Book 15

But she went to spacious Lacedaemon, Pallas Athena,to remind the glorious son of great-hearted Odysseusof his homecoming, and to urge him to return.She found Telemachus and the shining son of Nestorsleeping in the forecourt of glorious Menelaus,the son of Nestor, indeed, overcome by soft sleep;but sweet sleep did not hold Telemachus; in his heartthrough the immortal night the cares for his father woke him.Standing near, bright-eyed Athena spoke to him:Telemachus, no longer is it well to wander far from your house,leaving your possessions and such men in your hallsso overbearing; lest they devour all your goodsdividing them among themselves, and you come home on a fruitless journey.But urge good at the war-cry Menelaus quicklyto send you, so that you may still find your blameless mother at home.For already her father and brothers bid hermarry Eurymachus; for he surpasses allthe suitors with gifts, and has increased his bridal presents;lest, against your will, some possession be carried from your halls.For you know what manner of spirit is in a woman's breast;she wishes to enrich the house of him she weds,but of her former children and her beloved wedded husbandwho has died, she no longer remembers nor inquires.But do you go home and entrust each matterto whichever of the maids seems best to you,until the gods reveal to you a glorious bride.And another word I will speak to you; lay it to heart.The best of the suitors lie in wait for you deliberatelyin the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos,eager to kill you before you reach your native land.But that I do not think; rather, the earth will first holdsome of the suitor men, who devour your livelihood.But keep your well-built ship far from the islands,and sail alike by night; and one of the immortals will send a fair wind behind you,whoever of the deathless ones guards and protects you.But when you reach the first shore of Ithaca,send the ship and all your comrades to the city,but yourself go first of all to the swineherd,who is keeper of your swine, and is kindly minded toward you.There spend the night; and send him into the cityto carry the message to wise Penelope,that you are safe and have come back from Pylos.So she spoke and departed to steep Olympus,but he woke the son of Nestor from sweet sleep,stirring him with his foot, and spoke a word to him:Wake, Pisistratus, son of Nestor; bring the single-hoofed horsesand yoke them beneath the chariot, so that we may set out on our way.Then Pisistratus, son of Nestor, answered him:Telemachus, there is no way, eager as we are for the journey,to drive through the murky night; soon dawn will come.But wait until the hero, son of Atreus, brings gifts and sets them in the chariot,Menelaus, famed for the spear,and with gentle words speaks kindly and sends you on your way.For a guest remembers all his daysthe man who was his host, if he shows him friendship.So he spoke, and straightway golden-throned Dawn came.And good at the war-cry Menelaus came near them,rising from his bed, beside fair-haired Helen.When the dear son of Odysseus noticed him,hastening, he drew a shining tunic about his skin,and cast a great cloak over his sturdy shoulders,the hero, and went out, and standing beside him spokeTelemachus, the dear son of godlike Odysseus:Menelaus, son of Atreus, nurtured by Zeus, leader of hosts,send me now to my dear native land;for my heart already longs to reach home.Then good at the war-cry Menelaus answered him:Telemachus, I will not hold you here a long timewhen you long for home; and I blame any other man toowho is a host, if he loves a guest exceedinglyand hates him exceedingly; better are all things in due measure.It is an equal wrong, whether one urges a guest to go who does not wish it,or holds back one who is eager.One must love a guest while present, and send him on when he wishes.But wait until I bring gifts and set them in the chariot,fair ones, and you see them with your eyes, and I tell the womento prepare a meal in the halls, with plenty there within.Both glory and splendor and profit it isto journey over the wide boundless earth after dining.But if you wish to turn aside through Hellas and midmost Argos,so that I myself may go with you, and yoke the horses for you,and guide you to the cities of men; no one will send usaway empty, but each will give us something to carry off,either some well-bronzed tripod or a cauldron,or two mules, or a golden cup.Then wise Telemachus answered him:Menelaus, son of Atreus, nurtured by Zeus, leader of hosts,I wish now to go to my own home; for I left noguardian behind over my possessions when I set out;lest, seeking my godlike father, I myself perish,or some good treasure be lost from my halls.When good at the war-cry Menelaus heard this,he straightway ordered his wife and the maidsto prepare a meal in the halls, with plenty there within.Eteoneus, son of Boethous, came near him,rising from his bed, for he lived not far from him;good at the war-cry Menelaus ordered him to light a fireand roast meat; and he did not disobey when he heard.And he himself went down into the fragrant storeroom,not alone, but Helen and Megapenthes went with him.But when they came where the treasures lay,the son of Atreus took a two-handled cup,and ordered his son Megapenthes to carry a mixing bowlof silver; and Helen stood beside the chests,where were the richly embroidered robes that she herself had made.Lifting one of them, Helen, shining among women, carried it,the one that was fairest in embroidery and largest,and it shone like a star; it lay lowest of the others.They went forward through the house until they cameto Telemachus; and fair-haired Menelaus spoke to him:Telemachus, as for your return, as your heart desires it,so may Zeus fulfill it, loud-thundering husband of Hera.And of the gifts, all the treasures that lie in my house,I will give the one that is fairest and most honored.I will give you a well-wrought mixing bowl; it is all of silver,and its lips are inlaid with gold,the work of Hephaestus; the shining hero gave it to me,king of the Sidonians, when his house sheltered methere as I journeyed home; and I wish to give it to you.So speaking, he placed in his hand the two-handled cup,the hero son of Atreus; and mighty Megapenthes brought and setthe shining mixing bowl before him,of silver; and fair-cheeked Helen stood beside himholding the robe in her hands, and spoke a word and named him:This gift I too give you, dear child,a remembrance of Helen's hands, for the hour of your much-desired marriage,for your wife to wear; until then, let it lie in the hallbeside your dear mother. And may you come rejoicingto your well-built house and your native land.So she spoke and placed it in his hands, and he received it rejoicing.And the hero Pisistratus placed these things in the baskethaving received them, and marveled at them all in his heart;and fair-haired Menelaus led them to the house.Then they sat down on the couches and the chairs.A handmaid brought water for washing and poured it from a pitcher,a fair golden one, over a silver basin,for them to wash; and she set beside them a polished table.And the honored housekeeper brought and set out bread;putting many foods before them, giving freely of what was there;and the son of Boethous carved the meat and distributed the portions;and the son of glorious Menelaus poured the wine.And they put forth their hands to the ready food set before them.But when they had put away the desire for drink and food,then Telemachus and the shining son of Nestoryoked the horses and mounted the inlaid chariot,and drove out through the gateway and the echoing portico.And fair-haired Menelaus, son of Atreus, followed them,holding in his right hand honey-hearted wine,in a golden cup, so that they might pour a libation and go.He stood before the horses and spoke, greeting them:Farewell, young men, and to Nestor, shepherd of hosts,give my word; for he was as kind to me as a father,while we sons of the Achaeans warred in Troy.Then wise Telemachus answered him:Yes indeed, nurtured by Zeus, all this as you saywe will recount when we come to him; and would that I,returning to Ithaca and finding Odysseus in his house,might tell him how I come from you having met with all friendshipand bring many good treasures.As he spoke, a bird flew on the right,an eagle carrying in its talons a huge white goose,a tame one from the yard; and the men and women followed shouting,and coming near themit swooped to the right before the horses; and they, seeing it,rejoiced, and the spirit in all their breasts was warmed.And Pisistratus, son of Nestor, began to speak among them:Consider, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, leader of hosts,whether a god has shown this sign to us two or to you yourself.So he spoke, and Menelaus, dear to Ares, ponderedhow he might answer him fittingly, thinking it over.But long-robed Helen spoke first and answered him:Hear me; and I will prophesy, as the immortals put it in my heartand as I think it will be fulfilled.As this eagle snatched the goose that was reared in the house,coming from the mountain, where is his race and his birth,so Odysseus, having suffered many evils and wandered much,will come home and take vengeance; or even nowhe is at home, and is planting evil for all the suitors.Then wise Telemachus answered her:So may Zeus bring it about, loud-thundering husband of Hera;then I would pray to you even there as to a god.He spoke, and laid the whip on the horses; and they very swiftlyrushed eagerly through the city toward the plain.All day long they shook the yoke they held about them.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and they came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles,son of Ortilochus, whom the Alpheus fathered.There they spent the night, and he set guest-gifts before them.When early-born rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,they yoked the horses and mounted the inlaid chariot,and drove out through the gateway and the echoing portico;he struck them to drive, and the two flew not unwillingly.And soon they reached the steep citadel of Pylos;and then Telemachus spoke to the son of Nestor:Son of Nestor, how would you promise me and fulfillmy word? For we boast to be guest-friends continuallyfrom the friendship of our fathers, and we are of like age;and this journey will bring us even more to one mind.Do not drive past the ship with me, nurtured by Zeus, but leave me here,lest the old man hold me back against my will in his house,eager to show me love; but I must come home sooner.So he spoke, and the son of Nestor considered in his hearthow he might promise and fulfill it fittingly.And as he thought, it seemed to him betterto turn the horses toward the swift ship and the shore of the sea,and at the ship's stern he unloaded the beautiful gifts,clothing and gold, which Menelaus had given him;and urging him on he spoke winged words:Go aboard now in haste and order all your comrades,before I reach home and tell the old man.For I know this well in my mind and heart:so violent is his spirit, he will not let you go,but he will come here himself to call you, and I say he will notgo back empty; for he will be very angry indeed.So speaking, he drove the fair-maned horsesback to the city of the Pylians, and quickly reached the house.And Telemachus urged on his comrades and ordered them:Arrange the gear, comrades, in the black ship,and let us go aboard ourselves, so that we may set out on our way.So he spoke, and they listened well and obeyed,and quickly went aboard and sat at the benches.He busied himself with these things and prayed, and sacrificed to Athenabeside the ship's stern; and near him came a manfrom a far country, fleeing from Argos after killing a man,a seer; and by birth he was a descendant of Melampus,who once in time past dwelt in Pylos, mother of flocks,wealthy, dwelling in a house far surpassing the Pylians';but then he came to the land of other men, fleeing his homelandand great-hearted Neleus, most illustrious of living men,who kept much of his wealth for a full yearby force. But he meanwhile, in the halls of Phylacus,was bound in painful bonds, suffering cruel painsbecause of the daughter of Neleus and a heavy calamity,which the dread Fury, the goddess, laid upon his mind.But he escaped death and drove the loud-bellowing cattleto Pylos from Phylace, and took vengeance for the shameful deedon godlike Neleus, and brought the woman as wife to his brother'shouse. And he came to the land of other men,to horse-pasturing Argos; for there it was fated for himto dwell, ruling over many Argives.There he married a wife and built a high-roofed house,and begot Antiphates and Mantius, two mighty sons.Antiphates begot great-hearted Oicles,and Oicles begot Amphiaraus, rouser of hosts,whom aegis-bearing Zeus and Apollo loved with all their heartin every kind of friendship; he did not reach the threshold of old age,but perished in Thebes because of a woman's gifts.His sons were Alcmaeon and Amphilochus.Mantius in turn begot Polypheides and Cleitus;but golden-throned Dawn snatched Cleitus awaybecause of his beauty, that he might be among the immortals;and Apollo made haughty Polypheides a seer,by far the best of mortals, when Amphiaraus died;who moved away to Hyperesia in anger at his father,and there, dwelling, he prophesied for all mortals.His son came there, and his name was Theoclymenus,who then stood near Telemachus; and he found himpouring libations and praying beside the swift black ship,and speaking, he addressed him with winged words:Dear friend, since I find you sacrificing in this place,I beseech you by the offerings and the god, and thenby your own head and the comrades who follow you,tell me truly when I ask, and do not conceal it:Who are you among men, and from where? Where is your city and your parents?Then wise Telemachus answered him:Then I will tell you, stranger, quite exactly.By birth I am from Ithaca, and my father is Odysseus,if he ever was; but now he has perished by a wretched doom.Therefore I now took comrades and a black shipand came to ask about my father, long gone away.Then godlike Theoclymenus spoke to him:So I too am from my homeland, having killed a manof my own kin; and many brothers and kinsmenare throughout horse-pasturing Argos, and they have great power among the Achaeans.Avoiding death and black doom from themI am a fugitive, since it is my fate to wander among men.But take me on your ship, since I have fled to you as a suppliant,lest they kill me; for I think they are pursuing me.Then wise Telemachus answered him:No indeed, I will not thrust you from my well-balanced ship against your will,but follow; and there you will be welcomed with whatever we have.So speaking, he received from him the bronze spear,and laid it out on the deck of the curved ship;and he himself went aboard the sea-crossing ship.Then he sat down at the stern, and beside himhe seated Theoclymenus; and they loosed the stern cables.And Telemachus urged on his comrades and ordered themto lay hold of the gear; and they obeyed eagerly.They raised the pine mast and set it in the hollow mast-box,and made it fast with the fore-stays,and hauled up the white sails with well-twisted oxhide ropes.Bright-eyed Athena sent them a favorable wind,blowing fiercely through the sky, so that most swiftlythe ship might run through the salt water of the sea.They passed by Cruni and fair-streamed Chalcis.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and the ship came to Pheae, driven on by the wind of Zeus,and past shining Elis, where the Epeians hold sway.From there he sped on toward the swift islands,pondering whether he might escape death or be caught.Meanwhile in the hut Odysseus and the godlike swineherdwere eating supper; and other men supped beside them.But when they had put away the desire for drink and food,Odysseus spoke among them, testing the swineherd,whether he would still lovingly entertain him and bid him staythere at his farmstead, or urge him toward the city:Hear me now, Eumaeus, and all you other comrades;at dawn I wish to go to the cityto beg, so that I may not wear you and your comrades out.But advise me well and give me a good guidewho will lead me there; and through the city I myself of necessitywill wander, in case someone offers me a cup and a bit of bread.And if I go to the house of godlike Odysseus,I could bring a message to wise Penelope,and I could mix with the arrogant suitors,if they would give me a meal, since they have countless dishes.I could quickly do well among them whatever they wish.For I will tell you plainly; mark it, and listen to me:by the grace of Hermes the guide, who to allmen gives grace and glory in their works,no other mortal could rival me in service,to pile a fire well and split dry wood,to carve and roast and pour wine,the sort of things that lesser men do in service to their betters.Then, greatly vexed, you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Oh, stranger, why is this thought in your mind?Do you really long to perish right there?If you wish to go down into the crowd of the suitors,whose arrogance and violence reach the iron sky,their attendants are not men like you,but young men, well dressed in cloaks and tunics,always sleek about the head and with handsome faces,who serve them; and well-polished tablesare heavy with bread and meat and wine.But stay; for no one is vexed at your presence,neither I nor any other of the comrades I have.But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,he will clothe you in cloak and tunic and garments,and send you wherever your heart and spirit bid you.Then much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:Ah, Eumaeus, may you be as dear to father Zeusas you are to me, since you have stopped my wandering and dreadful misery.There is nothing worse for mortals than wandering;but because of the accursed belly men have evil cares,whenever wandering and misery and pain come upon a man.But now, since you insist that I stay and bid me wait for him,come, tell me about the mother of godlike Odysseusand his father, whom he left when he set out at the threshold of old age,whether they are still alive under the rays of the sun,or are already dead and in the halls of Hades.Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:Then I will tell you, stranger, quite exactly.Laertes is still alive, and he always prays to Zeusthat his spirit may waste from his limbs in his own halls;for he grieves terribly for the son who has gone,and for his wedded wife, a wise woman, who above allpained him by dying and left him in harsh old age.And she died of grief for her glorious son,a wretched death; may no one who is dear to meand lives here and does me kindness die in that way.So long as she lived, grieving as she was,it was dear to me to inquire and ask about her,because she herself raised me along with long-robed Ctimene,her noble daughter, the youngest child she bore;I was raised with her, and she honored me only a little less.But when we both reached delightful youth,they gave her then to a man in Same and took countless gifts,and she, clothing me fairly in cloak and tunic and garments,and giving me sandals for my feet,sent me to the fields; and she loved me the more from her heart.But now I am in need of these things; yet the blessed godsprosper the work I devote myself to;from it I have eaten and drunk and given to worthy men.But from my mistress it is not possible to hear a gentleword or deed, since evil has fallen on the house,those arrogant men; and the slaves greatly lack the chanceto speak in the mistress's presence and learn all thingsand eat and drink, and then carry somethingto the fields, the sort of things that always warm a slave's heart.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Alas, how then, while still a small child, Eumaeus the swineherd,you were driven far from your homeland and your parents.But come, tell me this and recount it exactly,whether the broad-streeted city of men was sacked,in which your father and your honored mother dwelt,or whether, when you were alone among the sheep or the cattle,hostile men took you with their ships and sold you,to this man's house, and he paid a worthy price.Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:Stranger, since you ask me these things and inquire,now listen in silence and enjoy yourself, and drink your winesitting here. For these nights are endless; there is time to sleep,and time to listen with pleasure; there is no need for youto lie down before the hour; too much sleep is a nuisance.Whichever of the others his heart and spirit bid,let him go out and sleep; and at dawn when it appears,let him eat and follow the master's pigs.But let us two, drinking and feasting in the hut,take pleasure in each other's wretched sorrows,remembering them; for a man takes pleasure even in his griefs,whoever has suffered very much and wandered much.And this I will tell you, what you ask me and inquire about.There is an island called Syrie, if perhaps you have heard of it,above Ortygia, where the sun turns;it is not very populous, but it is good,good for grazing, good for flocks, full of wine, rich in wheat.Hunger never comes on the people, nor is any otherhateful sickness ever upon the wretched mortals;but when the tribes of men grow old in the city,silver-bowed Apollo comes with Artemisand, attacking with his gentle arrows, kills them.There are two cities, and all things are divided between them;and over both of them my father was king,Ctesius, son of Ormenus, like the immortals.There came Phoenician men, famous for their ships,greedy traders, bringing countless trinkets in a black ship.There was a Phoenician woman in my father's house,tall and beautiful, and skilled in splendid work;and the Phoenicians, full of tricks, seduced her.One of them first lay with her beside the hollow shipin bed and in love, the things that beguile the mindsof women, even if one is good at her work.Then he asked who she was and from where she had come;and she at once told him of her father's high-roofed house:I claim to be from Sidon, rich in bronze,and I am the daughter of Arybas, abundantly wealthy;but Taphian raiders seized meas I was coming from the fields, and they brought me here and sold meto this man's house; and he paid a worthy price.Then the man who had lain with her in secret said to her:Would you now come back home again with us,so that you may see your father's and mother's high-roofed houseand them too? For they are still alive and are called wealthy.Then the woman answered him and said:That could be, sailors, if you would be willingto bind yourselves by oath to take me home unharmed.So she spoke, and they all swore as she asked.But when they had sworn and completed the oath,the woman spoke among them again and said:Now keep silent; let none of your comrades speak to mewith words, whether met in the streetor at the spring; lest someone come to the old man's houseand tell him, and he, suspecting, bind mein painful bonds and plot destruction for you.But keep the word in mind, and hurry on the price of the goods.But when the ship is full of goods,let a message quickly come to me at the house;for I will bring gold too, whatever comes into my hands;and I would willingly give other passage-money too.For I am raising in the halls the son of a good man,a clever one indeed, who runs about outside with me;I could bring him onto the ship, and he would fetch you a huge pricewherever you sell him among men of other tongues.So she spoke and went off to the fine house,and they, staying there with us a whole year,trafficked much goods in the hollow ship.But when the hollow ship was loaded for them to sail,then they sent a messenger, to tell the woman.A man skilled in many things came to my father's housecarrying a golden necklace, strung with amber beads.In the hall the maids and my honored motherhandled it with their hands and looked at it with their eyes,offering a price; and he nodded to her in silence.He, having nodded, had gone to the hollow ship,and she took me by the hand and led me out of the house.In the forecourt she found both cups and tablesof the feasting men, who were attending my father.They had gone to the council seat and the assembly of the people,but she quickly hid three cups in her bosomand carried them out; and I followed in my witlessness.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and we came quickly to the famous harbor,where the swift ship of the Phoenician men was.Then they went aboard and sailed the watery paths,taking us two aboard; and Zeus sent a fair wind.Six days alike we sailed, nights and days;but when Zeus, son of Cronos, brought on the seventh day,then Artemis the arrow-pourer struck the woman,and she fell with a thud into the bilge, like a sea gull.And they threw her overboard to become prey for seals and fish;but I was left with a grieving heart;and wind and water carried them on and brought them near Ithaca,where Laertes bought me with his own goods.That is how I came to see this land with my own eyes.Then god-born Odysseus answered him and said:Eumaeus, truly you have stirred the spirit in my heartby telling me all these things, all the griefs you have suffered in your heart.But Zeus has set good alongside evil for you,since after much toil you came to the house of a kind manwho provides you food and drinkkindly, and you live a good life; but Ihave come here wandering over many cities of men.So they spoke such things to one another,and lay down to sleep for no long time, but only briefly;for soon fair-throned Dawn came. And the comrades of Telemachus on the landloosed the sails and took down the mastquickly, and rowed the ship into the mooring;they threw out the anchor stones and made the stern cables fast;and they themselves went out onto the breaking surf of the sea,and prepared a meal and mixed the flaming wine.But when they had put away the desire for drink and food,wise Telemachus began to speak among them:You now drive the black ship to the city,but I will go to the fields and the herdsmen;in the evening I will come down to the city after seeing my farm.And at dawn I will set out provisions for your journey,a good feast of meat and sweet wine.Then godlike Theoclymenus said to him:Where shall I go, dear child? Whose house shall I come to,of the men who rule over rocky Ithaca?Shall I go straight to your mother and your house?Then wise Telemachus answered him:In other circumstances I would bid you cometo our house; for there is no lack of hospitality; but for you yourself it isworse, since I will be away, and my motherwill not see you; for she does not oftenappear among the suitors in the house, but apart from them she weaves her web in the upper room.But I will point out another man for you to go to,Eurymachus, the shining son of wise Polybus,whom the Ithacans now look upon as equal to a god;for he is by far the best man, and he is most eagerto marry my mother and to have the honor of Odysseus.But Olympian Zeus knows these things, who dwells in the upper air,whether he will bring a day of evil on them before the marriage.As he spoke, a bird flew on the right,a hawk, the swift messenger of Apollo; in its talonsit was plucking a dove, and it shed the feathers to the groundbetween the ship and Telemachus himself.Theoclymenus called him aside from his comradesand clasped his hand and spoke a word and named him:Telemachus, that bird did not fly on the right without a god;for I knew it was an omen when I looked at it face to face.There is no other family more royal than yoursin the land of Ithaca, but you are always strong.Then wise Telemachus answered him:If only, stranger, this word were fulfilled;then you would soon know friendship and many giftsfrom me, so that anyone meeting you would call you blessed.He spoke, and called to Piraeus, his trusty comrade:Piraeus, son of Clytius, you who above allmy comrades who followed me to Pylos obey me in other things;now too take this stranger and in your houseentertain him kindly and honor him, until I come.Then Piraeus, famed for the spear, answered him:Telemachus, even if you stayed here a long time,I would care for this man, and he will have no lack of hospitality.So saying, he went aboard the ship and told his comradesto go aboard themselves and loose the stern cables.And they quickly went aboard and sat down at the benches.And Telemachus bound fair sandals under his feet,and took a stout spear, sharpened with keen bronze,from the ship's deck; and they loosed the stern cables.They pushed off and sailed toward the city, as Telemachus had ordered,the dear son of godlike Odysseus;and his feet carried him swiftly striding on until he reached the farmyard,where the swineherd,a good man, dwelt, kindly minded toward his masters.

But Pallas Athena went to wide Lacedaemon,to remind the glorious son of great-hearted Odysseusof his homecoming and urge him to come back.She found Telemachus and the shining son of Nestorasleep in the forecourt of glorious Menelaus,the son of Nestor overcome by soft sleep;but sweet sleep did not hold Telemachus; through the immortal nighthis worries about his father kept him awake in his heart.Standing close by, bright-eyed Athena said to him:Telemachus, it is no longer good for you to wander far from home,leaving your property and men in your house who areso arrogant; they may eat up all your property,dividing it among themselves, and you may come home on a wasted journey.But quickly urge good-at-the-battle-cry Menelausto send you, so you may still find your blameless mother at home.For already her father and brothers are telling herto marry Eurymachus; for he outdoes allthe suitors with gifts and has raised his bride-price;in case something is carried out of your house against your will.For you know what a woman's mind is like in her breast;she wants to build up the house of the man she marries,but her earlier children and her beloved husband who has diedshe no longer remembers or asks about.But you should go and put each matter in the chargeof whichever of the maids seems best to you,until the gods show you a glorious wife.And I will tell you another thing; take it to heart.The leading suitors are deliberately lying in wait for youin the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos,wanting to kill you before you reach your homeland.But I do not think that will happen; the earth will first holdsome of those suitor men who are eating up your livelihood.But keep your well-built ship far away from the islands,and sail by night as well; someone will send you a fair wind from behind,whichever of the immortals guards and protects you.But when you reach the first shore of Ithaca,send the ship and all your comrades to the city,but first go yourself to the swineherd,who is the keeper of your pigs and is kindly disposed to you.Spend the night there; send him into the cityto carry the message to sensible Penelope,that you are safe and have come back from Pylos.So she spoke and went off to steep Olympus,but he woke the son of Nestor from sweet sleep,nudging him with his foot, and said a word to him:Wake up, Pisistratus, son of Nestor; yoke the single-hoofed horsesand bring them under the chariot, so we can set out on our way.Then Pisistratus, son of Nestor, answered him:Telemachus, there is no way, eager as we are for the journey,to drive through the dark night; dawn will come soon.But wait until the hero son of Atreus brings gifts and puts them in the chariot,Menelaus famous for the spear,and with gentle words encourages you and sends you off.For a guest remembers every daythe man who hosted him, if he shows him friendship.So he spoke, and at once golden-throned Dawn came.Good-at-the-battle-cry Menelaus came up to them,getting up from his bed, next to fair-haired Helen.When the dear son of Odysseus noticed him,he hurried to pull a shining tunic over his skin,and threw a great cloak over his sturdy shoulders,the hero, and went outside, and standing beside him spokeTelemachus, the dear son of godlike Odysseus:Son of Atreus, Menelaus, raised by Zeus, leader of the people,now send me off to my dear homeland;for my heart already longs to get home.Then good-at-the-battle-cry Menelaus answered him:Telemachus, I will not keep you here a long timewhen you long for home; I would blame any other man toowho is a host, whether he loves a guest too muchor hates him too much; better is everything in due measure.It is equally bad, whether a man urges a guest to leave who does not want to,or holds back one who is eager.One should love a guest while he is there, and send him on when he wants to go.But wait until I bring gifts and put them in the chariot,fine ones, so you see them with your own eyes, and I tell the womento prepare a meal in the halls, with plenty of what is inside.It is both glory and splendor and profitto set out over the wide boundless earth after eating.But if you want to turn aside through Hellas and the middle of Argos,so that I myself may go with you and yoke the horses for you,and lead you to the cities of men; no one will send usoff empty-handed, but will give us something to carry away,either some well-made bronze tripod or a cauldron,or two mules, or a golden cup.Then wise Telemachus answered him:Son of Atreus, Menelaus, raised by Zeus, leader of the people,I want to go now to my own home; for I did not leave anyguardian behind over my property when I set out;in case, while looking for my godlike father, I myself die,or some good treasure of mine is lost from the halls.When good-at-the-battle-cry Menelaus heard this,he at once told his wife and the maidsto prepare a meal in the halls, with plenty of what was inside.Eteoneus, son of Boethous, came up to him,getting up from his bed, for he lived not far from him;good-at-the-battle-cry Menelaus told him to light a fireand roast meat; and he did not disobey when he heard.He himself went down into the fragrant storeroom,not alone, but Helen and Megapenthes went with him.But when they came to where the treasures were kept,the son of Atreus took a two-handled cup,and told his son Megapenthes to carry a mixing bowlof silver; and Helen stood beside the chests,where the richly embroidered robes were that she herself had made.Helen, shining among women, lifted one of them and carried it,the one that was most beautiful in its embroidery and the largest,and it shone like a star; it lay at the bottom of the others.They went on forward through the house until they cameto Telemachus; and fair-haired Menelaus said to him:Telemachus, as for your homecoming, just as your heart desires it,so may Zeus bring it about, the loud-thundering husband of Hera.And of the gifts, all the treasures that lie in my house,I will give you the one that is most beautiful and most prized.I will give you a well-made mixing bowl; it is allof silver, and its rim is inlaid with gold,the work of Hephaestus; the shining hero gave it to me,the king of the Sidonians, when his house sheltered methere as I was coming home; and I want to give it to you.So saying, he put the two-handled cup into his hand,the hero son of Atreus; and mighty Megapenthes brought and setthe shining mixing bowl down in front of him,of silver; and fair-cheeked Helen stood beside himholding the robe in her hands, and spoke a word and called him by name:This gift I too give you, dear child,a keepsake of Helen's own hands, for the time of your much-desired marriage,for your wife to wear; for now let it lie in the hallbeside your dear mother. And may you come with joyto your well-built house and your homeland.So she spoke and put it into his hands, and he took it with joy.And the hero Pisistratus put these things into the basket,taking them, and admired them all in his heart;and fair-haired Menelaus led them to the house.Then they sat down on the couches and chairs.A handmaid brought water for washing and poured it from a pitcher,a fine golden one, over a silver basin,for them to wash; and she set a polished table beside them.And the honored housekeeper brought and set out bread,putting many dishes before them, giving them freely of what was there;and the son of Boethous carved the meat and handed out the portions;and the son of glorious Menelaus poured the wine.And they reached out their hands to the ready food set before them.But when they had had enough of drink and food,then Telemachus and the shining son of Nestoryoked the horses and climbed onto the inlaid chariot,and drove out through the gateway and the echoing portico.And fair-haired Menelaus, son of Atreus, went with them,holding honey-sweet wine in his right hand,in a golden cup, so they could pour a libation and go.He stood in front of the horses and spoke to them, greeting them:Farewell, young men, and give this message to Nestor, shepherd of the people;for he was as kind to me as a fatherwhile we sons of the Achaeans were fighting at Troy.Then wise Telemachus answered him:Yes indeed, raised by Zeus, all these things you saywe will tell him when we get there; and how I wish that I,coming home to Ithaca and finding Odysseus in his house,could tell him that I come from you having received every kindnessand bringing many good treasures.As he was speaking, a bird flew on the right,an eagle carrying a huge white goose in its talons,a tame one from the yard; and the men and women followed, shouting,and coming near themit swooped to the right in front of the horses; and when they saw itthey rejoiced, and the spirit in all their hearts was warmed.And Pisistratus, son of Nestor, began speaking among them:Consider, Menelaus, raised by Zeus, leader of the people,whether a god has shown this sign to us two or to you yourself.So he spoke, and Menelaus, dear to Ares, wonderedhow he might answer him properly, once he had thought it out.But long-robed Helen spoke first and said this:Listen to me; and I will prophesy, as the immortalsput it in my heart, and as I think it will come true.Just as this eagle snatched the goose that was raised in the house,coming from the mountain, where its family and birth are,so Odysseus, after suffering many troubles and wandering much,will come home and take revenge; or else he is alreadyat home, and is planting ruin for all the suitors.Then wise Telemachus answered her:May Zeus bring that about now, the loud-thundering husband of Hera;then I would pray to you even there as to a god.He spoke, and struck the horses with the whip; and they very quicklyrushed eagerly through the town toward the plain.All day long they shook the yoke they kept around them.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and they came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles,the son of Ortilochus, whom the Alpheus fathered.There they spent the night, and he set out guest-gifts for them.When early-born rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,they yoked the horses and climbed onto the inlaid chariot,and drove out through the gateway and the echoing portico;he struck them to drive, and the two flew along, not unwilling.And soon they reached the steep citadel of Pylos;and then Telemachus spoke to the son of Nestor:Son of Nestor, how would you promise me and carry outwhat I ask? For we claim to be guest-friends always,from our fathers' friendship, and we are also of the same age;and this journey will bring us even more to the same mind.Do not drive past the ship with me, raised by Zeus, but leave me here,in case the old man holds me back against my will in his house,eager to show me love; but I need to get home sooner.So he spoke, and the son of Nestor thought it over in his heart,how he might promise and carry it out properly.And as he thought, it seemed better to himto turn the horses toward the swift ship and the shore of the sea,and at the ship's stern he unloaded the fine gifts,clothing and gold, which Menelaus had given him;and urging him on he spoke winged words:Get aboard now in haste and tell all your comrades to,before I get home and report to the old man.For I know this well in my mind and heart:his spirit is so violent that he will not let you go,but he will come here himself to call you, and I say he will notgo back empty; for he will be very angry anyway.So saying, he drove the fair-maned horsesback to the city of the Pylians, and quickly reached the house.And Telemachus urged on his comrades and told them:Arrange the gear, comrades, in the black ship,and let us go aboard ourselves, so we can set out on our way.So he spoke, and they listened to him and obeyed,and quickly went aboard and sat down at the benches.He was busy with this and praying, and sacrificing to Athenabeside the ship's stern; and a man came near himfrom a far country, fleeing from Argos after killing a man,a seer; and by birth he was a descendant of Melampus,who once lived in Pylos, mother of flocks,a wealthy man living in a house far greater than the Pylians';but then he came to the land of other people, fleeing his homelandand great-hearted Neleus, the most splendid of living men,who kept much of his wealth for a whole yearby force. But he meanwhile, in the halls of Phylacus,was bound in painful bonds, suffering terrible painsbecause of the daughter of Neleus and a heavy disaster,which the dreaded Fury, the goddess, put into his mind.But he escaped death and drove the loud-bellowing cattleto Pylos from Phylace, and took revenge for the shameful deedon godlike Neleus, and brought the woman as a wife to his brother'shouse. And he came to the land of other people,to horse-pasturing Argos; for there it was fated for himto live, ruling over many Argives.There he married a wife and built a high-roofed house,and fathered Antiphates and Mantius, two mighty sons.Antiphates fathered great-hearted Oicles,and Oicles fathered Amphiaraus, rouser of the people,whom aegis-bearing Zeus and Apollo loved with all their heartin every kind of friendship; he did not reach the threshold of old age,but died in Thebes because of a woman's gifts.His sons were Alcmaeon and Amphilochus.Mantius in turn fathered Polypheides and Cleitus;but golden-throned Dawn snatched Cleitus awaybecause of his beauty, so that he might be among the immortals;and Apollo made proud Polypheides a seer,by far the best of mortals, after Amphiaraus died;who moved away to Hyperesia in anger at his father,and living there he prophesied for all mortals.His son came there, and his name was Theoclymenus,who then stood near Telemachus; and he found himpouring libations and praying beside the swift black ship,and he spoke to him and addressed him with winged words:Dear friend, since I find you sacrificing in this place,I beg you by the offerings and the god, and thenby your own head and the comrades who follow you,tell me the truth when I ask, and do not hide it:Who are you among men, and where are you from? Where is your city and your parents?Then wise Telemachus answered him:Then I will tell you, stranger, quite exactly.By birth I am from Ithaca, and my father is Odysseus,if he ever existed; but now he has died by a wretched death.That is why I now took comrades and a black shipand came to ask about my father, long gone from home.Then godlike Theoclymenus said to him:So I too am from my homeland, having killed a manof my own people; and there are many brothers and kinsmenthroughout horse-pasturing Argos, and they have great power among the Achaeans.Avoiding death and black doom from them,I am a fugitive, since it is my fate to wander among men.But take me on your ship, since I have fled to you as a suppliant,in case they kill me; for I think they are chasing me.Then wise Telemachus answered him:No indeed, I will not push you off my well-balanced ship against your will,but follow along; and there you will be welcomed with whatever we have.So saying, he took the bronze spear from him,and laid it out on the deck of the curved ship;and he himself went aboard the sea-crossing ship.Then he sat down at the stern, and beside himhe sat Theoclymenus; and they untied the stern cables.And Telemachus urged on his comrades and told themto take hold of the gear; and they obeyed eagerly.They raised the pine mast and set it inside the hollow mast-box,and made it fast with the fore-stays,and hauled up the white sails with well-twisted oxhide ropes.Bright-eyed Athena sent them a favorable wind,blowing fiercely through the sky, so that as quickly as possiblethe ship might run through the salt water of the sea.They passed by Cruni and fair-streamed Chalcis.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and the ship came to Pheae, driven on by the wind of Zeus,and past shining Elis, where the Epeians hold power.From there he sped on toward the swift islands,wondering whether he might escape death or be caught.Meanwhile in the hut Odysseus and the godlike swineherdwere eating supper; and other men ate supper beside them.But when they had had enough of drink and food,Odysseus spoke among them, testing the swineherd,whether he would still kindly welcome him and tell him to staythere at his farmstead, or urge him toward the city:Hear me now, Eumaeus, and all you other comrades;at dawn I want to go to the cityto beg, so that I do not wear you and your comrades out.But advise me well and give me a good guidewho will lead me there; and through the city I myself will of necessitywander around, in case someone offers me a cup and a bit of bread.And if I go to the house of godlike Odysseus,I could bring a message to sensible Penelope,and I could mix with the arrogant suitors,if they would give me a meal, since they have countless dishes.I could soon do well among them in whatever they want.For I will tell you plainly; take it in, and listen to me:by the grace of Hermes the guide, who to allmen gives charm and glory in their work,no other mortal could compete with me in service,to pile a fire well and split dry wood,to carve and roast and pour wine,the sorts of things that lesser men do in service to their betters.Then, greatly annoyed, you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:Oh, stranger, why is this thought in your mind?Do you really long to die right there?If you want to go down into the crowd of the suitors,whose arrogance and violence reach the iron sky,their attendants are not men like you,but young men, well dressed in cloaks and tunics,always sleek about the head and with handsome faces,who serve them; and well-polished tablesare loaded with bread and meat and wine.But stay; for no one is upset at your being here,neither I nor any other of the comrades I have.But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,he will dress you in cloak and tunic and clothes,and send you wherever your heart and spirit tell you.Then much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:Ah, Eumaeus, may you be as dear to father Zeusas you are to me, since you have stopped my wandering and dreadful misery.There is nothing worse for mortals than wandering around;but because of the cursed belly men have evil troubles,whenever wandering and misery and pain come upon a man.But now, since you insist that I stay and tell me to wait for him,come, tell me about the mother of godlike Odysseusand his father, whom he left when he set out at the threshold of old age,whether they are still alive under the rays of the sun,or are already dead and in the halls of Hades.Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:Then I will tell you, stranger, quite exactly.Laertes is still alive, and he always prays to Zeusthat his life may waste away from his limbs in his own halls;for he grieves terribly for the son who has gone away,and for his wedded wife, a sensible woman, who above allhurt him by dying and left him in harsh old age.And she died of grief for her glorious son,a wretched death; may no one who is dear to meand lives here and does me kindness die like that.So long as she was alive, grieving as she was,it was dear to me to ask about her and question her,because she herself raised me along with long-robed Ctimene,her noble daughter, the youngest child she bore;I was raised together with her, and she honored me only a little less.But when we both reached delightful youth,they gave her then to a man in Same and took countless gifts,and she, dressing me fairly in cloak and tunic and clothes,and giving me sandals for my feet,sent me out to the fields; and she loved me all the more in her heart.But now I am in need of these things; yet the blessed godsmake the work I stick to prosper;from it I have eaten and drunk and given to respected men.But from my mistress it is not possible to hear a gentleword or deed, since evil has fallen on the house,those arrogant men; and the slaves greatly lack the chanceto speak in the mistress's presence and learn everythingand eat and drink, and then carry somethingout to the fields, the sorts of things that always warm a slave's heart.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Alas, how then, while still a small child, Eumaeus the swineherd,you were driven far from your homeland and your parents.But come, tell me this and recount it exactly,whether the broad-streeted city of men was sacked,in which your father and your honored mother lived,or whether, when you were alone among the sheep or the cattle,hostile men took you with their ships and sold you,to this man's house, and he paid a worthy price.Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:Stranger, since you ask me these things and question me,now listen in silence and enjoy yourself, and drink your winesitting here. For these nights are endless; there is time to sleep,and time to listen with pleasure; there is no need for youto lie down before the time comes; too much sleep is a nuisance.Whichever of the others his heart and spirit tell him to,let him go out and sleep; and at dawn when it appears,let him eat and follow the master's pigs.But let us two, drinking and feasting in the hut,take pleasure in each other's wretched sorrows,remembering them; for a man takes pleasure even in griefs,whoever has suffered very much and wandered much.And this I will tell you, what you ask me and question me about.There is an island called Syrie, if perhaps you have heard of it,above Ortygia, where the sun turns;it is not very crowded, not that much, but it is good,good for grazing, good for flocks, full of wine, rich in wheat.Hunger never comes on the people, nor is any otherhateful sickness ever upon the wretched mortals;but when the tribes of men grow old in the city,silver-bowed Apollo comes with Artemisand, attacking with his gentle arrows, kills them.There are two cities, and everything is divided between them;and over both of them my father was king,Ctesius, son of Ormenus, like the immortals.There came Phoenician men, famous for their ships,greedy traders, bringing countless trinkets in a black ship.There was a Phoenician woman in my father's house,tall and beautiful, and skilled in splendid work;and the Phoenicians, full of tricks, seduced her.One of them first lay with her beside the hollow ship,in bed and in love, the things that beguile the mindsof women, even if one is good at her work.Then he asked who she was and where she had come from;and she at once told him about her father's high-roofed house:I claim to be from Sidon, rich in bronze,and I am the daughter of Arybas, abundantly wealthy;but Taphian raiders seized meas I was coming from the fields, and they brought me here and sold meto this man's house; and he paid a worthy price.Then the man who had lain with her in secret said to her:Would you now come back home again with us,so that you may see your father's and mother's high-roofed houseand them too? For they are still alive and are called wealthy.Then the woman answered him and said:That could be, sailors, if you would be willingto bind yourselves by oath to take me home unharmed.So she spoke, and they all swore as she asked.But when they had sworn and finished the oath,the woman spoke among them again and said:Now keep quiet; let none of your comrades speak to mewith words, whether met in the streetor at the spring; in case someone goes to the old man's houseand tells him, and he, suspecting, ties me upin painful bonds and plans destruction for you.But keep the word in mind, and hurry on the price of the goods.But when the ship is full of goods,let a message come quickly to me at the house;for I will bring gold too, whatever comes into my hands;and I would willingly give other passage-money too.For I am raising in the halls the son of a good man,a clever one indeed, who runs about outside with me;I could bring him onto the ship, and he would fetch you a huge pricewherever you sell him among men of other tongues.So she spoke and went off to the fine house,and they, staying there with us a whole year,traded much goods in the hollow ship.But when the hollow ship was loaded for them to sail,then they sent a messenger, to tell the woman.A man skilled in many things came to my father's housecarrying a golden necklace, strung with amber beads.In the hall the maids and my honored motherhandled it with their hands and looked at it with their eyes,offering a price; and he nodded to her in silence.He, having nodded, had gone to the hollow ship,and she took me by the hand and led me out of the house.In the forecourt she found both cups and tablesof the feasting men, who were attending my father.They had gone to the council seat and the assembly of the people,but she quickly hid three cups in her bosomand carried them out; and I followed in my foolishness.The sun set and all the streets grew shadowy;and we came quickly to the famous harbor,where the swift ship of the Phoenician men was.Then they went aboard and sailed the watery paths,taking us two aboard; and Zeus sent a fair wind.Six days alike we sailed, nights and days;but when Zeus, son of Cronos, brought on the seventh day,then Artemis the arrow-pourer struck the woman,and she fell with a thud into the bilge, like a sea gull.And they threw her overboard to become prey for seals and fish;but I was left behind with a grieving heart;and wind and water carried them on and brought them near Ithaca,where Laertes bought me with his own goods.That is how I came to see this land with my own eyes.Then god-born Odysseus answered him and said:Eumaeus, truly you have stirred the spirit in my heartby telling me all these things, all the griefs you have suffered in your heart.But Zeus has set good alongside evil for you,since after much toil you came to the house of a kind manwho provides you food and drinkkindly, and you live a good life; but Ihave come here wandering over many cities of men.So they spoke such things to one another,and lay down to sleep for no long time, but only briefly;for soon fair-throned Dawn came. And the comrades of Telemachus on the landuntied the sails and took down the mastquickly, and rowed the ship into the mooring;they threw out the anchor stones and tied the stern cables fast;and they themselves went out onto the breaking surf of the sea,and prepared a meal and mixed the flaming wine.But when they had had enough of drink and food,wise Telemachus began to speak among them:You now drive the black ship to the city,but I will go to the fields and the herdsmen;in the evening I will come down to the city after seeing my farm.And at dawn I will set out provisions for your journey,a good feast of meat and sweet wine.Then godlike Theoclymenus said to him:Where shall I go, dear child? Whose house shall I come to,of the men who rule over rocky Ithaca?Shall I go straight to your mother and your house?Then wise Telemachus answered him:In other circumstances I would tell you to cometo our house; for there is no lack of hospitality; but for you yourself it isworse, since I will be away, and my motherwill not see you; for she does not oftenshow herself among the suitors in the house, but away from them she weaves her web upstairs.But I will point out another man for you to go to,Eurymachus, the shining son of wise Polybus,whom the Ithacans now look upon as equal to a god;for he is by far the best man, and he is most eagerto marry my mother and to have the honor of Odysseus.But Olympian Zeus knows these things, who dwells in the upper air,whether he will bring a day of evil on them before the marriage.As he spoke, a bird flew on the right,a hawk, the swift messenger of Apollo; in its talonsit was plucking a dove, and it scattered the feathers to the groundbetween the ship and Telemachus himself.Theoclymenus called him aside from his comradesand clung to his hand and spoke a word and called him by name:Telemachus, that bird did not fly on the right without a god;for I knew it was an omen when I looked at it face to face.There is no other family more royal than yoursin the land of Ithaca, but you are always strong.Then wise Telemachus answered him:If only, stranger, this word were fulfilled;then you would soon know friendship and many giftsfrom me, so that anyone meeting you would call you blessed.He spoke, and called to Piraeus, his trusty comrade:Piraeus, son of Clytius, you who above allmy comrades who followed me to Pylos obey me in other things;now too take this stranger and in your housewelcome him kindly and honor him, until I come.Then Piraeus, famous for the spear, answered him:Telemachus, even if you stayed here a long time,I would care for this man, and he will have no lack of hospitality.So saying, he went aboard the ship and told his comradesto go aboard themselves and untie the stern cables.And they quickly went aboard and sat down at the benches.And Telemachus tied fair sandals under his feet,and took a stout spear, sharpened with keen bronze,from the ship's deck; and they untied the stern cables.They pushed off and sailed toward the city, as Telemachus had ordered,the dear son of godlike Odysseus;and his feet carried him swiftly striding on until he reached the farmyard,where the swineherd,a good man, lived, kindly minded toward his masters.