Book 14

But he went up from the harbor by the rough trackthrough the wooded country, over the heights, where Athenahad shown him the godlike swineherd, who of his livelihood mostcared for the slaves whom godlike Odysseus had won.He found him sitting in the porch, where his courtyardhad been built high, in a place seen from all around,fair and great, with a running space about it; which the swineherdhad built himself for the pigs while his master was away,apart from the mistress and old Laertes,with quarried stones, and he fenced it about with wild pear.Outside he drove stakes through and through on either side,thick and close-set, splitting the dark oak in two;and inside the courtyard he made twelve stiesnear to one another, beds for the swine; and in eachfifty swine that sleep on the ground were penned,sows with young; but the boars slept outside,far fewer; for the godlike suitors kept wearing them down by eating,since the swineherd kept sending outalways the best of all the well-fed fatlings;and these were three hundred and sixty.And beside them four dogs, like wild beasts, always slept,four, which the swineherd, leader of men, had reared.He himself was fitting sandals about his feet,cutting a well-colored oxhide; and the othershad gone each his own way with the gathered swine,the three of them; the fourth he had sent off to the cityto bring a pig to the overbearing suitors, under compulsion,so that when they had sacrificed they might glut their hearts with meat.Suddenly the baying dogs caught sight of Odysseus.They ran at him yelping; but Odysseussank down with presence of mind, and the staff fell from his hand.There beside his own steading he might have suffered unseemly pain;but the swineherd quickly, with swift feet, rushing after him,hurried through the porch, and the hide fell from his hand.He shouted at the dogs and drove them each a different waywith a shower of stones; and he spoke to his master:Old man, the dogs nearly tore you apartin a moment, and you would have poured reproach upon me.And the gods have given me other griefs and groans besides;for mourning and grieving for my godlike masterI sit here, and I fatten fat pigs for othersto eat; but he, longing somewhere for food,wanders among the lands and cities of men of other speech,if perhaps he still lives and sees the light of the sun.But come, old man, let us go to the hut, so that you yourself,when you have glutted your heart with food and wine,may tell me where you are from and how many sorrows you have endured.So speaking, the godlike swineherd led the way to the hut,and brought him in and seated him, and spread beneath him shaggy brushwood,and spread over it the hide of a shaggy wild goat,a bed for him there, big and hairy. And Odysseus rejoicedthat he received him so, and spoke a word aloud and addressed him:May Zeus give you, stranger, and the other immortal godswhatever you most desire, since you received me with a ready heart.Then answering him you spoke, Eumaeus swineherd:Stranger, it is not lawful for me, not even if a worse man than you came,to dishonor a stranger; for all strangers and beggarsare from Zeus; and the gift is small yet dearwhen it comes from us; for that is the way of slaveswho always live in fear, when young masters hold powerover them. For the gods have bound up his homecoming,who would have loved me kindly and given me possessions,a house and a plot of land and a much-courted wife,such things as a kind master gives to a slave of hiswho has toiled much for him, and a god increases his work,just as this work is increased for me, on which I abide.So my master would have greatly helped me, if he had grown old here;but he perished — and would that the race of Helen had perished utterly,since she loosened the knees of many men;for he too went for the sake of Agamemnon's honorto Ilios of the good foals, to fight with the Trojans.So speaking he quickly girded his tunic with a belt,and went to the sties, where the herds of swine were penned.From there he took and brought two, and sacrificed both,and singed them and cut them up and pierced them on spits.And when he had roasted them all, he brought them and set them before Odysseushot, on the spits themselves; and he sprinkled white barley over them;and in an ivy-wood bowl he mixed honey-sweet wine,and he himself sat down opposite him, and urged him on and spoke:Eat now, stranger, what is at hand for slaves,young pork; but the fat pigs the suitors eat,with no thought of retribution in their hearts, nor any pity.The blessed gods do not love reckless deeds,but they honor justice and the righteous deeds of men.And even hostile and lawless men, who over the landof others raid, and Zeus grants them plunder,and they fill their ships and set out to return home,even on them a strong fear of retribution falls in their hearts.But these men know something — they have heard some voice of a god,of that man's wretched destruction — since they do not wish to court heras is right, nor to go back to their own homes, but at their easethey devour his possessions with violence, and there is no sparing.For as many nights and days as come from Zeus,they never sacrifice one victim, or two, I think;and they waste the wine, drawing it off with violence.For his livelihood was beyond telling; no oneof the hero-men had so much, neither on the dark mainlandnor in Ithaca itself; not even twenty men togetherhave such wealth; and I will recount it to you.Twelve herds on the mainland; as many flocks of sheep,as many droves of swine, as many broad herds of goatsare grazed by strangers and by his own herdsmen.And here eleven broad herds of goats, all of them,are grazed at the far edge, and good men watch over them.Of these each man brings in a beast every day,whichever of the well-fed goats seems the best.But I guard and watch over these swine,and choosing well I send off the best of the pigs for them.So he spoke, and Odysseus ate the meat and drank the winegreedily and in silence, and he was sowing evils for the suitors.But when he had dined and fitted his heart with food,he filled and gave him the cup from which he himself drank,full of wine; and he took it, and rejoiced in his heart,and speaking to him he addressed him with winged words:My friend, who then bought you with his own possessions,so very rich and powerful as you say?And you say he perished for the sake of Agamemnon's honor.Tell me, in case I might somewhere know such a man.For Zeus surely knows this, and the other immortal gods,whether I might report having seen him; for I have wandered over many lands.Then the swineherd answered him, leader of men:Old man, no wandering man who camewith news would ever persuade his wife and dear son,but vagabond men, in need of a living, lieat random, and have no wish to tell the truth.And whoever comes as a vagabond to the land of Ithaca,he goes to my mistress and babbles deceitful things;and she, welcoming him well, loves him and questions him on every point,and as she mourns tears fall from her eyelids,as is the way of a woman, when her husband has perished elsewhere.Quickly you too, old man, could fashion a tale,if someone would give you a cloak and tunic and clothing.But his dogs and swift birds are already about totear the hide from his bones, and his spirit has left him;or the fish ate him in the wine-dark sea, and his boneslie on the mainland wrapped in deep sand.So he has perished there, and sorrows for his friendsfor all, and most of all for me, have been made ready; for no otherso gentle a master shall I find, wherever I go,not even if I come again to the house of my father and mother,where I was first born and they themselves raised me.And I no longer mourn for them so much, though I longto see them with my eyes while I am in my own land;but longing for the departed Odysseus seizes me.Him, stranger, even in his absence I am ashamedto name; for he loved me exceedingly and cared for me in his heart;but I call him my dear friend even though he is far away.Then much-enduring godlike Odysseus spoke to him:My friend, since you utterly refuse, and no longer saythat he will come, and your heart is always distrustful;but I will not speak idly, but with an oath,that Odysseus is returning; and let there be a reward for my good newsat once, when that man comes to his own house;that you clothe me in cloak and tunic, good clothing;but before that, though I need it much, I would take nothing.For that man is as hateful to me as the gates of Hades,who, yielding to poverty, babbles deceitful things.Let Zeus know it now, first of the gods, and the table of hospitality,and the hearth of blameless Odysseus, which I have come to;truly all these things shall be accomplished as I say.In this very year Odysseus will come here.As this month wanes and the next begins,he will return home, and he will punish whoeverhere dishonors his wife and his shining son.Then answering him you spoke, Eumaeus swineherd:Old man, I will not pay this reward for good news,nor will Odysseus ever come home; but be at ease,drink, and let us think of other things, and do notremind me of these things; for my heart in my breastgrieves whenever someone mentions my honored master.But let us leave the oath aside, and may Odysseuscome as I wish him to, and Penelope,and old Laertes and godlike Telemachus.Now again I mourn for the boy whom Odysseus begot,Telemachus; when the gods had raised him like a sapling,and I said he would be in no way worse among menthan his own dear father, wondrous in build and in looks,some one of the immortals has harmed the mind within him,or some man; and he went to hear news of his fatherto holy Pylos; and the lordly suitorslie in ambush for him as he comes home, so that the raceof godlike Arceisius may perish nameless out of Ithaca.But let us leave that matter, whether he is caughtor escapes, and the son of Cronos holds his hand over him.But come, old man, tell me your own sorrowsand tell me this truly, so that I may know it well:Who of men are you, and from where? Where is your city and your parents?On what kind of ship did you come? How did the sailorsbring you to Ithaca? Who did they claim to be?For I do not think you came here on foot.Then answering him spoke crafty Odysseus:Therefore I will tell you this quite exactly.Would that we two had food for a whileand sweet wine, while we sit inside the hut,feasting in silence, and others went about their work;then easily, even for a whole year,I would not finish telling the sorrows of my heart,all the many things I have suffered by the will of the gods.I boast that I am by birth from broad Crete,the son of a rich man; and many other sonswere raised and born in his hall,legitimate, from his wife; but a bought mother bore me,a concubine; but he honored me equally with his true-born sons,Castor son of Hylax, whose son I claim to be,who then among the Cretans was honored like a god by the peoplefor his happiness and his wealth and his glorious sons.But the fates of death came and bore him awayto the house of Hades; and his high-hearted sonsdivided the livelihood and cast lots for it,and they gave me very little and assigned me a house.And I married a wife from men of many possessionsbecause of my own merit, since I was no worthless mannor one to shun war; but now all that has left me —yet even so, I think that looking at the stubbleyou can recognize it; for great misery holds me.Truly Ares and Athena gave me courageand the power to break men through; when I chose the best mento go into ambush, sowing evils for the enemy,never did my proud heart foresee death for me,but leaping far the first I would take with my spearwhichever of the enemy gave way to me in running.Such was I in war; and work was not dear to me,nor housekeeping, which raises glorious children,but always ships with oars were dear to me,and wars, and well-polished spears and arrows,grim things, which are chilling to other men.But those things were dear to me which some god put in my heart;for one man takes pleasure in one kind of work, another in another.For before the sons of the Achaeans set foot on Troynine times I led men and swift-sailing shipsagainst foreign men, and it went very well with me.From these I chose out what pleased me, and much besidesI got by lot; and quickly my house grew, and thereafterI was both feared and respected among the Cretans.But when Zeus the wide-thundering devised that hateful journeywhich loosened the knees of many men,then they ordered me and famous Idomeneusto lead the ships to Ilios; and there was no wayto refuse, for the people's hard voice held us.There for nine years we sons of the Achaeans fought,and in the tenth, when we had sacked the city of Priam, we wenthome with our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans.But for wretched me Zeus the counselor planned evils;for only one month I stayed, delighting in my childrenand my wedded wife and my possessions; but thenmy heart urged me to sail to Egypt,having fitted out ships well with godlike comrades.Nine ships I fitted out, and the people gathered quickly.Six days then my trusty comradesfeasted; and I provided many victimsto sacrifice to the gods and to prepare a feast for themselves.On the seventh we embarked, and from broad Cretewe sailed with a fair strong north wind,easily, as if downstream; and none of my shipswas harmed, but unharmed and free of sicknesswe sat, and wind and helmsmen steered them.On the fifth day we reached Egypt of the fair river,and I anchored my curved ships in the Egyptian river.There I ordered my trusty comradesto stay there by the ships and to guard them,and I sent lookouts to go to the watch-places;but they, yielding to violence, following their own fury,quickly began to plunder the very beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,and carried off the women and the infant children,and killed the men; and quickly the war-cry reached the city.And they, hearing the shout at the appearing of dawn,came; and the whole plain was filled with foot and horseand the flash of bronze; and among them Zeus who delights in thundercast a cowardly rout on my comrades, and no one daredstand and face them; for evils stood about on every side.There they killed many of us with sharp bronze,and led others away alive, to work for them by force.But Zeus himself put this thought in my heart —and would that I had died and met my fatethere in Egypt; for yet another sorrow awaited me —at once I took the well-made helmet from my head,and the shield from my shoulders, and threw the spear out of my hand;and I went before the king's chariot,and grasped and kissed his knees; and he saved me and pitied me,and seated me in his chariot and brought me home as I shed tears.Truly many rushed at me with ash-wood spears,longing to kill me — for they were very angry —but he held them off, dreading the wrath of Zeusgod of strangers, who above all is angry at evil deeds.There I stayed seven years, and I gathered muchwealth among the Egyptian men; for they all gave to me.But when the eighth year came around for me,then a Phoenician man came, one skilled in deceit,a cheat, who had done much evil to men;who persuaded me with his wits and took me with him, until we cameto Phoenicia, where his house and his possessions lay.There I stayed with him for a full year.But when the months and days were being completedas the year rolled round again and the seasons came,he set me on a sea-crossing ship bound for Libya,planning lies, so that I might carry cargo with him,and so that he might sell me there and get a vast price.I followed him onto the ship, though I suspected it, under compulsion.She ran with a fair strong north wind,midway over Crete; and Zeus was planning destruction for them.But when we had left Crete, and no other landappeared, but only sky and sea,then the son of Cronos set a dark blue cloudabove the hollow ship, and the sea grew murky beneath it.And Zeus thundered at once and hurled a thunderbolt at the ship;and she spun about entirely, struck by the bolt of Zeus,and was filled with brimstone; and all fell out of the ship.And they, like crows, about the black shipwere carried by the waves; and the god took away their homecoming.But Zeus himself, though I had grief in my heart,put into my hands the irresistible mast of the dark-prowed ship,so that I might yet escape disaster.And clinging to it I was carried by the deadly winds.Nine days I was carried, and on the tenth black nighta great rolling wave brought me near the land of the Thesprotians.There Pheidon, king of the Thesprotians, took me in,a hero, without ransom; for his dear son, coming upon meovercome with cold and weariness, led me to his house,raising me by the hand, until we came to his father's house;and he clothed me in cloak and tunic and clothing.There I heard about Odysseus; for he saidthat he had entertained and befriended him as he was going to his own country,and he showed me the possessions Odysseus had gathered,bronze and gold and much-wrought iron.And he might still feed another to the tenth generation;so many treasures of the king lay in his halls.And he said he had gone to Dodona, so that from the god'shigh-leafed oak he might hear the counsel of Zeus,how he should return to the rich land of Ithacaafter being away so long, openly or in secret.And he swore to me myself, pouring a libation in his house,that a ship was drawn down and comrades were ready,who would send him to his own dear country.But he sent me away first; for a ship happened to be comingof Thesprotian men to Dulichium rich in wheat.There he told them to send me to King Acastuskindly; but an evil plan pleased their heartsconcerning me, so that I might yet become a complete further grief of misery.But when the sea-crossing ship had sailed far from land,at once they were plotting for me a day of slavery.They stripped off my cloak and tunic and clothing,and threw around me another wretched rag and a tunic,torn ones, which you yourself see with your own eyes;and in the evening they came to the land of clear-seen Ithaca.There they bound me in the well-benched shipfirmly with a well-twisted rope, and they themselves, going ashore,hurriedly took their dinner beside the shore of the sea.But the gods themselves loosened the bond for meeasily; and wrapping the rag down over my head,I slid down the smooth keel-piece and put my chest to the sea,and then I rowed with both my hands,swimming, and very quickly I was outside and away from those men.There I climbed up where there was a thicket of blossoming wood,and lay crouched down. And they, groaning greatly,went to and fro; but since it did not seem better for themto seek further, they went back againonto the hollow ship; but the gods themselves hid meeasily, and brought me and set me at the steadingof a man who understands such things; for it was still my fate to live.Then answering him you spoke, Eumaeus swineherd:Ah, wretched of strangers, you have greatly stirred my heartby telling each of these things, all you have suffered and wandered.But I do not think these things are in order, nor will you persuade meby speaking about Odysseus; why must you, being such a man,lie to no purpose? And I myself know wellthe homecoming of my master, how he was hateful to all the godsutterly, since the Trojans did not kill himnor he in the hands of his friends, when he had wound up the war.Then the Panachaeans would have made him a tomb,and he would have won great glory for his son afterwards;but now the harpies snatched him away without glory.But I stay apart with the swine; and I do not even go to the city,unless somewhere wise Penelopeurges me to come, when news comes from somewhere.But they sit beside her and ask about each thing,both those who grieve for the master long gone,and those who rejoice, eating up his livelihood unpunished;but it is not dear to me to inquire and ask,since the time an Aetolian man deceived me with a story,who, having killed a man, had wandered over much land,and came to my house; and I welcomed him warmly.And he said he had seen him among the Cretans at Idomeneus' side,repairing the ships which the storms had shattered for him;and he said he would come either in summer or at harvest,bringing much wealth, with godlike comrades.And you, old man of many sorrows, since a god brought you to me,do not gratify me with lies nor charm me at all;for it is not for that reason that I will respect or love you,but because I fear Zeus god of strangers and pity you yourself.Then answering him spoke crafty Odysseus:Truly your heart in your breast is very distrustful,such that even when I swear I have not moved you nor persuaded you.But come now, let us make a compact; and hereafterlet the gods who hold Olympus be witnesses for us both.If your master returns to this house,you shall clothe me in cloak and tunic and send meto go to Dulichium, where it was dear to my heart;but if your master does not come as I say,then set your slaves on me and throw me from a great cliff,so that another beggar too may avoid deceiving.Then answering him the godlike swineherd addressed him:Stranger, then good repute and virtue would be mineamong men, both now and hereafter,if I, after bringing you to my hut and giving you hospitality,then killed you and took your dear life;then I would gladly pray to Zeus son of Cronos.But now it is time for dinner; let my comrades quicklybe here, so that in the hut we may prepare a tasty dinner.So they spoke such things to one another,and the swine came near, and the men, the swineherds.These they penned to sleep in their accustomed places,and an unspeakable clamor arose from the swine being stabled;and the godlike swineherd called out to his comrades:Bring the best of the swine, so that I may sacrifice it for the strangerfrom a far country; and we ourselves will profit, who have longendured suffering for the sake of the white-tusked swine;and others eat up our labor unpunished.So speaking he split wood with the pitiless bronze,and they brought in a pig, very fat, five years old.Then they stood it at the hearth; and the swineherddid not forget the immortals; for he had good sense;but beginning the offering, he threw hairs from the head into the fire,of the white-tusked pig, and prayed to all the godsthat Odysseus the wise might return to his own home.He raised and struck it with a billet of oak which he had left lying;and its life left it. And they cut its throat and singed it;quickly they cut it up; and the swineherd began to set aside the raw portions,beginning with all the limbs, onto the rich fat,and sprinkling them with barley meal he threw them in the fire,and they cut up the rest and pierced them on spits,and roasted them carefully and drew them all off,and threw them together onto the platters; and the swineherdstood up to carve; for he knew what was right in his heart.And he divided it all into seven portions as he carved;one portion he set apart for the nymphs and for Hermes, son of Maia,with a prayer, and the others he gave to each man;and he honored Odysseus with the continuous chineof the white-tusked pig, and gladdened the heart of his master;and speaking to him crafty Odysseus said:May you be as dear to father Zeus, Eumaeus,as you are to me, since you honor me, such as I am, with good things.Then answering him you spoke, Eumaeus swineherd:Eat, strange stranger, and take pleasure in these things,such as are at hand; a god will give one thing and leave another,whatever he wishes in his heart; for he can do all things.So he spoke, and offered first-fruits to the ever-living gods,and when he had poured the flaming wine, he put it in the handsof Odysseus the sacker of cities; and he sat down beside his own portion.And Mesaulius served them bread, whom the swineherdhad acquired himself alone while his master was away,apart from the mistress and old Laertes;he had bought him from the Taphians with his own goods.And they put their hands to the ready food set before them.But when they had put away their desire for drink and for food,Mesaulius took away the bread, and they hurried to bedglutted with bread and meat.And a wicked moonless night came on, and Zeus rainedall night long, and the great West Wind blew, always wet.And Odysseus spoke among them, testing the swineherd,whether he might somehow take off his own cloak and give it, or urgeanother of his comrades, since he cared for him exceedingly:Hear me now, Eumaeus and all you other comrades,I will speak a word after a prayer; for wine bids me,foolish wine, which sets even a wise man to sing,and makes him laugh softly, and sets him to dance,and makes him utter a word better left unspoken.But since I have once cried out, I will not hide it.Would that I were young again and my strength were firm,as when we led the ambush we had set beneath Troy.Odysseus and Menelaus son of Atreus led it,and I was third leader with them; for they themselves asked me.But when we came to the city and its steep wall,we lay around the town, among the thick bushes,in the reeds and the marsh, crouched under our armor.And a wicked night came on, when the North Wind fell,freezing; and over us snow fell like frost,cold, and ice formed on our shields.There all the others had cloaks and tunics,and slept comfortably, wrapped in their shields over their shoulders;but I, when going, had left my cloak to my comradesin my foolishness, since I did not think I would freeze anyway,but followed with only my shield and a shining belt.But when it was the third watch of the night, and the stars had passed on,then I spoke to Odysseus, who was near,nudging him with my elbow; and he answered at once:Zeus-born son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices,I will no longer be among the living, but the winterovercomes me; for I have no cloak; some god misled meto be single-tunicked; and now there is no escape.So I spoke, and he then held this thought in his mind,such was he at planning and at fighting;and speaking in a low voice he said a word to me:Be silent now, lest some other of the Achaeans hear you.So he spoke, and resting his head on his elbow he said a word:Listen, friends; a divine dream came to me in my sleep.For we have come too far from the ships; but would that someonewould tell Atreus' son Agamemnon, shepherd of the people,to urge more men to come from the ships.So he spoke, and then Thoas sprang up, son of Andraemon,swiftly, and took off his purple cloak,and went running to the ships; and I, in his clothing,lay down gladly, and golden-throned Dawn shone.So now would that I were young and my strength were firm;then someone in the steading of the swineherds would give me a cloak,both out of friendship and out of respect for a good man;but now they dishonor me because I wear wretched clothes.Then answering him you spoke, Eumaeus swineherd:Old man, the tale you have told is blameless,and you have not yet spoken a profitless word beyond what is fitting;so you will lack neither clothing nor anything elseof the things fitting for a much-suffering suppliant who has come;for now; but at dawn you will shake out your rags.For there are not many cloaks or changes of tunicsto wear here, but only one for each man.But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,he himself will give you cloak and tunic and clothing,and will send you wherever your heart and spirit bid you.So speaking he sprang up, and set for him near the firea bed, and threw over it hides of sheep and of goats.There Odysseus lay down; and he threw over him a cloakthick and large, which he kept ready as a change,to wear whenever a terrible storm arose.So Odysseus slept there, and beside himthe young men slept; but it did not please the swineherdto sleep there, away from the swine,but he went outside and armed himself; and Odysseus rejoicedthat he cared for his livelihood though he was far away.First he slung a sharp sword about his sturdy shoulders,and wrapped around him a wind-proof cloak, very thick,and he took up the fleece of a great well-fed goat,and took a sharp spear, a defense against dogs and men.He went to lie down where the white-tusked swineslept beneath a hollow rock, sheltered from the North Wind.

But he went up from the harbor by the rough paththrough the wooded land, over the heights, where Athenahad shown him the godlike swineherd, who cared mostfor the livelihood of the slaves whom godlike Odysseus had acquired.She found him sitting in the porch, where his courtyardhad been built high, in a place that could be seen from all around,fine and large, with a running space about it; the swineherdhad built it himself for the pigs while his master was away,apart from the mistress and old Laertes,with quarried stones, and he fenced it about with wild pear.Outside he drove stakes all the way through, here and there,thick and close-set, splitting the dark oak;and inside the courtyard he made twelve stiesclose to one another, beds for the pigs; and in eachfifty swine that sleep on the ground were penned,sows with young; but the boars slept outside,far fewer; for the godlike suitors kept wearing them down by eating,since the swineherd kept sending outalways the best of all the well-fed fatlings;and these were three hundred and sixty.And beside them four dogs, like wild beasts, always slept,four, which the swineherd, leader of men, had reared.He himself was fitting sandals about his feet,cutting a well-colored oxhide; and the othershad gone off each a different way with the gathered swine,three of them; and he had sent the fourth to the cityto drive a pig to the arrogant suitors, by necessity,so that when they had sacrificed they might satisfy their hearts with meat.Suddenly the barking dogs caught sight of Odysseus.They ran at him with loud cries; but Odysseussat down in his cunning, and the staff fell from his hand.There he would have suffered shameful pain beside his own farmstead;but the swineherd quickly followed with swift feetand rushed through the doorway, and the hide fell from his hand.He shouted at them and drove the dogs off this way and thatwith a shower of stones; and he spoke to his master:Old man, the dogs nearly tore you apartall at once, and you would have poured reproach on me.And the gods have given me other sorrows and groanings besides;for mourning and grieving for my godlike masterI sit here, and I fatten fat pigs for othersto eat; but he, longing somewhere for food,wanders through the land and city of men of other tongues,if perhaps he still lives and sees the light of the sun.But come, let us go to the hut, old man, so that you too,once you have satisfied your heart with bread and wine,may tell me where you are from and how many sorrows you have endured.So he spoke, and the godlike swineherd led the way to the hut,and brought him in and seated him, and spread shaggy brushwood beneath him,and spread over it the skin of a wild shaggy goat,a bed of his own, large and shaggy. And Odysseus rejoicedthat he had received him so, and he spoke a word and addressed him:May Zeus grant you, stranger, and the other immortal gods,whatever you most wish, since you received me kindly.And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Stranger, it is not right for me, not even if a worse man than you came,to dishonor a stranger; for all strangersand beggars are from Zeus; and a gift, though small, is dearwhen it comes from us; for such is the way of slaveswho are always in fear, when the young masters hold power.For truly the gods have bound his homecoming,the man who would have loved me warmly and given me possessions,a house and an estate and a much-courted wife,such as a kind master gives to his own slavewho has toiled much for him, and a god increases his work,just as this work of mine increases, and I stay on at it.So my master would have greatly benefited me, if he had grown old here;but he perished — how I wish the race of Helen had perishedutterly, since she loosened the knees of many men;for he too went, for the honor of Agamemnon,to horse-rich Troy, to fight the Trojans.So he spoke, and quickly girded his tunic with a belt,and went to the sties, where herds of pigs were penned.From there he took two and brought them, and sacrificed both,and singed them and cut them up and pierced them on spits.And when he had roasted them all, he brought them and set them before Odysseushot on the spits themselves; and he sprinkled white barley over them;and in a wooden bowl he mixed honey-sweet wine,and he himself sat down opposite him, and urged him on, saying:Eat now, stranger, what the slaves have here,young pigs; but the fat hogs the suitors eat,with no thought of mercy or pity in their minds.The blessed gods do not love cruel deeds,but they honor justice and the righteous works of men.And even hostile and wicked men, who come to the landof others and Zeus grants them plunder,and they go back with their ships full, homeward,even on them a strong fear of vengeance falls in their hearts.But these men know something, having heard a divine voice,of that man's wretched destruction, since they do not wish to courtrightly or to go home to their own lands, but at easethey devour his possessions with violence, and there is no restraint.For as many nights and days as come from Zeus,they never sacrifice one victim, not even two alone;and they waste his wine, drawing it off in violence.For truly his wealth was unspeakable; no man of the heroeshad so much, neither on the dark mainlandnor on Ithaca itself; not even twenty men togetherhave such wealth; but I will recount it to you.Twelve herds on the mainland; that many flocks of sheep,that many herds of pigs, that many broad flocks of goatsdo strangers and his own herdsmen feed.And here eleven broad flocks of goats in allgraze at the border, and good men watch over them.Of these each man daily brings in a beast,whichever of the well-fed goats seems best.And I myself guard and protect these pigs,and I pick out the best of the pigs carefully and send it off.So he spoke, and Odysseus ate the meat eagerly and drank the winegreedily in silence, and was plotting evil for the suitors.But when he had dined and fitted his heart with food,and he filled a cup for him, the one he himself drank from,full of wine, he took it and rejoiced in his heart,and spoke to him and addressed him with winged words:My friend, who bought you with his own goods,so very rich and powerful as you say?You say he perished for the honor of Agamemnon.Tell me, in case I somehow know of such a man.For Zeus surely knows it, and the other immortal gods,if I might report him after seeing him; and I have wandered far.And the swineherd answered him then, leader of men:Old man, no man who has come wanderingand reporting could persuade that man's wife and dear son,but men who are wanderers in need of a living lie in vain,and they do not wish to tell the truth.And whoever comes wandering to the land of Ithaca,goes to my mistress and speaks deceitful things;and she receives him well and loves him and asks him everything,and as she mourns tears fall from her eyelids,as is the way of a woman, when her husband has perished elsewhere.You too, old man, would quickly fashion a story,if someone gave you a cloak and tunic and clothing.But the swift dogs and birds have by nowtorn the hide from his bones, and his life has left him;or fish have eaten him in the sea, and his boneslie on the mainland, wrapped in much sand.So he has perished there, and grief for the future has beenprepared for all his dear ones, and most of all for me; for never againshall I find another master so gentle, wherever I go,not even if I came back to the house of my father and mother,where I was first born and they themselves raised me.Nor do I mourn for them as much as that, though I longto see them with my eyes while I am in my native land;but longing for Odysseus, who is gone, seizes me.Him, stranger, though he is absent, I am ashamednot to name; for he loved me exceedingly and cared for me in his heart;but I call him my dear one even though he is far away.And much-enduring godlike Odysseus spoke to him again:My friend, since you utterly refuse and no longer saythat he will come, and your heart is always distrustful;but I will not speak idly, but with an oath,that Odysseus is coming; and let there be a reward for good news for meat once, when that man comes and reaches his home;that you clothe me in cloak and tunic, fine clothing;but before that, though I am in great need, I would take nothing.For that man is as hateful to me as the gates of Hades,who, yielding to poverty, speaks deceitful things.Let Zeus know this now, first of the gods, and the table of hospitality,and the hearth of blameless Odysseus, which I have come to;truly all these things will be accomplished as I say.In this very year Odysseus will come here,as this month wanes and the next begins,and he will come home, and he will punish whoeverdishonors his wife and glorious son here.And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Old man, I will not pay this reward for good news,nor will Odysseus ever come home again; but at easedrink, and let us remember other things, and do notremind me of these things; for my heart in my breastgrieves whenever someone mentions my trusty master.But let us leave the oath aside, and may Odysseuscome, however I wish it, and Penelopeand old Laertes and godlike Telemachus.Now again I mourn for the son whom Odysseus begot,Telemachus; when the gods had raised him like a sapling,I thought he would be among men in no way inferiorto his own dear father, wondrous in body and form;but some one of the immortals harmed the wise mind within him,or some man; and he went to hear news of his fatherto holy Pylos; and the noble suitorslie in wait for him as he comes home, so that the raceof godlike Arcesius may perish nameless from Ithaca.But let us leave that man alone, whether he be caughtor escape, and the son of Cronos hold his hand over him.But come, you, old man, tell me your own sorrowsand tell me this truly, so that I may know it well:Who are you, and from where among men? Where is your city and your parents?And on what kind of ship did you come? How did the sailorsbring you to Ithaca? Who did they claim to be?For I do not think you came here on foot.And resourceful Odysseus answered him:Then I will tell you these things very exactly.If only we two had food for a time, andsweet wine, while we sit inside the hut,and feast in silence, and others go about their work;easily then for a whole yearI could not finish telling of the sorrows of my heart,all that I have suffered by the will of the gods.I declare that I am by birth from broad Crete,the son of a wealthy man; and many othersons were raised in his hall and were bornlegitimate from his wife; but a bought mother bore me,a concubine, yet Castor, son of Hylax, honored meequally with his true-born sons, and I declare I am of his line,who at that time among the Cretans was honored like a god by the peoplefor his prosperity and wealth and glorious sons.But the fates came and brought him deathto the house of Hades; and his sons divided his livingin their pride and cast lots for it,and they gave me very little and assigned me a house.But I married a wife from men of many possessionsbecause of my own excellence, since I was not worthlessnor one to shun war; but now all that has left me,and yet I think that you, looking at the stubble,recognize it; for truly great misery holds me.Truly Ares and Athena gave me courageand the power to break through ranks; whenever I pickedthe best men for an ambush, plotting evil for the enemy,my proud heart never foresaw death for me,but far the first I leaped out and killed with my spearwhichever of the enemy gave way to my feet.Such was I in war; but work was not dear to me,nor care of the household, which raises glorious children,but always dear to me were ships with oarsand wars and well-polished spears and arrows,wretched things, which to others are dreadful.But I loved the things that some god put in my heart;for one man takes pleasure in one kind of work, another in another.For before the sons of the Achaeans set foot on TroyI had led nine men and swift-sailing shipsagainst foreign peoples, and it went very well for me.Of these I chose out what pleased me, and much besidesI got by lot; and quickly my house grew, and thenI became feared and respected among the Cretans.But when Zeus who sees far had willed that hateful journey,the one that loosened the knees of many men,then they commanded me and glorious Idomeneusto lead ships to Ilion; and there was no wayto refuse, for the people's talk was harsh.There for nine years we sons of the Achaeans fought,and in the tenth we sacked the city of Priam and wenthome with our ships, and a god scattered the Achaeans.But for wretched me counsellor Zeus planned evil;for I stayed only a month, taking pleasure in my childrenand my wedded wife and my possessions; and thenmy heart urged me to sail to Egypt,after fitting out my ships well with godlike companions.I fitted out nine ships, and the men quickly gathered.For six days then my trusty companionsfeasted; and I provided many victimsboth to sacrifice to the gods and to make a feast for themselves.And on the seventh we embarked from broad Creteand sailed with the north wind, clear and fair,easily, as if down with the current; and none of myships was harmed, but unharmed and free of sicknesswe sat, and the wind and the helmsmen steered them.On the fifth day we reached fair-flowing Egypt,and I moored my curved ships in the Egyptian river.Then I ordered my trusty companionsto stay there beside the ships and guard them,and I urged watchers to go up to the lookouts;but they, yielding to arrogance, following their own fury,at once laid waste the very beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,and carried off the women and little children,and killed the men themselves; and quickly the cry reached the city.And they, hearing the shouting at the appearing of dawn,came; and the whole plain was filled with footmen and horsesand the gleam of bronze; and Zeus who delights in thunderthrew foul panic among my companions, and none daredstand and face them; for evils stood all around them.There they killed many of us with the sharp bronze,and led others away alive, to work for them by force.But Zeus himself put this thought in my mind —how I wish I had died and met my doomright there in Egypt — for still more trouble was waiting for me —at once I took the well-made helmet off my headand the shield from my shoulders, and threw the spear from my hand;and I went in front of the king's horsesand clasped and kissed his knees; and he saved me and pitied me,and set me on his chariot and took me home while I wept.Truly many came at me with spears,eager to kill me — for they were very angry —but he held them off, for he feared the wrath of Zeus,the god of guests, who is most indignant at evil deeds.There I stayed seven years, and gathered muchwealth among the Egyptian people; for they all gave.But when the eighth year came round for me,then a Phoenician man came, a man skilled in deceit,a cheat, who had done much evil to men;he persuaded me with his cunning to go with himto Phoenicia, where his house and possessions were.There I stayed with him until a full year ended.But when the months and days were completedas the year rolled round and the seasons came on,he set me on a sea-crossing ship for Libyaafter plotting lies, so that I might carry goods for him,and that he might sell me there and win unspeakable profit.I went with him onto the ship, though I suspected, by force.She ran with the north wind, clear and fair,past the middle of Crete; but Zeus was planning destruction for them.But when we had left Crete behind and no other landappeared, only sky and sea,then the son of Cronos set a dark cloudabove the hollow ship, and the sea grew murky beneath it.And Zeus thundered at once and hurled a lightning bolt at the ship;she shuddered all over, struck by the bolt of Zeus,and was filled with sulfur; and all fell from the ship.They, like cormorants, around the black shipwere borne by the waves; and the god took away their homecoming.But to me, though I had sorrow in my heart, Zeus himselfgave the great mast of the dark-prowed shipin my hands, so that I might still escape ruin.Clinging to it I was carried by the deadly winds.For nine days I was carried, and on the tenth dark nighta great rolling wave brought me to the land of the Thesprotians.There Phidon, king of the Thesprotians, took me in,a hero, without ransom; for his dear son came upon meovercome by cold and weariness and led me to his house,raising me up by the hand, until he reached his father's house;and he clothed me in cloak and tunic and clothing.There I heard about Odysseus; for he saidhe had entertained and loved him when he came to his native land,and he showed me the possessions that Odysseus had gathered,bronze and gold and much-wrought iron.And it would feed even another for ten generations;so many treasures of the master lay in his halls.And he said he had gone to Dodona, so that he might hearfrom the god's tall-leafed oak the counsel of Zeus,how he should return to the rich land of Ithaca,after being away so long, openly or in secret.And he swore to me himself, pouring a libation in his house,that a ship was drawn down and companions were ready,who would send him to his dear native land.But he sent me away first; for a ship happened to comeof Thesprotian men to grain-rich Dulichium.There he told them to send me carefullyto king Acastus; but they pleased their minds with an evil planconcerning me, so that I might fall into still more misery.But when the sea-crossing ship had sailed far from land,at once they contrived a day of slavery for me.They stripped off my cloak and tunic and clothing,and threw around me another wretched rag and a tunic,torn, which you yourself see with your eyes;and at evening they came to the fields of bright Ithaca.There they bound me in the well-benched shipwith a well-twisted rope, tightly, and they themselves went ashorein haste and took their supper beside the shore of the sea.But the gods themselves loosened the bond for meeasily; and wrapping a rag over my head,I slid down the smooth lading-plank and pressed my breastto the sea, and then I swam with both handsswimming, and very quickly I was out and away from them.Then I went up to where there was a thicket of flowering wood,and lay there crouched. And they, groaning greatly,went up and down; but since no profit appeared to themin searching further, they went back againonto the hollow ship; and the gods themselves hid meeasily, and led me and brought me to the farmsteadof a man who knew his craft; for it was still my fate to live.And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Ah, wretched stranger, you have greatly stirred my heartby telling all these things that you have suffered and wandered through.But that, I think, is not in order, and you will not persuade meby speaking about Odysseus; why should you, being such a man,lie idly? I myself well knowthe homecoming of my master, how he was hated by all the godsutterly, since they did not kill him among the Trojansor in the arms of his friends, when he had finished the war.Then all the Achaeans would have made him a tomb,and he would have won great glory for his son in the future;but now the harpies snatched him away without glory.But I stay apart among the pigs; and I do notgo to the city, unless perhaps wise Penelopeurges me to come, when some report comes from somewhere.But those who sit here ask about each thing,both those who grieve that the master is long gone,and those who rejoice, eating his substance for nothing.But it is not my pleasure to ask questions and inquire,ever since an Aetolian man deceived me with a story,who, after killing a man, had wandered over much land,came to my house; and I welcomed him warmly.He said he had seen him among the Cretans at Idomeneus' side,repairing his ships, which the storms had shattered;and he said he would come either in summer or in autumn,bringing much wealth, with godlike companions.And you, old man of many sorrows, since a god has brought you to me,do not gratify me with lies nor charm me in anything;for it is not for that reason that I will respect or love you,but because I fear Zeus the god of guests and pity you myself.And resourceful Odysseus answered him:Truly the heart in your breast is very distrustful,since I could not move you even with an oath, nor persuade you.But come now, let us make an agreement; and hereafterlet the gods who hold Olympus be witnesses for us both.If your master returns to this house,that you clothe me in cloak and tunic and send meto go to Dulichium, where it was dear to my heart;but if your master does not come, as I say,then set your slaves on me and throw me down a great cliff,so that even another beggar will avoid deception.And the godlike swineherd answered him:Stranger, then it would be good repute and virtue for meamong men, both at once and afterwards,if, after I brought you into my hut and gave you guest-gifts,I then killed you and took away your dear life;gladly then I would pray to Zeus, son of Cronos.But now it is time for supper; may my companions be insideas quickly as possible, so that we may prepare a tasty supper in the hut.So they spoke such things to one another,and the pigs and the swineherd men came near.They penned the sows to sleep in their usual places,and an unspeakable squealing rose from the pigs as they were penned;and the godlike swineherd called out to his companions:Bring in the best of the pigs, so that I may sacrifice it for the strangerfrom far away; and we ourselves will benefit too, who for so longhave had misery to suffer because of the white-tusked pigs;but others eat our labor for nothing.So he spoke and split wood with the pitiless bronze,and they brought in a pig, very fat, five years old.Then they stood it by the hearth; and the swineherddid not forget the immortals; for he had good sense in his mind;but he made a beginning and threw into the fire the hairs from the headof the white-tusked pig, and prayed to all the godsthat wise Odysseus might come home to this house.He raised himself up and struck it with a split of oak, which he had left lying;and its life left it. And they cut its throat and singed it;and quickly they cut it up; and the swineherd began to set aside the raw pieces,beginning from all the limbs, into the rich fat,and threw some into the fire, sprinkled with barley meal,and they cut up the rest and pierced it on spits,and roasted it carefully and drew it all off,and threw it all together onto platters; and the swineherdstood up to carve; for he knew what was right in his mind.And he divided it all into seven portions, cutting it up:one portion he set aside for the nymphs and Hermes, son of Maia,with a prayer, and he gave the others to each man;and he honored Odysseus with the continuous chine bonesof the white-tusked pig, and gladdened the heart of his master;and resourceful Odysseus spoke to him and addressed him:May you be as dear to father Zeus, Eumaeus,as you are to me, since you honor me, such as I am, with good things.And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Eat, strange guest, and take pleasure in these things,such as there are; and a god will give one thing and allow another to pass,whatever he wishes in his heart; for he can do all things.He spoke and offered the first fruits to the ever-living gods,and after pouring a libation of flaming wine he put itin the hands of Odysseus, sacker of cities; and he sat down by his own portion.And Mesaulius served them bread, whom the swineherdhad himself acquired on his own while his master was away,apart from the mistress and old Laertes;he had bought him from the Taphians with his own goods.And they reached out their hands to the ready food set before them.But when they had put away the desire for drink and food,Mesaulius took away the bread, and they hurried to bed,satisfied with bread and meat.And a dreadful night came on, moonless, and Zeus rainedall night, and a great wet west wind blew.And Odysseus spoke among them, testing the swineherd,whether he might somehow get him to give a cloak after taking off his own, or urgeone of his companions to do it, since he cared for him greatly:Listen now, Eumaeus, and all you other companions,I will speak a word as a boast; for wine bids me,the foolish wine, which makes even a very wise man singand laugh softly, and makes him dance,and brings out a word that it would be better to leave unsaid.But since I have cried out, I will not hide it.If only I were young again and my strength were firm,as when we led an ambush set in order beneath Troy.Odysseus and Atreus' son Menelaus led it,and I was third in command with them; for they themselves asked me.But when we came to the steep walled city,we lay around the city in the thick bushes,among reeds and marsh, crouching under our armor,and lay there. And a dreadful night came on with the north wind falling,frosty; and above us snow came like frost,cold, and ice formed around the shields.Then all the others had cloaks and tunics,and slept at ease, wrapped in their shields over their shoulders;but I, in my folly, had left my cloak with my companionswhen I went, since I did not think I would freeze anyway,but I followed with only my shield and a shining belt.But when it was the third watch of the night, and the stars had passed by,then I spoke to Odysseus, who was near,nudging him with my elbow; and he heard at once:Son of Laertes, sprung from Zeus, resourceful Odysseus,I will no longer be among the living, but the coldis killing me; for I have no cloak; some god tricked meinto coming with only a tunic; and now there is no escape.So I spoke, and he then had this thought in his mind,such was he at planning and fighting;and speaking in a low voice he said a word to me:Be quiet now, in case some other Achaean hears you.And he held his head up on his elbow and spoke a word:Listen, friends; a divine dream came to me in my sleep.For we have gone too far from the ships; but let someonego and tell Atreus' son Agamemnon, shepherd of the people,to urge more of his men to come from the ships.So he spoke, and then Thoas, the son of Andraemon, rose upquickly, and threw off his purple cloak,and set off running to the ships; and I lay downgladly in his clothing, and gold-throned Dawn shone.If only I were young now and my strength were firm;then someone in the swineherds' farmstead would give me a cloak,both out of friendship and respect for a good man;but now they dishonor me because I wear wretched clothes.And you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Old man, the tale you have told is blameless,and you have not said a profitless word out of place;so you will not lack clothing or anything elsethat it is fitting for a sufferer who comes as a suppliant to receive,at least for now; but in the morning you will shake out your rags.For there are not many cloaks or tunics to change intohere to wear, but only one for each man.But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,he himself will give you cloak and tunic and clothing,and send you wherever your heart and spirit bid you.So he spoke and sprang up, and placed near the firea bed for him, and threw over it the skins of sheep and goats.There Odysseus lay down; and he threw over him a cloak,thick and large, which he kept as a change,to wear whenever some terrible storm arose.So Odysseus slept there, and beside himthe young men slept; but the swineherddid not like to sleep there, away from the pigs,but he went outside and armed himself; and Odysseus rejoiced,because he cared greatly for his livelihood while he was away.First he threw his sharp sword over his sturdy shoulders,and wrapped around him a windproof cloak, very thick,and took a shaggy covering of a large well-fed goat,and took a sharp spear, a defense against dogs and men.And he went to lie down where the white-tusked pigsslept under the hollow rock, sheltered from the north wind.