Book 17

When early-born Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered,then upon his feet he bound the beautiful sandals,Telemachos, the dear son of godlike Odysseus,and he took up the valiant spear that fitted his palms,eager for the town, and he spoke to his own swineherd:Friend, truly I go to the city, so that my mothermay see me; for I think she will not cease from before,from loathsome wailing and tearful lamentation,until she beholds me myself; but to you I give this charge.Lead this wretched stranger to the city, so that therehe may beg his dinner; and whoever wishes will give hima loaf and a cup; for me it is in no way possible to endureall men, though I have griefs in my heart;and the stranger, even if he be very angry, it shall bethe worse for him; for truly I love to speak the truth.Then in answer many-minded Odysseus addressed him:Friend, I myself am not eager to be held back;for a beggar it is better throughout the town than through the fieldsto beg his dinner; and whoever wishes will give to me.For I am not of an age to abide any longer at the farmsteads,so as to obey a master in all things when he commands.But go on your way; and this man, whom you command, shall lead mestraightway, when the warmth and the heat of the fire be come.For terribly wretched are these garments I wear; lestthe morning frost subdue me; and afar they say the town is.So he spoke, and Telemachos had gone through the farmstead,stepping swiftly with his feet, and he was sowing evils for the suitors.But when he came to the well-built house,the spear he carried he stood against a tall pillar,and he himself went within and crossed the stone threshold.And the nurse Eurykleia saw him first by far,spreading hides upon the cunningly wrought chairs,and weeping she went straight to him; and about him the otherhandmaids of steadfast Odysseus gathered,and they kissed his head and his shoulders, welcoming him.And from her chamber came wise Penelope,like unto Artemis or golden Aphrodite,and about her dear son she cast her arms, weeping,and she kissed his head and both his beautiful eyes,and lamenting she spoke winged words to him:You have come, Telemachos, sweet light. Never again, I said,should I behold you, since you went with a ship to Pylosin secret, against my will, to hear tidings of your dear father.But come now, recount to me how you met with the sight of him.And prudent Telemachos answered her in turn:My mother, do not rouse lamentation in me, nor stirmy heart within my breast, though I have escaped sheer destruction;but bathe you, and put clean garments upon your body,and going up to your upper chamber with your attendant women,pray to all the gods that you will render perfect hecatombs,if perchance Zeus shall accomplish deeds of requital.But I will go to the assembly, so that I may summonthe stranger, whosoever followed with me hither as I came.Him I sent on before with my godlike companions,and I charged Peiraios to lead him to his houseand to love and honor him kindly, until I come.So she spoke, and for her the word was wingless.And she bathed, and put clean garments upon her body,and prayed to all the gods that she would renderperfect hecatombs, if perchance Zeus shall accomplish deeds of requital.And Telemachos thereafter had gone through the great hallholding his spear; and with him two swift dogs followed.And wondrous grace Athene poured over him;and all the people marveled at him as he came on.And about him the lordly suitors gathered,speaking fair words, but in their hearts brooding evils.But he avoided their great throng,and there where Mentor sat and Antiphos and Halitherses,who were his father's companions from the beginning,there he went and sat him down; and they questioned him of everything.And to them Peiraios, famed for the spear, came near,leading the stranger to the assembly through the town; nor any longerdid Telemachos turn away from the stranger, but stood beside him.And Peiraios first spoke a word to him:Telemachos, quickly urge the women to my house,so that I may send on the gifts that Menelaos gave you.And prudent Telemachos answered him in turn:Peiraios, for we know not how these deeds shall be.If the lordly suitors slay me in the hallsin secret, and divide among them all my father's goods,I would rather you yourself enjoyed them, than one of these;but if I sow slaughter and death for these men,then bring them to my house rejoicing, and I shall rejoice.So saying, he led the much-suffering stranger to his house.But when they came to the well-built house,their cloaks they laid upon the couches and the chairs,and stepping into the well-polished bathtubs they bathed.And when the handmaids had bathed them and anointed them with oil,and cast about them shaggy cloaks and tunics,they stepped from the bathtubs and sat upon the chairs.And a handmaid poured water for the hands from a pitcher she brought,a beautiful golden one, above a silver basin,that they might wash; and beside them she drew up a polished table.And the honored housekeeper brought and set before them bread,laying on many viands, giving freely of what was present.And his mother sat opposite, beside the doorpost of the hall,leaning upon a chair, spinning fine threads of wool.And they stretched their hands to the ready food set before them,but when they had put away the desire of drink and of food,then wise Penelope began speech among them:Telemachos, truly I, going up to my upper chamber,shall lay me down upon my bed, which has been made woeful for me,ever drenched with my tears, since Odysseusdeparted with the sons of Atreus to Ilios; nor did you dare,before the lordly suitors came to this house,to tell me clearly of your father's homecoming, if you heard it anywhere.And prudent Telemachos answered her in turn:Then, mother, I shall recount to you the truth.We went to Pylos and to Nestor, shepherd of the people;and he received me in his lofty hallsand kindly entertained me, as a father his own soncome after long time, newly from elsewhere; so did hekindly care for me with his glorious sons.But of steadfast Odysseus never did he saythat he heard tidings from any mortal, alive or dead;but he sped me on to the son of Atreus, Menelaos famed for the spear,with horses and well-joined chariots.There I beheld Argive Helen, for whose sake manyArgives and Trojans toiled by the will of the gods.And straightway good at the war-cry, Menelaos askedfor what need I had come to shining Lakedaimon;and I recounted to him all the truth;and then answering me with words he spoke:Ah me, truly they wished to lie in the bedof a strong-hearted man, they themselves being cowards.As when in a thicket a hind of a mighty lionhas lulled to sleep her newborn, milk-fed fawns,and searches the glens and the grassy hollowsas she grazes, and he thereafter enters his own lair,and upon both of them he sends an unseemly doom,so shall Odysseus send upon those men an unseemly doom.If only, father Zeus and Athene and Apollo,being such as he was when once in well-built Lesboshe rose up and wrestled in strife with Philomeleides,and threw him mightily, and all the Achaeans rejoiced,being such, Odysseus might consort with the suitors;all would become swift-fated and bitterly wedded.But these things you ask and entreat of me, I for my partwould not speak otherwise, turning aside, nor deceive you,but as the old man of the sea, truthful, told me,I will hide no word of it from you nor conceal it.He said he beheld him on an island, having mighty griefs,in the halls of the nymph Kalypso, who by necessityholds him; and he cannot reach his own fatherland.For he has no oared ships at hand and no companions,who might send him over the broad back of the sea.So spoke the son of Atreus, Menelaos famed for the spear.Having finished this I returned; and the immortals gave mea fair wind, which swiftly sent me to my dear fatherland.So he spoke, and stirred the spirit in her breast.And among them godlike Theoklymenos also spoke:Revered lady, wife of Laertes' son Odysseus,truly he knows not clearly; but hear my word;for I will prophesy to you exactly and will not conceal it.Let Zeus be witness now, first of gods, and the stranger's tableand the hearth of blameless Odysseus, which I have reached,that truly Odysseus is already in his fatherland,sitting or creeping, learning of these evil deeds;he is here, and he sows evil for all the suitors.Such a bird of omen I marked, seatedon the well-benched ship, and I called it to Telemachos.And wise Penelope addressed him in turn:If only, stranger, this word might be accomplished;then you would soon know friendship and many giftsfrom me, so that whoever met you would call you blessed.So they spoke such things to one another,and the suitors before the hall of Odysseustook delight in quoits and in hurling javelinson the leveled floor, where before they had their insolence.But when it was dinner-time and the flocks camefrom the fields on every side, and those who had brought them before,then Medon spoke to them; for he pleased them mostof the heralds, and was present at their feasting:Young men, since you have all delighted your hearts with contests,come to the house, that we may prepare the feast;for in no way is it worse to take dinner in season.So he spoke, and they rose up and went, obeying the word.But when they came to the well-built house,their cloaks they laid upon the couches and the chairs,and they sacrificed great sheep and fat goats,they sacrificed boars rich with fat and a cow of the herd,preparing the feast. And from the field toward the townOdysseus and the godlike swineherd hastened to go.And the swineherd began speech among them, leader of men:Stranger, since you are eager to go to the towntoday, as my master commanded—truly I for my partwould wish to leave you here as guardian of the farmstead;but him I fear and dread, lest afterwardhe reproach me; hard are the rebukes of masters—but come now, let us go; for the day has come on greatly,and soon toward evening it will be colder.And many-minded Odysseus answered him:I know, I understand; as a thoughtful man you command.But let us go, and do you lead the way throughout.And give me, if anywhere you have a cut club,to lean upon, since you said the path is slippery.So he spoke, and cast about his shoulders his unseemly pouch,full of holes; and in it there was a twisted strap;and Eumaios gave him a staff dear to his heart.The two went on, and the dogs and the herdsmen menguarded the farmstead behind, remaining; but he led the master to the townlike a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and about his skin he wore wretched garments.But when, journeying along the rugged road,they were near the town and came to the springbuilt and fair-flowing, from which the townsfolk drew water,which Ithakos made and Neritos and Polyktor;and about it was a grove of water-nurtured poplars,all around in a circle, and down flowed cold waterfrom on high out of a rock; and above it an altar had been builtto the nymphs, where all wayfarers made offering;there the son of Dolios, Melanthios, came upon them,leading goats, which stood out among all the herds,for the suitors' dinner; and two herdsmen followed with him.Seeing them he reviled them, and spoke a word and named them,outrageous and unseemly; and he stirred the heart of Odysseus:Now truly a base man leads a base man,as always a god leads like to like.Where then are you leading this greedy-belly, wretched swineherd,a tiresome beggar, a scrubber of feasts?One who, standing by many doorposts, will rub his shoulders,begging for scraps, not swords nor cauldrons;him, if you gave him to me to be guardian of the farmsteadand to tend the pens and carry leaves for the kids,drinking whey he might make a great thigh for himself.But since he has learned base works, he will not wishto go about any work, but skulking through the districthe wishes to beg and feed his insatiable belly.But I tell you this, and it shall also be accomplished:if he comes to the house of godlike Odysseus,many footstools from the hands of menabout his head will rub his ribs as he is cast through the house.So he spoke, and as he passed he kicked him in his follyupon the hip; but he did not thrust him off the path,but he stood firm; and Odysseus ponderedwhether, rushing upon him with a club, he should take his life,or should dash his head to the ground, lifting it up on both sides.But he endured it, and restrained himself in his mind; and the swineherdreviled him, looking him in the face, and prayed greatly, lifting his hands:Nymphs of the springs, daughters of Zeus, if ever Odysseusburned fat thighs for you, covered with rich fat,of lambs and kids, fulfill this desire for me:that that man may come, and a god may lead him;then he would scatter all your splendors,which now in insolence you carry, forever wanderingthrough the town; but evil herdsmen destroy the flocks.And Melanthios answered him, the goatherd of goats:Ah me, how the dog speaks, knowing deadly things!Him one day I will take on a black, well-benched shipfar from Ithaka, so that he may fetch me much profit.If only silver-bowed Apollo would strike Telemachostoday in the halls, or he be subdued by the suitors,as the day of Odysseus' homecoming perished far away.So saying he left them, walking slowly there,but he went on, and very swiftly came to the house of the master.Straightway he went within, and sat down among the suitors,opposite Eurymachos; for he loved him most.Beside him those who served set a portion of meat,and the honored housekeeper brought and set before him breadto eat. And near at hand Odysseus and the godlike swineherdstood as they came, and about them came the soundof the hollow lyre; for among them Phemioswas beginning to sing; and he took the swineherd by the hand and spoke:Eumaios, truly this is the beautiful house of Odysseus,and easily known is it even among many to behold.One thing after another is it, and the courtyard is furnishedwith wall and cornice, and the doors are well-fenced,double-folding; no man could overmaster it.And I know that many men set a feast in it,since the savor of fat has risen, and within the lyrerings out, which the gods made the companion of the feast.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Easily you knew, since you are not in other things either witless.But come, let us consider how these deeds shall be.Either do you go first into the well-built house,and go among the suitors, and I will remain here;or if you wish, wait, and I will go in front;and do not delay, lest someone notice you outsideand strike you or drive you; these things I bid you consider.And much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:I know, I understand; as a thoughtful man you command.But go in front, and I will remain here.For I am not unacquainted with blows nor with wounds;daring is my spirit, since I have suffered many evilsin waves and in war; let this too be among them;for the belly it is in no way possible to hide when it is eager,accursed, which gives many evils to men,for whose sake even well-benched ships are fitted outover the barren sea, bringing evils to enemies.So they spoke such things to one another;and the dog lying there raised his head and his ears,Argos, the dog of steadfast Odysseus, whom once he himselfreared, but had no joy of him, for before that to holy Ilioshe had gone. Him formerly young men used to leadafter wild goats and deer and hares;but then he lay neglected, his master gone,in much dung, which before the doorsof mules and cattle was poured in abundance, until the servantsof Odysseus should lead it to the great field for manuring;there the dog Argos lay, full of dog-ticks.Then truly, when he perceived that Odysseus was near,he wagged his tail and dropped both ears,but no longer thereafter was he able to come near his own master;but Odysseus, looking away, wiped away a tear,easily escaping Eumaios' notice, and straightway questioned him with a word:Eumaios, truly it is a great wonder that this dog lies in the dung.Beautiful in body is he, but this I know not clearly,whether he was also swift to run in keeping with this appearance,or merely such as the table-dogs of menbecome; for masters tend them for their splendor.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Yes indeed, this is the dog of a man who died far away.If he were such in body and in deedsas when Odysseus left him, going to Troy,you would quickly marvel, beholding his speed and his strength.For never did he flee from any beast in the depthsof the deep wood, whatever he chased; for he was excellent in tracking;but now he is held by misery, and his master has perishedelsewhere from his fatherland, and careless women tend him not.And servants, when masters no longer rule over them,no longer wish to do what is right;for far-seeing Zeus takes away halfof a man's virtue, when the day of slavery seizes him.So saying he entered the well-built house,and went straight to the hall among the lordly suitors.And the doom of black death took Argos,straightway, when he beheld Odysseus in the twentieth year.And godlike Telemachos saw the swineherd first by farcoming through the house, and swiftly thennodded to him, calling him; and he looked about and took a chairthat lay there, where the carver used to sit, carvingmuch meat for the suitors feasting through the house;this he brought and set near the table of Telemachos,opposite, and there he himself sat down; and a heraldtook a portion and set it before him, and bread from a basket.And near after him Odysseus entered the house,like a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and about his skin he wore wretched garments.And he sat down upon the ash-wood threshold inside the doors,leaning against a cypress doorpost, which a carpenter oncesmoothed skillfully and set straight by the line.And Telemachos called to him and spoke to the swineherd,taking a whole loaf from the beautiful basketand meat, as much as his hands could hold when he filled them:Give these to the stranger, carrying them, and bid him himselfbeg from all the suitors, going about to each;for shame is not good to be present with a man in need.So he spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word,and standing near he spoke winged words:Telemachos gives you these, stranger, and bids youbeg from all the suitors, going about to each;for he says shame is not good for a man who begs.And many-minded Odysseus answered him:Lord Zeus, may Telemachos be blessed among men,and may all things be his, as many as he desires in his heart.So he spoke, and with both hands he received it and set it downthere before his feet, upon his unseemly pouch,and he ate while the singer sang in the halls;and when he had dined, the divine singer ceased.And the suitors clamored through the hall. And Athene,standing near, urged Laertes' son Odysseusto gather loaves among the suitors,and to learn who were the righteous and who the lawless;but not even so was she about to ward off evil from any one of them.He went to beg, going from the right, each man,stretching out his hand on every side, as if he had long been a beggar.And they, pitying him, gave, and marveled at him,and asked one another who he was and from whence he came.And Melanthios also spoke among them, the goatherd of goats:Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,concerning this stranger; for truly I saw him before.Indeed the swineherd led him hither,but I know not clearly from whence he claims his lineage.So he spoke, and Antinoos reviled the swineherd with words:O famous swineherd, why did you lead this manto the town? Have we not enough other vagabonds,tiresome beggars, scrubbers of feasts?Do you begrudge that they eat up the master's livelihoodgathering here, and you even called this one besides?And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Antinoos, though you are noble, you speak no fair word.For who calls a stranger from elsewhere, himself coming,another one, unless he be one of the public workers,a seer or a healer of ills or a carpenter of beams,or even a divine singer, who delights by singing?For these are the summoned ones of mortals over the boundless earth;but a beggar who devours himself no one would call.But ever are you harsh above all the suitorstoward the servants of Odysseus, and especially toward me; but Icare not, as long as thoughtful Penelopelives in the halls and godlike Telemachos.And prudent Telemachos answered him in turn:Be silent, do not answer him with many words;Antinoos is wont always to provoke evillywith harsh words, and he stirs up others too.So he spoke, and addressed winged words to Antinoos:Antinoos, truly you care for me finely as a father for his son,you who bid the stranger be thrust from the hallwith a compelling word; may no god accomplish this.Take and give to him; I do not begrudge it; indeed I bid you.And do not reverence my mother in this, nor any otherof the servants, who are in the house of godlike Odysseus.But no such thought is in your breast;for you yourself wish to eat much rather than give to another.And Antinoos answered him in turn:Telemachos, loud-vaunting, unrestrained in fury, what a word you have spoken.If all the suitors would reach out so much to him,then his house would hold him off three months.So he spoke, and taking a footstool from beneath the tablehe showed it, where he used to rest his shining feet while feasting;and all the others gave, and they filled his pouchwith bread and meat; and soon Odysseus was aboutto go again to the threshold, to taste the gifts of the Achaeans;but he stood by Antinoos and spoke a word to him:Give, friend; you do not seem to me to be the worstof the Achaeans, but the best, since you look like a king.Therefore you ought to give even better than the others,bread; and I will praise you over the boundless earth.For I too once dwelt in a house among men,blessed and rich, and often I gave to a wanderer,such as he was and of whatever need he came;and I had countless servants and many other thingswith which men live well and are called rich.But Zeus the son of Kronos destroyed it—for he wished it somehow—who sent me with much-wandering piratesto go to Egypt, a long journey, that I might perish.I stationed my curved ships at the Egyptian river.Then truly I bade my trusty companionsto remain there by the ships and guard the ships,and I urged scouts to go to the lookout places.But they, yielding to insolence, following their own fury,straightway laid waste the very beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,and led away the women and the infant children,and slew the men themselves; and swiftly a cry reached the city.And they, hearing the shout as the dawn appeared,came; and the whole plain was filled with footmen and horsesand the flash of bronze; and Zeus who delights in thundercast a base rout upon my companions, and no one daredto stand against them; for evils stood around on every side.There they killed many of us with the sharp bronze,and led others away alive, to work for them by necessity.But me they gave to a stranger they met in Cyprus,to Dmetor, son of Iasos, who ruled Cyprus by force;from there indeed I have now come hither, suffering woes.And Antinoos answered him in turn and spoke:What god brought this woe, this annoyance of the feast?Stand thus in the middle, away from my table,lest you soon reach bitter Egypt and Cyprus;for you are a bold and shameless beggar.In turn you stand by all; and they giveat random, since there is no restraint nor pityin giving from others' goods, since plenty is at hand for each.And withdrawing, many-minded Odysseus spoke:Ah me, so your mind does not match your looks;you would not give even salt to your own house-master from your house,you who now sit by others' goods and did not dareto take bread and give it to me; yet much is present.So he spoke, and Antinoos grew angrier in his heart,and looking at him darkly he spoke winged words:Now indeed I think you will no longer go backfairly through the hall, since you utter reproaches too.So he spoke, and taking a footstool he struck him on the right shoulder,at the very bottom of his back; and he stood like a rockfirm, nor did the missile of Antinoos make him stagger,but silently he nodded his head, brooding evils.And back he went and sat upon the threshold, and set down his pouchwell filled, and spoke among the suitors:Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,while I speak what my spirit in my breast bids me.There is no grief in my mind nor any sorrowwhen a man is struck while fighting for his own possessions,either for cattle or for white sheep;but Antinoos struck me for the sake of my wretched belly,accursed, which gives many evils to men.But if there are gods and Furies for beggars,may the doom of death come upon Antinoos before his marriage.And Antinoos, son of Eupeithes, answered him:Eat in peace, stranger, sitting still, or go elsewhere,lest the young men drag you through the house for the words you speak,by foot or by hand, and tear you all to pieces.So he spoke, and all of them were exceedingly indignant;and thus one of the overbearing young men said:Antinoos, you did not strike the wretched wanderer fairly,accursed, if indeed there is some heavenly god.And gods, likened to foreign strangers,taking all sorts of forms, roam the cities,watching the insolence and the good order of men.So the suitors spoke, but he paid no heed to their words.And Telemachos in his heart increased great griefat the blow, but he let no tear fall to the ground from his eyelids,but silently he nodded his head, brooding evils.And when wise Penelope heard of himstruck in the hall, she spoke among her handmaids:If only far-famed Apollo would strike that man himself.And the housekeeper Eurynome spoke a word to her:If only accomplishment would come to our prayers;then none of these would reach the fair-throned Dawn.And wise Penelope answered her in turn:Nurse, all of them are hateful, since they devise evils;but Antinoos most of all resembles black doom.Some wretched stranger wanders through the housebegging from men; for need compels him;and there all the others both filled him and gave,but this one struck his right shoulder with a footstool.So she spoke among her handmaid women,sitting in her chamber; and godlike Odysseus dined;and she called to her and spoke to the godlike swineherd:Go, godlike Eumaios, go and bid the strangerto come, so that I may greet him and ask himwhether he has heard anything of steadfast Odysseusor seen him with his eyes; for he looks like one much wandered.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:If only, queen, the Achaeans would be silent;such things as he tells, your dear heart would be charmed.For I kept him three nights, and three days I detained himin my hut; for first he came to me after escaping from his ship;but he has not yet finished the misery he tells.As when a man gazes at a singer, who from the godssings, knowing lovely words for mortals,and they are insatiably eager to hear him whenever he sings;so that man charmed me, sitting beside me in the halls.And he says he is a guest-friend of Odysseus by inheritance,dwelling in Crete, where the race of Minos is.From there indeed he has now come hither, suffering woes,rolling on and on; and he claims he has heard of Odysseus,near at hand, in the rich district of the Thesprotian men,that he is alive; and he brings many treasures home to this house.And wise Penelope answered him in turn:Go, call him hither, so that he may himself tell me face to face.And let these men sit and amuse themselves at the doors,or here through the house, since their heart is merry.For their own possessions lie unspoiled in the house,bread and sweet wine; these the household eats,but they, coming to our house every day,sacrificing cattle and sheep and fat goats,feast and drink the flaming wine,at random; and much is consumed. For no longer is there a mansuch as Odysseus was, to ward off ruin from the house.But if Odysseus would come and reach his fatherland,soon with his son he would exact payment for the violence of the men.So she spoke, and Telemachos sneezed greatly, and through the houseit rang terribly; and Penelope laughed,and straightway she spoke winged words to Eumaios:Go, call the stranger hither before me.Do you not see that my son sneezed at all my words?Therefore death shall not be unaccomplished for the suitors,for all of them, nor shall any escape death and the fates.And I will tell you another thing, and do you set it in your mind:if I find him telling all things truthfully,I will clothe him in cloak and tunic, beautiful garments.So she spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word;and standing near he spoke winged words:Stranger and father, wise Penelope calls you,the mother of Telemachos; the desire of her heartbids her inquire about her husband, though she has suffered griefs.And if she finds you telling all things truthfully,she will clothe you in cloak and tunic, which you mostneed; and bread, begging through the district,you will feed your belly; and whoever wishes will give you.And much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:Eumaios, straightway I would tell all things truthfullyto the daughter of Ikarios, wise Penelope;for I know well concerning him, and we have shared the same sorrow.But I dread the crowd of harsh suitors,whose insolence and violence reach the iron heaven.For even now, when this man struck me as I came through the house,though I had done no wrong, and gave me pains,neither Telemachos helped in this nor any other.Therefore now bid Penelope in the hallsto wait, though she is eager, until the sun sets;and then let her ask me about the day of her husband's homecoming,having seated me closer by the fire; for I havewretched garments; you yourself know, since I first supplicated you.So he spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word.And Penelope spoke to him as he crossed the threshold:You are not bringing him, Eumaios; why did the wanderer think this?Is he fearing someone excessively, or does he otherwisefeel shame in the house? A base wanderer is a shameful one.And you answered her, Eumaios the swineherd:He speaks with reason, as any other man would think,avoiding the insolence of overbearing men.But he bids you wait until the sun sets.And for you yourself, queen, it is much betterto speak and to listen to a word alone with the stranger.And wise Penelope answered him in turn:The stranger is not foolish; he thinks as it would be;for nowhere do any such mortal mendevise reckless things in their insolence.So she spoke, and the godlike swineherd wentinto the crowd of suitors, when he had told her everything.And straightway he spoke winged words to Telemachos,holding his head near, that the others might not hear:Dear friend, I am going away, to guard the swine and those things,your livelihood and mine; but let all things here be your care.First save yourself, and consider in your heartlest you suffer something; for many of the Achaeans plan evils,whom may Zeus destroy before they become a woe to us.And prudent Telemachos answered him in turn:It shall be so, father; but go, after your evening meal;and at dawn come and bring fine sacrificial victims;and all these things shall be my care and the immortals'.So he spoke, and he sat down again upon the well-polished chair,and having filled his heart with food and drinkhe went to the swine, and left the pens and the hall,full of banqueters; and they with dancing and songtook their delight; for now the late day had come.

When early-born rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,then Telemachos tied the beautiful sandals on his feet,the dear son of godlike Odysseus,and he took up a strong spear that fitted his hands,eager for the city, and he spoke to his swineherd:Friend, I am going into the city, so that my mothercan see me; for I don't think she will stop before thenfrom hateful wailing and tearful grieving,until she sees me myself; but I give you this order.Lead this poor stranger into the city, so that therehe can beg for his dinner; and whoever wants to will give hima loaf and a cup; for I can't possibly put up withall men, even though I have sorrows in my heart;and the stranger, even if he's very angry, it will beworse for him; for truly I like to speak the truth.Then many-minded Odysseus answered him:Friend, I myself am not eager to be held back;for a beggar it's better through the town than through the fieldsto beg his dinner; and whoever wants to will give to me.For I'm not of an age to stay at the farmsteads any longer,so as to obey a master in everything when he gives orders.But go on; and this man you tell will lead meright away, once the warmth and heat of the fire come.For these clothes I wear are terribly bad; may the morningfrost not overcome me; and they say the town is far off.So he spoke, and Telemachos had gone through the farmstead,stepping quickly with his feet, and he was planting evils for the suitors.But when he reached the well-built house,he stood the spear he was carrying against a tall pillar,and he himself went inside and crossed the stone threshold.And the nurse Eurykleia saw him first, far before the others,spreading hides on the cunningly made chairs,and weeping she went straight to him; and around him the otherslave women of steadfast Odysseus gathered,and they kissed his head and shoulders, welcoming him.And wise Penelope came out of her bedroom,like Artemis or golden Aphrodite,and she threw her arms around her dear son, weeping,and she kissed his head and both his beautiful eyes,and lamenting she spoke winged words to him:You have come, Telemachos, sweet light. I saidI would never see you again, since you went by ship to Pylosin secret, against my will, to hear news of your dear father.But come, tell me how you met with the sight of him.And prudent Telemachos answered her:My mother, don't start wailing for me, and don't stirmy heart in my breast, though I've escaped sheer destruction;but bathe yourself and put clean clothes on your body,and going up to your upper room with your attendant women,pray to all the gods that you will makeperfect hecatombs, in case Zeus somehow accomplishes deeds of repayment.But I will go to the assembly, so that I can callthe stranger, whoever followed with me here as I came.I sent him on ahead with my godlike companions,and I told Peiraios to lead him to his houseand to treat him kindly and honor him, until I come.So she spoke, and the word was wingless for her.And she bathed and put clean clothes on her body,and prayed to all the gods that she would makeperfect hecatombs, in case Zeus somehow accomplishes deeds of repayment.And Telemachos had then gone through the great hallholding his spear; and with him two swift dogs followed.And Athene poured wondrous grace over him;and all the people marveled at him as he came.And around him the lordly suitors gathered,saying good things, but in their hearts brooding evils.But he avoided their great crowd,and went where Mentor sat and Antiphos and Halitherses,who had been his father's companions from the start,and there he went and sat down; and they questioned him about everything.And Peiraios, famous for the spear, came near them,leading the stranger to the assembly through the town; and no longerdid Telemachos turn away from the stranger, but stood beside him.And Peiraios first spoke a word to him:Telemachos, quickly urge the women to my house,so that I can send on the gifts that Menelaos gave you.And prudent Telemachos answered him:Peiraios, for we don't know how these things will be.If the lordly suitors kill me in the hallsin secret and divide up all my father's goods,I would rather you yourself enjoyed them than one of these men;but if I plant slaughter and death for these men,then bring them to my house rejoicing, and I will rejoice too.So saying, he led the much-suffering stranger to his house.But when they reached the well-built house,they laid their cloaks on the couches and chairs,and stepping into the well-polished bathtubs they washed.And when the slave women had bathed them and rubbed them with oil,and thrown shaggy cloaks and tunics around them,they stepped out of the bathtubs and sat down on the chairs.And a slave woman poured water for the hands from a pitcher she brought,a beautiful golden one, over a silver basin,so they could wash; and beside them she set out a polished table.And the honored housekeeper brought and set out bread,adding many foods, giving freely of what was there.And his mother sat opposite, beside the doorpost of the hall,leaning on a chair, spinning fine threads of wool.And they stretched their hands to the ready food set before them,but when they had put away their desire for drink and food,then wise Penelope began the talk among them:Telemachos, truly I, going up to my upper room,will lie down on my bed, which has been made woeful for me,always drenched with my tears, since Odysseuswent off with the sons of Atreus to Ilios; and you didn't dare,before the lordly suitors came to this house,to tell me clearly of your father's homecoming, if you heard it anywhere.And prudent Telemachos answered her:Then, mother, I will tell you the truth.We went to Pylos and to Nestor, shepherd of the people;and he received me in his lofty hallsand entertained me kindly, just as a father his own sonwho comes home after a long time, newly from somewhere else; so hekindly cared for me with his glorious sons.But about steadfast Odysseus he never saidthat he had heard news from any mortal, alive or dead;but he sent me on to the son of Atreus, Menelaos famous for the spear,with horses and well-joined chariots.There I saw Argive Helen, for whose sake manyArgives and Trojans toiled by the will of the gods.And right away Menelaos, good at the war-cry, askedwhat need had brought me to shining Lakedaimon;and I told him the whole truth;and then he answered me with words and said:Ah me, truly they wanted to lie in the bedof a strong-hearted man, cowards that they are.Just as when in a thicket a hind of a mighty lionhas lulled her newborn, milk-fed fawns to sleep,and searches the glens and grassy hollowsas she grazes, and then he enters his own lair,and on both of them he sends an unseemly doom,so will Odysseus send an unseemly doom on those men.If only, father Zeus and Athene and Apollo,being such as he was when once in well-built Lesboshe rose up and wrestled in a contest with Philomeleides,and threw him mightily, and all the Achaeans rejoiced,being such, Odysseus might consort with the suitors;they would all become short-lived and bitterly married.But the things you ask and beg of me, I for my partwould not say anything else, turning aside, nor would I deceive you,but just as the old man of the sea, truthful, told me,I will hide no word of it from you nor conceal it.He said he saw him on an island, having mighty griefs,in the halls of the nymph Kalypso, who by necessityholds him; and he cannot reach his own fatherland.For he has no oared ships at hand and no companions,who might send him over the broad back of the sea.So spoke the son of Atreus, Menelaos famous for the spear.Having finished this I came back; and the immortals gave mea fair wind, which quickly sent me to my dear fatherland.So he spoke, and stirred the spirit in her breast.And godlike Theoklymenos also spoke among them:Revered lady, wife of Laertes' son Odysseus,truly he doesn't know clearly; but hear my word;for I will prophesy to you exactly and will not conceal it.Let Zeus be witness now, first of the gods, and the stranger's tableand the hearth of blameless Odysseus, which I have reached,that truly Odysseus is already in his fatherland,sitting or creeping, learning of these evil deeds;he is here, and he is planting evil for all the suitors.Such a bird omen I marked, sittingon the well-benched ship, and I called it out to Telemachos.And wise Penelope answered him:If only, stranger, this word might be accomplished;then you would soon know friendship and many giftsfrom me, so that whoever met you would call you blessed.So they said such things to each other,and the suitors in front of Odysseus' halltook pleasure in quoits and in throwing javelinson the leveled floor, where they had been insolent before.But when it was dinner-time and the flocks camefrom the fields on every side, and those who had brought them before,then Medon spoke to them; for he pleased them mostof the heralds, and was present at their feasting:Young men, since you have all delighted your hearts with contests,come to the house, so that we may prepare the feast;for it is no worse to take dinner in season.So he spoke, and they rose up and went, obeying the word.But when they reached the well-built house,they laid their cloaks on the couches and chairs,and they sacrificed great sheep and fat goats,they sacrificed boars rich with fat and a cow from the herd,preparing the feast. And from the field toward the townOdysseus and the godlike swineherd hurried to go.And the swineherd began the talk among them, leader of men:Stranger, since you are eager to go to the towntoday, as my master commanded—truly I for my partwould want to leave you here as guardian of the farmstead;but I fear and dread him, in case afterwardhe reproaches me; hard are the rebukes of masters—but come now, let's go; for the day has come on a lot,and soon toward evening it will be colder.And many-minded Odysseus answered him:I know, I understand; you advise as a thoughtful man would.But let's go, and you lead the way all along.And give me, if you have a cut club anywhere,to lean on, since you said the path is slippery.So he spoke, and threw his unseemly pouch over his shoulders,full of holes; and there was a twisted strap on it;and Eumaios gave him a staff dear to his heart.The two went on, and the dogs and the herdsmenguarded the farmstead behind them, staying; but he led the master to the townlike a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and he wore wretched clothes on his skin.But when, walking along the rugged road,they were near the town and came to the springbuilt and fair-flowing, from which the townsfolk drew water,which Ithakos made and Neritos and Polyktor;and around it was a grove of water-fed poplars,all around in a circle, and cold water flowed downfrom above out of a rock; and above it an altar had been builtto the nymphs, where all wayfarers made offerings;there the son of Dolios, Melanthios, came upon them,leading goats, which stood out among all the herds,for the suitors' dinner; and two herdsmen followed with him.Seeing them he reviled them, and spoke a word and named them,outrageously and shamefully; and he stirred the heart of Odysseus:Now truly a base man leads a base man,as always a god leads like to like.Where then are you leading this greedy-belly, wretched swineherd,a tiresome beggar, a scrubber of feasts?One who, standing by many doorposts, will rub his shoulders,begging for scraps, not swords or cauldrons;him, if you gave him to me to be guardian of the farmsteadand to tend the pens and carry leaves for the kids,drinking whey he might make himself a great thigh.But since he has learned base works, he won't wantto go about any work, but skulking through the districthe wants to beg and feed his insatiable belly.But I tell you this, and it will also be accomplished:if he comes to the house of godlike Odysseus,many footstools from the hands of menaround his head will rub his ribs as he is thrown through the house.So he spoke, and as he passed he kicked him in his follyon the hip; but he didn't push him off the path,but he stood firm; and Odysseus ponderedwhether, rushing at him with a club, he should take his life,or should dash his head to the ground, lifting it up on both sides.But he endured it and restrained himself; and the swineherdreviled him, looking him in the face, and prayed greatly, raising his hands:Nymphs of the springs, daughters of Zeus, if ever Odysseusburned fat thighs for you, covered with rich fat,from lambs and kids, fulfill this wish for me:that that man may come, and a god may lead him;then he would scatter all your finery,which you now carry in your insolence, always wanderingthrough the town; but bad herdsmen destroy the flocks.And Melanthios answered him, the goatherd of goats:Ah me, how the dog speaks, knowing deadly things!One day I will take him on a black, well-benched shipfar from Ithaka, so that he may fetch me much profit.If only silver-bowed Apollo would strike Telemachostoday in the halls, or he be brought down by the suitors,as the day of Odysseus' homecoming perished far away.So saying he left them, walking slowly there,but he went on, and very quickly reached the master's house.Right away he went inside and sat down among the suitors,opposite Eurymachos; for he loved him most.Beside him those who served set a portion of meat,and the honored housekeeper brought and set out breadto eat. And near at hand Odysseus and the godlike swineherdstood as they came, and around them came the soundof the hollow lyre; for among them Phemioswas beginning to sing; and he took the swineherd by the hand and said:Eumaios, truly this is the beautiful house of Odysseus,and it is easily recognized even seen among many.One thing after another it is, and the courtyard is furnishedwith wall and cornice, and the doors are well-fenced,double-folding; no man could overpower it.And I know that many men set a feast in it,since the savor of fat has risen, and inside the lyrerings out, which the gods made the companion of the feast.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Easily you knew, since you're not witless in other things either.But come, let's consider how these things will be.Either you go in first into the well-built house,and go among the suitors, and I will stay here;or if you want, wait, and I will go in front;and don't delay, in case someone notices you outsideand strikes you or drives you off; I tell you to think about these things.And much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:I know, I understand; you advise as a thoughtful man would.But go in front, and I will stay here.For I am not unacquainted with blows or wounds;my spirit is daring, since I have suffered many evilsin waves and in war; let this be among them too;for there is no way to hide the belly when it is eager,accursed, which gives many evils to men,for whose sake even well-benched ships are fitted outover the barren sea, bringing evils to enemies.So they said such things to each other;and the dog lying there raised his head and his ears,Argos, the dog of steadfast Odysseus, whom once he himselfraised, but had no joy of him, for before that to holy Ilioshe had gone. Him formerly young men used to lead outafter wild goats and deer and hares;but then he lay neglected, his master gone,in much dung, which before the doorsfrom mules and cattle was poured in abundance, until the servantsof Odysseus should lead it to the great field for manuring;there the dog Argos lay, full of dog-ticks.Then truly, when he perceived that Odysseus was near,he wagged his tail and dropped both ears,but no longer after that was he able to come near his own master;but Odysseus looked away and wiped away a tear,easily escaping Eumaios' notice, and right away questioned him with a word:Eumaios, truly it is a great wonder that this dog lies in the dung.He is beautiful in body, but this I don't know clearly,whether he was also swift to run, matching this appearance,or just such as the table-dogs of menbecome; for masters tend them for their splendor.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Yes indeed, this is the dog of a man who died far away.If he were such in body and in deedsas when Odysseus left him, going to Troy,you would quickly marvel, seeing his speed and his strength.For he never fled from any beast in the depthsof the deep wood, whatever he chased; for he was excellent at tracking;but now he is held by misery, and his master has perishedelsewhere from his fatherland, and careless women don't tend him.And servants, when masters no longer rule over them,no longer want to do what is right;for far-seeing Zeus takes away halfof a man's virtue, when the day of slavery seizes him.So saying he entered the well-built house,and went straight to the hall among the lordly suitors.And the doom of black death took Argos,at once, when he saw Odysseus in the twentieth year.And godlike Telemachos saw the swineherd first, far before the others,coming through the house, and quickly thenhe nodded to him, calling him; and he looked around and took a chairthat lay there, where the carver used to sit, carvingmuch meat for the suitors feasting through the house;this he brought and set near Telemachos' table,opposite, and there he himself sat down; and a heraldtook a portion and set it before him, and bread from a basket.And close after him Odysseus entered the house,like a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and he wore wretched clothes on his skin.And he sat down on the ash-wood threshold inside the doors,leaning against a cypress doorpost, which a carpenter oncesmoothed skillfully and set straight by the line.And Telemachos called to him and spoke to the swineherd,taking a whole loaf from the beautiful basketand meat, as much as his hands could hold when he filled them:Give these to the stranger, carrying them, and tell him himselfto beg from all the suitors, going around to each;for shame is not good to be present with a man in need.So he spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word,and standing near he spoke winged words:Telemachos gives you these, stranger, and tells youto beg from all the suitors, going around to each;for he says shame is not good for a begging man.And many-minded Odysseus answered him:Lord Zeus, may Telemachos be blessed among men,and may all things be his, as many as he desires in his heart.So he spoke, and with both hands he received it and set it downthere before his feet, on his unseemly pouch,and he ate while the singer sang in the halls;and when he had dined, the divine singer stopped.And the suitors clamored through the hall. And Athene,standing near, urged Laertes' son Odysseusto gather loaves among the suitors,and to learn who were the righteous and who the lawless;but not even so was she going to ward off evil from any one of them.He went to beg, going from the right, each man,stretching out his hand on every side, as if he had long been a beggar.And they, pitying him, gave, and marveled at him,and asked one another who he was and where he came from.And Melanthios also spoke among them, the goatherd of goats:Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,about this stranger; for truly I saw him before.Indeed the swineherd led him here,but I don't know clearly where he claims his lineage is from.So he spoke, and Antinoos reviled the swineherd with words:O famous swineherd, why did you lead this manto the town? Don't we have enough other vagabonds,tiresome beggars, scrubbers of feasts?Do you begrudge that they eat up the master's livelihoodgathering here, and you even called this one besides?And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:Antinoos, though you are noble, you speak no fair word.For who calls a stranger from elsewhere, himself coming,another one, unless he is one of the public workers,a seer or a healer of ills or a carpenter of beams,or even a divine singer, who delights by singing?For these are the summoned ones of mortals over the boundless earth;but no one would call a beggar who devours himself.But you are always harsh above all the suitorstoward the servants of Odysseus, and especially toward me; but Idon't care, as long as thoughtful Penelopelives in the halls and godlike Telemachos.And prudent Telemachos answered him:Be quiet, don't answer him with many words;Antinoos is used to provoking evillywith harsh words, and he stirs up others too.So he spoke, and addressed winged words to Antinoos:Antinoos, truly you care for me finely as a father for his son,you who tell the stranger to be thrust from the hallwith a compelling word; may no god accomplish this.Take and give to him; I don't begrudge it; indeed I tell you to.And don't reverence my mother in this, nor any otherof the servants, who are in the house of godlike Odysseus.But no such thought is in your breast;for you yourself want to eat much rather than give to another.And Antinoos answered him:Telemachos, loud-vaunting, unrestrained in fury, what a word you have spoken.If all the suitors would reach out so much to him,then his house would hold him off three months.So he spoke, and taking a footstool from beneath the tablehe showed it, where he used to rest his shining feet while feasting;and all the others gave, and they filled his pouchwith bread and meat; and soon Odysseus was aboutto go again to the threshold, to taste the gifts of the Achaeans;but he stood by Antinoos and spoke a word to him:Give, friend; you don't seem to me to be the worstof the Achaeans, but the best, since you look like a king.So you ought to give even better than the others,bread; and I will praise you over the boundless earth.For I too once lived in a house among men,blessed and rich, and often I gave to a wanderer,such as he was and in whatever need he came;and I had countless servants and many other thingswith which men live well and are called rich.But Zeus the son of Kronos destroyed it—for he wanted it somehow—who sent me with much-wandering piratesto go to Egypt, a long journey, so that I might perish.I stationed my curved ships at the Egyptian river.Then truly I told my trusty companionsto stay there by the ships and guard the ships,and I urged scouts to go to the lookout places.But they, yielding to insolence, following their own fury,right away laid waste the very beautiful fields of the Egyptian men,and led away the women and the infant children,and killed the men themselves; and quickly a cry reached the city.And they, hearing the shout as the dawn appeared,came; and the whole plain was filled with footmen and horsesand the flash of bronze; and Zeus who delights in thundercast a base rout on my companions, and no one daredstand against them; for evils stood around on every side.There they killed many of us with the sharp bronze,and led others away alive, to work for them by necessity.But me they gave to a stranger they met in Cyprus,to Dmetor, son of Iasos, who ruled Cyprus by force;from there indeed I have now come here, suffering woes.And Antinoos answered him and said:What god brought this woe, this annoyance of the feast?Stand there in the middle, away from my table,in case you soon reach bitter Egypt and Cyprus;for you are a bold and shameless beggar.In turn you stand by everyone; and they giveat random, since there is no restraint nor pityin giving from others' goods, since plenty is at hand for each.And withdrawing, many-minded Odysseus said:Ah me, so your mind doesn't match your looks;you wouldn't give even salt to your own house-master from your house,you who now sit by others' goods and didn't dareto take bread and give it to me; yet much is present.So he spoke, and Antinoos grew angrier in his heart,and looking at him darkly he spoke winged words:Now indeed I think you will no longer go backfairly through the hall, since you utter reproaches too.So he spoke, and taking a footstool he struck him on the right shoulder,at the very bottom of his back; and he stood like a rockfirm, and the missile of Antinoos didn't make him stagger,but silently he nodded his head, brooding evils.And back he went and sat down on the threshold, and set down his pouchwell filled, and spoke among the suitors:Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,while I say what my spirit in my breast tells me.There is no grief in my mind nor any sorrowwhen a man is struck while fighting for his own possessions,either for cattle or for white sheep;but Antinoos struck me for the sake of my wretched belly,accursed, which gives many evils to men.But if there are gods and Furies for beggars,may the doom of death come on Antinoos before his marriage.And Antinoos, son of Eupeithes, answered him:Eat in peace, stranger, sitting still, or go elsewhere,in case the young men drag you through the house for the words you speak,by foot or by hand, and tear you all to pieces.So he spoke, and all of them were exceedingly indignant;and one of the overbearing young men said:Antinoos, you didn't strike the wretched wanderer fairly,accursed, if there is indeed some heavenly god.And gods, likened to foreign strangers,taking all sorts of forms, roam the cities,watching the insolence and the good order of men.So the suitors spoke, but he paid no heed to their words.And Telemachos in his heart increased great griefat the blow, but he let no tear fall to the ground from his eyelids,but silently he nodded his head, brooding evils.And when wise Penelope heard of himstruck in the hall, she spoke among her slave women:If only far-famed Apollo would strike that man himself.And the housekeeper Eurynome spoke a word to her:If only accomplishment would come to our prayers;then none of these would reach the fair-throned Dawn.And wise Penelope answered her:Nurse, all of them are hateful, since they devise evils;but Antinoos most of all resembles black doom.Some wretched stranger wanders through the housebegging from men; for need compels him;and there all the others both filled him and gave,but this one struck his right shoulder with a footstool.So she spoke among her slave women,sitting in her chamber; and godlike Odysseus dined;and she called to her and spoke to the godlike swineherd:Go, godlike Eumaios, go and tell the strangerto come, so that I may greet him and ask himwhether he has heard anything of steadfast Odysseusor seen him with his eyes; for he looks like one much wandered.And you answered him, Eumaios the swineherd:If only, queen, the Achaeans would be silent;such things as he tells, your dear heart would be charmed.For I kept him three nights, and three days I detained himin my hut; for first he came to me after escaping from his ship;but he hasn't yet finished the misery he tells.As when a man gazes at a singer, who from the godssings, knowing lovely words for mortals,and they are insatiably eager to hear him whenever he sings;so that man charmed me, sitting beside me in the halls.And he says he is a guest-friend of Odysseus by inheritance,living in Crete, where the race of Minos is.From there indeed he has now come here, suffering woes,rolling on and on; and he claims he has heard of Odysseus,nearby, in the rich district of the Thesprotian men,that he is alive; and he brings many treasures home to this house.And wise Penelope answered him:Go, call him here, so that he may himself tell me face to face.And let these men sit and amuse themselves at the doors,or here through the house, since their heart is merry.For their own possessions lie unspoiled in the house,bread and sweet wine; these the household eats,but they, coming to our house every day,sacrificing cattle and sheep and fat goats,feast and drink the flaming wine,at random; and much is consumed. For there is no longer a mansuch as Odysseus was, to ward off ruin from the house.But if Odysseus would come and reach his fatherland,soon with his son he would exact payment for the violence of the men.So she spoke, and Telemachos sneezed greatly, and through the houseit rang terribly; and Penelope laughed,and right away she spoke winged words to Eumaios:Go, call the stranger here before me.Don't you see that my son sneezed at all my words?Therefore death shall not be unaccomplished for the suitors,for all of them, nor shall any escape death and the fates.And I will tell you another thing, and do you set it in your mind:if I find him telling all things truthfully,I will clothe him in cloak and tunic, beautiful garments.So she spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word;and standing near he spoke winged words:Stranger and father, wise Penelope calls you,the mother of Telemachos; the desire of her hearttells her to inquire about her husband, though she has suffered griefs.And if she finds you telling all things truthfully,she will clothe you in cloak and tunic, which you mostneed; and bread, begging through the district,you will feed your belly; and whoever wishes will give you.And much-enduring godlike Odysseus answered him:Eumaios, right away I would tell all things truthfullyto the daughter of Ikarios, wise Penelope;for I know well about him, and we have shared the same sorrow.But I dread the crowd of harsh suitors,whose insolence and violence reach the iron heaven.For even now, when this man struck me as I came through the house,though I had done no wrong, and gave me pains,neither Telemachos helped in this nor any other.Therefore now tell Penelope in the hallsto wait, though she is eager, until the sun sets;and then let her ask me about the day of her husband's homecoming,having seated me closer by the fire; for I havewretched clothes; you yourself know, since I first supplicated you.So he spoke, and the swineherd went when he heard the word.And Penelope spoke to him as he crossed the threshold:You are not bringing him, Eumaios; why did the wanderer think this?Is he fearing someone excessively, or does he otherwisefeel shame in the house? A base wanderer is a shameful one.And you answered her, Eumaios the swineherd:He speaks with reason, as any other man would think,avoiding the insolence of overbearing men.But he tells you to wait until the sun sets.And for you yourself, queen, it is much betterto speak and listen to a word alone with the stranger.And wise Penelope answered him:The stranger is not foolish; he thinks as it would be;for nowhere do any such mortal mendevise reckless things in their insolence.So she spoke, and the godlike swineherd wentinto the crowd of suitors, when he had told her everything.And right away he spoke winged words to Telemachos,holding his head near, so that the others might not hear:Dear friend, I am going away, to guard the swine and those things,your livelihood and mine; but let all things here be your care.First save yourself, and consider in your heartin case you suffer something; for many of the Achaeans plan evils,whom may Zeus destroy before they become a woe to us.And prudent Telemachos answered him:It will be so, father; but go, after your evening meal;and at dawn come and bring fine sacrificial victims;and all these things will be my care and the immortals'.So he spoke, and he sat down again on the well-polished chair,and having filled his heart with food and drinkhe went to the swine, and left the pens and the hall,full of banqueters; and they with dancing and songdelighted themselves; for now the late day had come.