather.
Thus did Ulysses sleep, and the young men slept beside him. But
the swineherd did not like sleeping away from his pigs, so he
got ready to go outside, and Ulysses was glad to see that he
looked after his property during his master's absence. First he
slung his sword over his brawny shoulders and put on a thick
cloak to keep out the wind. He also took the skin of a large and
well fed goat, and a javelin in case of attack from men or dogs.
Thus equipped he went to his rest where the pigs were camping
under an overhanging rock that gave them shelter from the North
wind.
Book XV
MINERVA SUMMONS TELEMACHUS FROM LACEDAEMON--HE MEETS WITH
THEOCLYMENUS AT PYLOS AND BRINGS HIM TO ITHACA--ON LANDING HE
GOES TO THE HUT OF EUMAEUS.
But Minerva went to the fair city of Lacedaemon to tell Ulysses'
son that he was to return at once. She found him and Pisistratus
sleeping in the forecourt of Menelaus's house; Pisistratus was
fast asleep, but Telemachus could get no rest all night for
thinking of his unhappy father, so Minerva went close up to him
and said:
"Telemachus, you should not remain so far away from home any
longer, nor leave your property with such dangerous people in
your house; they will eat up everything you have among them, and
you will have been on a fool's errand. Ask Menelaus to send you
home at once if you wish to find your excellent mother still
there when you get back. Her father and brothers are already
urging her to marry Eurymachus, who has given her more than any
of the others, and has been greatly increasing his wedding
presents. I hope nothing valuable may have been taken from the
house in spite of you, but you know what women are--they always
want to do the best they can for the man who marries them, and
never give another thought to the children of their first
husband, nor to their father either when he is dead and done
with. Go home, therefore, and put everything in charge of the
most respectable woman servant that you have, until it shall
please heaven to send you a wife of your own. Let me tell you
also of another matter which you had better attend to. The chief
men among the suitors are lying in wait for you in the Strait
{128} between Ithaca and Samos, and they mean to kill you before
you can reach home. I do not much think they will succeed; it is
more likely that some of those who are now eating up your
property will find a grave themselves. Sail night and day, and
keep your ship well away from the islands; the god who watches
over you and protects you will send you a fair wind. As soon as
you get to Ithaca send your ship and men on to the town, but
yourself go straight to the swineherd who has charge of your
pigs; he is well disposed towards you, stay with him, therefore,
for the night, and then send him to Penelope to tell her that
you have got back safe from Pylos."
Then she went back to Olympus; but Telemachus stirred
Pisistratus with his heel to rouse him, and said, "Wake up
Pisistratus, and yoke the horses to the chariot, for we must set
off home." {129}
But Pisistratus said, "No matter what hurry we are in we cannot
drive in the dark. It will be morning soon; wait till Menelaus
has brought his presents and put them in the chariot for us; and
let him say good bye to us in the usual way. So long as he lives
a guest should never forget a host who has shown him kindness."
As he spoke day began to break, and Menelaus, who had already
risen, leaving Helen in bed, came towards them. When Telemachus
saw him he put on his shirt as fast as he could, threw a great
cloak over his shoulders, and went out to meet him. "Menelaus,"
said he, "let me go back now to my own country, for I want to
get home."
And Menelaus answered, "Telemachus, if you insist on going I
will not detain you. I do not like to see a host either too fond
of his guest or too rude to him. Moderation is best in all
things, and not letting a man go when he wants to do so is as
bad as telling him to go if he would like to stay. One should
treat a guest well as long as he is in the house and speed him
when he wants to leave it. Wait, then, till I can get your
beautiful presents into your chariot, and till you have yourself
seen them. I will tell the women to prepare a sufficient dinner
for you of what there may be in the house; it will be at once
more proper and cheaper for you to get your dinner before
setting out on such a long journey. If, moreover, you have a
fancy for making a tour in Hellas or in the Peloponnese, I will
yoke my horses, and will conduct you myself through all our
principal cities. No one will send us away empty handed; every
one will give us something--a bronze tripod, a couple of mules,
or a gold cup."
"Menelaus," replied Telemachus, "I want to go home at once, for
when I came away I left my property without protection, and fear
that while looking for my father I shall come to ruin myself, or
find that something valuable has been stolen during my absence."
When Menelaus heard this he immediately told his wife and
servants to prepare a sufficient dinner from what there might be
in the house. At this moment Eteoneus joined him, for he lived
close by and had just got up; so Menelaus told him to light the
fire and cook some meat, which he at once did. Then Menelaus
went down into his fragrant store room, {130} not alone, but
Helen went too, with Megapenthes. When he reached the place
where the treasures of his house were kept, he selected a double
cup, and told his son Megapenthes to bring also a silver mixing
bowl. Meanwhile Helen went to the chest where she kept the
lovely dresses which she had made with her own hands, and took
out one that was largest and most beautifully enriched with
embroidery; it glittered like a star, and lay at the very bottom
of the chest. {131} Then they all came back through the house
again till they got to Telemachus, and Menelaus said,
"Telemachus, may Jove, the mighty husband of Juno, bring you
safely home according to your desire. I will now present you
with the finest and most precious piece of plate in all my
house. It is a mixing bowl of pure silver, except the rim, which
is inlaid with gold, and it is the work of Vulcan. Phaedimus
king of the Sidonians made me a present of it in the course of a
visit that I paid him while I was on my return home. I should
like to give it to you."
With these words he placed the double cup in the hands of
Telemachus, while Megapenthes brought the beautiful mixing bowl
and set it before him. Hard by stood lovely Helen with the robe
ready in her hand.
"I too, my son," said she, "have something for you as a keepsake
from the hand of Helen; it is for your bride to wear upon her
wedding day. Till then, get your dear mother to keep it for you;
thus may you go back rejoicing to your own country and to your
home."
So saying she gave the robe over to him and he received it
gladly. Then Pisistratus put the presents into the chariot, and
admired them all as he did so. Presently Menelaus took
Telemachus and Pisistratus into the house, and they both of them
sat down to table. A maid servant brought them water in a
beautiful golden ewer, and poured it into a silver basin for
them to wash their hands, and she drew a clean table beside
them; an upper servant brought them bread and offered them many
good things of what there was in the house. Eteoneus carved the
meat and gave them each their portions, while Megapenthes poured
out the wine. Then they laid their hands upon the good things
that were before them, but as soon as they had had enough to eat
and drink Telemachus and Pisistratus yoked the horses, and took
their places in the chariot. They drove out through the inner
gateway and under the echoing gatehouse of the outer court, and
Menelaus came after them with a golden goblet of wine in his
right hand that they might make a drink-offering before they set
out. He stood in front of the horses and pledged them, saying,
"Farewell to both of you; see that you tell Nestor how I have
treated you, for he was as kind to me as any father could be
while we Achaeans were fighting before Troy."
"We will be sure, sir," answered Telemachus, "to tell him
everything as soon as we see him. I wish I were as certain of
finding Ulysses returned when I get back to Ithaca, that I might
tell him of the very great kindness you have shown me and of the
many beautiful presents I am taking with me."
As he was thus speaking a bird flew on his right hand--an eagle
with a great white goose in its talons which it had carried off
from the farm yard--and all the men and women were running after
it and shouting. It came quite close up to them and flew away on
their right hands in front of the horses. When they saw it they
were glad, and their hearts took comfort within them, whereon
Pisistratus said, "Tell me, Menelaus, has heaven sent this omen
for us or for you?"
Menelaus was thinking what would be the most proper answer for
him to make, but Helen was too quick for him and said, "I will
read this matter as heaven has put it in my heart, and as I
doubt not that it will come to pass. The eagle came from the
mountain where it was bred and has its nest, and in like manner
Ulysses, after having travelled far and suffered much, will
return to take his revenge--if indeed he is not back already and
hatching mischief for the suitors."
"May Jove so grant it," replied Telemachus, "if it should prove
to be so, I will make vows to you as though you were a god, even
when I am at home."
As he spoke he lashed his horses and they started off at full
speed through the town towards the open country. They swayed the
yoke upon their necks and travelled the whole day long till the
sun set and darkness was over all the land. Then they reached
Pherae, where Diocles lived who was son of Ortilochus, the son
of Alpheus. There they passed the night and were treated
hospitably. When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn,
appeared, they again yoked their horses and their places in the
chariot. They drove out through the inner gateway and under the
echoing gatehouse of the outer court. Then Pisistratus lashed
his horses on and they flew forward nothing loath; ere long they
came to Pylos, and then Telemachus said:
"Pisistratus, I hope you will promise to do what I am going to
ask you. You know our fathers were old friends before us;
moreover, we are both of an age, and this journey has brought us
together still more closely; do not, therefore, take me past my
ship, but leave me there, for if I go to your father's house he
will try to keep me in the warmth of his good will towards me,
and I must go home at once."
Pisistratus thought how he should do as he was asked, and in the
end he deemed it best to turn his horses towards the ship, and
put Menelaus's beautiful presents of gold and raiment in the
stern of the vessel. Then he said, "Go on board at once and tell
your men to do so also before I can reach home to tell my
father. I know how obstinate he is, and am sure he will not let
you go; he will come down here to fetch you, and he will not go
back without you. But he will be very angry."
With this he drove his goodly steeds back to the city of the
Pylians and soon reached his home, but Telemachus called the men
together and gave his orders. "Now, my men," said he, "get
everything in order on board the ship, and let us set out home."
Thus did he speak, and they went on board even as he had said.
But as Telemachus was thus busied, praying also and sacrificing
to Minerva in the ship's stern, there came to him a man from a
distant country, a seer, who was flying from Argos because he
had killed a man. He was descended from Melampus, who used to
live in Pylos, the land of sheep; he was rich and owned a great
house, but he was driven into exile by the great and powerful
king Neleus. Neleus seized his goods and held them for a whole
year, during which he was a close prisoner in the house of king
Phylacus, and in much distress of mind both on account of the
daughter of Neleus and because he was haunted by a great sorrow
that dread Erinys had laid upon him. In the end, however, he
escaped with his life, drove the cattle from Phylace to Pylos,
avenged the wrong that had been done him, and gave the daughter
of Neleus to his brother. Then he left the country and went to
Argos, where it was ordained that he should reign over much
people. There he married, established himself, and had two
famous sons Antiphates and Mantius. Antiphates became father of
Oicleus, and Oicleus of Amphiaraus, who was dearly loved both by
Jove and by Apollo, but he did not live to old age, for he was
killed in Thebes by reason of a woman's gifts. His sons were
Alcmaeon and Amphilochus. Mantius, the other son of Melampus,
was father to Polypheides and Cleitus. Aurora, throned in gold,
carried off Cleitus for his beauty's sake, that he might dwell
among the immortals, but Apollo made Polypheides the greatest
seer in the whole world now that Amphiaraus was dead. He
quarrelled with his father and went to live in Hyperesia, where
he remained and prophesied for all men.
His son, Theoclymenus, it was who now came up to Telemachus as
he was making drink-offerings and praying in his ship.
"Friend," said he, "now that I find you sacrificing in this
place, I beseech you by your sacrifices themselves, and by the
god to whom you make them, I pray you also by your own head and
by those of your followers tell me the truth and nothing but the
truth. Who and whence are you? Tell me also of your town and
parents."
Telemachus said, "I will answer you quite truly. I am from
Ithaca, and my father is Ulysses, as surely as that he ever
lived. But he has come to some miserable end. Therefore I have
taken this ship and got my crew together to see if I can hear
any news of him, for he has been away a long time."
"I too," answered Theoclymenus, "am an exile, for I have killed
a man of my own race. He has many brothers and kinsmen in Argos,
and they have great power among the Argives. I am flying to
escape death at their hands, and am thus doomed to be a wanderer
on the face of the earth. I am your suppliant; take me,
therefore, on board your ship that they may not kill me, for I
know they are in pursuit."
"I will not refuse you," replied Telemachus, "if you wish to
join us. Come, therefore, and in Ithaca we will treat you
hospitably according to what we have."
On this he received Theoclymenus' spear and laid it down on the
deck of the ship. He went on board and sat in the stern, bidding
Theoclymenus sit beside him; then the men let go the hawsers.
Telemachus told them to catch hold of the ropes, and they made
all haste to do so. They set the mast in its socket in the cross
plank, raised it and made it fast with the forestays, and they
hoisted their white sails with sheets of twisted ox hide.
Minerva sent them a fair wind that blew fresh and strong to take
the ship on her course as fast as possible. Thus then they
passed by Crouni and Chalcis.
Presently the sun set and darkness was over all the land. The
vessel made a quick passage to Pheae and thence on to Elis,
where the Epeans rule. Telemachus then headed her for the flying
islands, {132} wondering within himself whether he should escape
death or should be taken prisoner.
Meanwhile Ulysses and the swineherd were eating their supper in
the hut, and the men supped with them. As soon as they had had
to eat and drink, Ulysses began trying to prove the swineherd
and see whether he would continue to treat him kindly, and ask
him to stay on at the station or pack him off to the city; so he
said:
"Eumaeus, and all of you, to-morrow I want to go away and begin
begging about the town, so as to be no more trouble to you or to
your men. Give me your advice therefore, and let me have a good
guide to go with me and show me the way. I will go the round of
the city begging as I needs must, to see if any one will give me
a drink and a piece of bread. I should like also to go to the
house of Ulysses and bring news of her husband to Queen
Penelope. I could then go about among the suitors and see if out
of all their abundance they will give me a dinner. I should soon
make them an excellent servant in all sorts of ways. Listen and
believe when I tell you that by the blessing of Mercury who
gives grace and good name to the works of all men, there is no
one living who would make a more handy servant than I should--to
put fresh wood on the fire, chop fuel, carve, cook, pour out
wine, and do all those services that poor men have to do for
their betters."
The swineherd was very much disturbed when he heard this.
"Heaven help me," he exclaimed, "what ever can have put such a
notion as that into your head? If you go near the suitors you
will be undone to a certainty, for their pride and insolence
reach the very heavens. They would never think of taking a man
like you for a servant. Their servants are all young men, well
dressed, wearing good cloaks and shirts, with well looking faces
and their hair always tidy, the tables are kept quite clean and
are loaded with bread, meat, and wine. Stay where you are, then;
you are not in anybody's way; I do not mind your being here, no
more do any of the others, and when Telemachus comes home he
will give you a shirt and cloak and will send you wherever you
want to go."
Ulysses answered, "I hope you may be as dear to the gods as you
are to me, for having saved me from going about and getting into
trouble; there is nothing worse than being always on the tramp;
still, when men have once got low down in the world they will go
through a great deal on behalf of their miserable bellies.
Since, however, you press me to stay here and await the return
of Telemachus, tell me about Ulysses' mother, and his father
whom he left on the threshold of old age when he set out for
Troy. Are they still living or are they already dead and in the
house of Hades?"
"I will tell you all about them," replied Eumaeus, "Laertes is
still living and prays heaven to let him depart peacefully in
his own house, for he is terribly distressed about the absence
of his son, and also about the death of his wife, which grieved
him greatly and aged him more than anything else did. She came
to an unhappy end {133} through sorrow for her son: may no
friend or neighbour who has dealt kindly by me come to such an
end as she did. As long as she was still living, though she was
always grieving, I used to like seeing her and asking her how
she did, for she brought me up along with her daughter Ctimene,
the youngest of her children; we were boy and girl together, and
she made little difference between us. When, however, we both
grew up, they sent Ctimene to Same and received a splendid dowry
for her. As for me, my mistress gave me a good shirt and cloak
with a pair of sandals for my feet, and sent me off into the
country, but she was just as fond of me as ever. This is all
over now. Still it has pleased heaven to prosper my work in the
situation which I now hold. I have enough to eat and drink, and
can find something for any respectable stranger who comes here;
but there is no getting a kind word or deed out of my mistress,
for the house has fallen into the hands of wicked people.
Servants want sometimes to see their mistress and have a talk
with her; they like to have something to eat and drink at the
house, and something too to take back with them into the
country. This is what will keep servants in a good humour."
Ulysses answered, "Then you must have been a very little fellow,
Eumaeus, when you were taken so far away from your home and
parents. Tell me, and tell me true, was the city in which your
father and mother lived sacked and pillaged, or did some enemies
carry you off when you were alone tending sheep or cattle, ship
you off here, and sell you for whatever your master gave them?"
"Stranger," replied Eumaeus, "as regards your question: sit
still, make yourself comfortable, drink your wine, and listen to
me. The nights are now at their longest; there is plenty of time
both for sleeping and sitting up talking together; you ought not
to go to bed till bed time, too much sleep is as bad as too
little; if any one of the others wishes to go to bed let him
leave us and do so; he can then take my master's pigs out when
he has done breakfast in the morning. We too will sit here
eating and drinking in the hut, and telling one another stories
about our misfortunes; for when a man has suffered much, and
been buffeted about in the world, he takes pleasure in recalling
the memory of sorrows that have long gone by. As regards your
question, then, my tale is as follows:
"You may have heard of an island called Syra that lies over
above Ortygia, {134} where the land begins to turn round and
look in another direction. {135} It is not very thickly peopled,
but the soil is good, with much pasture fit for cattle and
sheep, and it abounds with wine and wheat. Dearth never comes
there, nor are the people plagued by any sickness, but when they
grow old Apollo comes with Diana and kills them with his
painless shafts. It contains two communities, and the whole
country is divided between these two. My father Ctesius son of
Ormenus, a man comparable to the gods, reigned over both.
"Now to this place there came some cunning traders from
Phoenicia (for the Phoenicians are great mariners) in a ship
which they had freighted with gewgaws of all kinds. There
happened to be a Phoenician woman in my father's house, very
tall and comely, and an excellent servant; these scoundrels got
hold of her one day when she was washing near their ship,
seduced her, and cajoled her in ways that no woman can resist,
no matter how good she may be by nature. The man who had seduced
her asked her who she was and where she came from, and on this
she told him her father's name. 'I come from Sidon,' said she,
'and am daughter to Arybas, a man rolling in wealth. One day as
I was coming into the town from the country, some Taphian
pirates seized me and took me here over the sea, where they sold
me to the man who owns this house, and he gave them their price
for me.'
"The man who had seduced her then said, 'Would you like to come
along with us to see the house of your parents and your parents
themselves? They are both alive and are said to be well off.'
"'I will do so gladly,' answered she, 'if you men will first
swear me a solemn oath that you will do me no harm by the way.'
"They all swore as she told them, and when they had completed
their oath the woman said, 'Hush; and if any of your men meets
me in the street or at the well, do not let him speak to me, for
fear some one should go and tell my master, in which case he
would suspect something. He would put me in prison, and would
have all of you murdered; keep your own counsel therefore; buy
your merchandise as fast as you can, and send me word when you
have done loading. I will bring as much gold as I can lay my
hands on, and there is something else also that I can do towards
paying my fare. I am nurse to the son of the good man of the
house, a funny little fellow just able to run about. I will
carry him off in your ship, and you will get a great deal of
money for him if you take him and sell him in foreign parts.'
"On this she went back to the house. The Phoenicians stayed a
whole year till they had loaded their ship with much precious
merchandise, and then, when they had got freight enough, they
sent to tell the woman. Their messenger, a very cunning fellow,
came to my father's house bringing a necklace of gold with amber
beads strung among it; and while my mother and the servants had
it in their hands admiring it and bargaining about it, he made a
sign quietly to the woman and then went back to the ship,
whereon she took me by the hand and led me out of the house. In
the fore part of the house she saw the tables set with the cups
of guests who had been feasting with my father, as being in
attendance on him; these were now all gone to a meeting of the
public assembly, so she snatched up three cups and carried them
off in the bosom of her dress, while I followed her, for I knew
no better. The sun was now set, and darkness was over all the
land, so we hurried on as fast as we could till we reached the
harbour, where the Phoenician ship was lying. When they had got
on board they sailed their ways over the sea, taking us with
them, and Jove sent then a fair wind; six days did we sail both
night and day, but on the seventh day Diana struck the woman and
she fell heavily down into the ship's hold as though she were a
sea gull alighting on the water; so they threw her overboard to
the seals and fishes, and I was left all sorrowful and alone.
Presently the winds and waves took the ship to Ithaca, where
Laertes gave sundry of his chattels for me, and thus it was that
ever I came to set eyes upon this country."
Ulysses answered, "Eumaeus, I have heard the story of your
misfortunes with the most lively interest and pity, but Jove has
given you good as well as evil, for in spite of everything you
have a good master, who sees that you always have enough to eat
and drink; and you lead a good life, whereas I am still going
about begging my way from city to city."
Thus did they converse, and they had only a very little time
left for sleep, for it was soon daybreak. In the mean time
Telemachus and his crew were nearing land, so they loosed the
sails, took down the mast, and rowed the ship into the harbour.
{136} They cast out their mooring stones and made fast the
hawsers; they then got out upon the sea shore, mixed their wine,
and got dinner ready. As soon as they had had enough to eat and
drink Telemachus said, "Take the ship on to the town, but leave
me here, for I want to look after the herdsmen on one of my
farms. In the evening, when I have seen all I want, I will come
down to the city, and to-morrow morning in return for your
trouble I will give you all a good dinner with meat and wine."
{137}
Then Theoclymenus said, 'And what, my dear young friend, is to
become of me? To whose house, among all your chief men, am I to
repair? or shall I go straight to your own house and to your
mother?"
"At any other time," replied Telemachus, "I should have bidden
you go to my own house, for you would find no want of
hospitality; at the present moment, however, you would not be
comfortable there, for I shall be away, and my mother will not
see you; she does not often show herself even to the suitors,
but sits at her loom weaving in an upper chamber, out of their
way; but I can tell you a man whose house you can go to--I mean
Eurymachus the son of Polybus, who is held in the highest
estimation by every one in Ithaca. He is much the best man and
the most persistent wooer, of all those who are paying court to
my mother and trying to take Ulysses' place. Jove, however, in
heaven alone knows whether or no they will come to a bad end
before the marriage takes place."
As he was speaking a bird flew by upon his right hand--a hawk,
Apollo's messenger. It held a dove in its talons, and the
feathers, as it tore them off, {138} fell to the ground midway
between Telemachus and the ship. On this Theoclymenus called him
apart and caught him by the hand. "Telemachus," said he, "that
bird did not fly on your right hand without having been sent
there by some god. As soon as I saw it I knew it was an omen; it
means that you will remain powerful and that there will be no
house in Ithaca more royal than your own."
"I wish it may prove so," answered Telemachus. "If it does, I
will show you so much good will and give you so many presents
that all who meet you will congratulate you."
Then he said to his friend Piraeus, "Piraeus, son of Clytius,
you have throughout shown yourself the most willing to serve me
of all those who have accompanied me to Pylos; I wish you would
take this stranger to your own house and entertain him
hospitably till I can come for him."
And Piraeus answered, "Telemachus, you may stay away as long as
you please, but I will look after him for you, and he shall find
no lack of hospitality."
As he spoke he went on board, and bade the others do so also and
loose the hawsers, so they took their places in the ship. But
Telemachus bound on his sandals, and took a long and doughty
spear with a head of sharpened bronze from the deck of the ship.
Then they loosed the hawsers, thrust the ship off from land, and
made on towards the city as they had been told to do, while
Telemachus strode on as fast as he could, till he reached the
homestead where his countless herds of swine were feeding, and
where dwelt the excellent swineherd, who was so devoted a
servant to his master.
Book XVI
ULYSSES REVEALS HIMSELF TO TELEMACHUS.
Meanwhile Ulysses and the swineherd had lit a fire in the hut
and were were getting breakfast ready at daybreak, for they had
sent the men out with the pigs. When Telemachus came up, the
dogs did not bark but fawned upon him, so Ulysses, hearing the
sound of feet and noticing that the dogs did not bark, said to
Eumaeus:
"Eumaeus, I hear footsteps; I suppose one of your men or some
one of your acquaintance is coming here, for the dogs are
fawning upon him and not barking."
The words were hardly out of his mouth before his son stood at
the door. Eumaeus sprang to his feet, and the bowls in which he
was mixing wine fell from his hands, as he made towards his
master. He kissed his head and both his beautiful eyes, and wept
for joy. A father could not be more delighted at the return of
an only son, the child of his old age, after ten years' absence
in a foreign country and after having gone through much
hardship. He embraced him, kissed him all over as though he had
come back from the dead, and spoke fondly to him saying:
"So you are come, Telemachus, light of my eyes that you are.
When I heard you had gone to Pylos I made sure I was never going
to see you any more. Come in, my dear child, and sit down, that
I may have a good look at you now you are home again; it is not
very often you come into the country to see us herdsmen; you
stick pretty close to the town generally. I suppose you think it
better to keep an eye on what the suitors are doing."
"So be it, old friend," answered Telemachus, "but I am come now
because I want to see you, and to learn whether my mother is
still at her old home or whether some one else has married her,
so that the bed of Ulysses is without bedding and covered with
cobwebs."
"She is still at the house," replied Eumaeus, "grieving and
breaking her heart, and doing nothing but weep, both night and
day continually."
As he spoke he took Telemachus' spear, whereon he crossed the
stone threshold and came inside. Ulysses rose from his seat to
give him place as he entered, but Telemachus checked him; "Sit
down, stranger," said he, "I can easily find another seat, and
there is one here who will lay it for me."
Ulysses went back to his own place, and Eumaeus strewed some
green brushwood on the floor and threw a sheepskin on top of it
for Telemachus to sit upon. Then the swineherd brought them
platters of cold meat, the remains from what they had eaten the
day before, and he filled the bread baskets with bread as fast
as he could. He mixed wine also in bowls of ivy-wood, and took
his seat facing Ulysses. Then they laid their hands on the good
things that were before them, and as soon as they had had enough
to eat and drink Telemachus said to Eumaeus, "Old friend, where
does this stranger come from? How did his crew bring him to
Ithaca, and who were they?--for assuredly he did not come here
by land."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "My son, I will tell
you the real truth. He says he is a Cretan, and that he has been
a great traveller. At this moment he is running away from a
Thesprotian ship, and has taken refuge at my station, so I will
put him into your hands. Do whatever you like with him, only
remember that he is your suppliant."
"I am very much distressed," said Telemachus, "by what you have
just told me. How can I take this stranger into my house? I am
as yet young, and am not strong enough to hold my own if any man
attacks me. My mother cannot make up her mind whether to stay
where she is and look after the house out of respect for public
opinion and the memory of her husband, or whether the time is
now come for her to take the best man of those who are wooing
her, and the one who will make her the most advantageous offer;
still, as the stranger has come to your station I will find him
a cloak and shirt of good wear, with a sword and sandals, and
will send him wherever he wants to go. Or if you like you can
keep him here at the station, and I will send him clothes and
food that he may be no burden on you and on your men; but I will
not have him go near the suitors, for they are very insolent,
and are sure to ill treat him in a way that would greatly grieve
me; no matter how valiant a man may be he can do nothing against
numbers, for they will be too strong for him."
Then Ulysses said, "Sir, it is right that I should say something
myself. I am much shocked about what you have said about the
insolent way in which the suitors are behaving in despite of
such a man as you are. Tell me, do you submit to such treatment
tamely, or has some god set your people against you? May you not
complain of your brothers--for it is to these that a man may
look for support, however great his quarrel may be? I wish I
were as young as you are and in my present mind; if I were son
to Ulysses, or, indeed, Ulysses himself, I would rather some one
came and cut my head off, but I would go to the house and be the
bane of every one of these men. {139} If they were too many for
me--I being single-handed--I would rather die fighting in my own
house than see such disgraceful sights day after day, strangers
grossly maltreated, and men dragging the women servants about
the house in an unseemly way, wine drawn recklessly, and bread
wasted all to no purpose for an end that shall never be
accomplished."
And Telemachus answered, "I will tell you truly everything.
There is no emnity between me and my people, nor can I complain
of brothers, to whom a man may look for support however great
his quarrel may be. Jove has made us a race of only sons.
Laertes was the only son of Arceisius, and Ulysses only son of
Laertes. I am myself the only son of Ulysses who left me behind
him when he went away, so that I have never been of any use to
him. Hence it comes that my house is in the hands of numberless
marauders; for the chiefs from all the neighbouring islands,
Dulichium, Same, Zacynthus, as also all the principal men of
Ithaca itself, are eating up my house under the pretext of
paying court to my mother, who will neither say point blank that
she will not marry, nor yet bring matters to an end, so they are
making havoc of my estate, and before long will do so with
myself into the bargain. The issue, however, rests with heaven.
But do you, old friend Eumaeus, go at once and tell Penelope
that I am safe and have returned from Pylos. Tell it to herself
alone, and then come back here without letting any one else
know, for there are many who are plotting mischief against me."
"I understand and heed you," replied Eumaeus; "you need instruct
me no further, only as I am going that way say whether I had not
better let poor Laertes know that you are returned. He used to
superintend the work on his farm in spite of his bitter sorrow
about Ulysses, and he would eat and drink at will along with his
servants; but they tell me that from the day on which you set
out for Pylos he has neither eaten nor drunk as he ought to do,
nor does he look after his farm, but sits weeping and wasting
the flesh from off his bones."
"More's the pity," answered Telemachus, "I am sorry for him, but
we must leave him to himself just now. If people could have
everything their own way, the first thing I should choose would
be the return of my father; but go, and give your message; then
make haste back again, and do not turn out of your way to tell
Laertes. Tell my mother to send one of her women secretly with
the news at once, and let him hear it from her."
Thus did he urge the swineherd; Eumaeus, therefore, took his
sandals, bound them to his feet, and started for the town.
Minerva watched him well off the station, and then came up to it
in the form of a woman--fair, stately, and wise. She stood
against the side of the entry, and revealed herself to Ulysses,
but Telemachus could not see her, and knew not that she was
there, for the gods do not let themselves be seen by everybody.
Ulysses saw her, and so did the dogs, for they did not bark, but
went scared and whining off to the other side of the yards. She
nodded her head and motioned to Ulysses with her eyebrows;
whereon he left the hut and stood before her outside the main
wall of the yards. Then she said to him:
"Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, it is now time for you to tell
your son: do not keep him in the dark any longer, but lay your
plans for the destruction of the suitors, and then make for the
town. I will not be long in joining you, for I too am eager for
the fray."
As she spoke she touched him with her golden wand. First she
threw a fair clean shirt and cloak about his shoulders; then she
made him younger and of more imposing presence; she gave him
back his colour, filled out his cheeks, and let his beard become
dark again. Then she went away and Ulysses came back inside the
hut. His son was astounded when he saw him, and turned his eyes
away for fear he might be looking upon a god.
"Stranger," said he, "how suddenly you have changed from what
you were a moment or two ago. You are dressed differently and
your colour is not the same. Are you some one or other of the
gods that live in heaven? If so, be propitious to me till I can
make you due sacrifice and offerings of wrought gold. Have mercy
upon me."
And Ulysses said, "I am no god, why should you take me for one?
I am your father, on whose account you grieve and suffer so much
at the hands of lawless men."
As he spoke he kissed his son, and a tear fell from his cheek on
to the ground, for he had restrained all tears till now. But
Telemachus could not yet believe that it was his father, and
said:
"You are not my father, but some god is flattering me with vain
hopes that I may grieve the more hereafter; no mortal man could
of himself contrive to do as you have been doing, and make
yourself old and young at a moment's notice, unless a god were
with him. A second ago you were old and all in rags, and now you
are like some god come down from heaven."
Ulysses answered, "Telemachus, you ought not to be so
immeasurably astonished at my being really here. There is no
other Ulysses who will come hereafter. Such as I am, it is I,
who after long wandering and much hardship have got home in the
twentieth year to my own country. What you wonder at is the work
of the redoubtable goddess Minerva, who does with me whatever
she will, for she can do what she pleases. At one moment she
makes me like a beggar, and the next I am a young man with good
clothes on my back; it is an easy matter for the gods who live
in heaven to make any man look either rich or poor."
As he spoke he sat down, and Telemachus threw his arms about his
father and wept. They were both so much moved that they cried
aloud like eagles or vultures with crooked talons that have been
robbed of their half fledged young by peasants. Thus piteously
did they weep, and the sun would have gone down upon their
mourning if Telemachus had not suddenly said, "In what ship, my
dear father, did your crew bring you to Ithaca? Of what nation
did they declare themselves to be--for you cannot have come by
land?"
"I will tell you the truth, my son," replied Ulysses. "It was
the Phaeacians who brought me here. They are great sailors, and
are in the habit of giving escorts to any one who reaches their
coasts. They took me over the sea while I was fast asleep, and
landed me in Ithaca, after giving me many presents in bronze,
gold, and raiment. These things by heaven's mercy are lying
concealed in a cave, and I am now come here on the suggestion of
Minerva that we may consult about killing our enemies. First,
therefore, give me a list of the suitors, with their number,
that I may learn who, and how many, they are. I can then turn
the matter over in my mind, and see whether we two can fight the
whole body of them ourselves, or whether we must find others to
help us."
To this Telemachus answered, "Father, I have always heard of
your renown both in the field and in council, but the task you
talk of is a very great one: I am awed at the mere thought of
it; two men cannot stand against many and brave ones. There are
not ten suitors only, nor twice ten, but ten many times over;
you shall learn their number at once. There are fifty-two chosen
youths from Dulichium, and they have six servants; from Same
there are twenty-four; twenty young Achaeans from Zacynthus, and
twelve from Ithaca itself, all of them well born. They have with
them a servant Medon, a bard, and two men who can carve at
table. If we face such numbers as this, you may have bitter
cause to rue your coming, and your revenge. See whether you
cannot think of some one who would be willing to come and help
us."
"Listen to me," replied Ulysses, "and think whether Minerva and
her father Jove may seem sufficient, or whether I am to try and
find some one else as well."
"Those whom you have named," answered Telemachus, "are a couple
of good allies, for though they dwell high up among the clouds
they have power over both gods and men."
"These two," continued Ulysses, "will not keep long out of the
fray, when the suitors and we join fight in my house. Now,
therefore, return home early to-morrow morning, and go about
among the suitors as before. Later on the swineherd will bring
me to the city disguised as a miserable old beggar. If you see
them ill treating me, steel your heart against my sufferings;
even though they drag me feet foremost out of the house, or
throw things at me, look on and do nothing beyond gently trying
to make them behave more reasonably; but they will not listen to
you, for the day of their reckoning is at hand. Furthermore I
say, and lay my saying to your heart; when Minerva shall put it
in my mind, I will nod my head to you, and on seeing me do this
you must collect all the armour that is in the house and hide it
in the strong store room. Make some excuse when the suitors ask
you why you are removing it; say that you have taken it to be
out of the way of the smoke, inasmuch as it is no longer what it
was when Ulysses went away, but has become soiled and begrimed
with soot. Add to this more particularly that you are afraid
Jove may set them on to quarrel over their wine, and that they
may do each other some harm which may disgrace both banquet and
wooing, for the sight of arms sometimes tempts people to use
them. But leave a sword and a spear apiece for yourself and me,
and a couple of oxhide shields so that we can snatch them up at
any moment; Jove and Minerva will then soon quiet these people.
There is also another matter; if you are indeed my son and my
blood runs in your veins, let no one know that Ulysses is within
the house--neither Laertes, nor yet the swineherd, nor any of
the servants, nor even Penelope herself. Let you and me exploit
the women alone, and let us also make trial of some other of the
men servants, to see who is on our side and whose hand is
against us."
"Father," replied Telemachus, "you will come to know me by and
by, and when you do you will find that I can keep your counsel.
I do not think, however, the plan you propose will turn out well
for either of us. Think it over. It will take us a long time to
go the round of the farms and exploit the men, and all the time
the suitors will be wasting your estate with impunity and
without compunction. Prove the women by all means, to see who
are disloyal and who guiltless, but I am not in favour of going
round and trying the men. We can attend to that later on, if you
really have some sign from Jove that he will support you."
Thus did they converse, and meanwhile the ship which had brought
Telemachus and his crew from Pylos had reached the town of
Ithaca. When they had come inside the harbour they drew the ship
on to the land; their servants came and took their armour from
them, and they left all the presents at the house of Clytius.
Then they sent a servant to tell Penelope that Telemachus had
gone into the country, but had sent the ship to the town to
prevent her from being alarmed and made unhappy. This servant
and Eumaeus happened to meet when they were both on the same
errand of going to tell Penelope. When they reached the House,
the servant stood up and said to the queen in the presence of
the waiting women, "Your son, Madam, is now returned from
Pylos"; but Eumaeus went close up to Penelope, and said
privately all that her son had bidden him tell her. When he had
given his message he left the house with its outbuildings and
went back to his pigs again.
The suitors were surprised and angry at what had happened, so
they went outside the great wall that ran round the outer court,
and held a council near the main entrance. Eurymachus, son of
Polybus, was the first to speak.
"My friends," said he, "this voyage of Telemachus's is a very
serious matter; we had made sure that it would come to nothing.
Now, however, let us draw a ship into the water, and get a crew
together to send after the others and tell them to come back as
fast as they can."
He had hardly done speaking when Amphinomus turned in his place
and saw the ship inside the harbour, with the crew lowering her
sails, and putting by their oars; so he laughed, and said to the
others, "We need not send them any message, for they are here.
Some god must have told them, or else they saw the ship go by,
and could not overtake her."
On this they rose and went to the water side. The crew then drew
the ship on shore; their servants took their armour from them,
and they went up in a body to the place of assembly, but they
would not let any one old or young sit along with them, and
Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke first.
"Good heavens," said he, "see how the gods have saved this man
from destruction. We kept a succession of scouts upon the
headlands all day long, and when the sun was down we never went
on shore to sleep, but waited in the ship all night till morning
in the hope of capturing and killing him; but some god has
conveyed him home in spite of us. Let us consider how we can
make an end of him. He must not escape us; our affair is never
likely to come off while is alive, for he is very shrewd, and
public feeling is by no means all on our side. We must make
haste before he can call the Achaeans in assembly; he will lose
no time in doing so, for he will be furious with us, and will
tell all the world how we plotted to kill him, but failed to
take him. The people will not like this when they come to know
of it; we must see that they do us no hurt, nor drive us from
our own country into exile. Let us try and lay hold of him
either on his farm away from the town, or on the road hither.
Then we can divide up his property amongst us, and let his
mother and the man who marries her have the house. If this does
not please you, and you wish Telemachus to live on and hold his
father's property, then we must not gather here and eat up his
goods in this way, but must make our offers to Penelope each
from his own house, and she can marry the man who will give the
most for her, and whose lot it is to win her."
They all held their peace until Amphinomus rose to speak. He
was the son of Nisus, who was son to king Aretias, and he was
foremost among all the suitors from the wheat-growing and well
grassed island of Dulichium; his conversation, moreover, was
more agreeable to Penelope than that of any of the other
suitors, for he was a man of good natural disposition. "My
friends," said he, speaking to them plainly and in all honestly,
"I am not in favour of killing Telemachus. It is a heinous thing
to kill one who is of noble blood. Let us first take counsel of
the gods, and if the oracles of Jove advise it, I will both help
to kill him myself, and will urge everyone else to do so; but if
they dissuade us, I would have you hold your hands."
Thus did he speak, and his words pleased them well, so they rose
forthwith and went to the house of Ulysses, where they took
their accustomed seats.
Then Penelope resolved that she would show herself to the
suitors. She knew of the plot against Telemachus, for the
servant Medon had overheard their counsels and had told her; she
went down therefore to the court attended by her maidens, and
when she reached the suitors she stood by one of the
bearing-posts supporting the roof of the cloister holding a veil
before her face, and rebuked Antinous saying:
"Antinous, insolent and wicked schemer, they say you are the
best speaker and counsellor of any man your own age in Ithaca,
but you are nothing of the kind. Madman, why should you try to
compass the death of Telemachus, and take no heed of suppliants,
whose witness is Jove himself? It is not right for you to plot
thus against one another. Do you not remember how your father
fled to this house in fear of the people, who were enraged
against him for having gone with some Taphian pirates and
plundered the Thesprotians who were at peace with us? They
wanted to tear him in pieces and eat up everything he had, but
Ulysses stayed their hands although they were infuriated, and
now you devour his property without paying for it, and break my
heart by wooing his wife and trying to kill his son. Leave off
doing so, and stop the others also."
To this Eurymachus son of Polybus answered, "Take heart, Queen
Penelope daughter of Icarius, and do not trouble yourself about
these matters. The man is not yet born, nor never will be, who
shall lay hands upon your son Telemachus, while I yet live to
look upon the face of the earth. I say--and it shall surely
be--that my spear shall be reddened with his blood; for many a
time has Ulysses taken me on his knees, held wine up to my lips
to drink, and put pieces of meat into my hands. Therefore
Telemachus is much the dearest friend I have, and has nothing to
fear from the hands of us suitors. Of course, if death comes to
him from the gods, he cannot escape it." He said this to quiet
her, but in reality he was plotting against Telemachus.
Then Penelope went upstairs again and mourned her husband till
Minerva shed sleep over her eyes. In the evening Eumaeus got
back to Ulysses and his son, who had just sacrificed a young pig
of a year old and were helping one another to get supper ready;
Minerva therefore came up to Ulysses, turned him into an old man
with a stroke of her wand, and clad him in his old clothes
again, for fear that the swineherd might recognise him and not
keep the secret, but go and tell Penelope.
Telemachus was the first to speak. "So you have got back,
Eumaeus," said he. "What is the news of the town? Have the
suitors returned, or are they still waiting over yonder, to take
me on my way home?"
"I did not think of asking about that," replied Eumaeus, "when I
was in the town. I thought I would give my message and come back
as soon as I could. I met a man sent by those who had gone with
you to Pylos, and he was the first to tell the news to your
mother, but I can say what I saw with my own eyes; I had just
got on to the crest of the hill of Mercury above the town when I
saw a ship coming into harbour with a number of men in her. They
had many shields and spears, and I thought it was the suitors,
but I cannot be sure."
On hearing this Telemachus smiled to his father, but so that
Eumaeus could not see him.
Then, when they had finished their work and the meal was ready,
they ate it, and every man had his full share so that all were
satisfied. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, they
laid down to rest and enjoyed the boon of sleep.
Book XVII
TELEMACHUS AND HIS MOTHER MEET--ULYSSES AND EUMAEUS COME DOWN TO
THE TOWN, AND ULYSSES IS INSULTED BY MELANTHIUS--HE IS
RECOGNISED BY THE DOG ARGOS--HE IS INSULTED AND PRESENTLY STRUCK
BY ANTINOUS WITH A STOOL--PENELOPE DESIRES THAT HE SHALL BE SENT
TO HER.
When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared,
Telemachus bound on his sandals and took a strong spear that
suited his hands, for he wanted to go into the city. "Old
friend," said he to the swineherd, "I will now go to the town
and show myself to my mother, for she will never leave off
grieving till she has seen me. As for this unfortunate stranger,
take him to the town and let him beg there of any one who will
give him a drink and a piece of bread. I have trouble enough of
my own, and cannot be burdened with other people. If this makes
him angry so much the worse for him, but I like to say what I
mean."
Then Ulysses said, "Sir, I do not want to stay here; a beggar
can always do better in town than country, for any one who likes
can give him something. I am too old to care about remaining
here at the beck and call of a master. Therefore let this man
do as you have just told him, and take me to the town as soon as
I have had a warm by the fire, and the day has got a little heat
in it. My clothes are wretchedly thin, and this frosty morning I
shall be perished with cold, for you say the city is some way
off."
On this Telemachus strode off through the yards, brooding his
revenge upon the suitors. When he reached home he stood his
spear against a bearing-post of the cloister, crossed the stone
floor of the cloister itself, and went inside.
Nurse Euryclea saw him long before any one else did. She was
putting the fleeces on to the seats, and she burst out crying as
she ran up to him; all the other maids came up too, and covered
his head and shoulders with their kisses. Penelope came out of
her room looking like Diana or Venus, and wept as she flung her
arms about her son. She kissed his forehead and both his
beautiful eyes, "Light of my eyes," she cried as she spoke
fondly to him, "so you are come home again; I made sure I was
never going to see you any more. To think of your having gone
off to Pylos without saying anything about it or obtaining my
consent. But come, tell me what you saw."
"Do not scold me, mother,' answered Telemachus, "nor vex me,
seeing what a narrow escape I have had, but wash your face,
change your dress, go upstairs with your maids, and promise full
and sufficient hecatombs to all the gods if Jove will only grant
us our revenge upon the suitors. I must now go to the place of
assembly to invite a stranger who has come back with me from
Pylos. I sent him on with my crew, and told Piraeus to take him
home and look after him till I could come for him myself."
She heeded her son's words, washed her face, changed her dress,
and vowed full and sufficient hecatombs to all the gods if they
would only vouchsafe her revenge upon the suitors.
Telemachus went through, and out of, the cloisters spear in
hand--not alone, for his two fleet dogs went with him. Minerva
endowed him with a presence of such divine comeliness that all
marvelled at him as he went by, and the suitors gathered round
him with fair words in their mouths and malice in their hearts;
but he avoided them, and went to sit with Mentor, Antiphus, and
Halitherses, old friends of his father's house, and they made
him tell them all that had happened to him. Then Piraeus came up
with Theoclymenus, whom he had escorted through the town to the
place of assembly, whereon Telemachus at once joined them.
Piraeus was first to speak: "Telemachus," said he, "I wish you
would send some of your women to my house to take away the
presents Menelaus gave you."
"We do not know, Piraeus," answered Telemachus, "what may
happen. If the suitors kill me in my own house and divide my
property among them, I would rather you had the presents than
that any of those people should get hold of them. If on the
other hand I managed to kill them, I shall be much obliged if
you will kindly bring me my presents."
With these words he took Theoclymenus to his own house. When
they got there they laid their cloaks on the benches and seats,
went into the baths, and washed themselves. When the maids had
washed and anointed them, and had given them cloaks and shirts,
they took their seats at table. A maid servant then brought them
water in a beautiful golden ewer, and poured it into a silver
basin for them to wash their hands; and she drew a clean table
beside them. An upper servant brought them bread and offered
them many good things of what there was in the house. Opposite
them sat Penelope, reclining on a couch by one of the
bearing-posts of the cloister, and spinning. Then they laid
their hands on the good things that were before them, and as
soon as they had had enough to eat and drink Penelope said:
"Telemachus, I shall go upstairs and lie down on that sad couch,
which I have not ceased to water with my tears, from the day
Ulysses set out for Troy with the sons of Atreus. You failed,
however, to make it clear to me before the suitors came back to
the house, whether or no you had been able to hear anything
about the return of your father."
"I will tell you then truth," replied her son. "We went to Pylos
and saw Nestor, who took me to his house and treated me as
hospitably as though I were a son of his own who had just
returned after a long absence; so also did his sons; but he said
he had not heard a word from any human being about Ulysses,
whether he was alive or dead. He sent me, therefore, with a
chariot and horses to Menelaus. There I saw Helen, for whose
sake so many, both Argives and Trojans, were in heaven's wisdom
doomed to suffer. Menelaus asked me what it was that had
brought me to Lacedaemon, and I told him the whole truth,
whereon he said, 'So, then, these cowards would usurp a brave
man's bed? A hind might as well lay her new-born young in the
lair of a lion, and then go off to feed in the forest or in some
grassy dell. The lion, when he comes back to his lair, will make
short work with the pair of them, and so will Ulysses with these
suitors. By father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo, if Ulysses is
still the man that he was when he wrestled with Philomeleides in
Lesbos, and threw him so heavily that all the Greeks cheered
him--if he is still such, and were to come near these suitors,
they would have a short shrift and a sorry wedding. As regards
your question, however, I will not prevaricate nor deceive you,
but what the old man of the sea told me, so much will I tell you
in full. He said he could see Ulysses on an island sorrowing
bitterly in the house of the nymph Calypso, who was keeping him
prisoner, and he could not reach his home, for he had no ships
nor sailors to take him over the sea.' This was what Menelaus
told me, and when I had heard his story I came away; the gods
then gave me a fair wind and soon brought me safe home again."
With these words he moved the heart of Penelope. Then
Theoclymenus said to her:
"Madam, wife of Ulysses, Telemachus does not understand these
things; listen therefore to me, for I can divine them surely,
and will hide nothing from you. May Jove the king of heaven be
my witness, and the rites of hospitality, with that hearth of
Ulysses to which I now come, that Ulysses himself is even now in
Ithaca, and, either going about the country or staying in one
place, is enquiring into all these evil deeds and preparing a
day of reckoning for the suitors. I saw an omen when I was on
the ship which meant this, and I told Telemachus about it."
"May it be even so," answered Penelope; "if your words come
true, you shall have such gifts and such good will from me that
all who see you shall congratulate you."
Thus did they converse. Meanwhile the suitors were throwing
discs, or aiming with spears at a mark on the levelled ground in
front of the house, and behaving with all their old insolence.
But when it was now time for dinner, and the flock of sheep and
goats had come into the town from all the country round, {140}
with their shepherds as usual, then Medon, who was their
favourite servant, and who waited upon them at table, said, "Now
then, my young masters, you have had enough sport, so come
inside that we may get dinner ready. Dinner is not a bad thing,
at dinner time."
They left their sports as he told them, and when they were
within the house, they laid their cloaks on the benches and
seats inside, and then sacrificed some sheep, goats, pigs, and a
heifer, all of them fat and well grown. {141} Thus they made
ready for their meal. In the meantime Ulysses and the swineherd
were about starting for the town, and the swineherd said,
"Stranger, I suppose you still want to go to town to-day, as my
master said you were to do; for my own part I should have liked
you to stay here as a station hand, but I must do as my master
tells me, or he will scold me later on, and a scolding from
one's master is a very serious thing. Let us then be off, for it
is now broad day; it will be night again directly and then you
will find it colder." {142}
"I know, and understand you," replied Ulysses; "you need say no
more. Let us be going, but if you have a stick ready cut, let me
have it to walk with, for you say the road is a very rough one."
As he spoke he threw his shabby old tattered wallet over his
shoulders, by the cord from which it hung, and Eumaeus gave him
a stick to his liking. The two then started, leaving the station
in charge of the dogs and herdsmen who remained behind; the
swineherd led the way and his master followed after, looking
like some broken down old tramp as he leaned upon his staff, and
his clothes were all in rags. When they had got over the rough
steep ground and were nearing the city, they reached the
fountain from which the citizens drew their water. This had been
made by Ithacus, Neritus, and Polyctor. There was a grove of
water-loving poplars planted in a circle all round it, and the
clear cold water came down to it from a rock high up, {143}
while above the fountain there was an altar to the nymphs, at
which all wayfarers used to sacrifice. Here Melanthius son of
Dolius overtook them as he was driving down some goats, the best
in his flock, for the suitors' dinner, and there were two
shepherds with him. When he saw Eumaeus and Ulysses he reviled
them with outrageous and unseemly language, which made Ulysses
very angry.
"There you go," cried he, "and a precious pair you are. See how
heaven brings birds of the same feather to one another. Where,
pray, master swineherd, are you taking this poor miserable
object? It would make any one sick to see such a creature at
table. A fellow like this never won a prize for anything in his
life, but will go about rubbing his shoulders against every
man's door post, and begging, not for swords and cauldrons {144}
like a man, but only for a few scraps not worth begging for. If
you would give him to me for a hand on my station, he might do
to clean out the folds, or bring a bit of sweet feed to the
kids, and he could fatten his thighs as much as he pleased on
whey; but he has taken to bad ways and will not go about any
kind of work; he will do nothing but beg victuals all the town
over, to feed his insatiable belly. I say, therefore--and it
shall surely be--if he goes near Ulysses' house he will get his
head broken by the stools they will fling at him, till they turn
him out."
On this, as he passed, he gave Ulysses a kick on the hip out of
pure wantonness, but Ulysses stood firm, and did not budge from
the path. For a moment he doubted whether or no to fly at
Melanthius and kill him with his staff, or fling him to the
ground and beat his brains out; he resolved, however, to endure
it and keep himself in check, but the swineherd looked straight
at Melanthius and rebuked him, lifting up his hands and praying
to heaven as he did so.
"Fountain nymphs," he cried, "children of Jove, if ever Ulysses
burned you thigh bones covered with fat whether of lambs or
kids, grant my prayer that heaven may send him home. He would
soon put an end to the swaggering threats with which such men as
you go about insulting people--gadding all over the town while
your flocks are going to ruin through bad shepherding."
Then Melanthius the goatherd answered, "You ill conditioned cur,
what are you talking about? Some day or other I will put you on
board ship and take you to a foreign country, where I can sell
you and pocket the money you will fetch. I wish I were as sure
that Apollo would strike Telemachus dead this very day, or that
the suitors would kill him, as I am that Ulysses will never come
home again."
With this he left them to come on at their leisure, while he
went quickly forward and soon reached the house of his master.
When he got there he went in and took his seat among the suitors
opposite Eurymachus, who liked him better than any of the
others. The servants brought him a portion of meat, and an upper
woman servant set bread before him that he might eat. Presently
Ulysses and the swineherd came up to the house and stood by it,
amid a sound of music, for Phemius was just beginning to sing to
the suitors. Then Ulysses took hold of the swineherd's hand, and
said:
"Eumaeus, this house of Ulysses is a very fine place. No matter
how far you go, you will find few like it. One building keeps
following on after another. The outer court has a wall with
battlements all round it; the doors are double folding, and of
good workmanship; it would be a hard matter to take it by force
of arms. I perceive, too, that there are many people banqueting
within it, for there is a smell of roast meat, and I hear a
sound of music, which the gods have made to go along with
feasting."
Then Eumaeus said, "You have perceived aright, as indeed you
generally do; but let us think what will be our best course.
Will you go inside first and join the suitors, leaving me here
behind you, or will you wait here and let me go in first? But do
not wait long, or some one may see you loitering about outside,
and throw something at you. Consider this matter I pray you."
And Ulysses answered, "I understand and heed. Go in first and
leave me here where I am. I am quite used to being beaten and
having things thrown at me. I have been so much buffeted about
in war and by sea that I am case-hardened, and this too may go
with the rest. But a man cannot hide away the cravings of a
hungry belly; this is an enemy which gives much trouble to all
men; it is because of this that ships are fitted out to sail the
seas, and to make war upon other people."
As they were thus talking, a dog that had been lying asleep
raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom
Ulysses had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never
had any work out of him. In the old days he used to be taken out
by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or
hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected
on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the
stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure
the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw
Ulysses standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail,
but he could not get close up to his master. When Ulysses saw
the dog on the other side of the yard, he dashed a tear from his
eyes without Eumaeus seeing it, and said:
"Eumaeus, what a noble hound that is over yonder on the manure
heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks,
or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table,
and are kept merely for show?"
"This hound," answered Eumaeus, "belonged to him who has died in
a far country. If he were what he was when Ulysses left for
Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a
wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he
was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil times, for
his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of him.
Servants never do their work when their master's hand is no
longer over them, for Jove takes half the goodness out of a man
when he makes a slave of him."
As he spoke he went inside the buildings to the cloister where
the suitors were, but Argos died as soon as he had recognised
his master.
Telemachus saw Eumaeus long before any one else did, and
beckoned him to come and sit beside him; so he looked about and
saw a seat lying near where the carver sat serving out their
portions to the suitors; he picked it up, brought it to
Telemachus's table, and sat down opposite him. Then the servant
brought him his portion, and gave him bread from the
bread-basket.
Immediately afterwards Ulysses came inside, looking like a poor
miserable old beggar, leaning on his staff and with his clothes
all in rags. He sat down upon the threshold of ash-wood just
inside the doors leading from the outer to the inner court, and
against a bearing-post of cypress-wood which the carpenter had
skilfully planed, and had made to join truly with rule and line.
Telemachus took a whole loaf from the bread-basket, with as much
meat as he could hold in his two hands, and said to Eumaeus,
"Take this to the stranger, and tell him to go the round of the
suitors, and beg from them; a beggar must not be shamefaced."
So Eumaeus went up to him and said, "Stranger, Telemachus sends
you this, and says you are to go the round of the suitors
begging, for beggars must not be shamefaced."
Ulysses answered, "May King Jove grant all happiness to
Telemachus, and fulfil the desire of his heart."
Then with both hands he took what Telemachus had sent him, and
laid it on the dirty old wallet at his feet. He went on eating
it while the bard was singing, and had just finished his dinner
as he left off. The suitors applauded the bard, whereon Minerva
went up to Ulysses and prompted him to beg pieces of bread from
each one of the suitors, that he might see what kind of people
they were, and tell the good from the bad; but come what might
she was not going to save a single one of them. Ulysses,
therefore, went on his round, going from left to right, and
stretched out his hands to beg as though he were a real beggar.
Some of them pitied him, and were curious about him, asking one
another who he was and where he came from; whereon the goatherd
Melanthius said, "Suitors of my noble mistress, I can tell you
something about him, for I have seen him before. The swineherd
brought him here, but I know nothing about the man himself, nor
where he comes from."
On this Antinous began to abuse the swineherd. "You precious
idiot," he cried, "what have you brought this man to town for?
Have we not tramps and beggars enough already to pester us as we
sit at meat? Do you think it a small thing that such people
gather here to waste your master's property--and must you needs
bring this man as well?"
And Eumaeus answered, "Antinous, your birth is good but your
words evil. It was no doing of mine that he came here. Who is
likely to invite a stranger from a foreign country, unless it be
one of those who can do public service as a seer, a healer of
hurts, a carpenter, or a bard who can charm us with his singing?
Such men are welcome all the world over, but no one is likely to
ask a beggar who will only worry him. You are always harder on
Ulysses' servants than any of the other suitors are, and above
all on me, but I do not care so long as Telemachus and Penelope
are alive and here."
But Telemachus said, "Hush, do not answer him; Antinous has the
bitterest tongue of all the suitors, and he makes the others
worse."
Then turning to Antinous he said, "Antinous, you take as much
care of my interests as though I were your son. Why should you
want to see this stranger turned out of the house? Heaven
forbid; take something and give it him yourself; I do not grudge
it; I bid you take it. Never mind my mother, nor any of the
other servants in the house; but I know you will not do what I
say, for you are more fond of eating things yourself than of
giving them to other people."
"What do you mean, Telemachus," replied Antinous, "by this
swaggering talk? If all the suitors were to give him as much as
I will, he would not come here again for another three months."
As he spoke he drew the stool on which he rested his dainty feet
from under the table, and made as though he would throw it at
Ulysses, but the other suitors all gave him something, and
filled his wallet with bread and meat; he was about, therefore,
to go back to the threshold and eat what the suitors had given
him, but he first went up to Antinous and said:
"Sir, give me something; you are not, surely, the poorest man
here; you seem to be a chief, foremost among them all; therefore
you should be the better giver, and I will tell far and wide of
your bounty. I too was a rich man once, and had a fine house of
my own; in those days I gave to many a tramp such as I now am,
no matter who he might be nor what he wanted. I had any number
of servants, and all the other things which people have who live
well and are accounted wealthy, but it pleased Jove to take all
away from me. He sent me with a band of roving robbers to Egypt;
it was a long voyage and I was undone by it. I stationed my
ships in the river Aegyptus, and bade my men stay by them and
keep guard over them, while I sent out scouts to reconnoitre
from every point of vantage.
"But the men disobeyed my orders, took to their own devices, and
ravaged the land of the Egyptians, killing the men, and taking
their wives and children captives. The alarm was soon carried to
the city, and when they heard the war-cry, the people came out
at daybreak till the plain was filled with soldiers horse and
foot, and with the gleam of armour. Then Jove spread panic among
my men, and they would no longer face the enemy, for they found
themselves surrounded. The Egyptians killed many of us, and took
the rest alive to do forced labour for them; as for myself, they
gave me to a friend who met them, to take to Cyprus, Dmetor by
name, son of Iasus, who was a great man in Cyprus. Thence I am
come hither in a state of great misery."
Then Antinous said, "What god can have sent such a pestilence to
plague us during our dinner? Get out, into the open part of the
court, {145} or I will give you Egypt and Cyprus over again for
your insolence and importunity; you have begged of all the
others, and they have given you lavishly, for they have
abundance round them, and it is easy to be free with other
people's property when there is plenty of it."
On this Ulysses began to move off, and said, "Your looks, my
fine sir, are better than your breeding; if you were in your own
house you would not spare a poor man so much as a pinch of salt,
for though you are in another man's, and surrounded with
abundance, you cannot find it in you to give him even a piece of
bread."
This made Antinous very angry, and he scowled at him saying,
"You shall pay for this before you get clear of the court." With
these words he threw a footstool at him, and hit him on the
right shoulder blade near the top of his back. Ulysses stood
firm as a rock and the blow did not even stagger him, but he
shook his head in silence as he brooded on his revenge. Then he
went back to the threshold and sat down there, laying his well
filled wallet at his feet.
"Listen to me," he cried, "you suitors of Queen Penelope, that I
may speak even as I am minded. A man knows neither ache nor pain
if he gets hit while fighting for his money, or for his sheep or
his cattle; and even so Antinous has hit me while in the service
of my miserable belly, which is always getting people into
trouble. Still, if the poor have gods and avenging deities at
all, I pray them that Antinous may come to a bad end before his
marriage."
"Sit where you are, and eat your victuals in silence, or be off
elsewhere," shouted Antinous. "If you say more I will have you
dragged hand and foot through the courts, and the servants shall
flay you alive."
The other suitors were much displeased at this, and one of the
young men said, "Antinous, you did ill in striking that poor
wretch of a tramp: it will be worse for you if he should turn
out to be some god--and we know the gods go about disguised in
all sorts of ways as people from foreign countries, and travel
about the world to see who do amiss and who righteously." {146}
Thus said the suitors, but Antinous paid them no heed.
Meanwhile Telemachus was furious about the blow that had been
given to his father, and though no tear fell from him, he shook
his head in silence and brooded on his revenge.
Now when Penelope heard that the beggar had been struck in the
banqueting-cloister, she said before her maids, "Would that
Apollo would so strike you, Antinous," and her waiting woman
Eurynome answered, "If our prayers were answered not one of the
suitors would ever again see the sun rise." Then Penelope said,
"Nurse, {147} I hate every single one of them, for they mean
nothing but mischief, but I hate Antinous like the darkness of
death itself. A poor unfortunate tramp has come begging about
the house for sheer want. Every one else has given him something
to put in his wallet, but Antinous has hit him on the right
shoulder-blade with a footstool."
Thus did she talk with her maids as she sat in her own room, and
in the meantime Ulysses was getting his dinner. Then she called
for the swineherd and said, "Eumaeus, go and tell the stranger
to come here, I want to see him and ask him some questions. He
seems to have travelled much, and he may have seen or heard
something of my unhappy husband."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "If these Achaeans,
Madam, would only keep quiet, you would be charmed with the
history of his adventures. I had him three days and three nights
with me in my hut, which was the first place he reached after
running away from his ship, and he has not yet completed the
story of his misfortunes. If he had been the most heaven-taught
minstrel in the whole world, on whose lips all hearers hang
entranced, I could not have been more charmed as I sat in my hut
and listened to him. He says there is an old friendship between
his house and that of Ulysses, and that he comes from Crete
where the descendants of Minos live, after having been driven
hither and thither by every kind of misfortune; he also declares
that he has heard of Ulysses as being alive and near at hand
among the Thesprotians, and that he is bringing great wealth
home with him."
"Call him here, then," said Penelope, "that I too may hear his
story. As for the suitors, let them take their pleasure indoors
or out as they will, for they have nothing to fret about. Their
corn and wine remain unwasted in their houses with none but
servants to consume them, while they keep hanging about our
house day after day sacrificing our oxen, sheep, and fat goats
for their banquets, and never giving so much as a thought to the
quantity of wine they drink. No estate can stand such
recklessness, for we have now no Ulysses to protect us. If he
were to come again, he and his son would soon have their
revenge."
As she spoke Telemachus sneezed so loudly that the whole house
resounded with it. Penelope laughed when she heard this, and
said to Eumaeus, "Go and call the stranger; did you not hear how
my son sneezed just as I was speaking? This can only mean that
all the suitors are going to be killed, and that not one of them
shall escape. Furthermore I say, and lay my saying to your
heart: if I am satisfied that the stranger is speaking the truth
I shall give him a shirt and cloak of good wear."
When Eumaeus heard this he went straight to Ulysses and said,
"Father stranger, my mistress Penelope, mother of Telemachus,
has sent for you; she is in great grief, but she wishes to hear
anything you can tell her about her husband, and if she is
satisfied that you are speaking the truth, she will give you a
shirt and cloak, which are the very things that you are most in
want of. As for bread, you can get enough of that to fill your
belly, by begging about the town, and letting those give that
will."
"I will tell Penelope," answered Ulysses, "nothing but what is
strictly true. I know all about her husband, and have been
partner with him in affliction, but I am afraid of passing
through this crowd of cruel suitors, for their pride and
insolence reach heaven. Just now, moreover, as I was going about
the house without doing any harm, a man gave me a blow that hurt
me very much, but neither Telemachus nor any one else defended
me. Tell Penelope, therefore, to be patient and wait till
sundown. Let her give me a seat close up to the fire, for my
clothes are worn very thin--you know they are, for you have seen
them ever since I first asked you to help me--she can then ask
me about the return of her husband."
The swineherd went back when he heard this, and Penelope said as
she saw him cross the threshold, "Why do you not bring him here,
Eumaeus? Is he afraid that some one will ill-treat him, or is he
shy of coming inside the house at all? Beggars should not be
shamefaced."
To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, "The stranger is
quite reasonable. He is avoiding the suitors, and is only doing
what any one else would do. He asks you to wait till sundown,
and it will be much better, madam, that you should have him all
to yourself, when you can hear him and talk to him as you will."
"The man is no fool," answered Penelope, "it would very likely
be as he says, for there are no such abominable people in the
whole world as these men are."
When she had done speaking Eumaeus went back to the suitors, for
he had explained everything. Then he went up to Telemachus and
said in his ear so that none could overhear him, "My dear sir, I
will now go back to the pigs, to see after your property and my
own business. You will look to what is going on here, but above
all be careful to keep out of danger, for there are many who
bear you ill will. May Jove bring them to a bad end before they
do us a mischief."
"Very well," replied Telemachus, "go home when you have had your
dinner, and in the morning come here with the victims we are to
sacrifice for the day. Leave the rest to heaven and me."
On this Eumaeus took his seat again, and when he had finished
his dinner he left the courts and the cloister with the men at
table, and went back to his pigs. As for the suitors, they
presently began to amuse themselves with singing and dancing,
for it was now getting on towards evening.
Book XVIII
THE FIGHT WITH IRUS--ULYSSES WARNS AMPHINOMUS--PENELOPE GETS
PRESENTS FROM THE SUITORS--THE BRAZIERS--ULYSSES REBUKES
EURYMACHUS.
Now there came a certain common tramp who used to go begging all
over the city of Ithaca, and was notorious as an incorrigible
glutton and drunkard. This man had no strength nor stay in him,
but he was a great hulking fellow to look at; his real name, the
one his mother gave him, was Arnaeus, but the young men of the
place called him Irus, {148} because he used to run errands for
any one who would send him. As soon as he came he began to
insult Ulysses, and to try and drive him out of his own house.
"Be off, old man," he cried, "from the doorway, or you shall be
dragged out neck and heels. Do you not see that they are all
giving me the wink, and wanting me to turn you out by force,
only I do not like to do so? Get up then, and go of yourself, or
we shall come to blows."
Ulysses frowned on him and said, "My friend, I do you no manner
of harm; people give you a great deal, but I am not jealous.
There is room enough in this doorway for the pair of us, and you
need not grudge me things that are not yours to give. You seem
to be just such another tramp as myself, but perhaps the gods
will give us better luck by and by. Do not, however, talk too
much about fighting or you will incense me, and old though I am,
I shall cover your mouth and chest with blood. I shall have more
peace tomorrow if I do, for you will not come to the house of
Ulysses any more."
Irus was very angry and answered, "You filthy glutton, you run
on trippingly like an old fish-fag. I have a good mind to lay
both hands about you, and knock your teeth out of your head like
so many boar's tusks. Get ready, therefore, and let these people
here stand by and look on. You will never be able to fight one
who is so much younger than yourself."
Thus roundly did they rate one another on the smooth pavement in
front of the doorway, {149} and when Antinous saw what was going
on he laughed heartily and said to the others, "This is the
finest sport that you ever saw; heaven never yet sent anything
like it into this house. The stranger and Irus have quarreled
and are going to fight, let us set them on to do so at once."
The suitors all came up laughing, and gathered round the two
ragged tramps. "Listen to me," said Antinous, "there are some
goats' paunches down at the fire, which we have filled with
blood and fat, and set aside for supper; he who is victorious
and proves himself to be the better man shall have his pick of
the lot; he shall be free of our table and we will not allow any
other beggar about the house at all."
The others all agreed, but Ulysses, to throw them off the scent,
said, "Sirs, an old man like myself, worn out with suffering,
cannot hold his own against a young one; but my irrepressible
belly urges me on, though I know it can only end in my getting a
drubbing. You must swear, however that none of you will give me
a foul blow to favour Irus and secure him the victory."
They swore as he told them, and when they had completed their
oath Telemachus put in a word and said, "Stranger, if you have a
mind to settle with this fellow, you need not be afraid of any
one here. Whoever strikes you will have to fight more than one.
I am host, and the other chiefs, Antinous and Eurymachus, both
of them men of understanding, are of the same mind as I am."
Every one assented, and Ulysses girded his old rags about his
loins, thus baring his stalwart thighs, his broad chest and
shoulders, and his mighty arms; but Minerva came up to him and
made his limbs even stronger still. The suitors were beyond
measure astonished, and one would turn towards his neighbour
saying, "The stranger has brought such a thigh out of his old
rags that there will soon be nothing left of Irus."
Irus began to be very uneasy as he heard them, but the servants
girded him by force, and brought him [into the open part of the
court] in such a fright that his limbs were all of a tremble.
Antinous scolded him and said, "You swaggering bully, you ought
never to have been born at all if you are afraid of such an old
broken down creature as this tramp is. I say, therefore--and it
shall surely be--if he beats you and proves himself the better
man, I shall pack you off on board ship to the mainland and send
you to king Echetus, who kills every one that comes near him. He
will cut off your nose and ears, and draw out your entrails for
the dogs to eat."
This frightened Irus still more, but they brought him into the
middle of the court, and the two men raised their hands to
fight. Then Ulysses considered whether he should let drive so
hard at him as to make an end of him then and there, or whether
he should give him a lighter blow that should only knock him
down; in the end he deemed it best to give the lighter blow for
fear the Achaeans should begin to suspect who he was. Then they
began to fight, and Irus hit Ulysses on the right shoulder; but
Ulysses gave Irus a blow on the neck under the ear that broke in
the bones of his skull, and the blood came gushing out of his
mouth; he fell groaning in the dust, gnashing his teeth and
kicking on the ground, but the suitors threw up their hands and
nearly died of laughter, as Ulysses caught hold of him by the
foot and dragged him into the outer court as far as the
gate-house. There he propped him up against the wall and put his
staff in his hands. "Sit here," said he, "and keep the dogs and
pigs off; you are a pitiful creature, and if you try to make
yourself king of the beggars any more you shall fare still
worse."
Then he threw his dirty old wallet, all tattered and torn over
his shoulder with the cord by which it hung, and went back to
sit down upon the threshold; but the suitors went within the
cloisters, laughing and saluting him, "May Jove, and all the
other gods," said they, "grant you whatever you want for having
put an end to the importunity of this insatiable tramp. We will
take him over to the mainland presently, to king Echetus, who
kills every one that comes near him."
Ulysses hailed this as of good omen, and Antinous set a great
goat's paunch before him filled with blood and fat. Amphinomus
took two loaves out of the bread-basket and brought them to him,
pledging him as he did so in a golden goblet of wine. "Good luck
to you," he said, "father stranger, you are very badly off at
present, but I hope you will have better times by and by."
To this Ulysses answered, "Amphinomus, you seem to be a man of
good understanding, as indeed you may well be, seeing whose son
you are. I have heard your father well spoken of; he is Nisus of
Dulichium, a man both brave and wealthy. They tell me you are
his son, and you appear to be a considerable person; listen,
therefore, and take heed to what I am saying. Man is the vainest
of all creatures that have their being upon earth. As long as
heaven vouchsafes him health and strength, he thinks that he
shall come to no harm hereafter, and even when the blessed gods
bring sorrow upon him, he bears it as he needs must, and makes
the best of it; for God almighty gives men their daily minds day
by day. I know all about it, for I was a rich man once, and did
much wrong in the stubbornness of my pride, and in the
confidence that my father and my brothers would support me;
therefore let a man fear God in all things always, and take the
good that heaven may see fit to send him without vain glory.
Consider the infamy of what these suitors are doing; see how
they are wasting the estate, and doing dishonour to the wife, of
one who is certain to return some day, and that, too, not long
hence. Nay, he will be here soon; may heaven send you home
quietly first that you may not meet with him in the day of his
coming, for once he is here the suitors and he will not part
bloodlessly."
With these words he made a drink-offering, and when he had drunk
he put the gold cup again into the hands of Amphinomus, who
walked away serious and bowing his head, for he foreboded evil.
But even so he did not escape destruction, for Minerva had
doomed him to fall by the hand of Telemachus. So he took his
seat again at the place from which he had come.
Then Minerva put it into the mind of Penelope to show herself to
the suitors, that she might make them still more enamoured of
her, and win still further honour from her son and husband. So
she feigned a mocking laugh and said, "Eurynome, I have changed
my mind, and have a fancy to show myself to the suitors although
I detest them. I should like also to give my son a hint that he
had better not have anything more to do with them. They speak
fairly enough but they mean mischief."
"My dear child," answered Eurynome, "all that you have said is
true, go and tell your son about it, but first wash yourself and
anoint your face. Do not go about with your cheeks all covered
with tears; it is not right that you should grieve so
incessantly; for Telemachus, whom you always prayed that you
might live to see with a beard, is already grown up."
"I know, Eurynome," replied Penelope, "that you mean well, but
do not try and persuade me to wash and to anoint myself, for
heaven robbed me of all my beauty on the day my husband sailed;
nevertheless, tell Autonoe and Hippodamia that I want them. They
must be with me when I am in the cloister; I am not going among
the men alone; it would not be proper for me to do so."
On this the old woman {150} went out of the room to bid the
maids go to their mistress. In the meantime Minerva bethought
her of another matter, and sent Penelope off into a sweet
slumber; so she lay down on her couch and her limbs became heavy
with sleep. Then the goddess shed grace and beauty over her that
all the Achaeans might admire her. She washed her face with the
ambrosial loveliness that Venus wears when she goes dancing with
the Graces; she made her taller and of a more commanding figure,
while as for her complexion it was whiter than sawn ivory. When
Minerva had done all this she went away, whereon the maids came
in from the women's room and woke Penelope with the sound of
their talking.
"What an exquisitely delicious sleep I have been having," said
she, as she passed her hands over her face, "in spite of all my
misery. I wish Diana would let me die so sweetly now at this
very moment, that I might no longer waste in despair for the
loss of my dear husband, who possessed every kind of good
quality and was the most distinguished man among the Achaeans."
With these words she came down from her upper room, not alone
but attended by two of her maidens, and when she reached the
suitors she stood by one of the bearing-posts supporting the
roof of the cloister, holding a veil before her face, and with a
staid maid servant on either side of her. As they beheld her the
suitors were so overpowered and became so desperately enamoured
of her, that each one prayed he might win her for his own bed
fellow.
"Telemachus," said she, addressing her son, "I fear you are no
longer so discreet and well conducted as you used to be. When
you were younger you had a greater sense of propriety; now,
however, that you are grown up, though a stranger to look at you
would take you for the son of a well to do father as far as size
and good looks go, your conduct is by no means what it should
be. What is all this disturbance that has been going on, and how
came you to allow a stranger to be so disgracefully ill-treated?
What would have happened if he had suffered serious injury while
a suppliant in our house? Surely this would have been very
discreditable to you."
"I am not surprised, my dear mother, at your displeasure,"
replied Telemachus, "I understand all about it and know when
things are not as they should be, which I could not do when I
was younger; I cannot, however, behave with perfect propriety at
all times. First one and then another of these wicked people
here keeps driving me out of my mind, and I have no one to stand
by me. After all, however, this fight between Irus and the
stranger did not turn out as the suitors meant it to do, for the
stranger got the best of it. I wish Father Jove, Minerva, and
Apollo would break the neck of every one of these wooers of
yours, some inside the house and some out; and I wish they might
all be as limp as Irus is over yonder in the gate of the outer
court. See how he nods his head like a drunken man; he has had
such a thrashing that he cannot stand on his feet nor get back
to his home, wherever that may be, for has no strength left in
him."
Thus did they converse. Eurymachus then came up and said, "Queen
Penelope, daughter of Icarius, if all the Achaeans in Iasian
Argos could see you at this moment, you would have still more
suitors in your house by tomorrow morning, for you are the most
admirable woman in the whole world both as regards personal
beauty and strength of understanding."
To this Penelope replied, "Eurymachus, heaven robbed me of all
my beauty whether of face or figure when the Argives set sail
for Troy and my dear husband with them. If he were to return and
look after my affairs, I should both be more respected and show
a better presence to the world. As it is, I am oppressed with
care, and with the afflictions which heaven has seen fit to heap
upon me. My husband foresaw it all, and when he was leaving home
he took my right wrist in his hand--'Wife,' he said, 'we shall
not all of us come safe home from Troy, for the Trojans fight
well both with bow and spear. They are excellent also at
fighting from chariots, and nothing decides the issue of a fight
sooner than this. I know not, therefore, whether heaven will
send me back to you, or whether I may not fall over there at
Troy. In the meantime do you look after things here. Take care
of my father and mother as at present, and even more so during
my absence, but when you see our son growing a beard, then marry
whom you will, and leave this your present home.' This is what
he said and now it is all coming true. A night will come when I
shall have to yield myself to a marriage which I detest, for
Jove has taken from me all hope of happiness. This further
grief, moreover, cuts me to the very heart. You suitors are not
wooing me after the custom of my country. When men are courting
a woman who they think will be a good wife to them and who is of
noble birth, and when they are each trying to win her for
himself, they usually bring oxen and sheep to feast the friends
of the lady, and they make her magnificent presents, instead of
eating up other people's property without paying for it."
This was what she said, and Ulysses was glad when he heard her
trying to get presents out of the suitors, and flattering them
with fair words which he knew she did not mean.
Then Antinous said, "Queen Penelope, daughter of Icarius, take
as many presents as you please from any one who will give them
to you; it is not well to refuse a present; but we will not go
about our business nor stir from where we are, till you have
married the best man among us whoever he may be."
The others applauded what Antinous had said, and each one sent
his servant to bring his present. Antinous's man returned with a
large and lovely dress most exquisitely embroidered. It had
twelve beautifully made brooch pins of pure gold with which to
fasten it. Eurymachus immediately brought her a magnificent
chain of gold and amber beads that gleamed like sunlight.
Eurydamas's two men returned with some earrings fashioned into
three brilliant pendants which glistened most beautifully; while
king Pisander son of Polyctor gave her a necklace of the rarest
workmanship, and every one else brought her a beautiful present
of some kind.
Then the queen went back to her room upstairs, and her maids
brought the presents after her. Meanwhile the suitors took to
singing and dancing, and stayed till evening came. They danced
and sang till it grew dark; they then brought in three braziers
{151} to give light, and piled them up with chopped firewood
very old and dry, and they lit torches from them, which the
maids held up turn and turn about. Then Ulysses said:
"Maids, servants of Ulysses who has so long been absent, go to
the queen inside the house; sit with her and amuse her, or spin,
and pick wool. I will hold the light for all these people. They
may stay till morning, but shall not beat me, for I can stand a
great deal."
The maids looked at one another and laughed, while pretty
Melantho began to gibe at him contemptuously. She was daughter
to Dolius, but had been brought up by Penelope, who used to give
her toys to play with, and looked after her when she was a
child; but in spite of all this she showed no consideration for
the sorrows of her mistress, and used to misconduct herself with
Eurymachus, with whom she was in love.
"Poor wretch," said she, "are you gone clean out of your mind?
Go and sleep in some smithy, or place of public gossips, instead
of chattering here. Are you not ashamed of opening your mouth
before your betters--so many of them too? Has the wine been
getting into your head, or do you always babble in this way? You
seem to have lost your wits because you beat the tramp Irus;
take care that a better man than he does not come and cudgel you
about the head till he pack you bleeding out of the house."
"Vixen," replied Ulysses, scowling at her, "I will go and tell
Telemachus what you have been saying, and he will have you torn
limb from limb."
With these words he scared the women, and they went off into the
body of the house. They trembled all over, for they thought he
would do as he said. But Ulysses took his stand near the burning
braziers, holding up torches and looking at the people--brooding
the while on things that should surely come to pass.
But Minerva would not let the suitors for one moment cease their
insolence, for she wanted Ulysses to become even more bitter
against them; she therefore set Eurymachus son of Polybus on to
gibe at him, which made the others laugh. "Listen to me," said
he, "you suitors of Queen Penelope, that I may speak even as I
am minded. It is not for nothing that this man has come to the
house of Ulysses; I believe the light has not been coming from
the torches, but from his own head--for his hair is all gone,
every bit of it."
Then turning to Ulysses he said, "Stranger, will you work as a
servant, if I send you to the wolds and see that you are well
paid? Can you build a stone fence, or plant trees? I will have
you fed all the year round, and will find you in shoes and
clothing. Will you go, then? Not you; for you have got into bad
ways, and do not want to work; you had rather fill your belly by
going round the country begging."
"Eurymachus," answered Ulysses, "if you and I were to work one
against the other in early summer when the days are at their
longest--give me a good scythe, and take another yourself, and
let us see which will last the longer or mow the stronger, from
dawn till dark when the mowing grass is about. Or if you will
plough against me, let us each take a yoke of tawny oxen,
well-mated and of great strength and endurance: turn me into a
four acre field, and see whether you or I can drive the
straighter furrow. If, again, war were to break out this day,
give me a shield, a couple of spears and a helmet fitting well
upon my temples--you would find me foremost in the fray, and
would cease your gibes about my belly. You are insolent and
cruel, and think yourself a great man because you live in a
little world, and that a bad one. If Ulysses comes to his own
again, the doors of his house are wide, but you will find them
narrow when you try to fly through them."
Eurymachus was furious at all this. He scowled at him and cried,
"You wretch, I will soon pay you out for daring to say such
things to me, and in public too. Has the wine been getting into
your head or do you always babble in this way? You seem to have
lost your wits because you beat the tramp Irus." With this he
caught hold of a footstool, but Ulysses sought protection at the
knees of Amphinomus of Dulichium, for he was afraid. The stool
hit the cupbearer on his right hand and knocked him down: the
man fell with a cry flat on his back, and his wine-jug fell
ringing to the ground. The suitors in the covered cloister were
now in an uproar, and one would turn towards his neighbour,
saying, "I wish the stranger had gone somewhere else, bad luck
to him, for all the trouble he gives us. We cannot permit such
disturbance about a beggar; if such ill counsels are to prevail
we shall have no more pleasure at our banquet."
On this Telemachus came forward and said, "Sirs, are you mad?
Can you not carry your meat and your liquor decently? Some evil
spirit has possessed you. I do not wish to drive any of you
away, but you have had your suppers, and the sooner you all go
home to bed the better."
The suitors bit their lips and marvelled at the boldness of his
speech; but Amphinomus the son of Nisus, who was son to Aretias,
said, "Do not let us take offence; it is reasonable, so let us
make no answer. Neither let us do violence to the stranger nor
to any of Ulysses' servants. Let the cupbearer go round with
the drink-offerings, that we may make them and go home to our
rest. As for the stranger, let us leave Telemachus to deal with
him, for it is to his house that he has come."
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well, so Mulius
of Dulichium, servant to Amphinomus, mixed them a bowl of wine
and water and handed it round to each of them man by man,
whereon they made their drink-offerings to the blessed gods:
Then, when they had made their drink-offerings and had drunk
each one as he was minded, they took their several ways each of
them to his own abode.
Book XIX
TELEMACHUS AND ULYSSES REMOVE THE ARMOUR--ULYSSES INTERVIEWS
PENELOPE--EURYCLEA WASHES HIS FEET AND RECOGNISES THE SCAR ON
HIS LEG--PENELOPE TELLS HER DREAM TO ULYSSES.
Ulysses was left in the cloister, pondering on the means whereby
with Minerva's help he might be able to kill the suitors.
Presently he said to Telemachus, "Telemachus, we must get the
armour together and take it down inside. Make some excuse when
the suitors ask you why you have removed it. Say that you have
taken it to be out of the way of the smoke, inasmuch as it is no
longer what it was when Ulysses went away, but has become soiled
and begrimed with soot. Add to this more particularly that you
are afraid Jove may set them on to quarrel over their wine, and
that they may do each other some harm which may disgrace both
banquet and wooing, for the sight of arms sometimes tempts
people to use them."
Telemachus approved of what his father had said, so he called
nurse Euryclea and said, "Nurse, shut the women up in their
room, while I take the armour that my father left behind him
down into the store room. No one looks after it now my father is
gone, and it has got all smirched with soot during my own
boyhood. I want to take it down where the smoke cannot reach
it."
"I wish, child," answered Euryclea, "that you would take the
management of the house into your own hands altogether, and look
after all the property yourself. But who is to go with you and
light you to the store-room? The maids would have done so, but
you would not let them."
"The stranger," said Telemachus, "shall show me a light; when
people eat my bread they must earn it, no matter where they come
from."
Euryclea did as she was told, and bolted the women inside their
room. Then Ulysses and his son made all haste to take the
helmets, shields, and spears inside; and Minerva went before
them with a gold lamp in her hand that shed a soft and brilliant
radiance, whereon Telemachus said, "Father, my eyes behold a
great marvel: the walls, with the rafters, crossbeams, and the
supports on which they rest are all aglow as with a flaming
fire. Surely there is some god here who has come down from
heaven."
"Hush," answered Ulysses, "hold your peace and ask no questions,
for this is the manner of the gods. Get you to your bed, and
leave me here to talk with your mother and the maids. Your
mother in her grief will ask me all sorts of questions."
On this Telemachus went by torch-light to the other side of the
inner court, to the room in which he always slept. There he lay
in his bed till morning, while Ulysses was left in the cloister
pondering on the means whereby with Minerva's help he might be
able to kill the suitors.
Then Penelope came down from her room looking like Venus or
Diana, and they set her a seat inlaid with scrolls of silver and
ivory near the fire in her accustomed place. It had been made by
Icmalius and had a footstool all in one piece with the seat
itself; and it was covered with a thick fleece: on this she now
sat, and the maids came from the women's room to join her. They
set about removing the tables at which the wicked suitors had
been dining, and took away the bread that was left, with the
cups from which they had drunk. They emptied the embers out of
the braziers, and heaped much wood upon them to give both light
and heat; but Melantho began to rail at Ulysses a second time
and said, "Stranger, do you mean to plague us by hanging about
the house all night and spying upon the women? Be off, you
wretch, outside, and eat your supper there, or you shall be
driven out with a firebrand."
Ulysses scowled at her and answered, "My good woman, why should
you be so angry with me? Is it because I am not clean, and my
clothes are all in rags, and because I am obliged to go begging
about after the manner of tramps and beggars generally? I too
was a rich man once, and had a fine house of my own; in those
days I gave to many a tramp such as I now am, no matter who he
might be nor what he wanted. I had any number of servants, and
all the other things which people have who live well and are
accounted wealthy, but it pleased Jove to take all away from me;
therefore, woman, beware lest you too come to lose that pride
and place in which you now wanton above your fellows; have a
care lest you get out of favour with your mistress, and lest
Ulysses should come home, for there is still a chance that he
may do so. Moreover, though he be dead as you think he is, yet
by Apollo's will he has left a son behind him, Telemachus, who
will note anything done amiss by the maids in the house, for he
is now no longer in his boyhood."
Penelope heard what he was saying and scolded the maid,
"Impudent baggage," said she, "I see how abominably you are
behaving, and you shall smart for it. You knew perfectly well,
for I told you myself, that I was going to see the stranger and
ask him about my husband, for whose sake I am in such continual
sorrow."
Then she said to her head waiting woman Eurynome, "Bring a seat
with a fleece upon it, for the stranger to sit upon while he
tells his story, and listens to what I have to say. I wish to
ask him some questions."
Eurynome brought the seat at once and set a fleece upon it, and
as soon as Ulysses had sat down Penelope began by saying,
"Stranger, I shall first ask you who and whence are you? Tell me
of your town and parents."
"Madam," answered Ulysses, "who on the face of the whole earth
can dare to chide with you? Your fame reaches the firmament of
heaven itself; you are like some blameless king, who upholds
righteousness, as the monarch over a great and valiant nation:
the earth yields its wheat and barley, the trees are loaded with
fruit, the ewes bring forth lambs, and the sea abounds with fish
by reason of his virtues, and his people do good deeds under
him. Nevertheless, as I sit here in your house, ask me some
other question and do not seek to know my race and family, or
you will recall memories that will yet more increase my sorrow.
I am full of heaviness, but I ought not to sit weeping and
wailing in another person's house, nor is it well to be thus
grieving continually. I shall have one of the servants or even
yourself complaining of me, and saying that my eyes swim with
tears because I am heavy with wine."
Then Penelope answered, "Stranger, heaven robbed me of all
beauty, whether of face or figure, when the Argives set sail for
Troy and my dear husband with them. If he were to return and
look after my affairs I should be both more respected and should
show a better presence to the world. As it is, I am oppressed
with care, and with the afflictions which heaven has seen fit to
heap upon me. The chiefs from all our islands--Dulichium, Same,
and Zacynthus, as also from Ithaca itself, are wooing me against
my will and are wasting my estate. I can therefore show no
attention to strangers, nor suppliants, nor to people who say
that they are skilled artisans, but am all the time
broken-hearted about Ulysses. They want me to marry again at
once, and I have to invent stratagems in order to deceive them.
In the first place heaven put it in my mind to set up a great
tambour-frame in my room, and to begin working upon an enormous
piece of fine needlework. Then I said to them, 'Sweethearts,
Ulysses is indeed dead, still, do not press me to marry again
immediately; wait--for I would not have my skill in needlework
perish unrecorded--till I have finished making a pall for the
hero Laertes, to be ready against the time when death shall take
him. He is very rich, and the women of the place will talk if he
is laid out without a pall.' This was what I said, and they
assented; whereon I used to keep working at my great web all day
long, but at night I would unpick the stitches again by torch
light. I fooled them in this way for three years without their
finding it out, but as time wore on and I was now in my fourth
year, in the waning of moons, and many days had been
accomplished, those good for nothing hussies my maids betrayed
me to the suitors, who broke in upon me and caught me; they were
very angry with me, so I was forced to finish my work whether I
would or no. And now I do not see how I can find any further
shift for getting out of this marriage. My parents are putting
great pressure upon me, and my son chafes at the ravages the
suitors are making upon his estate, for he is now old enough to
understand all about it and is perfectly able to look after his
own affairs, for heaven has blessed him with an excellent
disposition. Still, notwithstanding all this, tell me who you
are and where you come from--for you must have had father and
mother of some sort; you cannot be the son of an oak or of a
rock."
Then Ulysses answered, "Madam, wife of Ulysses, since you
persist in asking me about my family, I will answer, no matter
what it costs me: people must expect to be pained when they have
been exiles as long as I have, and suffered as much among as
many peoples. Nevertheless, as regards your question I will tell
you all you ask. There is a fair and fruitful island in
mid-ocean called Crete; it is thickly peopled and there are
ninety cities in it: the people speak many different languages
which overlap one another, for there are Achaeans, brave
Eteocretans, Dorians of three-fold race, and noble Pelasgi.
There is a great town there, Cnossus, where Minos reigned who
every nine years had a conference with Jove himself. {152} Minos
was father to Deucalion, whose son I am, for Deucalion had two
sons Idomeneus and myself. Idomeneus sailed for Troy, and I, who
am the younger, am called Aethon; my brother, however, was at
once the older and the more valiant of the two; hence it was in
Crete that I saw Ulysses and showed him hospitality, for the
winds took him there as he was on his way to Troy, carrying him
out of his course from cape Malea and leaving him in Amnisus off
the cave of Ilithuia, where the harbours are difficult to enter
and he could hardly find shelter from the winds that were then
raging. As soon as he got there he went into the town and asked
for Idomeneus, claiming to be his old and valued friend, but
Idomeneus had already set sail for Troy some ten or twelve days
earlier, so I took him to my own house and showed him every kind
of hospitality, for I had abundance of everything. Moreover, I
fed the men who were with him with barley meal from the public
store, and got subscriptions of wine and oxen for them to
sacrifice to their heart's content. They stayed with me twelve
days, for there was a gale blowing from the North so strong that
one could hardly keep one's feet on land. I suppose some
unfriendly god had raised it for them, but on the thirteenth day
the wind dropped, and they got away."
Many a plausible tale did Ulysses further tell her, and Penelope
wept as she listened, for her heart was melted. As the snow
wastes upon the mountain tops when the winds from South East and
West have breathed upon it and thawed it till the rivers run
bank full with water, even so did her cheeks overflow with tears
for the husband who was all the time sitting by her side.
Ulysses felt for her and was sorry for her, but he kept his eyes
as hard as horn or iron without letting them so much as quiver,
so cunningly did he restrain his tears. Then, when she had
relieved herself by weeping, she turned to him again and said:
"Now, stranger, I shall put you to the test and see whether or
no you really did entertain my husband and his men, as you say
you did. Tell me, then, how he was dressed, what kind of a man
he was to look at, and so also with his companions."
"Madam," answered Ulysses, "it is such a long time ago that I
can hardly say. Twenty years are come and gone since he left my
home, and went elsewhither; but I will tell you as well as I can
recollect. Ulysses wore a mantle of purple wool, double lined,
and it was fastened by a gold brooch with two catches for the
pin. On the face of this there was a device that shewed a dog
holding a spotted fawn between his fore paws, and watching it as
it lay panting upon the ground. Every one marvelled at the way
in which these things had been done in gold, the dog looking at
the fawn, and strangling it, while the fawn was struggling
convulsively to escape. {153} As for the shirt that he wore next
his skin, it was so soft that it fitted him like the skin of an
onion, and glistened in the sunlight to the admiration of all
the women who beheld it. Furthermore I say, and lay my saying to
your heart, that I do not know whether Ulysses wore these
clothes when he left home, or whether one of his companions had
given them to him while he was on his voyage; or possibly some
one at whose house he was staying made him a present of them,
for he was a man of many friends and had few equals among the
Achaeans. I myself gave him a sword of bronze and a beautiful
purple mantle, double lined, with a shirt that went down to his
feet, and I sent him on board his ship with every mark of
honour. He had a servant with him, a little older than himself,
and I can tell you what he was like; his shoulders were hunched,
{154} he was dark, and he had thick curly hair. His name was
Eurybates, and Ulysses treated him with greater familiarity than
he did any of the others, as being the most like-minded with
himself."
Penelope was moved still more deeply as she heard the
indisputable proofs that Ulysses laid before her; and when she
had again found relief in tears she said to him, "Stranger, I
was already disposed to pity you, but henceforth you shall be
honoured and made welcome in my house. It was I who gave Ulysses
the clothes you speak of. I took them out of the store room and
folded them up myself, and I gave him also the gold brooch to
wear as an ornament. Alas! I shall never welcome him home again.
It was by an ill fate that he ever set out for that detested
city whose very name I cannot bring myself even to mention."
Then Ulysses answered, "Madam, wife of Ulysses, do not disfigure
yourself further by grieving thus bitterly for your loss, though
I can hardly blame you for doing so. A woman who has loved her
husband and borne him children, would naturally be grieved at
losing him, even though he were a worse man than Ulysses, who
they say was like a god. Still, cease your tears and listen to
what I can tell you. I will hide nothing from you, and can say
with perfect truth that I have lately heard of Ulysses as being
alive and on his way home; he is among the Thesprotians, and is
bringing back much valuable treasure that he has begged from one
and another of them; but his ship and all his crew were lost as
they were leaving the Thrinacian island, for Jove and the
sun-god were angry with him because his men had slaughtered the
sun-god's cattle, and they were all drowned to a man. But
Ulysses stuck to the keel of the ship and was drifted on to the
land of the Phaeacians, who are near of kin to the immortals,
and who treated him as though he had been a god, giving him many
presents, and wishing to escort him home safe and sound. In fact
Ulysses would have been here long ago, had he not thought better
to go from land to land gathering wealth; for there is no man
living who is so wily as he is; there is no one can compare with
him. Pheidon king of the Thesprotians told me all this, and he
swore to me--making drink-offerings in his house as he did
so--that the ship was by the water side and the crew found who
would take Ulysses to his own country. He sent me off first, for
there happened to be a Thesprotian ship sailing for the
wheat-growing island of Dulichium, but he showed me all the
treasure Ulysses had got together, and he had enough lying in
the house of king Pheidon to keep his family for ten
generations; but the king said Ulysses had gone to Dodona that
he might learn Jove's mind from the high oak tree, and know
whether after so long an absence he should return to Ithaca
openly or in secret. So you may know he is safe and will be here
shortly; he is close at hand and cannot remain away from home
much longer; nevertheless I will confirm my words with an oath,
and call Jove who is the first and mightiest of all gods to
witness, as also that hearth of Ulysses to which I have now
come, that all I have spoken shall surely come to pass. Ulysses
will return in this self same year; with the end of this moon
and the beginning of the next he will be here."
"May it be even so," answered Penelope; "if your words come true
you shall have such gifts and such good will from me that all
who see you shall congratulate you; but I know very well how it
will be. Ulysses will not return, neither will you get your
escort hence, for so surely as that Ulysses ever was, there are
now no longer any such masters in the house as he was, to
receive honourable strangers or to further them on their way
home. And now, you maids, wash his feet for him, and make him a
bed on a couch with rugs and blankets, that he may be warm and
quiet till morning. Then, at day break wash him and anoint him
again, that he may sit in the cloister and take his meals with
Telemachus. It shall be the worse for any one of these hateful
people who is uncivil to him; like it or not, he shall have no
more to do in this house. For how, sir, shall you be able to
learn whether or no I am superior to others of my sex both in
goodness of heart and understanding, if I let you dine in my
cloisters squalid and ill clad? Men live but for a little
season; if they are hard, and deal hardly, people wish them ill
so long as they are alive, and speak contemptuously of them when
they are dead, but he that is righteous and deals righteously,
the people tell of his praise among all lands, and many shall
call him blessed."
Ulysses answered, "Madam, I have foresworn rugs and blankets
from the day that I left the snowy ranges of Crete to go on
shipboard. I will lie as I have lain on many a sleepless night
hitherto. Night after night have I passed in any rough sleeping
place, and waited for morning. Nor, again, do I like having my
feet washed; I shall not let any of the young hussies about your
house touch my feet; but, if you have any old and respectable
woman who has gone through as much trouble as I have, I will
allow her to wash them."
To this Penelope said, "My dear sir, of all the guests who ever
yet came to my house there never was one who spoke in all things
with such admirable propriety as you do. There happens to be in
the house a most respectable old woman--the same who received
my poor dear husband in her arms the night he was born, and
nursed him in infancy. She is very feeble now, but she shall
wash your feet." "Come here," said she, "Euryclea, and wash your
master's age-mate; I suppose Ulysses' hands and feet are very
much the same now as his are, for trouble ages all of us
dreadfully fast."
On these words the old woman covered her face with her hands;
she began to weep and made lamentation saying, "My dear child, I
cannot think whatever I am to do with you. I am certain no one
was ever more god-fearing than yourself, and yet Jove hates you.
No one in the whole world ever burned him more thigh bones, nor
gave him finer hecatombs when you prayed you might come to a
green old age yourself and see your son grow up to take after
you: yet see how he has prevented you alone from ever getting
back to your own home. I have no doubt the women in some foreign
palace which Ulysses has got to are gibing at him as all these
sluts here have been gibing at you. I do not wonder at your not
choosing to let them wash you after the manner in which they
have insulted you; I will wash your feet myself gladly enough,
as Penelope has said that I am to do so; I will wash them both
for Penelope's sake and for your own, for you have raised the
most lively feelings of compassion in my mind; and let me say
this moreover, which pray attend to; we have had all kinds of
strangers in distress come here before now, but I make bold to
say that no one ever yet came who was so like Ulysses in figure,
voice, and feet as you are."
"Those who have seen us both," answered Ulysses, "have always
said we were wonderfully like each other, and now you have
noticed it too.
Then the old woman took the cauldron in which she was going to
wash his feet, and poured plenty of cold water into it, adding
hot till the bath was warm enough. Ulysses sat by the fire, but
ere long he turned away from the light, for it occurred to him
that when the old woman had hold of his leg she would recognise
a certain scar which it bore, whereon the whole truth would come
out. And indeed as soon as she began washing her master, she at
once knew the scar as one that had been given him by a wild boar
when he was hunting on Mt. Parnassus with his excellent
grandfather Autolycus--who was the most accomplished thief and
perjurer in the whole world--and with the sons of Autolycus.
Mercury himself had endowed him with this gift, for he used to
burn the thigh bones of goats and kids to him, so he took
pleasure in his companionship. It happened once that Autolycus
had gone to Ithaca and had found the child of his daughter just
born. As soon as he had done supper Euryclea set the infant upon
his knees and said, "Autolycus, you must find a name for your
grandson; you greatly wished that you might have one."
"Son-in-law and daughter," replied Autolycus, "call the child
thus: I am highly displeased with a large number of people in
one place and another, both men and women; so name the child
'Ulysses,' or the child of anger. When he grows up and comes to
visit his mother's family on Mt. Parnassus, where my
possessions lie, I will make him a present and will send him on
his way rejoicing."
Ulysses, therefore, went to Parnassus to get the presents from
Autolycus, who with his sons shook hands with him and gave him
welcome. His grandmother Amphithea threw her arms about him, and
kissed his head, and both his beautiful eyes, while Autolycus
desired his sons to get dinner ready, and they did as he told
them. They brought in a five year old bull, flayed it, made it
ready and divided it into joints; these they then cut carefully
up into smaller pieces and spitted them; they roasted them
sufficiently and served the portions round. Thus through the
livelong day to the going down of the sun they feasted, and
every man had his full share so that all were satisfied; but
when the sun set and it came on dark, they went to bed and
enjoyed the boon of sleep.
When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, the
sons of Autolycus went out with their hounds hunting, and
Ulysses went too. They climbed the wooded slopes of Parnassus
and soon reached its breezy upland valleys; but as the sun was
beginning to beat upon the fields, fresh-risen from the slow
still currents of Oceanus, they came to a mountain dell. The
dogs were in front searching for the tracks of the beast they
were chasing, and after them came the sons of Autolycus, among
whom was Ulysses, close behind the dogs, and he had a long spear
in his hand. Here was the lair of a huge boar among some thick
brushwood, so dense that the wind and rain could not get through
it, nor could the sun's rays pierce it, and the ground
underneath lay thick with fallen leaves. The boar heard the
noise of the men's feet, and the hounds baying on every side as
the huntsmen came up to him, so he rushed from his lair, raised
the bristles on his neck, and stood at bay with fire flashing
from his eyes. Ulysses was the first to raise his spear and try
to drive it into the brute, but the boar was too quick for him,
and charged him sideways, ripping him above the knee with a gash
that tore deep though it did not reach the bone. As for the
boar, Ulysses hit him on the right shoulder, and the point of
the spear went right through him, so that he fell groaning in
the dust until the life went out of him. The sons of Autolycus
busied themselves with the carcass of the boar, and bound
Ulysses' wound; then, after saying a spell to stop the bleeding,
they went home as fast as they could. But when Autolycus and
his sons had thoroughly healed Ulysses, they made him some
splendid presents, and sent him back to Ithaca with much mutual
good will. When he got back, his father and mother were rejoiced
to see him, and asked him all about it, and how he had hurt
himself to get the scar; so he told them how the boar had ripped
him when he was out hunting with Autolycus and his sons on Mt.
Parnassus.
As soon as Euryclea had got the scarred limb in her hands and
had well hold of it, she recognised it and dropped the foot at
once. The leg fell into the bath, which rang out and was
overturned, so that all the water was spilt on the ground;
Euryclea's eyes between her joy and her grief filled with tears,
and she could not speak, but she caught Ulysses by the beard and
said, "My dear child, I am sure you must be Ulysses himself,
only I did not know you till I had actually touched and handled
you."
As she spoke she looked towards Penelope, as though wanting to
tell her that her dear husband was in the house, but Penelope
was unable to look in that direction and observe what was going
on, for Minerva had diverted her attention; so Ulysses caught
Euryclea by the throat with his right hand and with his left
drew her close to him, and said, "Nurse, do you wish to be the
ruin of me, you who nursed me at your own breast, now that after
twenty years of wandering I am at last come to my own home
again? Since it has been borne in upon you by heaven to
recognise me, hold your tongue, and do not say a word about it
any one else in the house, for if you do I tell you--and it
shall surely be--that if heaven grants me to take the lives of
these suitors, I will not spare you, though you are my own
nurse, when I am killing the other women."
"My child," answered Euryclea, "what are you talking about? You
know very well that nothing can either bend or break me. I will
hold my tongue like a stone or a piece of iron; furthermore let
me say, and lay my saying to your heart, when heaven has
delivered the suitors into your hand, I will give you a list of
the women in the house who have been ill-behaved, and of those
who are guiltless."
And Ulysses answered, "Nurse, you ought not to speak in that
way; I am well able to form my own opinion about one and all of
them; hold your tongue and leave everything to heaven."
As he said this Euryclea left the cloister to fetch some more
water, for the first had been all spilt; and when she had washed
him and anointed him with oil, Ulysses drew his seat nearer to
the fire to warm himself, and hid the scar under his rags. Then
Penelope began talking to him and said:
"Stranger, I should like to speak with you briefly about another
matter. It is indeed nearly bed time--for those, at least, who
can sleep in spite of sorrow. As for myself, heaven has given me
a life of such unmeasurable woe, that even by day when I am
attending to my duties and looking after the servants, I am
still weeping and lamenting during the whole time; then, when
night comes, and we all of us go to bed, I lie awake thinking,
and my heart becomes a prey to the most incessant and cruel
tortures. As the dun nightingale, daughter of Pandareus, sings
in the early spring from her seat in shadiest covert hid, and
with many a plaintive trill pours out the tale how by mishap she
killed her own child Itylus, son of king Zethus, even so does my
mind toss and turn in its uncertainty whether I ought to stay
with my son here, and safeguard my substance, my bondsmen, and
the greatness of my house, out of regard to public opinion and
the memory of my late husband, or whether it is not now time for
me to go with the best of these suitors who are wooing me and
making me such magnificent presents. As long as my son was still
young, and unable to understand, he would not hear of my leaving
my husband's house, but now that he is full grown he begs and
prays me to do so, being incensed at the way in which the
suitors are eating up his property. Listen, then, to a dream
that I have had and interpret it for me if you can. I have
twenty geese about the house that eat mash out of a trough,
{155} and of which I am exceedingly fond. I dreamed that a
great eagle came swooping down from a mountain, and dug his
curved beak into the neck of each of them till he had killed
them all. Presently he soared off into the sky, and left them
lying dead about the yard; whereon I wept in my dream till all
my maids gathered round me, so piteously was I grieving because
the eagle had killed my geese. Then he came back again, and
perching on a projecting rafter spoke to me with human voice,
and told me to leave off crying. 'Be of good courage,' he said,
'daughter of Icarius; this is no dream, but a vision of good
omen that shall surely come to pass. The geese are the suitors,
and I am no longer an eagle, but your own husband, who am come
back to you, and who will bring these suitors to a disgraceful
end.' On this I woke, and when I looked out I saw my geese at
the trough eating their mash as usual."
"This dream, Madam," replied Ulysses, "can admit but of one
interpretation, for had not Ulysses himself told you how it
shall be fulfilled? The death of the suitors is portended, and
not one single one of them will escape."
And Penelope answered, "Stranger, dreams are very curious and
unaccountable things, and they do not by any means invariably
come true. There are two gates through which these unsubstantial
fancies proceed; the one is of horn, and the other ivory. Those
that come through the gate of ivory are fatuous, but those from
the gate of horn mean something to those that see them. I do not
think, however, that my own dream came through the gate of horn,
though I and my son should be most thankful if it proves to have
done so. Furthermore I say--and lay my saying to your heart--the
coming dawn will usher in the ill-omened day that is to sever me
from the house of Ulysses, for I am about to hold a tournament
of axes. My husband used to set up twelve axes in the court, one
in front of the other, like the stays upon which a ship is
built; he would then go back from them and shoot an arrow
through the whole twelve. I shall make the suitors try to do the
same thing, and whichever of them can string the bow most
easily, and send his arrow through all the twelve axes, him will
I follow, and quit this house of my lawful husband, so goodly
and so abounding in wealth. But even so, I doubt not that I
shall remember it in my dreams."
Then Ulysses answered, "Madam, wife of Ulysses, you need not
defer your tournament, for Ulysses will return ere ever they can
string the bow, handle it how they will, and send their arrows
through the iron."
To this Penelope said, "As long, sir, as you will sit here and
talk to me, I can have no desire to go to bed. Still, people
cannot do permanently without sleep, and heaven has appointed us
dwellers on earth a time for all things. I will therefore go
upstairs and recline upon that couch which I have never ceased
to flood with my tears from the day Ulysses set out for the city
with a hateful name."
She then went upstairs to her own room, not alone, but attended
by her maidens, and when there, she lamented her dear husband
till Minerva shed sweet sleep over her eyelids.
Book XX
ULYSSES CANNOT SLEEP--PENELOPE'S PRAYER TO DIANA--THE TWO SIGNS
FROM HEAVEN--EUMAEUS AND PHILOETIUS ARRIVE--THE SUITORS
DINE--CTESIPPUS THROWS AN OX'S FOOT AT ULYSSES--THEOCLYMENUS
FORETELLS DISASTER AND LEAVES THE HOUSE.
Ulysses slept in the cloister upon an undressed bullock's hide,
on the top of which he threw several skins of the sheep the
suitors had eaten, and Eurynome {156} threw a cloak over him
after he had laid himself down. There, then, Ulysses lay
wakefully brooding upon the way in which he should kill the
suitors; and by and by, the women who had been in the habit of
misconducting themselves with them, left the house giggling and
laughing with one another. This made Ulysses very angry, and he
doubted whether to get up and kill every single one of them then
and there, or to let them sleep one more and last time with the
suitors. His heart growled within him, and as a bitch with
puppies growls and shows her teeth when she sees a stranger, so
did his heart growl with anger at the evil deeds that were being
done: but he beat his breast and said, "Heart, be still, you had
worse than this to bear on the day when the terrible Cyclops ate
your brave companions; yet you bore it in silence till your
cunning got you safe out of the cave, though you made sure of
being killed."
Thus he chided with his heart, and checked it into endurance,
but he tossed about as one who turns a paunch full of blood and
fat in front of a hot fire, doing it first on one side and then
on the other, that he may get it cooked as soon as possible,
even so did he turn himself about from side to side, thinking
all the time how, single handed as he was, he should contrive to
kill so large a body of men as the wicked suitors. But by and by
Minerva came down from heaven in the likeness of a woman, and
hovered over his head saying, "My poor unhappy man, why do you
lie awake in this way? This is your house: your wife is safe
inside it, and so is your son who is just such a young man as
any father may be proud of."
"Goddess," answered Ulysses, "all that you have said is true,
but I am in some doubt as to how I shall be able to kill these
wicked suitors single handed, seeing what a number of them there
always are. And there is this further difficulty, which is still
more considerable. Supposing that with Jove's and your
assistance I succeed in killing them, I must ask you to consider
where I am to escape to from their avengers when it is all
over."
"For shame," replied Minerva, "why, any one else would trust a
worse ally than myself, even though that ally were only a mortal
and less wise than I am. Am I not a goddess, and have I not
protected you throughout in all your troubles? I tell you
plainly that even though there were fifty bands of men
surrounding us and eager to kill us, you should take all their
sheep and cattle, and drive them away with you. But go to sleep;
it is a very bad thing to lie awake all night, and you shall be
out of your troubles before long."
As she spoke she shed sleep over his eyes, and then went back to
Olympus.
While Ulysses was thus yielding himself to a very deep slumber
that eased the burden of his sorrows, his admirable wife awoke,
and sitting up in her bed began to cry. When she had relieved
herself by weeping she prayed to Diana saying, "Great Goddess
Diana, daughter of Jove, drive an arrow into my heart and slay
me; or let some whirlwind snatch me up and bear me through paths
of darkness till it drop me into the mouths of over-flowing
Oceanus, as it did the daughters of Pandareus. The daughters of
Pandareus lost their father and mother, for the gods killed
them, so they were left orphans. But Venus took care of them,
and fed them on cheese, honey, and sweet wine. Juno taught them
to excel all women in beauty of form and understanding; Diana
gave them an imposing presence, and Minerva endowed them with
every kind of accomplishment; but one day when Venus had gone up
to Olympus to see Jove about getting them married (for well does
he know both what shall happen and what not happen to every one)
the storm winds came and spirited them away to become handmaids
to the dread Erinyes. Even so I wish that the gods who live in
heaven would hide me from mortal sight, or that fair Diana might
strike me, for I would fain go even beneath the sad earth if I
might do so still looking towards Ulysses only, and without
having to yield myself to a worse man than he was. Besides, no
matter how much people may grieve by day, they can put up with
it so long as they can sleep at night, for when the eyes are
closed in slumber people forget good and ill alike; whereas my
misery haunts me even in my dreams. This very night methought
there was one lying by my side who was like Ulysses as he was
when he went away with his host, and I rejoiced, for I believed
that it was no dream, but the very truth itself."
On this the day broke, but Ulysses heard the sound of her
weeping, and it puzzled him, for it seemed as though she already
knew him and was by his side. Then he gathered up the cloak and
the fleeces on which he had lain, and set them on a seat in the
cloister, but he took the bullock's hide out into the open. He
lifted up his hands to heaven, and prayed, saying "Father Jove,
since you have seen fit to bring me over land and sea to my own
home after all the afflictions you have laid upon me, give me a
sign out of the mouth of some one or other of those who are now
waking within the house, and let me have another sign of some
kind from outside."
Thus did he pray. Jove heard his prayer and forthwith thundered
high up among the clouds from the splendour of Olympus, and
Ulysses was glad when he heard it. At the same time within the
house, a miller-woman from hard by in the mill room lifted up
her voice and gave him another sign. There were twelve
miller-women whose business it was to grind wheat and barley
which are the staff of life. The others had ground their task
and had gone to take their rest, but this one had not yet
finished, for she was not so strong as they were, and when she
heard the thunder she stopped grinding and gave the sign to her
master. "Father Jove," said she, "you, who rule over heaven and
earth, you have thundered from a clear sky without so much as a
cloud in it, and this means something for somebody; grant the
prayer, then, of me your poor servant who calls upon you, and
let this be the very last day that the suitors dine in the house
of Ulysses. They have worn me out with labour of grinding meal
for them, and I hope they may never have another dinner anywhere
at all."
Ulysses was glad when he heard the omens conveyed to him by the
woman's speech, and by the thunder, for he knew they meant that
he should avenge himself on the suitors.
Then the other maids in the house rose and lit the fire on the
hearth; Telemachus also rose and put on his clothes. He girded
his sword about his shoulder, bound his sandals on to his comely
feet, and took a doughty spear with a point of sharpened bronze;
then he went to the threshold of the cloister and said to
Euryclea, "Nurse, did you make the stranger comfortable both as
regards bed and board, or did you let him shift for
himself?--for my mother, good woman though she is, has a way of
paying great attention to second-rate people, and of neglecting
others who are in reality much better men."
"Do not find fault child," said Euryclea, "when there is no one
to find fault with. The stranger sat and drank his wine as long
as he liked: your mother did ask him if he would take any more
bread and he said he would not. When he wanted to go to bed she
told the servants to make one for him, but he said he was such a
wretched outcast that he would not sleep on a bed and under
blankets; he insisted on having an undressed bullock's hide and
some sheepskins put for him in the cloister and I threw a cloak
over him myself." {157}
Then Telemachus went out of the court to the place where the
Achaeans were meeting in assembly; he had his spear in his hand,
and he was not alone, for his two dogs went with him. But
Euryclea called the maids and said, "Come, wake up; set about
sweeping the cloisters and sprinkling them with water to lay the
dust; put the covers on the seats; wipe down the tables, some of
you, with a wet sponge; clean out the mixing-jugs and the cups,
and go for water from the fountain at once; the suitors will be
here directly; they will be here early, for it is a feast day."
Thus did she speak, and they did even as she had said: twenty
of them went to the fountain for water, and the others set
themselves busily to work about the house. The men who were in
attendance on the suitors also came up and began chopping
firewood. By and by the women returned from the fountain, and
the swineherd came after them with the three best pigs he could
pick out. These he let feed about the premises, and then he said
good-humouredly to Ulysses, "Stranger, are the suitors treating
you any better now, or are they as insolent as ever?"
"May heaven," answered Ulysses, "requite to them the wickedness
with which they deal high-handedly in another man's house
without any sense of shame."
Thus did they converse; meanwhile Melanthius the goatherd came
up, for he too was bringing in his best goats for the suitors'
dinner; and he had two shepherds with him. They tied the goats
up under the gatehouse, and then Melanthius began gibing at
Ulysses. "Are you still here, stranger," said he, "to pester
people by begging about the house? Why can you not go
elsewhere? You and I shall not come to an understanding before
we have given each other a taste of our fists. You beg without
any sense of decency: are there not feasts elsewhere among the
Achaeans, as well as here?"
Ulysses made no answer, but bowed his head and brooded. Then a
third man, Philoetius, joined them, who was bringing in a barren
heifer and some goats. These were brought over by the boatmen
who are there to take people over when any one comes to them. So
Philoetius made his heifer and his goats secure under the
gatehouse, and then went up to the swineherd. "Who, Swineherd,"
said he, "is this stranger that is lately come here? Is he one
of your men? What is his family? Where does he come from? Poor
fellow, he looks as if he had been some great man, but the gods
give sorrow to whom they will--even to kings if it so pleases
them."
As he spoke he went up to Ulysses and saluted him with his right
hand; "Good day to you, father stranger," said he, "you seem to
be very poorly off now, but I hope you will have better times by
and by. Father Jove, of all gods you are the most malicious. We
are your own children, yet you show us no mercy in all our
misery and afflictions. A sweat came over me when I saw this
man, and my eyes filled with tears, for he reminds me of
Ulysses, who I fear is going about in just such rags as this
man's are, if indeed he is still among the living. If he is
already dead and in the house of Hades, then, alas! for my good
master, who made me his stockman when I was quite young among
the Cephallenians, and now his cattle are countless; no one
could have done better with them than I have, for they have bred
like ears of corn; nevertheless I have to keep bringing them in
for others to eat, who take no heed to his son though he is in
the house, and fear not the wrath of heaven, but are already
eager to divide Ulysses' property among them because he has been
away so long. I have often thought--only it would not be right
while his son is living--of going off with the cattle to some
foreign country; bad as this would be, it is still harder to
stay here and be ill-treated about other people's herds. My
position is intolerable, and I should long since have run away
and put myself under the protection of some other chief, only
that I believe my poor master will yet return, and send all
these suitors flying out of the house."
"Stockman," answered Ulysses, "you seem to be a very
well-disposed person, and I can see that you are a man of sense.
Therefore I will tell you, and will confirm my words with an
oath. By Jove, the chief of all gods, and by that hearth of
Ulysses to which I am now come, Ulysses shall return before you
leave this place, and if you are so minded you shall see him
killing the suitors who are now masters here."
"If Jove were to bring this to pass," replied the stockman, "you
should see how I would do my very utmost to help him."
And in like manner Eumaeus prayed that Ulysses might return
home.
Thus did they converse. Meanwhile the suitors were hatching a
plot to murder Telemachus: but a bird flew near them on their
left hand--an eagle with a dove in its talons. On this
Amphinomus said, "My friends, this plot of ours to murder
Telemachus will not succeed; let us go to dinner instead."
The others assented, so they went inside and laid their cloaks
on the benches and seats. They sacrificed the sheep, goats,
pigs, and the heifer, and when the inward meats were cooked they
served them round. They mixed the wine in the mixing-bowls, and
the swineherd gave every man his cup, while Philoetius handed
round the bread in the bread baskets, and Melanthius poured them
out their wine. Then they laid their hands upon the good things
that were before them.
Telemachus purposely made Ulysses sit in the part of the
cloister that was paved with stone; {158} he gave him a shabby
looking seat at a little table to himself, and had his portion
of the inward meats brought to him, with his wine in a gold cup.
"Sit there," said he, "and drink your wine among the great
people. I will put a stop to the gibes and blows of the suitors,
for this is no public house, but belongs to Ulysses, and has
passed from him to me. Therefore, suitors, keep your hands and
your tongues to yourselves, or there will be mischief."
The suitors bit their lips, and marvelled at the boldness of his
speech; then Antinous said, "We do not like such language but we
will put up with it, for Telemachus is threatening us in good
earnest. If Jove had let us we should have put a stop to his
brave talk ere now."
Thus spoke Antinous, but Telemachus heeded him not. Meanwhile
the heralds were bringing the holy hecatomb through the city,
and the Achaeans gathered under the shady grove of Apollo.
Then they roasted the outer meat, drew it off the spits, gave
every man his portion, and feasted to their heart's content;
those who waited at table gave Ulysses exactly the same portion
as the others had, for Telemachus had told them to do so.
But Minerva would not let the suitors for one moment drop their
insolence, for she wanted Ulysses to become still more bitter
against them. Now there happened to be among them a ribald
fellow, whose name was Ctesippus, and who came from Same. This
man, confident in his great wealth, was paying court to the wife
of Ulysses, and said to the suitors, "Hear what I have to say.
The stranger has already had as large a portion as any one else;
this is well, for it is not right nor reasonable to ill-treat
any guest of Telemachus who comes here. I will, however, make
him a present on my own account, that he may have something to
give to the bath-woman, or to some other of Ulysses' servants."
As he spoke he picked up a heifer's foot from the meat-basket in
which it lay, and threw it at Ulysses, but Ulysses turned his
head a little aside, and avoided it, smiling grimly Sardinian
fashion {159} as he did so, and it hit the wall, not him. On
this Telemachus spoke fiercely to Ctesippus, "It is a good thing
for you," said he, "that the stranger turned his head so that
you missed him. If you had hit him I should have run you through
with my spear, and your father would have had to see about
getting you buried rather than married in this house. So let me
have no more unseemly behaviour from any of you, for I am grown
up now to the knowledge of good and evil and understand what is
going on, instead of being the child that I have been
heretofore. I have long seen you killing my sheep and making
free with my corn and wine: I have put up with this, for one man
is no match for many, but do me no further violence. Still, if
you wish to kill me, kill me; I would far rather die than see
such disgraceful scenes day after day--guests insulted, and men
dragging the women servants about the house in an unseemly way."
They all held their peace till at last Agelaus son of Damastor
said, "No one should take offence at what has just been said,
nor gainsay it, for it is quite reasonable. Leave off,
therefore, ill-treating the stranger, or any one else of the
servants who are about the house; I would say, however, a
friendly word to Telemachus and his mother, which I trust may
commend itself to both. 'As long,' I would say, 'as you had
ground for hoping that Ulysses would one day come home, no one
could complain of your waiting and suffering {160} the suitors
to be in your house. It would have been better that he should
have returned, but it is now sufficiently clear that he will
never do so; therefore talk all this quietly over with your
mother, and tell her to marry the best man, and the one who
makes her the most advantageous offer. Thus you will yourself be
able to manage your own inheritance, and to eat and drink in
peace, while your mother will look after some other man's house,
not yours.'"
To this Telemachus answered, "By Jove, Agelaus, and by the
sorrows of my unhappy father, who has either perished far from
Ithaca, or is wandering in some distant land, I throw no
obstacles in the way of my mother's marriage; on the contrary I
urge her to choose whomsoever she will, and I will give her
numberless gifts into the bargain, but I dare not insist point
blank that she shall leave the house against her own wishes.
Heaven forbid that I should do this."
Minerva now made the suitors fall to laughing immoderately, and
set their wits wandering; but they were laughing with a forced
laughter. Their meat became smeared with blood; their eyes
filled with tears, and their hearts were heavy with forebodings.
Theoclymenus saw this and said, "Unhappy men, what is it that
ails you? There is a shroud of darkness drawn over you from head
to foot, your cheeks are wet with tears; the air is alive with
wailing voices; the walls and roof-beams drip blood; the gate of
the cloisters and the court beyond them are full of ghosts
trooping down into the night of hell; the sun is blotted out of
heaven, and a blighting gloom is over all the land."
Thus did he speak, and they all of them laughed heartily.
Eurymachus then said, "This stranger who has lately come here
has lost his senses. Servants, turn him out into the streets,
since he finds it so dark here."
But Theoclymenus said, "Eurymachus, you need not send any one
with me. I have eyes, ears, and a pair of feet of my own, to say
nothing of an understanding mind. I will take these out of the
house with me, for I see mischief overhanging you, from which
not one of you men who are insulting people and plotting ill
deeds in the house of Ulysses will be able to escape."
He left the house as he spoke, and went back to Piraeus who gave
him welcome, but the suitors kept looking at one another and
provoking Telemachus by laughing at the strangers. One insolent
fellow said to him, "Telemachus, you are not happy in your
guests; first you have this importunate tramp, who comes begging
bread and wine and has no skill for work or for hard fighting,
but is perfectly useless, and now here is another fellow who is
setting himself up as a prophet. Let me persuade you, for it
will be much better to put them on board ship and send them off
to the Sicels to sell for what they will bring."
Telemachus gave him no heed, but sate silently watching
his father, expecting every moment that he would begin his
attack upon the suitors.
Meanwhile the daughter of Icarius, wise Penelope, had had a rich
seat placed for her facing the court and cloisters, so that she
could hear what every one was saying. The dinner indeed had been
prepared amid much merriment; it had been both good and
abundant, for they had sacrificed many victims; but the supper
was yet to come, and nothing can be conceived more gruesome than
the meal which a goddess and a brave man were soon to lay before
them--for they had brought their doom upon themselves.
Book XXI
THE TRIAL OF THE AXES, DURING WHICH ULYSSES REVEALS HIMSELF TO
EUMAEUS AND PHILOETIUS
Minerva now put it in Penelope's mind to make the suitors try
their skill with the bow and with the iron axes, in contest
among themselves, as a means of bringing about their
destruction. She went upstairs and got the store-room key, which
was made of bronze and had a handle of ivory; she then went with
her maidens into the store-room at the end of the house, where
her husband's treasures of gold, bronze, and wrought iron were
kept, and where was also his bow, and the quiver full of deadly
arrows that had been given him by a friend whom he had met in
Lacedaemon--Iphitus the son of Eurytus. The two fell in with one
another in Messene at the house of Ortilochus, where Ulysses was
staying in order to recover a debt that was owing from the whole
people; for the Messenians had carried off three hundred sheep
from Ithaca, and had sailed away with them and with their
shepherds. In quest of these Ulysses took a long journey while
still quite young, for his father and the other chieftains sent
him on a mission to recover them. Iphitus had gone there also to
try and get back twelve brood mares that he had lost, and the
mule foals that were running with them. These mares were the
death of him in the end, for when he went to the house of Jove's
son, mighty Hercules, who performed such prodigies of valour,
Hercules to his shame killed him, though he was his guest, for
he feared not heaven's vengeance, nor yet respected his own
table which he had set before Iphitus, but killed him in spite
of everything, and kept the mares himself. It was when claiming
these that Iphitus met Ulysses, and gave him the bow which
mighty Eurytus had been used to carry, and which on his death
had been left by him to his son. Ulysses gave him in return a
sword and a spear, and this was the beginning of a fast
friendship, although they never visited at one another's houses,
for Jove's son Hercules killed Iphitus ere they could do so.
This bow, then, given him by Iphitus, had not been taken with
him by Ulysses when he sailed for Troy; he had used it so long
as he had been at home, but had left it behind as having been a
keepsake from a valued friend.
Penelope presently reached the oak threshold of the store-room;
the carpenter had planed this duly, and had drawn a line on it
so as to get it quite straight; he had then set the door posts
into it and hung the doors. She loosed the strap from the handle
of the door, put in the key, and drove it straight home to shoot
back the bolts that held the doors; {161} these flew open with a
noise like a bull bellowing in a meadow, and Penelope stepped
upon the raised platform, where the chests stood in which the
fair linen and clothes were laid by along with fragrant herbs:
reaching thence, she took down the bow with its bow case from
the peg on which it hung. She sat down with it on her knees,
weeping bitterly as she took the bow out of its case, and when
her tears had relieved her, she went to the cloister where the
suitors were, carrying the bow and the quiver, with the many
deadly arrows that were inside it. Along with her came her
maidens, bearing a chest that contained much iron and bronze
which her husband had won as prizes. When she reached the
suitors, she stood by one of the bearing-posts supporting the
roof of the cloister, holding a veil before her face, and with a
maid on either side of her. Then she said:
"Listen to me you suitors, who persist in abusing the
hospitality of this house because its owner has been long
absent, and without other pretext than that you want to marry
me; this, then, being the prize that you are contending for, I
will bring out the mighty bow of Ulysses, and whomsoever of you
shall string it most easily and send his arrow through each one
of twelve axes, him will I follow and quit this house of my
lawful husband, so goodly, and so abounding in wealth. But even
so I doubt not that I shall remember it in my dreams."
As she spoke, she told Eumaeus to set the bow and the pieces of
iron before the suitors, and Eumaeus wept as he took them to do
as she had bidden him. Hard by, the stockman wept also when he
saw his master's bow, but Antinous scolded them. "You country
louts," said he, "silly simpletons; why should you add to the
sorrows of your mistress by crying in this way? She has enough
to grieve her in the loss of her husband; sit still, therefore,
and eat your dinners in silence, or go outside if you want to
cry, and leave the bow behind you. We suitors shall have to
contend for it with might and main, for we shall find it no
light matter to string such a bow as this is. There is not a man
of us all who is such another as Ulysses; for I have seen him
and remember him, though I was then only a child."
This was what he said, but all the time he was expecting to be
able to string the bow and shoot through the iron, whereas in
fact he was to be the first that should taste of the arrows from
the hands of Ulysses, whom he was dishonouring in his own
house--egging the others on to do so also.
Then Telemachus spoke. "Great heavens!" he exclaimed, "Jove must
have robbed me of my senses. Here is my dear and excellent
mother saying she will quit this house and marry again, yet I am
laughing and enjoying myself as though there were nothing
happening. But, suitors, as the contest has been agreed upon,
let it go forward. It is for a woman whose peer is not to be
found in Pylos, Argos, or Mycene, nor yet in Ithaca nor on the
mainland. You know this as well as I do; what need have I to
speak in praise of my mother? Come on, then, make no excuses for
delay, but let us see whether you can string the bow or no. I
too will make trial of it, for if I can string it and shoot
through the iron, I shall not suffer my mother to quit this
house with a stranger, not if I can win the prizes which my
father won before me."
As he spoke he sprang from his seat, threw his crimson cloak
from him, and took his sword from his shoulder. First he set
the axes in a row, in a long groove which he had dug for them,
and had made straight by line. {162} Then he stamped the earth
tight round them, and everyone was surprised when they saw him
set them up so orderly, though he had never seen anything of the
kind before. This done, he went on to the pavement to make trial
of the bow; thrice did he tug at it, trying with all his might
to draw the string, and thrice he had to leave off, though he
had hoped to string the bow and shoot through the iron. He was
trying for the fourth time, and would have strung it had not
Ulysses made a sign to check him in spite of all his eagerness.
So he said:
"Alas! I shall either be always feeble and of no prowess, or I
am too young, and have not yet reached my full strength so as to
be able to hold my own if any one attacks me. You others,
therefore, who are stronger than I, make trial of the bow and
get this contest settled."
On this he put the bow down, letting it lean against the door
[that led into the house] with the arrow standing against the
top of the bow. Then he sat down on the seat from which he had
risen, and Antinous said:
"Come on each of you in his turn, going towards the right from
the place at which the cupbearer begins when he is handing round
the wine."
The rest agreed, and Leiodes son of Oenops was the first to
rise. He was sacrificial priest to the suitors, and sat in the
corner near the mixing-bowl. {163} He was the only man who hated
their evil deeds and was indignant with the others. He was now
the first to take the bow and arrow, so he went on to the
pavement to make his trial, but he could not string the bow, for
his hands were weak and unused to hard work, they therefore soon
grew tired, and he said to the suitors, "My friends, I cannot
string it; let another have it, this bow shall take the life and
soul out of many a chief among us, for it is better to die than
to live after having missed the prize that we have so long
striven for, and which has brought us so long together. Some one
of us is even now hoping and praying that he may marry Penelope,
but when he has seen this bow and tried it, let him woo and make
bridal offerings to some other woman, and let Penelope marry
whoever makes her the best offer and whose lot it is to win
her."
On this he put the bow down, letting it lean against the door,
{164} with the arrow standing against the tip of the bow. Then
he took his seat again on the seat from which he had risen; and
Antinous rebuked him saying:
"Leiodes, what are you talking about? Your words are monstrous
and intolerable; it makes me angry to listen to you. Shall,
then, this bow take the life of many a chief among us, merely
because you cannot bend it yourself? True, you were not born to
be an archer, but there are others who will soon string it."
Then he said to Melanthius the goatherd, "Look sharp, light a
fire in the court, and set a seat hard by with a sheep skin on
it; bring us also a large ball of lard, from what they have in
the house. Let us warm the bow and grease it--we will then make
trial of it again, and bring the contest to an end."
Melanthius lit the fire, and set a seat covered with sheep skins
beside it. He also brought a great ball of lard from what they
had in the house, and the suitors warmed the bow and again made
trial of it, but they were none of them nearly strong enough to
string it. Nevertheless there still remained Antinous and
Eurymachus, who were the ringleaders among the suitors and much
the foremost among them all.
Then the swineherd and the stockman left the cloisters together,
and Ulysses followed them. When they had got outside the gates
and the outer yard, Ulysses said to them quietly:
"Stockman, and you swineherd, I have something in my mind which
I am in doubt whether to say or no; but I think I will say it.
What manner of men would you be to stand by Ulysses, if some god
should bring him back here all of a sudden? Say which you are
disposed to do--to side with the suitors, or with Ulysses?"
"Father Jove," answered the stockman, "would indeed that you
might so ordain it. If some god were but to bring Ulysses back,
you should see with what might and main I would fight for him."
In like words Eumaeus prayed to all the gods that Ulysses might
return; when, therefore, he saw for certain what mind they were
of, Ulysses said, "It is I, Ulysses, who am here. I have
suffered much, but at last, in the twentieth year, I am come
back to my own country. I find that you two alone of all my
servants are glad that I should do so, for I have not heard any
of the others praying for my return. To you two, therefore, will
I unfold the truth as it shall be. If heaven shall deliver the
suitors into my hands, I will find wives for both of you, will
give you house and holding close to my own, and you shall be to
me as though you were brothers and friends of Telemachus. I will
now give you convincing proofs that you may know me and be
assured. See, here is the scar from the boar's tooth that ripped
me when I was out hunting on Mt. Parnassus with the sons of
Autolycus."
As he spoke he drew his rags aside from the great scar, and when
they had examined it thoroughly, they both of them wept about
Ulysses, threw their arms round him, and kissed his head and
shoulders, while Ulysses kissed their hands and faces in return.
The sun would have gone down upon their mourning if Ulysses had
not checked them and said:
"Cease your weeping, lest some one should come outside and see
us, and tell those who are within. When you go in, do so
separately, not both together; I will go first, and do you
follow afterwards; let this moreover be the token between us;
the suitors will all of them try to prevent me from getting hold
of the bow and quiver; do you, therefore, Eumaeus, place it in
my hands when you are carrying it about, and tell the women to
close the doors of their apartment. If they hear any groaning or
uproar as of men fighting about the house, they must not come
out; they must keep quiet, and stay where they are at their
work. And I charge you, Philoetius, to make fast the doors of
the outer court, and to bind them securely at once."
When he had thus spoken, he went back to the house and took the
seat that he had left. Presently, his two servants followed him
inside.
At this moment the bow was in the hands of Eurymachus, who was
warming it by the fire, but even so he could not string it, and
he was greatly grieved. He heaved a deep sigh and said, "I
grieve for myself and for us all; I grieve that I shall have to
forgo the marriage, but I do not care nearly so much about this,
for there are plenty of other women in Ithaca and elsewhere;
what I feel most is the fact of our being so inferior to Ulysses
in strength that we cannot string his bow. This will disgrace us
in the eyes of those who are yet unborn."
"It shall not be so, Eurymachus," said Antinous, "and you know
it yourself. Today is the feast of Apollo throughout all the
land; who can string a bow on such a day as this? Put it on one
side--as for the axes they can stay where they are, for no one
is likely to come to the house and take them away: let the
cupbearer go round with his cups, that we may make our
drink-offerings and drop this matter of the bow; we will tell
Melanthius to bring us in some goats tomorrow--the best he has;
we can then offer thigh bones to Apollo the mighty archer, and
again make trial of the bow, so as to bring the contest to an
end."
The rest approved his words, and thereon men servants poured
water over the hands of the guests, while pages filled the
mixing-bowls with wine and water and handed it round after
giving every man his drink-offering. Then, when they had made
their offerings and had drunk each as much as he desired,
Ulysses craftily said:--
"Suitors of the illustrious queen, listen that I may speak even
as I am minded. I appeal more especially to Eurymachus, and to
Antinous who has just spoken with so much reason. Cease shooting
for the present and leave the matter to the gods, but in the
morning let heaven give victory to whom it will. For the moment,
however, give me the bow that I may prove the power of my hands
among you all, and see whether I still have as much strength as
I used to have, or whether travel and neglect have made an end
of it."
This made them all very angry, for they feared he might string
the bow, Antinous therefore rebuked him fiercely saying,
"Wretched creature, you have not so much as a grain of sense in
your whole body; you ought to think yourself lucky in being
allowed to dine unharmed among your betters, without having any
smaller portion served you than we others have had, and in being
allowed to hear our conversation. No other beggar or stranger
has been allowed to hear what we say among ourselves; the wine
must have been doing you a mischief, as it does with all those
drink immoderately. It was wine that inflamed the Centaur
Eurytion when he was staying with Peirithous among the Lapithae.
When the wine had got into his head, he went mad and did ill
deeds about the house of Peirithous; this angered the heroes who
were there assembled, so they rushed at him and cut off his ears
and nostrils; then they dragged him through the doorway out of
the house, so he went away crazed, and bore the burden of his
crime, bereft of understanding. Henceforth, therefore, there was
war between mankind and the centaurs, but he brought it upon
himself through his own drunkenness. In like manner I can tell
you that it will go hardly with you if you string the bow: you
will find no mercy from any one here, for we shall at once ship
you off to king Echetus, who kills every one that comes near
him: you will never get away alive, so drink and keep quiet
without getting into a quarrel with men younger than yourself."
Penelope then spoke to him. "Antinous," said she, "it is not
right that you should ill-treat any guest of Telemachus who
comes to this house. If the stranger should prove strong enough
to string the mighty bow of Ulysses, can you suppose that he
would take me home with him and make me his wife? Even the man
himself can have no such idea in his mind: none of you need let
that disturb his feasting; it would be out of all reason."
"Queen Penelope," answered Eurymachus, "we do not suppose that
this man will take you away with him; it is impossible; but we
are afraid lest some of the baser sort, men or women among the
Achaeans, should go gossiping about and say, 'These suitors are
a feeble folk; they are paying court to the wife of a brave man
whose bow not one of them was able to string, and yet a beggarly
tramp who came to the house strung it at once and sent an arrow
through the iron.' This is what will be said, and it will be a
scandal against us."
"Eurymachus," Penelope answered, "people who persist in eating
up the estate of a great chieftain and dishonouring his house
must not expect others to think well of them. Why then should
you mind if men talk as you think they will? This stranger is
strong and well-built, he says moreover that he is of noble
birth. Give him the bow, and let us see whether he can string it
or no. I say--and it shall surely be--that if Apollo vouchsafes
him the glory of stringing it, I will give him a cloak and shirt
of good wear, with a javelin to keep off dogs and robbers, and a
sharp sword. I will also give him sandals, and will see him sent
safely wherever he wants to go."
Then Telemachus said, "Mother, I am the only man either in
Ithaca or in the islands that are over against Elis who has the
right to let any one have the bow or to refuse it. No one shall
force me one way or the other, not even though I choose to make
the stranger a present of the bow outright, and let him take it
away with him. Go, then, within the house and busy yourself with
your daily duties, your loom, your distaff, and the ordering of
your servants. This bow is a man's matter, and mine above all
others, for it is I who am master here."
She went wondering back into the house, and laid her son's
saying in her heart. Then going upstairs with her handmaids into
her room, she mourned her dear husband till Minerva sent sweet
sleep over her eyelids.
The swineherd now took up the bow and was for taking it to
Ulysses, but the suitors clamoured at him from all parts of the
cloisters, and one of them said, "You idiot, where are you
taking the bow to? Are you out of your wits? If Apollo and the
other gods will grant our prayer, your own boarhounds shall get
you into some quiet little place, and worry you to death."
Eumaeus was frightened at the outcry they all raised, so he put
the bow down then and there, but Telemachus shouted out at him
from the other side of the cloisters, and threatened him saying,
"Father Eumaeus, bring the bow on in spite of them, or young as
I am I will pelt you with stones back to the country, for I am
the better man of the two. I wish I was as much stronger than
all the other suitors in the house as I am than you, I would
soon send some of them off sick and sorry, for they mean
mischief."
Thus did he speak, and they all of them laughed heartily, which
put them in a better humour with Telemachus; so Eumaeus brought
the bow on and placed it in the hands of Ulysses. When he had
done this, he called Euryclea apart and said to her, "Euryclea,
Telemachus says you are to close the doors of the women's
apartments. If they hear any groaning or uproar as of men
fighting about the house, they are not to come out, but are to
keep quiet and stay where they are at their work."
Euryclea did as she was told and closed the doors of the women's
apartments.
Meanwhile Philoetius slipped quietly out and made fast the gates
of the outer court. There was a ship's cable of byblus fibre
lying in the gatehouse, so he made the gates fast with it and
then came in again, resuming the seat that he had left, and
keeping an eye on Ulysses, who had now got the bow in his hands,
and was turning it every way about, and proving it all over to
see whether the worms had been eating into its two horns during
his absence. Then would one turn towards his neighbour saying,
"This is some tricky old bow-fancier; either he has got one like
it at home, or he wants to make one, in such workmanlike style
does the old vagabond handle it."
Another said, "I hope he may be no more successful in other
things than he is likely to be in stringing this bow."
But Ulysses, when he had taken it up and examined it all over,
strung it as easily as a skilled bard strings a new peg of his
lyre and makes the twisted gut fast at both ends. Then he took
it in his right hand to prove the string, and it sang sweetly
under his touch like the twittering of a swallow. The suitors
were dismayed, and turned colour as they heard it; at that
moment, moreover, Jove thundered loudly as a sign, and the heart
of Ulysses rejoiced as he heard the omen that the son of
scheming Saturn had sent him.
He took an arrow that was lying upon the table {165}--for those
which the Achaeans were so shortly about to taste were all
inside the quiver--he laid it on the centre-piece of the bow,
and drew the notch of the arrow and the string toward him, still
seated on his seat. When he had taken aim he let fly, and his
arrow pierced every one of the handle-holes of the axes from the
first onwards till it had gone right through them, and into the
outer courtyard. Then he said to Telemachus:
"Your guest has not disgraced you, Telemachus. I did not miss
what I aimed at, and I was not long in stringing my bow. I am
still strong, and not as the suitors twit me with being. Now,
however, it is time for the Achaeans to prepare supper while
there is still daylight, and then otherwise to disport
themselves with song and dance which are the crowning ornaments
of a banquet."
As he spoke he made a sign with his eyebrows, and Telemachus
girded on his sword, grasped his spear, and stood armed beside
his father's seat.
Book XXII
THE KILLING OF THE SUITORS--THE MAIDS WHO HAVE MISCONDUCTED
THEMSELVES ARE MADE TO CLEANSE THE CLOISTERS AND ARE THEN
HANGED.
Then Ulysses tore off his rags, and sprang on to the broad
pavement with his bow and his quiver full of arrows. He shed the
arrows on to the ground at his feet and said, "The mighty
contest is at an end. I will now see whether Apollo will
vouchsafe it to me to hit another mark which no man has yet
hit."
On this he aimed a deadly arrow at Antinous, who was about to
take up a two-handled gold cup to drink his wine and already had
it in his hands. He had no thought of death--who amongst all
the revellers would think that one man, however brave, would
stand alone among so many and kill him? The arrow struck
Antinous in the throat, and the point went clean through his
neck, so that he fell over and the cup dropped from his hand,
while a thick stream of blood gushed from his nostrils. He
kicked the table from him and upset the things on it, so that
the bread and roasted meats were all soiled as they fell over on
to the ground. {166} The suitors were in an uproar when they saw
that a man had been hit; they sprang in dismay one and all of
them from their seats and looked everywhere towards the walls,
but there was neither shield nor spear, and they rebuked Ulysses
very angrily. "Stranger," said they, "you shall pay for shooting
people in this way: you shall see no other contest; you are a
doomed man; he whom you have slain was the foremost youth in
Ithaca, and the vultures shall devour you for having killed
him."
Thus they spoke, for they thought that he had killed Antinous by
mistake, and did not perceive that death was hanging over the
head of every one of them. But Ulysses glared at them and said:
"Dogs, did you think that I should not come back from Troy? You
have wasted my substance, {167} have forced my women servants to
lie with you, and have wooed my wife while I was still living.
You have feared neither God nor man, and now you shall die."
They turned pale with fear as he spoke, and every man looked
round about to see whither he might fly for safety, but
Eurymachus alone spoke.
"If you are Ulysses," said he, "then what you have said is just.
We have done much wrong on your lands and in your house. But
Antinous who was the head and front of the offending lies low
already. It was all his doing. It was not that he wanted to
marry Penelope; he did not so much care about that; what he
wanted was something quite different, and Jove has not
vouchsafed it to him; he wanted to kill your son and to be chief
man in Ithaca. Now, therefore, that he has met the death which
was his due, spare the lives of your people. We will make
everything good among ourselves, and pay you in full for all
that we have eaten and drunk. Each one of us shall pay you a
fine worth twenty oxen, and we will keep on giving you gold and
bronze till your heart is softened. Until we have done this no
one can complain of your being enraged against us."
Ulysses again glared at him and said, "Though you should give me
all that you have in the world both now and all that you ever
shall have, I will not stay my hand till I have paid all of you
in full. You must fight, or fly for your lives; and fly, not a
man of you shall."
Their hearts sank as they heard him, but Eurymachus again spoke
saying:
"My friends, this man will give us no quarter. He will stand
where he is and shoot us down till he has killed every man among
us. Let us then show fight; draw your swords, and hold up the
tables to shield you from his arrows. Let us have at him with a
rush, to drive him from the pavement and doorway: we can then
get through into the town, and raise such an alarm as shall soon
stay his shooting."
As he spoke he drew his keen blade of bronze, sharpened on both
sides, and with a loud cry sprang towards Ulysses, but Ulysses
instantly shot an arrow into his breast that caught him by the
nipple and fixed itself in his liver. He dropped his sword and
fell doubled up over his table. The cup and all the meats went
over on to the ground as he smote the earth with his forehead in
the agonies of death, and he kicked the stool with his feet
until his eyes were closed in darkness.
Then Amphinomus drew his sword and made straight at Ulysses to
try and get him away from the door; but Telemachus was too quick
for him, and struck him from behind; the spear caught him
between the shoulders and went right through his chest, so that
he fell heavily to the ground and struck the earth with his
forehead. Then Telemachus sprang away from him, leaving his
spear still in the body, for he feared that if he stayed to draw
it out, some one of the Achaeans might come up and hack at him
with his sword, or knock him down, so he set off at a run, and
immediately was at his father's side. Then he said:
"Father, let me bring you a shield, two spears, and a brass
helmet for your temples. I will arm myself as well, and will
bring other armour for the swineherd and the stockman, for we
had better be armed."
"Run and fetch them," answered Ulysses, "while my arrows hold
out, or when I am alone they may get me away from the door."
Telemachus did as his father said, and went off to the store
room where the armour was kept. He chose four shields, eight
spears, and four brass helmets with horse-hair plumes. He
brought them with all speed to his father, and armed himself
first, while the stockman and the swineherd also put on their
armour, and took their places near Ulysses. Meanwhile Ulysses,
as long as his arrows lasted, had been shooting the suitors one
by one, and they fell thick on one another: when his arrows gave
out, he set the bow to stand against the end wall of the house
by the door post, and hung a shield four hides thick about his
shoulders; on his comely head he set his helmet, well wrought
with a crest of horse-hair that nodded menacingly above it,
{168} and he grasped two redoubtable bronze-shod spears.
Now there was a trap door {169} on the wall, while at one end of
the pavement {170} there was an exit leading to a narrow
passage, and this exit was closed by a well-made door. Ulysses
told Philoetius to stand by this door and guard it, for only one
person could attack it at a time. But Agelaus shouted out,
"Cannot some one go up to the trap door and tell the people what
is going on? Help would come at once, and we should soon make an
end of this man and his shooting."
"This may not be, Agelaus," answered Melanthius, "the mouth of
the narrow passage is dangerously near the entrance to the outer
court. One brave man could prevent any number from getting in.
But I know what I will do, I will bring you arms from the
store-room, for I am sure it is there that Ulysses and his son
have put them."
On this the goatherd Melanthius went by back passages to the
store-room of Ulysses' house. There he chose twelve shields,
with as many helmets and spears, and brought them back as fast
as he could to give them to the suitors. Ulysses' heart began
to fail him when he saw the suitors {171} putting on their
armour and brandishing their spears. He saw the greatness of the
danger, and said to Telemachus, "Some one of the women inside is
helping the suitors against us, or it may be Melanthius."
Telemachus answered, "The fault, father, is mine, and mine only;
I left the store room door open, and they have kept a sharper
look out than I have. Go, Eumaeus, put the door to, and see
whether it is one of the women who is doing this, or whether, as
I suspect, it is Melanthius the son of Dolius."
Thus did they converse. Meanwhile Melanthius was again going to
the store room to fetch more armour, but the swineherd saw him
and said to Ulysses who was beside him, "Ulysses, noble son of
Laertes, it is that scoundrel Melanthius, just as we suspected,
who is going to the store room. Say, shall I kill him, if I can
get the better of him, or shall I bring him here that you may
take your own revenge for all the many wrongs that he has done
in your house?"
Ulysses answered, "Telemachus and I will hold these suitors in
check, no matter what they do; go back both of you and bind
Melanthius' hands and feet behind him. Throw him into the store
room and make the door fast behind you; then fasten a noose
about his body, and string him close up to the rafters from a
high bearing-post, {172} that he may linger on in an agony."
Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said; they went
to the store room, which they entered before Melanthius saw
them, for he was busy searching for arms in the innermost part
of the room, so the two took their stand on either side of the
door and waited. By and by Melanthius came out with a helmet in
one hand, and an old dry-rotted shield in the other, which had
been borne by Laertes when he was young, but which had been long
since thrown aside, and the straps had become unsewn; on this
the two seized him, dragged him back by the hair, and threw him
struggling to the ground. They bent his hands and feet well
behind his back, and bound them tight with a painful bond as
Ulysses had told them; then they fastened a noose about his body
and strung him up from a high pillar till he was close up to the
rafters, and over him did you then vaunt, O swineherd Eumaeus
saying, "Melanthius, you will pass the night on a soft bed as
you deserve. You will know very well when morning comes from the
streams of Oceanus, and it is time for you to be driving in your
goats for the suitors to feast on."
There, then, they left him in very cruel bondage, and having put
on their armour they closed the door behind them and went back
to take their places by the side of Ulysses; whereon the four
men stood in the cloister, fierce and full of fury;
nevertheless, those who were in the body of the court were still
both brave and many. Then Jove's daughter Minerva came up to
them, having assumed the voice and form of Mentor. Ulysses was
glad when he saw her and said, "Mentor, lend me your help, and
forget not your old comrade, nor the many good turns he has done
you. Besides, you are my age-mate."
But all the time he felt sure it was Minerva, and the suitors
from the other side raised an uproar when they saw her. Agelaus
was the first to reproach her. "Mentor," he cried, "do not let
Ulysses beguile you into siding with him and fighting the
suitors. This is what we will do: when we have killed these
people, father and son, we will kill you too. You shall pay for
it with your head, and when we have killed you, we will take all
you have, in doors or out, and bring it into hotch-pot with
Ulysses' property; we will not let your sons live in your house,
nor your daughters, nor shall your widow continue to live in the
city of Ithaca."
This made Minerva still more furious, so she scolded Ulysses
very angrily. {173} "Ulysses," said she, "your strength and
prowess are no longer what they were when you fought for nine
long years among the Trojans about the noble lady Helen. You
killed many a man in those days, and it was through your
stratagem that Priam's city was taken. How comes it that you are
so lamentably less valiant now that you are on your own ground,
face to face with the suitors in your own house? Come on, my
good fellow, stand by my side and see how Mentor, son of
Alcimus shall fight your foes and requite your kindnesses
conferred upon him."
But she would not give him full victory as yet, for she wished
still further to prove his own prowess and that of his brave
son, so she flew up to one of the rafters in the roof of the
cloister and sat upon it in the form of a swallow.
Meanwhile Agelaus son of Damastor, Eurynomus, Amphimedon,
Demoptolemus, Pisander, and Polybus son of Polyctor bore the
brunt of the fight upon the suitors' side; of all those who were
still fighting for their lives they were by far the most
valiant, for the others had already fallen under the arrows of
Ulysses. Agelaus shouted to them and said, "My friends, he will
soon have to leave off, for Mentor has gone away after having
done nothing for him but brag. They are standing at the doors
unsupported. Do not aim at him all at once, but six of you throw
your spears first, and see if you cannot cover yourselves with
glory by killing him. When he has fallen we need not be uneasy
about the others."
They threw their spears as he bade them, but Minerva made them
all of no effect. One hit the door post; another went against
the door; the pointed shaft of another struck the wall; and as
soon as they had avoided all the spears of the suitors Ulysses
said to his own men, "My friends, I should say we too had better
let drive into the middle of them, or they will crown all the
harm they have done us by killing us outright."
They therefore aimed straight in front of them and threw their
spears. Ulysses killed Demoptolemus, Telemachus Euryades,
Eumaeus Elatus, while the stockman killed Pisander. These all
bit the dust, and as the others drew back into a corner Ulysses
and his men rushed forward and regained their spears by drawing
them from the bodies of the dead.
The suitors now aimed a second time, but again Minerva made
their weapons for the most part without effect. One hit a
bearing-post of the cloister; another went against the door;
while the pointed shaft of another struck the wall. Still,
Amphimedon just took a piece of the top skin from off
Telemachus's wrist, and Ctesippus managed to graze Eumaeus's
shoulder above his shield; but the spear went on and fell to the
ground. Then Ulysses and his men let drive into the crowd of
suitors. Ulysses hit Eurydamas, Telemachus Amphimedon, and
Eumaeus Polybus. After this the stockman hit Ctesippus in the
breast, and taunted him saying, "Foul-mouthed son of
Polytherses, do not be so foolish as to talk wickedly another
time, but let heaven direct your speech, for the gods are far
stronger than men. I make you a present of this advice to repay
you for the foot which you gave Ulysses when he was begging
about in his own house."
Thus spoke the stockman, and Ulysses struck the son of Damastor
with a spear in close fight, while Telemachus hit Leocritus son
of Evenor in the belly, and the dart went clean through him, so
that he fell forward full on his face upon the ground. Then
Minerva from her seat on the rafter held up her deadly aegis,
and the hearts of the suitors quailed. They fled to the other
end of the court like a herd of cattle maddened by the gadfly in
early summer when the days are at their longest. As
eagle-beaked, crook-taloned vultures from the mountains swoop
down on the smaller birds that cower in flocks upon the ground,
and kill them, for they cannot either fight or fly, and lookers
on enjoy the sport--even so did Ulysses and his men fall upon
the suitors and smite them on every side. They made a horrible
groaning as their brains were being battered in, and the ground
seethed with their blood.
Leiodes then caught the knees of Ulysses and said, "Ulysses I
beseech you have mercy upon me and spare me. I never wronged any
of the women in your house either in word or deed, and I tried
to stop the others. I saw them, but they would not listen, and
now they are paying for their folly. I was their sacrificing
priest; if you kill me, I shall die without having done anything
to deserve it, and shall have got no thanks for all the good
that I did."
Ulysses looked sternly at him and answered, "If you were their
sacrificing priest, you must have prayed many a time that it
might be long before I got home again, and that you might marry
my wife and have children by her. Therefore you shall die."
With these words he picked up the sword that Agelaus had dropped
when he was being killed, and which was lying upon the ground.
Then he struck Leiodes on the back of his neck, so that his head
fell rolling in the dust while he was yet speaking.
The minstrel Phemius son of Terpes--he who had been forced by
the suitors to sing to them--now tried to save his life. He was
standing near towards the trap door, {174} and held his lyre in
his hand. He did not know whether to fly out of the cloister and
sit down by the altar of Jove that was in the outer court, and
on which both Laertes and Ulysses had offered up the thigh bones
of many an ox, or whether to go straight up to Ulysses and
embrace his knees, but in the end he deemed it best to embrace
Ulysses' knees. So he laid his lyre on the ground between the
mixing bowl {175} and the silver-studded seat; then going up to
Ulysses he caught hold of his knees and said, "Ulysses, I
beseech you have mercy on me and spare me. You will be sorry for
it afterwards if you kill a bard who can sing both for gods and
men as I can. I make all my lays myself, and heaven visits me
with every kind of inspiration. I would sing to you as though
you were a god, do not therefore be in such a hurry to cut my
head off. Your own son Telemachus will tell you that I did not
want to frequent your house and sing to the suitors after their
meals, but they were too many and too strong for me, so they
made me."
Telemachus heard him, and at once went up to his father.
"Hold!" he cried, "the man is guiltless, do him no hurt; and we
will spare Medon too, who was always good to me when I was a
boy, unless Philoetius or Eumaeus has already killed him, or he
has fallen in your way when you were raging about the court."
Medon caught these words of Telemachus, for he was crouching
under a seat beneath which he had hidden by covering himself up
with a freshly flayed heifer's hide, so he threw off the hide,
went up to Telemachus, and laid hold of his knees.
"Here I am, my dear sir," said he, "stay your hand therefore,
and tell your father, or he will kill me in his rage against the
suitors for having wasted his substance and been so foolishly
disrespectful to yourself."
Ulysses smiled at him and answered, "Fear not; Telemachus has
saved your life, that you may know in future, and tell other
people, how greatly better good deeds prosper than evil ones.
Go, therefore, outside the cloisters into the outer court, and
be out of the way of the slaughter--you and the bard--while I
finish my work here inside."
The pair went into the outer court as fast as they could, and
sat down by Jove's great altar, looking fearfully round, and
still expecting that they would be killed. Then Ulysses searched
the whole court carefully over, to see if anyone had managed to
hide himself and was still living, but he found them all lying
in the dust and weltering in their blood. They were like fishes
which fishermen have netted out of the sea, and thrown upon the
beach to lie gasping for water till the heat of the sun makes an
end of them. Even so were the suitors lying all huddled up one
against the other.
Then Ulysses said to Telemachus, "Call nurse Euryclea; I have
something to say to her."
Telemachus went and knocked at the door of the women's room.
"Make haste," said he, "you old woman who have been set over all
the other women in the house. Come outside; my father wishes to
speak to you."
When Euryclea heard this she unfastened the door of the women's
room and came out, following Telemachus. She found Ulysses among
the corpses bespattered with blood and filth like a lion that
has just been devouring an ox, and his breast and both his
cheeks are all bloody, so that he is a fearful sight; even so
was Ulysses besmirched from head to foot with gore. When she saw
all the corpses and such a quantity of blood, she was beginning
to cry out for joy, for she saw that a great deed had been done;
but Ulysses checked her, "Old woman," said he, "rejoice in
silence; restrain yourself, and do not make any noise about it;
it is an unholy thing to vaunt over dead men. Heaven's doom and
their own evil deeds have brought these men to destruction, for
they respected no man in the whole world, neither rich nor poor,
who came near them, and they have come to a bad end as a
punishment for their wickedness and folly. Now, however, tell me
which of the women in the house have misconducted themselves,
and who are innocent." {176}
"I will tell you the truth, my son," answered Euryclea. "There
are fifty women in the house whom we teach to do things, such as
carding wool, and all kinds of household work. Of these, twelve
in all {177} have misbehaved, and have been wanting in respect
to me, and also to Penelope. They showed no disrespect to
Telemachus, for he has only lately grown and his mother never
permitted him to give orders to the female servants; but let me
go upstairs and tell your wife all that has happened, for some
god has been sending her to sleep."
"Do not wake her yet," answered Ulysses, "but tell the women who
have misconducted themselves to come to me."
Euryclea left the cloister to tell the women, and make them come
to Ulysses; in the meantime he called Telemachus, the stockman,
and the swineherd. "Begin," said he, "to remove the dead, and
make the women help you. Then, get sponges and clean water to
swill down the tables and seats. When you have thoroughly
cleansed the whole cloisters, take the women into the space
between the domed room and the wall of the outer court, and run
them through with your swords till they are quite dead, and have
forgotten all about love and the way in which they used to lie
in secret with the suitors."
On this the women came down in a body, weeping and wailing
bitterly. First they carried the dead bodies out, and propped
them up against one another in the gatehouse. Ulysses ordered
them about and made them do their work quickly, so they had to
carry the bodies out. When they had done this, they cleaned all
the tables and seats with sponges and water, while Telemachus
and the two others shovelled up the blood and dirt from the
ground, and the women carried it all away and put it out of
doors. Then when they had made the whole place quite clean and
orderly, they took the women out and hemmed them in the narrow
space between the wall of the domed room and that of the yard,
so that they could not get away: and Telemachus said to the
other two, "I shall not let these women die a clean death, for
they were insolent to me and my mother, and used to sleep with
the suitors."
So saying he made a ship's cable fast to one of the
bearing-posts that supported the roof of the domed room, and
secured it all around the building, at a good height, lest any
of the women's feet should touch the ground; and as thrushes or
doves beat against a net that has been set for them in a thicket
just as they were getting to their nest, and a terrible fate
awaits them, even so did the women have to put their heads in
nooses one after the other and die most miserably. {178} Their
feet moved convulsively for a while, but not for very long.
As for Melanthius, they took him through the cloister into the
inner court. There they cut off his nose and his ears; they drew
out his vitals and gave them to the dogs raw, and then in their
fury they cut off his hands and his feet.
When they had done this they washed their hands and feet and
went back into the house, for all was now over; and Ulysses said
to the dear old nurse Euryclea, "Bring me sulphur, which
cleanses all pollution, and fetch fire also that I may burn it,
and purify the cloisters. Go, moreover, and tell Penelope to
come here with her attendants, and also all the maidservants
that are in the house."
"All that you have said is true," answered Euryclea, "but let me
bring you some clean clothes--a shirt and cloak. Do not keep
these rags on your back any longer. It is not right."
"First light me a fire," replied Ulysses.
She brought the fire and sulphur, as he had bidden her, and
Ulysses thoroughly purified the cloisters and both the inner and
outer courts. Then she went inside to call the women and tell
them what had happened; whereon they came from their apartment
with torches in their hands, and pressed round Ulysses to
embrace him, kissing his head and shoulders and taking hold of
his hands. It made him feel as if he should like to weep, for he
remembered every one of them. {179}
Book XXIII
PENELOPE EVENTUALLY RECOGNISES HER HUSBAND--EARLY IN THE MORNING
ULYSSES, TELEMACHUS, EUMAEUS, AND PHILOETIUS LEAVE THE TOWN.
Euryclea now went upstairs laughing to tell her mistress that
her dear husband had come home. Her aged knees became young
again and her feet were nimble for joy as she went up to her
mistress and bent over her head to speak to her. "Wake up
Penelope, my dear child," she exclaimed, "and see with your own
eyes something that you have been wanting this long time past.
Ulysses has at last indeed come home again, and has killed the
suitors who were giving so much trouble in his house, eating up
his estate and ill treating his son."
"My good nurse," answered Penelope, "you must be mad. The gods
sometimes send some very sensible people out of their minds, and
make foolish people become sensible. This is what they must have
been doing to you; for you always used to be a reasonable
person. Why should you thus mock me when I have trouble enough
already--talking such nonsense, and waking me up out of a sweet
sleep that had taken possession of my eyes and closed them? I
have never slept so soundly from the day my poor husband went to
that city with the ill-omened name. Go back again into the
women's room; if it had been any one else who had woke me up to
bring me such absurd news I should have sent her away with a
severe scolding. As it is your age shall protect you."
"My dear child," answered Euryclea, "I am not mocking you. It
is quite true as I tell you that Ulysses is come home again. He
was the stranger whom they all kept on treating so badly in the
cloister. Telemachus knew all the time that he was come back,
but kept his father's secret that he might have his revenge on
all these wicked people.
Then Penelope sprang up from her couch, threw her arms round
Euryclea, and wept for joy. "But my dear nurse," said she,
"explain this to me; if he has really come home as you say, how
did he manage to overcome the wicked suitors single handed,
seeing what a number of them there always were?"
"I was not there," answered Euryclea, "and do not know; I only
heard them groaning while they were being killed. We sat
crouching and huddled up in a corner of the women's room with
the doors closed, till your son came to fetch me because his
father sent him. Then I found Ulysses standing over the corpses
that were lying on the ground all round him, one on top of the
other. You would have enjoyed it if you could have seen him
standing there all bespattered with blood and filth, and looking
just like a lion. But the corpses are now all piled up in the
gatehouse that is in the outer court, and Ulysses has lit a
great fire to purify the house with sulphur. He has sent me to
call you, so come with me that you may both be happy together
after all; for now at last the desire of your heart has been
fulfilled; your husband is come home to find both wife and son
alive and well, and to take his revenge in his own house on the
suitors who behaved so badly to him."
"My dear nurse," said Penelope, "do not exult too confidently
over all this. You know how delighted every one would be to see
Ulysses come home--more particularly myself, and the son who has
been born to both of us; but what you tell me cannot be really
true. It is some god who is angry with the suitors for their
great wickedness, and has made an end of them; for they
respected no man in the whole world, neither rich nor poor, who
came near them, who came near them, and they have come to a bad
end in consequence of their iniquity; Ulysses is dead far away
from the Achaean land; he will never return home again."
Then nurse Euryclea said, "My child, what are you talking about?
but you were all hard of belief and have made up your mind that
your husband is never coming, although he is in the house and by
his own fire side at this very moment. Besides I can give you
another proof; when I was washing him I perceived the scar which
the wild boar gave him, and I wanted to tell you about it, but
in his wisdom he would not let me, and clapped his hands over my
mouth; so come with me and I will make this bargain with you--if
I am deceiving you, you may have me killed by the most cruel
death you can think of."
"My dear nurse," said Penelope, "however wise you may be you can
hardly fathom the counsels of the gods. Nevertheless, we will
go in search of my son, that I may see the corpses of the
suitors, and the man who has killed them."
On this she came down from her upper room, and while doing so
she considered whether she should keep at a distance from her
husband and question him, or whether she should at once go up to
him and embrace him. When, however, she had crossed the stone
floor of the cloister, she sat down opposite Ulysses by the
fire, against the wall at right angles {180} [to that by which
she had entered], while Ulysses sat near one of the
bearing-posts, looking upon the ground, and waiting to see what
his brave wife would say to him when she saw him. For a long
time she sat silent and as one lost in amazement. At one moment
she looked him full in the face, but then again directly, she
was misled by his shabby clothes and failed to recognise him,
{181} till Telemachus began to reproach her and said:
"Mother--but you are so hard that I cannot call you by such a
name--why do you keep away from my father in this way? Why do
you not sit by his side and begin talking to him and asking him
questions? No other woman could bear to keep away from her
husband when he had come back to her after twenty years of
absence, and after having gone through so much; but your heart
always was as hard as a stone."
Penelope answered, "My son, I am so lost in astonishment that I
can find no words in which either to ask questions or to answer
them. I cannot even look him straight in the face. Still, if he
really is Ulysses come back to his own home again, we shall get
to understand one another better by and by, for there are tokens
with which we two are alone acquainted, and which are hidden
from all others."
Ulysses smiled at this, and said to Telemachus, "Let your mother
put me to any proof she likes; she will make up her mind about
it presently. She rejects me for the moment and believes me to
be somebody else, because I am covered with dirt and have such
bad clothes on; let us, however, consider what we had better do
next. When one man has killed another--even though he was not
one who would leave many friends to take up his quarrel--the man
who has killed him must still say good bye to his friends and
fly the country; whereas we have been killing the stay of a
whole town, and all the picked youth of Ithaca. I would have you
consider this matter."
"Look to it yourself, father," answered Telemachus, "for they
say you are the wisest counsellor in the world, and that there
is no other mortal man who can compare with you. We will follow
you with right good will, nor shall you find us fail you in so
far as our strength holds out."
"I will say what I think will be best," answered Ulysses.
"First wash and put your shirts on; tell the maids also to go to
their own room and dress; Phemius shall then strike up a dance
tune on his lyre, so that if people outside hear, or any of the
neighbours, or some one going along the street happens to notice
it, they may think there is a wedding in the house, and no
rumours about the death of the suitors will get about in the
town, before we can escape to the woods upon my own land. Once
there, we will settle which of the courses heaven vouchsafes us
shall seem wisest."
Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said. First they
washed and put their shirts on, while the women got ready. Then
Phemius took his lyre and set them all longing for sweet song
and stately dance. The house re-echoed with the sound of men and
women dancing, and the people outside said, "I suppose the queen
has been getting married at last. She ought to be ashamed of
herself for not continuing to protect her husband's property
until he comes home." {182}
This was what they said, but they did not know what it was that
had been happening. The upper servant Eurynome washed and
anointed Ulysses in his own house and gave him a shirt and
cloak, while Minerva made him look taller and stronger than
before; she also made the hair grow thick on the top of his
head, and flow down in curls like hyacinth blossoms; she
glorified him about the head and shoulders just as a skilful
workman who has studied art of all kinds under Vulcan or
Minerva--and his work is full of beauty- enriches a piece of
silver plate by gilding it. He came from the bath looking like
one of the immortals, and sat down opposite his wife on the seat
he had left. "My dear," said he, "heaven has endowed you with a
heart more unyielding than woman ever yet had. No other woman
could bear to keep away from her husband when he had come back
to her after twenty years of absence, and after having gone
through so much. But come, nurse, get a bed ready for me; I will
sleep alone, for this woman has a heart as hard as iron."
"My dear," answered Penelope, "I have no wish to set myself up,
nor to depreciate you; but I am not struck by your appearance,
for I very well remember what kind of a man you were when you
set sail from Ithaca. Nevertheless, Euryclea, take his bed
outside the bed chamber that he himself built. Bring the bed
outside this room, and put bedding upon it with fleeces, good
coverlets, and blankets."
She said this to try him, but Ulysses was very angry and said,
"Wife, I am much displeased at what you have just been saying.
Who has been taking my bed from the place in which I left it? He
must have found it a hard task, no matter how skilled a workman
he was, unless some god came and helped him to shift it. There
is no man living, however strong and in his prime, who could
move it from its place, for it is a marvellous curiosity which I
made with my very own hands. There was a young olive growing
within the precincts of the house, in full vigour, and about as
thick as a bearing-post. I built my room round this with strong
walls of stone and a roof to cover them, and I made the doors
strong and well-fitting. Then I cut off the top boughs of the
olive tree and left the stump standing. This I dressed roughly
from the root upwards and then worked with carpenter's tools
well and skilfully, straightening my work by drawing a line on
the wood, and making it into a bed-prop. I then bored a hole
down the middle, and made it the centre-post of my bed, at which
I worked till I had finished it, inlaying it with gold and
silver; after this I stretched a hide of crimson leather from
one side of it to the other. So you see I know all about it, and
I desire to learn whether it is still there, or whether any one
has been removing it by cutting down the olive tree at its
roots."
When she heard the sure proofs Ulysses now gave her, she fairly
broke down. She flew weeping to his side, flung her arms about
his neck, and kissed him. "Do not be angry with me Ulysses," she
cried, "you, who are the wisest of mankind. We have suffered,
both of us. Heaven has denied us the happiness of spending our
youth, and of growing old, together; do not then be aggrieved or
take it amiss that I did not embrace you thus as soon as I saw
you. I have been shuddering all the time through fear that
someone might come here and deceive me with a lying story; for
there are many very wicked people going about. Jove's daughter
Helen would never have yielded herself to a man from a foreign
country, if she had known that the sons of Achaeans would come
after her and bring her back. Heaven put it in her heart to do
wrong, and she gave no thought to that sin, which has been the
source of all our sorrows. Now, however, that you have
convinced me by showing that you know all about our bed (which
no human being has ever seen but you and I and a single
maidservant, the daughter of Actor, who was given me by my
father on my marriage, and who keeps the doors of our room) hard
of belief though I have been I can mistrust no longer."
Then Ulysses in his turn melted, and wept as he clasped his dear
and faithful wife to his bosom. As the sight of land is welcome
to men who are swimming towards the shore, when Neptune has
wrecked their ship with the fury of his winds and waves; a few
alone reach the land, and these, covered with brine, are
thankful when they find themselves on firm ground and out of
danger--even so was her husband welcome to her as she looked
upon him, and she could not tear her two fair arms from about
his neck. Indeed they would have gone on indulging their sorrow
till rosy-fingered morn appeared, had not Minerva determined
otherwise, and held night back in the far west, while she would
not suffer Dawn to leave Oceanus, nor to yoke the two steeds
Lampus and Phaethon that bear her onward to break the day upon
mankind.
At last, however, Ulysses said, "Wife, we have not yet reached
the end of our troubles. I have an unknown amount of toil still
to undergo. It is long and difficult, but I must go through with
it, for thus the shade of Teiresias prophesied concerning me, on
the day when I went down into Hades to ask about my return and
that of my companions. But now let us go to bed, that we may
lie down and enjoy the blessed boon of sleep."
"You shall go to bed as soon as you please," replied Penelope,
"now that the gods have sent you home to your own good house and
to your country. But as heaven has put it in your mind to speak
of it, tell me about the task that lies before you. I shall have
to hear about it later, so it is better that I should be told at
once."
"My dear," answered Ulysses, "why should you press me to tell
you? Still, I will not conceal it from you, though you will not
like it. I do not like it myself, for Teiresias bade me travel
far and wide, carrying an oar, till I came to a country where
the people have never heard of the sea, and do not even mix salt
with their food. They know nothing about ships, nor oars that
are as the wings of a ship. He gave me this certain token which
I will not hide from you. He said that a wayfarer should meet me
and ask me whether it was a winnowing shovel that I had on my
shoulder. On this, I was to fix my oar in the ground and
sacrifice a ram, a bull, and a boar to Neptune; after which I
was to go home and offer hecatombs to all the gods in heaven,
one after the other. As for myself, he said that death should
come to me from the sea, and that my life should ebb away very
gently when I was full of years and peace of mind, and my people
should bless me. All this, he said, should surely come to pass."
And Penelope said, "If the gods are going to vouchsafe you a
happier time in your old age, you may hope then to have some
respite from misfortune."
Thus did they converse. Meanwhile Eurynome and the nurse took
torches and made the bed ready with soft coverlets; as soon as
they had laid them, the nurse went back into the house to go to
her rest, leaving the bed chamber woman Eurynome {183} to show
Ulysses and Penelope to bed by torch light. When she had
conducted them to their room she went back, and they then came
joyfully to the rites of their own old bed. Telemachus,
Philoetius, and the swineherd now left off dancing, and made the
women leave off also. They then laid themselves down to sleep in
the cloisters.
When Ulysses and Penelope had had their fill of love they fell
talking with one another. She told him how much she had had to
bear in seeing the house filled with a crowd of wicked suitors
who had killed so many sheep and oxen on her account, and had
drunk so many casks of wine. Ulysses in his turn told her what
he had suffered, and how much trouble he had himself given to
other people. He told her everything, and she was so delighted
to listen that she never went to sleep till he had ended his
whole story.
He began with his victory over the Cicons, and how he thence
reached the fertile land of the Lotus-eaters. He told her all
about the Cyclops and how he had punished him for having so
ruthlessly eaten his brave comrades; how he then went on to
Aeolus, who received him hospitably and furthered him on his
way, but even so he was not to reach home, for to his great
grief a hurricane carried him out to sea again; how he went on
to the Laestrygonian city Telepylos, where the people destroyed
all his ships with their crews, save himself and his own ship
only. Then he told of cunning Circe and her craft, and how he
sailed to the chill house of Hades, to consult the ghost of the
Theban prophet Teiresias, and how he saw his old comrades in
arms, and his mother who bore him and brought him up when he was
a child; how he then heard the wondrous singing of the Sirens,
and went on to the wandering rocks and terrible Charybdis and to
Scylla, whom no man had ever yet passed in safety; how his men
then ate the cattle of the sun-god, and how Jove therefore
struck the ship with his thunderbolts, so that all his men
perished together, himself alone being left alive; how at last
he reached the Ogygian island and the nymph Calypso, who kept
him there in a cave, and fed him, and wanted him to marry her,
in which case she intended making him immortal so that he should
never grow old, but she could not persuade him to let her do so;
and how after much suffering he had found his way to the
Phaeacians, who had treated him as though he had been a god, and
sent him back in a ship to his own country after having given
him gold, bronze, and raiment in great abundance. This was the
last thing about which he told her, for here a deep sleep took
hold upon him and eased the burden of his sorrows.
Then Minerva bethought her of another matter. When she deemed
that Ulysses had had both of his wife and of repose, she bade
gold-enthroned Dawn rise out of Oceanus that she might shed
light upon mankind. On this, Ulysses rose from his comfortable
bed and said to Penelope, "Wife, we have both of us had our full
share of troubles, you, here, in lamenting my absence, and I in
being prevented from getting home though I was longing all the
time to do so. Now, however, that we have at last come together,
take care of the property that is in the house. As for the sheep
and goats which the wicked suitors have eaten, I will take many
myself by force from other people, and will compel the Achaeans
to make good the rest till they shall have filled all my yards.
I am now going to the wooded lands out in the country to see my
father who has so long been grieved on my account, and to
yourself I will give these instructions, though you have little
need of them. At sunrise it will at once get abroad that I have
been killing the suitors; go upstairs, therefore, {184} and stay
there with your women. See nobody and ask no questions." {185}
As he spoke he girded on his armour. Then he roused Telemachus,
Philoetius, and Eumaeus, and told them all to put on their
armour also. This they did, and armed themselves. When they had
done so, they opened the gates and sallied forth, Ulysses
leading the way. It was now daylight, but Minerva nevertheless
concealed them in darkness and led them quickly out of the town.
Book XXIV
THE GHOSTS OF THE SUITORS IN HADES--ULYSSES AND HIS MEN GO TO
THE HOUSE OF LAERTES--THE PEOPLE OF ITHACA COME OUT TO ATTACK
ULYSSES, BUT MINERVA CONCLUDES A PEACE.
Then Mercury of Cyllene summoned the ghosts of the suitors, and
in his hand he held the fair golden wand with which he seals
men's eyes in sleep or wakes them just as he pleases; with this
he roused the ghosts and led them, while they followed whining
and gibbering behind him. As bats fly squealing in the hollow of
some great cave, when one of them has fallen out of the cluster
in which they hang, even so did the ghosts whine and squeal as
Mercury the healer of sorrow led them down into the dark abode
of death. When they had passed the waters of Oceanus and the
rock Leucas, they came to the gates of the sun and the land of
dreams, whereon they reached the meadow of asphodel where dwell
the souls and shadows of them that can labour no more.
Here they found the ghost of Achilles son of Peleus, with those
of Patroclus, Antilochus, and Ajax, who was the finest and
handsomest man of all the Danaans after the son of Peleus
himself.
They gathered round the ghost of the son of Peleus, and the
ghost of Agamemnon joined them, sorrowing bitterly. Round him
were gathered also the ghosts of those who had perished with him
in the house of Aegisthus; and the ghost of Achilles spoke
first.
"Son of Atreus," it said, "we used to say that Jove had loved
you better from first to last than any other hero, for you were
captain over many and brave men, when we were all fighting
together before Troy; yet the hand of death, which no mortal can
escape, was laid upon you all too early. Better for you had you
fallen at Troy in the hey-day of your renown, for the Achaeans
would have built a mound over your ashes, and your son would
have been heir to your good name, whereas it has now been your
lot to come to a most miserable end."
"Happy son of Peleus," answered the ghost of Agamemnon, "for
having died at Troy far from Argos, while the bravest of the
Trojans and the Achaeans fell round you fighting for your body.
There you lay in the whirling clouds of dust, all huge and
hugely, heedless now of your chivalry. We fought the whole of
the livelong day, nor should we ever have left off if Jove had
not sent a hurricane to stay us. Then, when we had borne you to
the ships out of the fray, we laid you on your bed and cleansed
your fair skin with warm water and with ointments. The Danaans
tore their hair and wept bitterly round about you. Your mother,
when she heard, came with her immortal nymphs from out of the
sea, and the sound of a great wailing went forth over the waters
so that the Achaeans quaked for fear. They would have fled
panic-stricken to their ships had not wise old Nestor whose
counsel was ever truest checked them saying, 'Hold, Argives, fly
not sons of the Achaeans, this is his mother coming from the sea
with her immortal nymphs to view the body of her son.'
"Thus he spoke, and the Achaeans feared no more. The daughters
of the old man of the sea stood round you weeping bitterly, and
clothed you in immortal raiment. The nine muses also came and
lifted up their sweet voices in lament--calling and answering
one another; there was not an Argive but wept for pity of the
dirge they chaunted. Days and nights seven and ten we mourned
you, mortals and immortals, but on the eighteenth day we gave
you to the flames, and many a fat sheep with many an ox did we
slay in sacrifice around you. You were burnt in raiment of the
gods, with rich resins and with honey, while heroes, horse and
foot, clashed their armour round the pile as you were burning,
with the tramp as of a great multitude. But when the flames of
heaven had done their work, we gathered your white bones at
daybreak and laid them in ointments and in pure wine. Your
mother brought us a golden vase to hold them--gift of Bacchus,
and work of Vulcan himself; in this we mingled your bleached
bones with those of Patroclus who had gone before you, and
separate we enclosed also those of Antilochus, who had been
closer to you than any other of your comrades now that Patroclus
was no more.
"Over these the host of the Argives built a noble tomb, on a
point jutting out over the open Hellespont, that it might be
seen from far out upon the sea by those now living and by them
that shall be born hereafter. Your mother begged prizes from the
gods, and offered them to be contended for by the noblest of the
Achaeans. You must have been present at the funeral of many a
hero, when the young men gird themselves and make ready to
contend for prizes on the death of some great chieftain, but you
never saw such prizes as silver-footed Thetis offered in your
honour; for the gods loved you well. Thus even in death your
fame, Achilles, has not been lost, and your name lives evermore
among all mankind. But as for me, what solace had I when the
days of my fighting were done? For Jove willed my destruction on
my return, by the hands of Aegisthus and those of my wicked
wife."
Thus did they converse, and presently Mercury came up to them
with the ghosts of the suitors who had been killed by Ulysses.
The ghosts of Agamemnon and Achilles were astonished at seeing
them, and went up to them at once. The ghost of Agamemnon
recognised Amphimedon son of Melaneus, who lived in Ithaca and
had been his host, so it began to talk to him.
"Amphimedon," it said, "what has happened to all you fine young
men--all of an age too--that you are come down here under the
ground? One could pick no finer body of men from any city. Did
Neptune raise his winds and waves against you when you were at
sea, or did your enemies make an end of you on the mainland when
you were cattle-lifting or sheep-stealing, or while fighting in
defence of their wives and city? Answer my question, for I have
been your guest. Do you not remember how I came to your house
with Menelaus, to persuade Ulysses to join us with his ships
against Troy? It was a whole month ere we could resume our
voyage, for we had hard work to persuade Ulysses to come with
us."
And the ghost of Amphimedon answered, "Agamemnon, son of Atreus,
king of men, I remember everything that you have said, and will
tell you fully and accurately about the way in which our end was
brought about. Ulysses had been long gone, and we were courting
his wife, who did not say point blank that she would not marry,
nor yet bring matters to an end, for she meant to compass our
destruction: this, then, was the trick she played us. She set up
a great tambour frame in her room and began to work on an
enormous piece of fine needlework. 'Sweethearts,' said she,
'Ulysses is indeed dead, still, do not press me to marry again
immediately; wait--for I would not have my skill in needlework
perish unrecorded--till I have completed a pall for the hero
Laertes, against the time when death shall take him. He is very
rich, and the women of the place will talk if he is laid out
without a pall.' This is what she said, and we assented;
whereupon we could see her working upon her great web all day
long, but at night she would unpick the stitches again by
torchlight. She fooled us in this way for three years without
our finding it out, but as time wore on and she was now in her
fourth year, in the waning of moons and many days had been
accomplished, one of her maids who knew what she was doing told
us, and we caught her in the act of undoing her work, so she had
to finish it whether she would or no; and when she showed us the
robe she had made, after she had had it washed, {186} its
splendour was as that of the sun or moon.
"Then some malicious god conveyed Ulysses to the upland farm
where his swineherd lives. Thither presently came also his son,
returning from a voyage to Pylos, and the two came to the town
when they had hatched their plot for our destruction. Telemachus
came first, and then after him, accompanied by the swineherd,
came Ulysses, clad in rags and leaning on a staff as though he
were some miserable old beggar. He came so unexpectedly that
none of us knew him, not even the older ones among us, and we
reviled him and threw things at him. He endured both being
struck and insulted without a word, though he was in his own
house; but when the will of Aegis-bearing Jove inspired him, he
and Telemachus took the armour and hid it in an inner chamber,
bolting the doors behind them. Then he cunningly made his wife
offer his bow and a quantity of iron to be contended for by us
ill-fated suitors; and this was the beginning of our end, for
not one of us could string the bow--nor nearly do so. When it
was about to reach the hands of Ulysses, we all of us shouted
out that it should not be given him, no matter what he might
say, but Telemachus insisted on his having it. When he had got
it in his hands he strung it with ease and sent his arrow
through the iron. Then he stood on the floor of the cloister and
poured his arrows on the ground, glaring fiercely about him.
First he killed Antinous, and then, aiming straight before him,
he let fly his deadly darts and they fell thick on one another.
It was plain that some one of the gods was helping them, for
they fell upon us with might and main throughout the cloisters,
and there was a hideous sound of groaning as our brains were
being battered in, and the ground seethed with our blood. This,
Agamemnon, is how we came by our end, and our bodies are lying
still uncared for in the house of Ulysses, for our friends at
home do not yet know what has happened, so that they cannot lay
us out and wash the black blood from our wounds, making moan
over us according to the offices due to the departed."
"Happy Ulysses, son of Laertes," replied the ghost of Agamemnon,
"you are indeed blessed in the possession of a wife endowed with
such rare excellence of understanding, and so faithful to her
wedded lord as Penelope the daughter of Icarius. The fame,
therefore, of her virtue shall never die, and the immortals
shall compose a song that shall be welcome to all mankind in
honour of the constancy of Penelope. How far otherwise was the
wickedness of the daughter of Tyndareus who killed her lawful
husband; her song shall be hateful among men, for she has
brought disgrace on all womankind even on the good ones."
Thus did they converse in the house of Hades deep down within
the bowels of the earth. Meanwhile Ulysses and the others passed
out of the town and soon reached the fair and well-tilled farm
of Laertes, which he had reclaimed with infinite labour. Here
was his house, with a lean-to running all round it, where the
slaves who worked for him slept and sat and ate, while inside
the house there was an old Sicel woman, who looked after him in
this his country-farm. When Ulysses got there, he said to his
son and to the other two:
"Go to the house, and kill the best pig that you can find for
dinner. Meanwhile I want to see whether my father will know me,
or fail to recognise me after so long an absence."
He then took off his armour and gave it to Eumaeus and
Philoetius, who went straight on to the house, while he turned
off into the vineyard to make trial of his father. As he went
down into the great orchard, he did not see Dolius, nor any of
his sons nor of the other bondsmen, for they were all gathering
thorns to make a fence for the vineyard, at the place where the
old man had told them; he therefore found his father alone,
hoeing a vine. He had on a dirty old shirt, patched and very
shabby; his legs were bound round with thongs of oxhide to save
him from the brambles, and he also wore sleeves of leather; he
had a goat skin cap on his head, and was looking very
woe-begone. When Ulysses saw him so worn, so old and full of
sorrow, he stood still under a tall pear tree and began to weep.
He doubted whether to embrace him, kiss him, and tell him all
about his having come home, or whether he should first question
him and see what he would say. In the end he deemed it best to
be crafty with him, so in this mind he went up to his father,
who was bending down and digging about a plant.
"I see, sir," said Ulysses, "that you are an excellent
gardener--what pains you take with it, to be sure. There is not
a single plant, not a fig tree, vine, olive, pear, nor flower
bed, but bears the trace of your attention. I trust, however,
that you will not be offended if I say that you take better care
of your garden than of yourself. You are old, unsavoury, and
very meanly clad. It cannot be because you are idle that your
master takes such poor care of you, indeed your face and figure
have nothing of the slave about them, and proclaim you of noble
birth. I should have said that you were one of those who should
wash well, eat well, and lie soft at night as old men have a
right to do; but tell me, and tell me true, whose bondman are
you, and in whose garden are you working? Tell me also about
another matter. Is this place that I have come to really Ithaca?
I met a man just now who said so, but he was a dull fellow, and
had not the patience to hear my story out when I was asking him
about an old friend of mine, whether he was still living, or was
already dead and in the house of Hades. Believe me when I tell
you that this man came to my house once when I was in my own
country and never yet did any stranger come to me whom I liked
better. He said that his family came from Ithaca and that his
father was Laertes, son of Arceisius. I received him hospitably,
making him welcome to all the abundance of my house, and when he
went away I gave him all customary presents. I gave him seven
talents of fine gold, and a cup of solid silver with flowers
chased upon it. I gave him twelve light cloaks, and as many
pieces of tapestry; I also gave him twelve cloaks of single
fold, twelve rugs, twelve fair mantles, and an equal number of
shirts. To all this I added four good looking women skilled in
all useful arts, and I let him take his choice."
His father shed tears and answered, "Sir, you have indeed come
to the country that you have named, but it is fallen into the
hands of wicked people. All this wealth of presents has been
given to no purpose. If you could have found your friend here
alive in Ithaca, he would have entertained you hospitably and
would have required your presents amply when you left him--as
would have been only right considering what you had already
given him. But tell me, and tell me true, how many years is it
since you entertained this guest--my unhappy son, as ever was?
Alas! He has perished far from his own country; the fishes of
the sea have eaten him, or he has fallen a prey to the birds and
wild beasts of some continent. Neither his mother, nor I his
father, who were his parents, could throw our arms about him and
wrap him in his shroud, nor could his excellent and richly
dowered wife Penelope bewail her husband as was natural upon his
death bed, and close his eyes according to the offices due to
the departed. But now, tell me truly for I want to know. Who and
whence are you--tell me of your town and parents? Where is the
ship lying that has brought you and your men to Ithaca? Or were
you a passenger on some other man's ship, and those who brought
you here have gone on their way and left you?"
"I will tell you everything," answered Ulysses, "quite truly. I
come from Alybas, where I have a fine house. I am son of king
Apheidas, who is the son of Polypemon. My own name is Eperitus;
heaven drove me off my course as I was leaving Sicania, and I
have been carried here against my will. As for my ship it is
lying over yonder, off the open country outside the town, and
this is the fifth year since Ulysses left my country. Poor
fellow, yet the omens were good for him when he left me. The
birds all flew on our right hands, and both he and I rejoiced to
see them as we parted, for we had every hope that we should have
another friendly meeting and exchange presents."
A dark cloud of sorrow fell upon Laertes as he listened. He
filled both hands with the dust from off the ground and poured
it over his grey head, groaning heavily as he did so. The heart
of Ulysses was touched, and his nostrils quivered as he looked
upon his father; then he sprang towards him, flung his arms
about him and kissed him, saying, "I am he, father, about whom
you are asking--I have returned after having been away for
twenty years. But cease your sighing and lamentation--we have no
time to lose, for I should tell you that I have been killing the
suitors in my house, to punish them for their insolence and
crimes."
"If you really are my son Ulysses," replied Laertes, "and have
come back again, you must give me such manifest proof of your
identity as shall convince me."
"First observe this scar," answered Ulysses, "which I got from a
boar's tusk when I was hunting on Mt. Parnassus. You and my
mother had sent me to Autolycus, my mother's father, to receive
the presents which when he was over here he had promised to give
me. Furthermore I will point out to you the trees in the
vineyard which you gave me, and I asked you all about them as I
followed you round the garden. We went over them all, and you
told me their names and what they all were. You gave me thirteen
pear trees, ten apple trees, and forty fig trees; you also said
you would give me fifty rows of vines; there was corn planted
between each row, and they yield grapes of every kind when the
heat of heaven has been laid heavy upon them."
Laertes' strength failed him when he heard the convincing proofs
which his son had given him. He threw his arms about him, and
Ulysses had to support him, or he would have gone off into a
swoon; but as soon as he came to, and was beginning to recover
his senses, he said, "O father Jove, then you gods are still in
Olympus after all, if the suitors have really been punished for
their insolence and folly. Nevertheless, I am much afraid that I
shall have all the townspeople of Ithaca up here directly, and
they will be sending messengers everywhere throughout the cities
of the Cephallenians."
Ulysses answered, "Take heart and do not trouble yourself about
that, but let us go into the house hard by your garden. I have
already told Telemachus, Philoetius, and Eumaeus to go on there
and get dinner ready as soon as possible."
Thus conversing the two made their way towards the house. When
they got there they found Telemachus with the stockman and the
swineherd cutting up meat and mixing wine with water. Then the
old Sicel woman took Laertes inside and washed him and anointed
him with oil. She put him on a good cloak, and Minerva came up
to him and gave him a more imposing presence, making him taller
and stouter than before. When he came back his son was surprised
to see him looking so like an immortal, and said to him, "My
dear father, some one of the gods has been making you much
taller and better-looking."
Laertes answered, "Would, by Father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo,
that I were the man I was when I ruled among the Cephallenians,
and took Nericum, that strong fortress on the foreland. If I
were still what I then was and had been in our house yesterday
with my armour on, I should have been able to stand by you and
help you against the suitors. I should have killed a great many
of them, and you would have rejoiced to see it."
Thus did they converse; but the others, when they had finished
their work and the feast was ready, left off working, and took
each his proper place on the benches and seats. Then they began
eating; by and by old Dolius and his sons left their work and
came up, for their mother, the Sicel woman who looked after
Laertes now that he was growing old, had been to fetch them.
When they saw Ulysses and were certain it was he, they stood
there lost in astonishment; but Ulysses scolded them good
naturedly and said, "Sit down to your dinner, old man, and never
mind about your surprise; we have been wanting to begin for some
time and have been waiting for you."
Then Dolius put out both his hands and went up to Ulysses.
"Sir," said he, seizing his master's hand and kissing it at the
wrist, "we have long been wishing you home: and now heaven has
restored you to us after we had given up hoping. All hail,
therefore, and may the gods prosper you. But tell me, does
Penelope already know of your return, or shall we send some one
to tell her?"
"Old man," answered Ulysses, "she knows already, so you need not
trouble about that." On this he took his seat, and the sons of
Dolius gathered round Ulysses to give him greeting and embrace
him one after the other; then they took their seats in due order
near Dolius their father.
While they were thus busy getting their dinner ready, Rumour
went round the town, and noised abroad the terrible fate that
had befallen the suitors; as soon, therefore, as the people
heard of it they gathered from every quarter, groaning and
hooting before the house of Ulysses. They took the dead away,
buried every man his own, and put the bodies of those who came
from elsewhere on board the fishing vessels, for the fishermen
to take each of them to his own place. They then met angrily in
the place of assembly, and when they were got together Eupeithes
rose to speak. He was overwhelmed with grief for the death of
his son Antinous, who had been the first man killed by Ulysses,
so he said, weeping bitterly, "My friends, this man has done the
Achaeans great wrong. He took many of our best men away with him
in his fleet, and he has lost both ships and men; now, moreover,
on his return he has been killing all the foremost men among the
Cephallenians. Let us be up and doing before he can get away to
Pylos or to Elis where the Epeans rule, or we shall be ashamed
of ourselves for ever afterwards. It will be an everlasting
disgrace to us if we do not avenge the murder of our sons and
brothers. For my own part I should have no more pleasure in
life, but had rather die at once. Let us be up, then, and after
them, before they can cross over to the main land."
He wept as he spoke and every one pitied him. But Medon and the
bard Phemius had now woke up, and came to them from the house of
Ulysses. Every one was astonished at seeing them, but they stood
in the middle of the assembly, and Medon said, "Hear me, men of
Ithaca. Ulysses did not do these things against the will of
heaven. I myself saw an immortal god take the form of Mentor and
stand beside him. This god appeared, now in front of him
encouraging him, and now going furiously about the court and
attacking the suitors whereon they fell thick on one another."
On this pale fear laid hold of them, and old Halitherses, son of
Mastor, rose to speak, for he was the only man among them who
knew both past and future; so he spoke to them plainly and in
all honesty, saying,
"Men of Ithaca, it is all your own fault that things have turned
out as they have; you would not listen to me, nor yet to Mentor,
when we bade you check the folly of your sons who were doing
much wrong in the wantonness of their hearts--wasting the
substance and dishonouring the wife of a chieftain who they
thought would not return. Now, however, let it be as I say, and
do as I tell you. Do not go out against Ulysses, or you may find
that you have been drawing down evil on your own heads."
This was what he said, and more than half raised a loud shout,
and at once left the assembly. But the rest stayed where they
were, for the speech of Halitherses displeased them, and they
sided with Eupeithes; they therefore hurried off for their
armour, and when they had armed themselves, they met together in
front of the city, and Eupeithes led them on in their folly. He
thought he was going to avenge the murder of his son, whereas in
truth he was never to return, but was himself to perish in his
attempt.
Then Minerva said to Jove, "Father, son of Saturn, king of
kings, answer me this question--What do you propose to do? Will
you set them fighting still further, or will you make peace
between them?"
And Jove answered, "My child, why should you ask me? Was it not
by your own arrangement that Ulysses came home and took his
revenge upon the suitors? Do whatever you like, but I will tell
you what I think will be most reasonable arrangement. Now that
Ulysses is revenged, let them swear to a solemn covenant, in
virtue of which he shall continue to rule, while we cause the
others to forgive and forget the massacre of their sons and
brothers. Let them then all become friends as heretofore, and
let peace and plenty reign."
This was what Minerva was already eager to bring about, so down
she darted from off the topmost summits of Olympus.
Now when Laertes and the others had done dinner, Ulysses began
by saying, "Some of you go out and see if they are not getting
close up to us." So one of Dolius's sons went as he was bid.
Standing on the threshold he could see them all quite near, and
said to Ulysses, "Here they are, let us put on our armour at
once."
They put on their armour as fast as they could--that is to say
Ulysses, his three men, and the six sons of Dolius. Laertes
also and Dolius did the same--warriors by necessity in spite of
their grey hair. When they had all put on their armour, they
opened the gate and sallied forth, Ulysses leading the way.
Then Jove's daughter Minerva came up to them, having assumed the
form and voice of Mentor. Ulysses was glad when he saw her, and
said to his son Telemachus, "Telemachus, now that you are about
to fight in an engagement, which will show every man's mettle,
be sure not to disgrace your ancestors, who were eminent for
their strength and courage all the world over."
"You say truly, my dear father," answered Telemachus, "and you
shall see, if you will, that I am in no mind to disgrace your
family."
Laertes was delighted when he heard this. "Good heavens," he
exclaimed, "what a day I am enjoying: I do indeed rejoice at it.
My son and grandson are vying with one another in the matter of
valour."
On this Minerva came close up to him and said, "Son of
Arceisius---best friend I have in the world--pray to the
blue-eyed damsel, and to Jove her father; then poise your spear
and hurl it."
As she spoke she infused fresh vigour into him, and when he had
prayed to her he poised his spear and hurled it. He hit
Eupeithes' helmet, and the spear went right through it, for the
helmet stayed it not, and his armour rang rattling round him as
he fell heavily to the ground. Meantime Ulysses and his son
fell upon the front line of the foe and smote them with their
swords and spears; indeed, they would have killed every one of
them, and prevented them from ever getting home again, only
Minerva raised her voice aloud, and made every one pause. "Men
of Ithaca," she cried, "cease this dreadful war, and settle the
matter at once without further bloodshed."
On this pale fear seized every one; they were so frightened that
their arms dropped from their hands and fell upon the ground at
the sound of the goddess' voice, and they fled back to the city
for their lives. But Ulysses gave a great cry, and gathering
himself together swooped down like a soaring eagle. Then the son
of Saturn sent a thunderbolt of fire that fell just in front of
Minerva, so she said to Ulysses, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes,
stop this warful strife, or Jove will be angry with you."
Thus spoke Minerva, and Ulysses obeyed her gladly. Then Minerva
assumed the form and voice of Mentor, and presently made a
covenant of peace between the two contending parties.
FOOTNOTES
{1} Black races are evidently known to the writer as stretching
all across Africa, one half looking West on to the Atlantic, and
the other East on to the Indian Ocean.
{2} The original use of the footstool was probably less to rest
the feet than to keep them (especially when bare) from a floor
which was often wet and dirty.
{3} The [Greek] or seat, is occasionally called "high," as being
higher than the [Greek] or low footstool. It was probably no
higher than an ordinary chair is now, and seems to have had no
back.
{4} Temesa was on the West Coast of the toe of Italy, in what is
now the gulf of Sta Eufemia. It was famous in remote times for
its copper mines, which, however, were worked out when Strabo
wrote.
{5} i.e. "with a current in it"--see illustrations and map near
the end of bks. v. and vi. respectively.
{6} Reading [Greek] for [Greek], cf. "Od." iii. 81 where the
same mistake is made, and xiii. 351 where the mountain is called
Neritum, the same place being intended both here and in book
xiii.
{7} It is never plausibly explained why Penelope cannot do this,
and from bk. ii. it is clear that she kept on deliberately
encouraging the suitors, though we are asked to believe that she
was only fooling them.
{8} See note on "Od." i. 365.
{9} Middle Argos means the Peleponnese which, however, is never
so called in the "Iliad". I presume "middle" means "middle
between the two Greek-speaking countries of Asia Minor and
Sicily, with South Italy"; for that parts of Sicily and also
large parts, though not the whole of South Italy, were inhabited
by Greek-speaking races centuries before the Dorian
colonisations can hardly be doubted. The Sicians, and also the
Sicels, both of them probably spoke Greek.
{10} cf. "Il." vi. 490-495. In the "Iliad" it is "war," not
"speech," that is a man's matter. It argues a certain hardness,
or at any rate dislike of the "Iliad" on the part of the writer
of the "Odyssey," that she should have adopted Hector's farewell
to Andromache here, as elsewhere in the poem, for a scene of
such inferior pathos.
{11} [Greek] The whole open court with the covered cloister
running round it was called [Greek], or [Greek], but the covered
part was distinguished by being called "shady" or
"shadow-giving". It was in this part that the tables for the
suitors were laid. The Fountain Court at Hampton Court may serve
as an illustration (save as regards the use of arches instead of
wooden supports and rafters) and the arrangement is still common
in Sicily. The usual translation "shadowy" or "dusky" halls,
gives a false idea of the scene.
{12} The reader will note the extreme care which the writer takes
to make it clear that none of the suitors were allowed to sleep
in Ulysses' house.
{13} See Appendix; g, in plan of Ulysses' house.
{14} I imagine this passage to be a rejoinder to "Il." xxiii.
702-705 in which a tripod is valued at twelve oxen, and a good
useful maid of all work at only four. The scrupulous regard of
Laertes for his wife's feelings is of a piece with the extreme
jealousy for the honour of woman, which is manifest throughout
the "Odyssey".
{15} [Greek] "The [Greek], or tunica, was a shirt or shift, and
served as the chief under garment of the Greeks and Romans,
whether men or women." Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman
Antiquities, under "Tunica".
{16} Doors fastened to all intents and purposes as here described
may be seen in the older houses at Trapani. There is a slot on
the outer side of the door by means of which a person who has
left the room can shoot the bolt. My bedroom at the Albergo
Centrale was fastened in this way.
{17} [Greek] So we vulgarly say "had cooked his goose," or "had
settled his hash." Aegyptus cannot of course know of the fate
Antiphus had met with, for there had as yet been no news of or
from Ulysses.
{18} "Il." xxii. 416. [Greek] The authoress has bungled by
borrowing these words verbatim from the "Iliad", without
prefixing the necessary "do not," which I have supplied.
{19} i.e. you have money, and could pay when I got judgment,
whereas the suitors are men of straw.
{20} cf. "Il." ii. 76. [Greek]. The Odyssean passage runs
[Greek]. Is it possible not to suspect that the name Mentor was
coined upon that of Nestor?
{21} i.e. in the outer court, and in the uncovered part of the
inner house.
{22} This would be fair from Sicily, which was doing duty for
Ithaca in the mind of the writer, but a North wind would have
been preferable for a voyage from the real Ithaca to Pylos.
{23} [Greek] The wind does not whistle over waves. It only
whistles through rigging or some other obstacle that cuts it.
{24} cf. "Il." v.20. [Greek] The Odyssean line is [Greek]. There
can be no doubt that the Odyssean line was suggested by the
Iliadic, but nothing can explain why Idaeus jumping from his
chariot should suggest to the writer of the "Odyssey" the sun
jumping from the sea. The probability is that she never gave
the matter a thought, but took the line in question as an effect
of saturation with the "Iliad," and of unconscious cerebration.
The "Odyssey" contains many such examples.
{25} The heart, liver, lights, kidneys, etc. were taken out from
the inside and eaten first as being more readily cooked; the
[Greek], or bone meat, was cooking while the [Greek] or inward
parts were being eaten. I imagine that the thigh bones made a
kind of gridiron, while at the same time the marrow inside them
got cooked.
{26} i.e. skewers, either single, double, or even five pronged.
The meat would be pierced with the skewer, and laid over the
ashes to grill--the two ends of the skewer being supported in
whatever way convenient. Meat so cooking may be seen in any
eating house in Smyrna, or any Eastern town. When I rode across
the Troad from the Dardanelles to Hissarlik and Mount Ida, I
noticed that my dragoman and his men did all our outdoor cooking
exactly in the Odyssean and Iliadic fashion.
{27} cf. "Il." xvii. 567. [Greek] The Odyssean lines are--
[Greek]
{28} Reading [Greek] for [Greek], cf. "Od." i.186.
{29} The geography of the Aegean as above described is correct,
but is probably taken from the lost poem, the Nosti, the
existence of which is referred to "Od." i.326,327 and 350, etc.
A glance at the map will show that heaven advised its
supplicants quite correctly.
{30} The writer--ever jealous for the honour of
women--extenuates Clytemnestra's guilt as far as possible, and
explains it as due to her having been left unprotected, and
fallen into the hands of a wicked man.
{31} The Greek is [Greek] cf. "Iliad" ii. 408 [Greek] Surely the
[Greek] of the Odyssean passage was due to the [Greek] of the
"Iliad." No other reason suggests itself for the making Menelaus
return on the very day of the feast given by Orestes. The fact
that in the "Iliad" Menelaus came to a banquet without waiting
for an invitation, determines the writer of the "Odyssey" to
make him come to a banquet, also uninvited, but as circumstances
did not permit of his having been invited, his coming uninvited
is shown to have been due to chance. I do not think the
authoress thought all this out, but attribute the strangeness of
the coincidence to unconscious cerebration and saturation.
{32} cf. "Il." i.458, ii. 421. The writer here interrupts an
Iliadic passage (to which she returns immediately) for the
double purpose of dwelling upon the slaughter of the heifer, and
of letting Nestor's wife and daughter enjoy it also. A male
writer, if he was borrowing from the "Iliad," would have stuck
to his borrowing.
{33} cf. "Il." xxiv. 587,588 where the lines refer to the washing
the dead body of Hector.
{34} See illustration on opposite page. The yard is typical of
many that may be seen in Sicily. The existing ground-plan is
probably unmodified from Odyssean, and indeed long pre-Odyssean
times, but the earlier buildings would have no arches, and
would, one would suppose, be mainly timber. The Odyssean [Greek]
were the sheds that ran round the yard as the arches do now. The
[Greek] was the one through which the main entrance passed, and
which was hence "noisy," or reverberating. It had an upper story
in which visitors were often lodged.
{35} This journey is an impossible one. Telemachus and
Pisistratus would have been obliged to drive over the Taygetus
range, over which there has never yet been a road for wheeled
vehicles. It is plain therefore that the audience for whom the
"Odyssey" was written was one that would be unlikely to know
anything about the topography of the Peloponnese, so that the
writer might take what liberties she chose.
{36} The lines which I have enclosed in brackets are evidently
an afterthought--added probably by the writer herself--for they
evince the same instinctively greater interest in anything that
may concern a woman, which is so noticeable throughout the poem.
There is no further sign of any special festivities nor of any
other guests than Telemachus and Pisistratus, until lines
621-624 (ordinarily enclosed in brackets) are abruptly
introduced, probably with a view of trying to carry off the
introduction of the lines now in question.
The addition was, I imagine, suggested by a desire to excuse and
explain the non-appearance of Hermione in bk. xv., as also of
both Hermione and Megapenthes in the rest of bk. iv. Megapenthes
in bk. xv. seems to be still a bachelor: the presumption
therefore is that bk. xv. was written before the story of his
marriage here given. I take it he is only married here because
his sister is being married. She having been properly attended
to, Megapenthes might as well be married at the same time.
Hermione could not now be less than thirty.
I have dealt with this passage somewhat more fully in my
"Authoress of the Odyssey", p.136-138. See also p. 256 of the
same book.
{37} Sparta and Lacedaemon are here treated as two different
places, though in other parts of the poem it is clear that the
writer understands them as one. The catalogue in the "Iliad,"
which the writer is here presumably following, makes the same
mistake ("Il." ii. 581,582)
{38} These last three lines are identical with "Il." vxiii.
604-606.
{39} From the Greek [Greek] it is plain that Menelaus took up
the piece of meat with his fingers.
{40} Amber is never mentioned in the "Iliad." Sicily, where I
suppose the "Odyssey" to have been written, has always been, and
still is, one of the principal amber producing countries. It was
probably the only one known in the Odyssean age. See "The
Authoress of the Odyssey", p260.
{41} This no doubt refers to the story told in the last poem of
the Cypria about Paris and Helen robbing Menelaus of the greater
part of his treasures, when they sailed together for Troy.
{42} It is inconceivable that Helen should enter thus, in the
middle of supper, intending to work with her distaff, if great
festivities were going on. Telemachus and Pisistratus are
evidently dining en famille.
{43} In the Italian insurrection of 1848, eight young men who
were being hotly pursued by the Austrian police hid themselves
inside Donatello's colossal wooden horse in the Salone at Padua,
and remained there for a week being fed by their confederates.
In 1898 the last survivor was carried round Padua in triumph.
{44} The Greek is [Greek]. Is it unfair to argue that the writer
is a person of somewhat delicate sensibility, to whom a strong
smell of fish is distasteful?
{45} The Greek is [Greek]. I believe this to be a hit at the
writer's own countrymen who were of Phocaean descent, and the
next following line to be a rejoinder to complaints made against
her in bk. vi. 273-288, to the effect that she gave herself
airs and would marry none of her own people. For that the writer
of the "Odyssey" was the person who has been introduced into the
poem under the name of Nausicaa, I cannot bring myself to
question. I may remind English readers that [Greek] (i.e. phoca)
means "seal." Seals almost always appear on Phocaean coins.
{46} Surely here again we are in the hands of a writer of
delicate sensibility. It is not as though the seals were stale;
they had only just been killed. The writer, however is obviously
laughing at her own countrymen, and insulting them as openly as
she dares.
{47} We were told above (lines 357,357) that it was only one
day's sail.
{48} I give the usual translation, but I do not believe the
Greek will warrant it. The Greek reads [Greek].
This is usually held to mean that Ithaca is an island fit for
breeding goats, and on that account more delectable to the
speaker than it would have been if it were fit for breeding
horses. I find little authority for such a translation; the most
equitable translation of the text as it stands is, "Ithaca is an
island fit for breeding goats, and delectable rather than fit
for breeding horses; for not one of the islands is good driving
ground, nor well meadowed." Surely the writer does not mean that
a pleasant or delectable island would not be fit for breeding
horses? The most equitable translation, therefore, of the
present text being thus halt and impotent, we may suspect
corruption, and I hazard the following emendation, though I have
not adopted it in my translation, as fearing that it would be
deemed too fanciful. I would read:- [Greek].
As far as scanning goes the [Greek] is not necessary; [Greek] iv.
72, [Greek] iv. 233, to go no further afield than earlier lines
of the same book, give sufficient authority for [Greek], but the
[Greek] would not be redundant; it would emphasise the surprise
of the contrast, and I should prefer to have it, though it is
not very important either way. This reading of course should be
translated "Ithaca is an island fit for breeding goats, and (by
your leave) itself a horseman rather than fit for breeding
horses--for not one of the islands is good and well meadowed
ground."
This would be sure to baffle the Alexandrian editors. "How,"
they would ask themselves, "could an island be a horseman?" and
they would cast about for an emendation. A visit to the top of
Mt. Eryx might perhaps make the meaning intelligible, and
suggest my proposed restoration of the text to the reader as
readily as it did to myself.
I have elsewhere stated my conviction that the writer of the
"Odyssey" was familiar with the old Sican city at the top of Mt.
Eryx, and that the Aegadean islands which are so striking when
seen thence did duty with her for the Ionian islands--Marettimo,
the highest and most westerly of the group, standing for Ithaca.
When seen from the top of Mt. Eryx Marettimo shows as it should
do according to "Od." ix. 25,26, "on the horizon, all highest up
in the sea towards the West," while the other islands lie "some
way off it to the East." As we descend to Trapani, Marettimo
appears to sink on to the top of the island of Levanzo, behind
which it disappears. My friend, the late Signor E. Biaggini,
pointed to it once as it was just standing on the top of
Levanzo, and said to me "Come cavalca bene" ("How well it
rides"), and this immediately suggested my emendation to me.
Later on I found in the hymn to the Pythian Apollo (which
abounds with tags taken from the "Odyssey") a line ending
[Greek] which strengthened my suspicion that this was the
original ending of the second of the two lines above under
consideration.
{49} See note on line 3 of this book. The reader will observe
that the writer has been unable to keep the women out of an
interpolation consisting only of four lines.
{50} Scheria means a piece of land jutting out into the sea. In
my "Authoress of the Odyssey" I thought "Jutland" would be a
suitable translation, but it has been pointed out to me that
"Jutland" only means the land of the Jutes.
{51} Irrigation as here described is common in gardens near
Trapani. The water that supplies the ducts is drawn from wells
by a mule who turns a wheel with buckets on it.
{52} There is not a word here about the cattle of the sun-god.
{53} the writer evidently thought that green, growing wood might
also be well seasoned.
{54} The reader will note that the river was flowing with salt
water i.e. that it was tidal.
{55} Then the Ogygian island was not so far off, but that
Nausicaa might be assumed to know where it was.
{56} Greek [Greek]
{57} I suspect a family joke, or sly allusion to some thing of
which we know nothing, in this story of Eurymedusa's having been
brought from Apeira. The Greek word "apeiros" means
"inexperienced," "ignorant." Is it possible that Eurymedusa was
notoriously incompetent?
{58} Polyphemus was also son to Neptune, see "Od." ix. 412,529.
he was therefore half brother to Nausithous, half uncle to King
Alcinous, and half great uncle to Nausicaa.
{59} It would seem as though the writer thought that Marathon
was close to Athens.
{60} Here the writer, knowing that she is drawing (with
embellishments) from things actually existing, becomes impatient
of past tenses and slides into the present.
{61} This is hidden malice, implying that the Phaeacian magnates
were no better than they should be. The final drink-offering
should have been made to Jove or Neptune, not to the god of
thievishness and rascality of all kinds. In line 164 we do
indeed find Echeneus proposing that a drink-offering should be
made to Jove, but Mercury is evidently, according to our
authoress, the god who was most likely to be of use to them.
{62} The fact of Alcinous knowing anything about the Cyclopes
suggests that in the writer's mind Scheria and the country of
the Cyclopes were not very far from one another. I take the
Cyclopes and the giants to be one and the same people.
{63} "My property, etc." The authoress is here adopting an
Iliadic line (xix. 333), and this must account for the absence
of all reference to Penelope. If she had happened to remember
"Il." v.213, she would doubtless have appropriated it by
preference, for that line reads "my country, my wife, and all
the greatness of my house."
{64} The at first inexplicable sleep of Ulysses (bk. xiii. 79,
etc.) is here, as also in viii. 445, being obviously prepared.
The writer evidently attached the utmost importance to it. Those
who know that the harbour which did duty with the writer of the
"Odyssey" for the one in which Ulysses landed in Ithaca, was
only about 2 miles from the place in which Ulysses is now
talking with Alcinous, will understand why the sleep was so
necessary.
{65} There were two classes--the lower who were found in
provisions which they had to cook for themselves in the yards
and outer precincts, where they would also eat--and the upper
who would eat in the cloisters of the inner court, and have
their cooking done for them.
{66} Translation very dubious. I suppose the [Greek] here to be
the covered sheds that ran round the outer courtyard. See
illustrations at the end of bk. iii.
{67} The writer apparently deems that the words "as compared
with what oxen can plough in the same time" go without saying.
Not so the writer of the "Iliad" from which the Odyssean passage
is probably taken. He explains that mules can plough quicker
than oxen ("Il." x.351-353)
{68} It was very fortunate that such a disc happened to be
there, seeing that none like it were in common use.
{69} "Il." xiii. 37. Here, as so often elsewhere in the
"Odyssey," the appropriation of an Iliadic line which is not
quite appropriate puzzles the reader. The "they" is not the
chains, nor yet Mars and Venus. It is an overflow from the
Iliadic passage in which Neptune hobbles his horses in bonds
"which none could either unloose or break so that they might
stay there in that place." If the line would have scanned
without the addition of the words "so that they might stay there
in that place," they would have been omitted in the "Odyssey."
{70} The reader will note that Alcinous never goes beyond saying
that he is going to give the goblet; he never gives it.
Elsewhere in both "Iliad" and "Odyssey" the offer of a present
is immediately followed by the statement that it was given and
received gladly--Alcinous actually does give a chest and a cloak
and shirt--probably also some of the corn and wine for the long
two-mile voyage was provided by him--but it is quite plain that
he gave no talent and no cup.
{71} "Il." xviii, 344-349. These lines in the "Iliad" tell of
the preparation for washing the body of Patroclus, and I am not
pleased that the writer of the "Odyssey" should have adopted
them here.
{72} see note {64}
{73} see note {43}
{74} The reader will find this threat fulfilled in bk. xiii
{75} If the other islands lay some distance away from Ithaca
(which the word [Greek] suggests), what becomes of the [Greek]
or gut between Ithaca and Samos which we hear of in Bks. iv. and
xv.? I suspect that the authoress in her mind makes Telemachus
come back from Pylos to the Lilybaean promontory and thence to
Trapani through the strait between the Isola Grande and the
mainland--the island of Asteria being the one on which Motya
afterwards stood.
{76} "Il." xviii. 533-534. The sudden lapse into the third person
here for a couple of lines is due to the fact that the two
Iliadic lines taken are in the third person.
{77} cf. "Il." ii. 776. The words in both "Iliad" and "Odyssey"
are [Greek]. In the "Iliad" they are used of the horses of
Achilles' followers as they stood idle, "champing lotus."
{78} I take all this passage about the Cyclopes having no ships
to be sarcastic--meaning, "You people of Drepanum have no excuse
for not colonising the island of Favognana, which you could
easily do, for you have plenty of ships, and the island is a
very good one." For that the island so fully described here is
the Aegadean or "goat" island of Favognana, and that the
Cyclopes are the old Sican inhabitants of Mt. Eryx should not be
doubted.
{79} For the reasons why it was necessary that the night should
be so exceptionally dark see "The Authoress of the Odyssey" pp.
188-189.
{80} None but such lambs as would suck if they were with their
mothers would be left in the yard. The older lambs should have
been out feeding. The authoress has got it all wrong, but it
does not matter. See "The Authoress of the Odyssey" p.148.
{81} This line is enclosed in brackets in the received text, and
is omitted (with note) by Messrs. Butcher & Lang. But lines
enclosed in brackets are almost always genuine; all that
brackets mean is that the bracketed passage puzzled some early
editor, who nevertheless found it too well established in the
text to venture on omitting it. In the present case the line
bracketed is the very last which a full-grown male editor would
be likely to interpolate. It is safer to infer that the writer,
a young woman, not knowing or caring at which end of the ship
the rudder should be, determined to make sure by placing it at
both ends, which we shall find she presently does by repeating
it (line 340) at the stern of the ship. As for the two rocks
thrown, the first I take to be the Asinelli, see map facing
p.80. The second I see as the two contiguous islands of the
Formiche, which are treated as one, see map facing p.108. The
Asinelli is an island shaped like a boat, and pointing to the
island of Favognana. I think the authoress's compatriots, who
probably did not like her much better that she did them, jeered
at the absurdity of Ulysses' conduct, and saw the Asinelli or
"donkeys," not as the rock thrown by Polyphemus, but as the boat
itself containing Ulysses and his men.
{82} This line exists in the text here but not in the
corresponding passage xii. 141. I am inclined to think it is
interpolated (probably by the poetess herself) from the first of
lines xi. 115-137, which I can hardly doubt were added by the
writer when the scheme of the work was enlarged and altered. See
"The Authoress of the Odyssey" pp. 254-255.
{83} "Floating" ([Greek]) is not to be taken literally. The
island itself, as apart from its inhabitants, was quite normal.
There is no indication of its moving during the month that
Ulysses stayed with Aeolus, and on his return from his
unfortunate voyage, he seems to have found it in the same place.
The [Greek] in fact should no more be pressed than [Greek] as
applied to islands, "Odyssey" xv. 299--where they are called
"flying" because the ship would fly past them. So also the
"Wanderers," as explained by Buttmann; see note on "Odyssey"
xii. 57.
{84} Literally "for the ways of the night and of the day are
near." I have seen what Mr. Andrew Lang says ("Homer and the
Epic," p.236, and "Longman's Magazine" for January, 1898, p.277)
about the "amber route" and the "Sacred Way" in this connection;
but until he gives his grounds for holding that the
Mediterranean peoples in the Odyssean age used to go far North
for their amber instead of getting it in Sicily, where it is
still found in considerable quantities, I do not know what
weight I ought to attach to his opinion. I have been unable to
find grounds for asserting that B.C. 1000 there was any commerce
between the Mediterranean and the "Far North," but I shall be
very ready to learn if Mr. Lang will enlighten me. See "The
Authoress of the Odyssey" pp. 185-186.
{85} One would have thought that when the sun was driving the
stag down to the water, Ulysses might have observed its
whereabouts.
{86} See Hobbes of Malmesbury's translation.
{87} "Il." vxiii. 349. Again the writer draws from the washing
the body of Patroclus--which offends.
{88} This visit is wholly without topographical significance.
{89} Brides presented themselves instinctively to the imagination
of the writer, as the phase of humanity which she found most
interesting.
{90} Ulysses was, in fact, to become a missionary and preach
Neptune to people who knew not his name. I was fortunate enough
to meet in Sicily a woman carrying one of these winnowing
shovels; it was not much shorter than an oar, and I was able at
once to see what the writer of the "Odyssey" intended.
{91} I suppose the lines I have enclosed in brackets to have
been added by the author when she enlarged her original scheme
by the addition of books i.-iv. and xiii. (from line 187)-xxiv.
The reader will observe that in the corresponding passage (xii.
137-141) the prophecy ends with "after losing all your
comrades," and that there is no allusion to the suitors. For
fuller explanation see "The Authoress of the Odyssey" pp.
254-255.
{92} The reader will remember that we are in the first year of
Ulysses' wanderings, Telemachus therefore was only eleven years
old. The same anachronism is made later on in this book. See
"The Authoress of the Odyssey" pp. 132-133.
{93} Tradition says that she had hanged herself. Cf. "Odyssey"
xv. 355, etc.
{94} Not to be confounded with Aeolus king of the winds.
{95} Melampus, vide book xv. 223, etc.
{96} I have already said in a note on bk. xi. 186 that at this
point of Ulysses' voyage Telemachus could only be between eleven
and twelve years old.
{97} Is the writer a man or a woman?
{98} Cf. "Il." iv. 521, [Greek]. The Odyssean line reads,
[Greek]. The famous dactylism, therefore, of the Odyssean line
was probably suggested by that of the Ileadic rather than by a
desire to accommodate sound to sense. At any rate the double
coincidence of a dactylic line, and an ending [Greek], seems
conclusive as to the familiarity of the writer of the "Odyssey"
with the Iliadic line.
{99} Off the coast of Sicily and South Italy, in the month of
May, I have seen men fastened half way up a boat's mast with
their feet resting on a crosspiece, just large enough to support
them. From this point of vantage they spear sword-fish. When I
saw men thus employed I could hardly doubt that the writer of
the " Odyssey " had seen others like them, and had them in her
mind when describing the binding of Ulysses. I have therefore
with some diffidence ventured to depart from the received
translation of [Greek] (cf. Alcaeus frag. 18, where, however, it
is very hard to say what [Greek] means). In Sophocles' Lexicon I
find a reference to Chrysostom(l, 242, A. Ed. Benedictine Paris
1834-1839) for the word [Greek],which is probably the same as
[Greek], but I have looked for the passage in vain.
{100} The writer is at fault here and tries to put it off on
Circe. When Ulysses comes to take the route prescribed by Circe,
he ought to pass either the Wanderers or some other difficulty
of which we are not told, but he does not do so. The Planctae,
or Wanderers, merge into Scylla and Charybdis, and the
alternative between them and something untold merges into the
alternative whether Ulysses had better choose Scylla or
Charybdis. Yet from line 260, it seems we are to consider the
Wanderers as having been passed by Ulysses; this appears even
more plainly from xxiii. 327, in which Ulysses expressly mentions
the Wandering rocks as having been between the Sirens and Scylla
and Charybdis. The writer, however, is evidently unaware that
she does not quite understand her own story; her difficulty was
perhaps due to the fact that though Trapanese sailors had given
her a fair idea as to where all her other localities really
were, no one in those days more than in our own could localise
the Planctae, which in fact, as Buttmann has argued, were
derived not from any particular spot, but from sailors' tales
about the difficulties of navigating the group of the Aeolian
islands as a whole (see note on "Od." x. 3). Still the matter
of the poor doves caught her fancy, so she would not forgo them.
The whirlwinds of fire and the smoke that hangs on Scylla
suggests allusion to Stromboli and perhaps even Etna. Scylla is
on the Italian side, and therefore may be said to look West. It
is about 8 miles thence to the Sicilian coast, so Ulysses may be
perfectly well told that after passing Scylla he will come to
the Thrinacian island or Sicily. Charybdis is transposed to a
site some few miles to the north of its actual position.
{101} I suppose this line to have been intercalated by the author
when lines 426-446 were added.
{102} For the reasons which enable us to identify the island of
the two Sirens with the Lipari island now Salinas--the ancient
Didyme, or "twin" island--see The Authoress of the Odyssey, pp.
195, 196. The two Sirens doubtless were, as their name suggests,
the whistling gusts, or avalanches of air that at times descend
without a moment's warning from the two lofty mountains of
Salinas--as also from all high points in the neighbourhood.
{103} See Admiral Smyth on the currents in the Straits of
Messina, quoted in "The Authoress of the Odyssey," p. 197.
{104} In the islands of Favognana and Marettimo off Trapani I
have seen men fish exactly as here described. They chew bread
into a paste and throw it into the sea to attract the fish,
which they then spear. No line is used.
{105} The writer evidently regards Ulysses as on a coast that
looked East at no great distance south of the Straits of Messina
somewhere, say, near Tauromenium, now Taormina.
{106} Surely there must be a line missing here to tell us that
the keel and mast were carried down into Charybdis. Besides, the
aorist [Greek] in its present surrounding is perplexing. I have
translated it as though it were an imperfect; I see Messrs.
Butcher and Lang translate it as a pluperfect, but surely
Charybdis was in the act of sucking down the water when Ulysses
arrived.
{107} I suppose the passage within brackets to have been an
afterthought but to have been written by the same hand as the
rest of the poem. I suppose xii. 103 to have been also added by
the writer when she decided on sending Ulysses back to
Charybdis. The simile suggests the hand of the wife or daughter
of a magistrate who had often seen her father come in cross and
tired.
{108} Gr. [Greek]. This puts coined money out of the question,
but nevertheless implies that the gold had been worked into
ornaments of some kind.
{109} I suppose Teiresias' prophecy of bk. xi. 114-120 had made
no impression on Ulysses. More probably the prophecy was an
afterthought, intercalated, as I have already said, by the
authoress when she changed her scheme.
{110} A male writer would have made Ulysses say, not "may you
give satisfaction to your wives," but "may your wives give
satisfaction to you."
{111} See note {64}.
{112} The land was in reality the shallow inlet, now the salt
works of S. Cusumano--the neighbourhood of Trapani and Mt. Eryx
being made to do double duty, both as Scheria and Ithaca. Hence
the necessity for making Ulysses set out after dark, fall
instantly into a profound sleep, and wake up on a morning so
foggy that he could not see anything till the interviews between
Neptune and Jove and between Ulysses and Minerva should have
given the audience time to accept the situation. See
illustrations and map near the end of bks. v. and vi.
respectively.
{113} This cave, which is identifiable with singular
completeness, is now called the "grotta del toro," probably a
corruption of "tesoro," for it is held to contain a treasure.
See The Authoress of the Odyssey, pp. 167-170.
{114} Probably they would.
{115} Then it had a shallow shelving bottom.
{116} Doubtless the road would pass the harbour in Odyssean times
as it passes the salt works now; indeed, if there is to be a
road at all there is no other level ground which it could take.
See map above referred to.
{117} The rock at the end of the Northern harbour of Trapani, to
which I suppose the writer of the "Odyssey" to be here
referring, still bears the name Malconsiglio--"the rock of evil
counsel." There is a legend that it was a ship of Turkish
pirates who were intending to attack Trapani, but the "Madonna
di Trapani" crushed them under this rock just as they were
coming into port. My friend Cavaliere Giannitrapani of Trapani
told me that his father used to tell him when he was a boy that
if he would drop exactly three drops of oil on to the water near
the rock, he would see the ship still at the bottom. The legend
is evidently a Christianised version of the Odyssean story,
while the name supplies the additional detail that the disaster
happened in consequence of an evil counsel.
{118} It would seem then that the ship had got all the way back
from Ithaca in about a quarter of an hour.
{119} And may we not add "and also to prevent his recognising
that he was only in the place where he had met Nausicaa two days
earlier."
{120} All this is to excuse the entire absence of Minerva from
books ix.-xii., which I suppose had been written already, before
the authoress had determined on making Minerva so prominent a
character.
{121} We have met with this somewhat lame attempt to cover the
writer's change of scheme at the end of bk. vi.
{122} I take the following from The Authoress of the Odyssey, p.
167. "It is clear from the text that there were two [caves] not
one, but some one has enclosed in brackets the two lines in
which the second cave is mentioned, I presume because he found
himself puzzled by having a second cave sprung upon him when up
to this point he had only been told of one.
"I venture to think that if he had known the ground he would not
have been puzzled, for there are two caves, distant about 80 or
100 yards from one another." The cave in which Ulysses hid his
treasure is, as I have already said, identifiable with singular
completeness. The other cave presents no special features,
neither in the poem nor in nature.
{123} There is no attempt to disguise the fact that Penelope had
long given encouragement to the suitors. The only defence set up
is that she did not really mean to encourage them. Would it not
have been wiser to have tried a little discouragement?
{124} See map near the end of bk. vi. Ruccazzu dei corvi of
course means "the rock of the ravens." Both name and ravens
still exist.
{125} See The Authoress of the Odyssey, pp. 140, 141. The real
reason for sending Telemachus to Pylos and Lacedaemon was that
the authoress might get Helen of Troy into her poem. He was sent
at the only point in the story at which he could be sent, so he
must have gone then or not at all.
{126} The site I assign to Eumaeus's hut, close to the Ruccazzu
dei Corvi, is about 2,000 feet above the sea, and commands an
extensive view.
{127} Sandals such as Eumaeus was making are still worn in the
Abruzzi and elsewhere. An oblong piece of leather forms the
sole: holes are cut at the four corners, and through these holes
leathern straps are passed, which are bound round the foot and
cross-gartered up the calf.
{128} See note {75}
{129} Telemachus like many another good young man seems to
expect every one to fetch and carry for him.
{130} "Il." vi. 288. The store room was fragrant because it was
made of cedar wood. See "Il." xxiv. 192.
{131} cf. "Il." vi. 289 and 293-296. The dress was kept at the
bottom of the chest as one that would only be wanted on the
greatest occasions; but surely the marriage of Hermione and of
Megapenthes (bk, iv. ad init.) might have induced Helen to wear
it on the preceding evening, in which case it could hardly have
got back. We find no hint here of Megapenthes' recent marriage.
{132} See note {83}.
{133} cf. "Od." xi. 196, etc.
{134} The names Syra and Ortygia, on which island a great part of
the Doric Syracuse was originally built, suggest that even in
Odyssean times there was a prehistoric Syracuse, the existence
of which was known to the writer of the poem.
{135} Literally "where are the turnings of the sun." Assuming, as
we may safely do, that the Syra and Ortygia of the "Odyssey"
refer to Syracuse, it is the fact that not far to the South of
these places the land turns sharply round, so that mariners
following the coast would find the sun upon the other side of
their ship to that on which they'd had it hitherto.
Mr. A. S. Griffith has kindly called my attention to Herod iv.
42, where, speaking of the circumnavigation of Africa by
Phoenician mariners under Necos, he writes:
"On their return they declared--I for my part do not believe
them, but perhaps others may--that in sailing round Libya [i.e.
Africa] they had the sun upon their right hand. In this way was
the extent of Libya first discovered.
I take it that Eumaeus was made to have come from Syracuse
because the writer thought she rather ought to have made
something happen at Syracuse during her account of the voyages
of Ulysses. She could not, however, break his long drift from
Charybdis to the island of Pantellaria; she therefore resolved
to make it up to Syracuse in another way.
{135} Modern excavations establish the existence of two and only
two pre-Dorian communities at Syracuse; they were, so Dr. Orsi
informed me, at Plemmirio and Cozzo Pantano. See The Authoress
of the Odyssey, pp. 211-213.
{136} This harbour is again evidently the harbour in which
Ulysses had landed, i.e. the harbour that is now the salt works
of S. Cusumano.
{137} This never can have been anything but very niggardly pay
for some eight or nine days' service. I suppose the crew were to
consider the pleasure of having had a trip to Pylos as a set
off. There is no trace of the dinner as having been actually
given, either on the following or any other morning.
{138} No hawk can tear its prey while it is on the wing.
{139} The text is here apparently corrupt, and will not make
sense as it stands. I follow Messrs. Butcher and Lang in
omitting line 101.
{140} i.e. to be milked, as in South Italian and Sicilian towns
at the present day.
{141} The butchering and making ready the carcases took place
partly in the outer yard and partly in the open part of the
inner court.
{142} These words cannot mean that it would be afternoon soon
after they were spoken. Ulysses and Eumaeus reached the town
which was "some way off" (xvii. 25) in time for the suitor's
early meal (xvii. 170 and 176) say at ten or eleven o' clock.
The context of the rest of the book shows this. Eumaeus and
Ulysses, therefore, cannot have started later than eight or
nine, and Eumaeus's words must be taken as an exaggeration for
the purpose of making Ulysses bestir himself.
{143} I imagine the fountain to have been somewhere about where
the church of the Madonna di Trapani now stands, and to have
been fed with water from what is now called the Fontana Diffali
on Mt. Eryx.
{144} From this and other passages in the "Odyssey" it appears
that we are in an age anterior to the use of coined money--an
age when cauldrons, tripods, swords, cattle, chattels of all
kinds, measures of corn, wine, or oil, etc. etc., not to say
pieces of gold, silver, bronze, or even iron, wrought more or
less, but unstamped, were the nearest approach to a currency
that had as yet been reached.
{145} Gr. is [Greek]
{146} I correct these proofs abroad and am not within reach of
Hesiod, but surely this passage suggests acquaintance with the
Works and Ways, though it by no means compels it.
{147} It would seem as though Eurynome and Euryclea were the
same person. See note {156}
{148} It is plain, therefore, that Iris was commonly accepted as
the messenger of the gods, though our authoress will never
permit her to fetch or carry for any one.
{149} i.e. the doorway leading from the inner to the outer court.
{150} Surely in this scene, again, Eurynome is in reality
Euryclea. See note {156}
{151} These, I imagine, must have been in the open part of the
inner courtyard, where the maids also stood, and threw the light
of their torches into the covered cloister that ran all round
it. The smoke would otherwise have been intolerable.
{152} Translation very uncertain; vide Liddell and Scott, under
[Greek]
{153} See photo on opposite page.
{154} cf. "Il." ii. 184, and 217, 218. An additional and
well-marked feature being wanted to convince Penelope, the
writer has taken the hunched shoulders of Thersites (who is
mentioned immediately after Eurybates in the "Iliad") and put
them on to Eurybates' back.
{155} This is how geese are now fed in Sicily, at any rate in
summer, when the grass is all burnt up. I have never seen them
grazing.
{156} Lower down (line 143) Euryclea says it was herself that
had thrown the cloak over Ulysses--for the plural should not be
taken as implying more than one person. The writer is evidently
still fluctuating between Euryclea and Eurynome as the name for
the old nurse. She probably originally meant to call her
Euryclea, but finding it not immediately easy to make Euryclea
scan in xvii. 495, she hastily called her Eurynome, intending
either to alter this name later or to change the earlier
Euryclea's into Eurynome. She then drifted in to Eurynome as
convenience further directed, still nevertheless hankering after
Euryclea, till at last she found that the path of least
resistance would lie in the direction of making Eurynome and
Euryclea two persons. Therefore in xxiii. 289-292 both Eurynome
and "the nurse" (who can be none other than Euryclea) come on
together. I do not say that this is feminine, but it is not
unfeminine.
{157} See note {156}
{158} This, I take it, was immediately in front of the main
entrance of the inner courtyard into the body of the house.
{159} This is the only allusion to Sardinia in either "Iliad" or
"Odyssey."
{160} The normal translation of the Greek word would be "holding
back," "curbing," "restraining," but I cannot think that the
writer meant this--she must have been using the word in its
other sense of "having," "holding," "keeping," "maintaining."
{161} I have vainly tried to realise the construction of the
fastening here described.
{162} See plan of Ulysses' house in the appendix. It is evident
that the open part of the court had no flooring but the natural
soil.
{163} See plan of Ulysses' house, and note {175}.
{164} i.e. the door that led into the body of the house.
{165} This was, no doubt, the little table that was set for
Ulysses, "Od." xx. 259.
Surely the difficulty of this passage has been overrated. I
suppose the iron part of the axe to have been wedged into the
handle, or bound securely to it--the handle being half buried in
the ground. The axe would be placed edgeways towards the archer,
and he would have to shoot his arrow through the hole into which
the handle was fitted when the axe was in use. Twelve axes were
placed in a row all at the same height, all exactly in front of
one another, all edgeways to Ulysses whose arrow passed through
all the hoIes from the first onward. I cannot see how the Greek
can bear any other interpretation, the words being, [Greek]
"He did not miss a single hole from the first onwards." [Greek]
according to Liddell and Scott being "the hole for the handle of
an axe, etc.," while [Greek] ("Od." v. 236) is, according to the
same authorities, the handle itself. The feat is absurdly
impossible, but our authoress sometimes has a soul above
impossibilities.
{166} The reader will note how the spoiling of good food
distresses the writer even in such a supreme moment as this.
{167} Here we have it again. Waste of substance comes first.
{168} cf. "Il." iii. 337 and three other places. It is strange
that the author of the "Iliad" should find a little horse-hair
so alarming. Possibly enough she was merely borrowing a common
form line from some earlier poet--or poetess--for this is a
woman's line rather than a man's.
{169} Or perhaps simply "window." See plan in the appendix.
{170} i.e. the pavement on which Ulysses was standing.
{171} The interpretation of lines 126-143 is most dubious, and
at best we are in a region of melodrama: cf., however, i.425,
etc. from which it appears that there was a tower in the outer
court, and that Telemachus used to sleep in it. The [Greek] I
take to be a door, or trap door, leading on to the roof above
Telemachus's bed room, which we are told was in a place that
could be seen from all round--or it might be simply a window in
Telemachus's room looking out into the street. From the top of
the tower the outer world was to be told what was going on, but
people could not get in by the [Greek]: they would have to come
in by the main entrance, and Melanthius explains that the mouth
of the narrow passage (which was in the lands of Ulysses and his
friends) commanded the only entrance by which help could come,
so that there would be nothing gained by raising an alarm. As
for the [Greek] of line 143, no commentator ancient or modern
has been able to say what was intended--but whatever they were,
Melanthius could never carry twelve shields, twelve helmets, and
twelve spears. Moreover, where he could go the others could go
also. If a dozen suitors had followed Melanthius into the house
they could have attacked Ulysses in the rear, in which case,
unless Minerva had intervened promptly, the "Odyssey" would have
had a different ending. But throughout the scene we are in a
region of extravagance rather than of true fiction--it cannot be
taken seriously by any but the very serious, until we come to
the episode of Phemius and Medon, where the writer begins to be
at home again.
{172} I presume it was intended that there should be a hook
driven into the bearing-post.
{173} What for?
{174} Gr: [Greek]. This is not [Greek].
{175} From lines 333 and 341 of this book, and lines 145 and 146
of bk. xxi we can locate the approach to the [Greek] with some
certainty.
{176} But in xix. 500-502 Ulysses scolded Euryclea for offering
information on this very point, and declared himself quite able
to settle it for himself.
{177} There were a hundred and eight Suitors.
{178} Lord Grimthorpe, whose understanding does not lend itself
to easy imposition, has been good enough to write to me about my
conviction that the "Odyssey" was written by a woman, and to send
me remarks upon the gross absurdity of the incident here
recorded. It is plain that all the authoress cared about was
that the women should be hanged: as for attempting to realise,
or to make her readers realise, how the hanging was done, this
was of no consequence. The reader must take her word for it and
ask no questions. Lord Grimthorpe wrote:
"I had better send you my ideas about Nausicaa's hanging of the
maids (not 'maidens,' of whom Fronde wrote so well in his
'Science of History') before I forget it all. Luckily for me
Liddell & Scott have specially translated most of the doubtful
words, referring to this very place.
"A ship's cable. I don't know how big a ship she meant, but it
must have been a very small one indeed if its 'cable' could be
used to tie tightly round a woman's neck, and still more round a
dozen of them 'in a row,' besides being strong enough to hold
them and pull them all up.
"A dozen average women would need the weight and strength of
more than a dozen strong heavy men even over the best pulley
hung to the roof over them; and the idea of pulling them up by a
rope hung anyhow round a pillar [Greek] is absurdly impossible;
and how a dozen of them could be hung dangling round one post is
a problem which a senior wrangler would be puzzled to answer...
She had better have let Telemachus use his sword as he had
intended till she changed his mind for him."
{179} Then they had all been in Ulysses' service over twenty
years; perhaps the twelve guilty ones had been engaged more
recently.
{180} Translation very doubtful--cf. "It." xxiv. 598.
{181} But why could she not at once ask to see the scar, of
which Euryclea had told her, or why could not Ulysses have shown
it to her?
{182} The people of Ithaca seem to have been as fond of carping
as the Phaeacians were in vi. 273, etc.
{183} See note {156}. Ulysses's bed room does not appear to have
been upstairs, nor yet quite within the house. Is it possible
that it was "the domed room" round the outside of which the
erring maids were, for aught we have heard to the contrary,
still hanging?
{184} Ulysses bedroom in the mind of the writer is here too
apparently down stairs.
{185} Penelope having been now sufficiently whitewashed,
disappears from the poem.
{186} So practised a washerwoman as our authoress doubtless knew
that by this time the web must have become such a wreck that it
would have gone to pieces in the wash.
A lady points out to me, just as these sheets are leaving my
hands, that no really good needlewoman--no one, indeed, whose
work or character was worth consideration--could have endured,
no matter for what reason, the unpicking of her day's work, day
after day for between three and four years.
{187} We must suppose Dolius not yet to know that his son
Melanthius had been tortured, mutilated, and left to die by
Ulysses' orders on the preceding day, and that his daughter
Melantho had been hanged. Dolius was probably exceptionally
simple-minded, and his name was ironical. So on Mt. Eryx I was
shown a man who was always called Sonza Malizia or
"Guileless"--he being held exceptionally cunning.