Book 21

And the bright-eyed goddess Athene put it in her mind,the daughter of Icarius, circumspect Penelope,to set the bow and the grey iron before the suitorsin the halls of Odysseus, a contest and the beginning of slaughter.She climbed the high stairway of her own house,and took in her stout hand a well-bent key,a lovely key of bronze, and its handle was of ivory.She went to the innermost chamber with her handmaiden women,where the treasures of the lord lay stored,bronze and gold and iron wrought with much toil.There lay the back-bent bow and the quiver,the arrow-holder, and within were many groaning shafts,gifts that a guest had given him in Lacedaemon,Iphitus the son of Eurytus, like unto the immortals.The two had met each other in Messene,in the house of warlike Ortilochus. Odysseushad come for a debt that all the people owed him;for Messenian men had lifted from Ithacathree hundred sheep in their many-benched ships, and the herdsmen with them.For their sake Odysseus went on that long journey,being still a boy; his father sent him forth, and the other elders too.And Iphitus, seeking the horses that were lost to him,twelve mares, and the mules that labour under the yoke;and these thereafter became his death and his doom,when he came to the strong-hearted son of Zeus,Heracles, a man acquainted with great deeds,who slew him, though he was his guest, in his own house,the ruthless one, and reverenced neither the wrath of the gods nor the tablethat he had set before him; and thereafter he slew him too,and kept the strong-hoofed horses in his halls himself.Seeking these, Iphitus met Odysseus and gave him the bow,which great Eurytus had carried before, and he left it to his sonwhen he died, in his high-roofed halls.And to him Odysseus gave a sharp sword and a mighty spear,the beginning of a kindly guest-friendship; yet at the tablethe two never knew each other; for before that the son of Zeus had slainIphitus the son of Eurytus, like unto the immortals,who had given him the bow. And never did noble Odysseustake it with him when he went to war on the black ships,but it lay there in his halls, a memorial of a dear guest-friend,and he bore it only in his own land.And when she, the shining among women, came to that chamberand stepped upon the oaken threshold, which a craftsman oncehad smoothed with skill and trued to the line,and set the doorposts in it and hung the shining doors,straightway she quickly loosed the thong from the hook,and put in the key, and struck back the bolts of the doors,aiming straight before her; and they bellowed as a bullbellows, grazing in a meadow; so bellowed the lovely doorsstruck by the key, and they flew open swiftly.And she stepped up on the high platform, where the chestsstood, and fragrant garments lay within them.Thence she reached out and took the bow from its peg,together with its case, that shone all about it.Sitting down there she laid it upon her dear knees,and wept very shrilly, and took up the bow of the lord.But when she had had her fill of much-weeping lamentation,she went to the hall among the proud suitors,holding in her hand the back-bent bow and the quiver,the arrow-holder; and many groaning shafts were within.And her handmaidens carried a box, wherein ironlay in abundance, and bronze, the prizes of the lord.And when she, the shining among women, came to the suitors,she stood beside the doorpost of the well-built roof,holding her shining headband before her cheeks.And a trusty handmaiden stood beside her on either side.Straightway she spoke to the suitors and uttered a word:"Hear me, bold suitors, who by your endless eatingand drinking have worn down this house,since the man has been gone a long time; and no otherexcuse for your words could you fashion,except that you desired to marry me and make me your wife.Come then, suitors, since this contest is set before you.For I will set out the great bow of godlike Odysseus;and whoever strings it most easily in his handsand shoots through all the twelve axes,him will I follow, forsaking this house,my marriage house, exceeding lovely, full of livelihood,which I think I shall remember even in a dream."So she spoke, and she commanded Eumaeus, the noble swineherd,to set the bow and the grey iron before the suitors.And Eumaeus took them weeping and laid them down;the cowherd wept too, when he beheld the bow of the lord.And Antinous rebuked them and spoke and called them by name:"Foolish country folk, whose minds are only for the day,ah, wretches, why do you let tears fall and stir upthe heart within her breast? Her heart alreadylies amid sorrows, since she lost her dear husband.But sit and feast in silence, or go forthand weep outside, leaving the bow here,an unbroken contest for the suitors; for I do not thinkthat this well-polished bow is easily strung.For there is no such man among all these hereas Odysseus was; and I myself have looked upon him,for I am mindful of him, though I was still a young child."So he spoke, but in his breast his heart hopedto string the bowstring and shoot through the iron.Truly he was destined to be the first to taste the arrowfrom the hands of blameless Odysseus, whom he then dishonouredas he sat in the halls, and roused up all his companions.And to them sacred Telemachus' strength also spoke:"Ah me, surely Zeus the son of Cronos has made me foolish!My own dear mother tells me, wise though she is,that she will follow another and forsake this house;yet I laugh and take delight in my foolish heart.Come then, suitors, since this contest is set before you,since there is no woman now in the land of Achaea,neither in holy Pylos nor in Argos nor in Mycenae,nor in Ithaca itself nor on the dark mainland;and you yourselves know this; why must I praise my mother?Come, do not put me off with delays, nor any longerturn away from the stringing of the bow, that we may see.And I myself could make trial of this bow;for if I string it and shoot through the iron,then my honoured mother would not, grieving for me, forsake these hallsto go with another, when I am left behindable now to take up my father's glorious prizes."He spoke, and straightway took the purple cloak from his shoulders,springing up, and took the sharp sword from his shoulders.First he set up the axes, after digging one long trenchfor them all, and trued it to a line,and heaped the earth about it; wonder seized all who beheld,so deftly he set them; before that he had never seen it done.He went and stood upon the threshold and made trial of the bow.Three times he shook it, eager to draw it,three times he let his strength rest, hoping in his heartto string the bowstring and shoot through the iron.And now he would have strung it, drawing with force the fourth time,but Odysseus shook his head and held him back, eager as he was.And again sacred Telemachus' strength spoke among them:"Ah me, verily I shall be a coward and a weakling,or I am too young and do not yet trust my handsto beat off a man when someone first shows anger.Come then, you who are stronger than I in force,make trial of the bow, and let us finish the contest."So speaking, he set the bow down on the ground away from him,leaning it against the close-jointed polished panels,and leaned the swift arrow against the lovely horn tip,and sat down again on the chair from which he had risen.Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke among them:"Rise up in order, all you companions, from the right,beginning from the place where he pours the wine."So spoke Antinous, and his word pleased them.And Leiodes rose up first, the son of Oenops,who was their diviner, and beside the lovely mixing bowlhe ever sat in the innermost corner; and reckless deeds alonewere hateful to him, and he was indignant with all the suitors.He then first took up the bow and the swift arrow.He went and stood upon the threshold and made trial of the bow,but he did not string it; for his hands grew weary first from drawing,untrained and soft; and then he spoke among the suitors:"Friends, I cannot string it; let another take it.For this bow will rob many of the best menof spirit and of life, since it is far betterto die than to live and miss the thing for whichwe gather here always, waiting every day.Now indeed someone hopes in his heart and longsto marry Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.But when he has made trial of the bow and seen it,then let him woo some other of the well-robed Achaean womenwith gifts, seeking her; and she thereaftermay marry whoever gives the most and comes as her appointed fate.So he spoke, and set the bow down from him,leaning it against the close-jointed polished panels,and leaned the swift arrow against the lovely horn tip,and sat down again on the chair from which he had risen.And Antinous rebuked him and spoke and called him by name:"Leiodes, what manner of word has escaped the fence of your teeth,dreadful and grievous — and I am angered to hear it —if this bow will rob the best menof spirit and of life, because you cannot string it.For your honoured mother did not bear youto be a stringer of a bow and a shooter of arrows;but other proud suitors will string it soon."So he spoke, and commanded Melanthius, the goatherd of goats:"Come now, Melanthius, kindle a fire in the halls,and set a great chair beside it and a fleece upon it,and bring out a great wheel of fat from what is within,that we young men, warming it and smearing it with grease,may make trial of the bow and finish the contest."So he spoke, and Melanthius quickly kindled the tireless fire,and brought and set a chair beside it and a fleece upon it,and brought out a great wheel of fat from what was within;with it the young men warmed and tried the bow; but they could notstring it, for they were far too short of strength.Yet Antinous held back, and godlike Eurymachus,the leaders of the suitors; they were far the best in valour.And the two went out of the house together,the cowherd and the swineherd of godlike Odysseus;and noble Odysseus himself came out of the house after them.But when they were outside the doors and the courtyard,he spoke to them and addressed them with gentle words:"Cowherd, and you, swineherd, shall I tell you a word,or keep it hidden myself? My heart urges me to speak.What manner of men would you be to defend Odysseus, if he came from somewherehere so very suddenly, and some god brought him?Would you defend the suitors or Odysseus?Say it as your heart and spirit command you."And the keeper of cattle answered him:"Father Zeus, if only you would fulfil this wish,that that man might come, and some god lead him hither;then would you know what strength is mine and what my hands can do."And in like manner Eumaeus prayed to all the godsthat wise Odysseus might return to this house.But when he had read their mind as true,he answered them again and spoke:"Here am I myself, within — I, who have suffered many troubles,have come to my homeland in the twentieth year.I know that I have come to you two alone of the servants as men who long for me;for of the others I have heard no onepraying that I might come back home again.And to you two, as it shall be, I will tell the truth.If a god subdues the proud suitors beneath me,I will bring wives for both of you and give you possessionsand houses built near my own; and thereafteryou two shall be companions and brothers to Telemachus.But come now, I will show you another sign most clear,that you may know me well and be persuaded in your heart:the scar, which a boar once struck with its white tuskwhen I went to Parnassus with the sons of Autolycus."So speaking, he drew the rags from the great scar.And when the two beheld it and marked each thing well,they wept and cast their arms about wise Odysseus,and kissed his head and his shoulders in welcome,and in like manner Odysseus kissed their heads and hands.And the light of the sun would have set upon them as they wailed,had not Odysseus himself restrained them and spoken:"Cease from weeping and wailing, lest someone seeand come out of the hall and tell the others within.But go in one after another, not all together,I first, then you; and let this be the sign:for all the others, as many as are proud suitors,will not suffer me to be given the bow and the quiver;but you, noble Eumaeus, carry the bow through the hallsand place it in my hands, and tell the womento lock the close-fitting doors of the hall;and if anyone hears groaning or a din withinamong our men inside the walls, let nonecome forth, but let her stay quiet there at her work.And to you, noble Philoetius, I commandto lock the doors of the courtyard with the key, and swiftly tie the fastening."So speaking he went into the well-built house;he went and sat down on the chair from which he had risen;and the two servants also went into the house of godlike Odysseus.And Eurymachus was already handling the bow in his hands,warming it this way and that at the flame of the fire; but even sohe could not string it, and he groaned greatly in his proud heart.Troubled, he spoke a word and said and called him by name:"Ah me, grief is mine for myself and for all of us.I do not grieve so much for the marriage, troubled though I am;for there are many other Achaean women, some in Ithaca itselfringed by the sea, and others in other cities;but if we are so far short of strengthcompared with godlike Odysseus, since we cannot stringthe bow — a disgrace even for those to come to hear of."Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, answered him:"Eurymachus, it shall not be so; you know it yourself.For now throughout the land is the holy feast of the god;who then would string a bow? But set it quietlydown; and let us let all the axes stand there too;for I do not think anyone will carry them off,coming into the hall of Laertes' son Odysseus.Come then, let the wine-pourer begin the offering with the cups,that after pouring a libation we may set down the curved bows;and at dawn bid Melanthius, the goatherd of goats,bring goats, which stand far out above all his herds,that we may set thigh pieces before Apollo, famed with the bow,and make trial of the bow and finish the contest."So spoke Antinous, and his word pleased them.And heralds poured water over their hands,and young men filled the mixing bowls with drink,and served it to all, after the first offering, with cups.And when they had poured and drunk as much as their heart desired,then Odysseus of many wiles spoke among them with a crafty mind:"Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,that I may say what my heart in my breast commands me.Eurymachus above all I beseech, and godlike Antinous,since he has spoken this word also in season:to stop the bow for now, and leave it to the gods;at dawn the god will give victory to whomsoever he wishes.But come, give me the polished bow, that among youI may make trial of my hands and my strength, whether there is stillthe force that once was in my supple limbs,or whether wandering and neglect have already destroyed it."So he spoke, and they were all exceedingly indignant,fearing that he might string the polished bow.And Antinous rebuked him and spoke and called him by name:"Ah, wretch of a stranger, your wits are not sound within you!Are you not content that you feast in peace among us proud men,and are not stinted of the feast, but you listento our words and our speech? No other strangeror beggar hears our words. Sweet wine is hurting you,the honey-sweet wine that harms others too, whoevergulps it down and does not drink in measure.Wine drove even the Centaur, famed Eurytion,to folly in the halls of great-hearted Peirithous,when he came among the Lapiths; and when wine had ruined his wits,raging he wrought evil deeds in the house of Peirithous;and grief seized the heroes, and they sprang up and dragged himthrough the doorway and out of doors, and shore off his ears and his nosewith pitiless bronze; and he, ruined in his own mind,went on his way bearing his own folly with a foolish heart.From that time strife arose between Centaurs and men,and he first found evil for himself by being heavy with wine.So for you too I foretell great ruin, if you stringthat bow; for you will meet with no kindnessin our land, but straightway in a black shipwe will send you to king Echetus, the destroyer of all mortals;and from there you shall not be saved. But quietlydrink, and do not strive with younger men."Then circumspect Penelope answered him:"Antinous, it is neither seemly nor justto slight the guests of Telemachus, whoever comes to this house.Do you imagine that if this stranger strings the great bow of Odysseusand trusts in his hands and his strength,he will take me home and make me his wife?He himself surely does not hope that in his breast;and let none of you feast here grieving in his heartfor that cause, since neither is that fitting."Then Eurymachus, son of Polybus, answered her:"Daughter of Icarius, circumspect Penelope,we do not think that he will take you home; that is not fitting.But we are ashamed before the talk of men and women,lest some other, baser Achaean should say:'Far worse men than he woo the wifeof a blameless man, and cannot even stringhis polished bow; but some beggar stranger came wandering inand easily strung the bow and shot through the iron.'So they will say, and that would be a disgrace to us."Then circumspect Penelope answered him:"Eurymachus, it is in no way possible for men to be well spoken ofin the land who dishonour and devour the houseof a noble man. Why do you count this a disgrace?This stranger here is very tall and well built,and he claims to be born the son of a noble father.Come, give him the polished bow, that we may see.For I will say this, and it shall also be brought to pass:if he strings it, and Apollo grants him glory,I will clothe him in a cloak and tunic, lovely garments,and I will give him a sharp spear, a defence against dogs and men,and a two-edged sword; and I will give him sandals for his feet,and I will send him wherever his heart and spirit command."Then wise Telemachus answered her:"My mother, no one of the Achaeans has more power than Ito give it or refuse it to whomever I wish,neither all who rule over rocky Ithaca,nor all who hold the islands toward horse-pasturing Elis;none of them shall constrain me against my will, if I wishto give this bow outright to the stranger to bear away.But go into the house and attend to your own work,the loom and the distaff, and bid your womengo about their work; the bow shall be a care for men,for all of them, and most of all for me; for the power in this house is mine."She was amazed and went back into the house;for she laid her son's wise word to heart.She went up to the upper chamber with her handmaiden women,and then wept for Odysseus, her dear husband, until sweet sleepAthene of the bright eyes cast upon her eyelids.But the noble swineherd took up the curved bow and carried it;and all the suitors shouted at him in the halls;and thus one of the over-proud young men would say:"Where are you carrying the curved bow, you wretched swineherd,you vagabond? Soon the swift dogs will devour you beside your pigs,alone, away from men, whom you reared, if Apolloand the other immortal gods are gracious to us."So they spoke, but he carried it and set it down in that same place,in fear, because many were shouting in the halls.But Telemachus from the other side called out with a threat:"Father, carry the bow forward; soon you will not obey everyone well;or else I, though younger, will chase you into the fields,pelting you with stones; for I am stronger in force.If only I were as much stronger in hands and strengththan all the suitors, as many as are in the house!Then I would soon send someone home in miseryout of our house, since they devise evil."So he spoke, and all the suitors laughed sweetly at him,and the suitors let go of their harsh angeragainst Telemachus; and the swineherd carried the bow through the houseand stood beside wise Odysseus and put it into his hands.And he called the nurse Eurycleia and spoke to her:"Telemachus bids you, circumspect Eurycleia,to lock the close-fitting doors of the hall.And if anyone hears groaning or a din withinamong our men inside the walls, let nonecome forth, but let her stay quiet there at her work."So he spoke, and the word was wingless for her,and she locked the doors of the well-built hall.And silently Philoetius sprang out of the house,and then he locked the doors of the well-fenced courtyard.And beneath the portico lay the cable of a curved ship,made of papyrus, with which he bound the doors, and he went back in;he went and sat down on the chair from which he had risen,watching Odysseus. And he was already handling the bow,turning it over everywhere, trying it this way and that,lest worms had eaten the horn while the lord was away.And thus one of them said, looking at his neighbour:"This man must be a judge of bows and a thief as well;or perhaps such a bow lies at home with him,or he is eager to make one, since he handles it in his handsthis way and that, the wretched wandering beggar."And another of the over-proud young men said:"If only he might meet with as much profitas he will ever be able to string this bow."So the suitors spoke; but Odysseus of many wiles,as soon as he had lifted the great bow and scanned it everywhere,even as a man skilled in the lyre and in songeasily stretches a string around a new peg,fastening the twisted sheep-gut on either end,so without effort Odysseus strung the great bow.Taking it in his right hand he made trial of the string;and it sang beautifully beneath his hand, like the voice of a swallow.And great grief came upon the suitors, and the colourof all their skin changed; and Zeus thundered loudly, showing signs.And much-enduring noble Odysseus rejoiced,because the son of Cronos of the crooked counsel had sent him the sign.He took a swift arrow, which lay beside him on the table,bare; the others lay within the hollow quiver,which the Achaeans were soon to make trial of.Taking it by the middle he drew the string and the notches,sitting there on his chair, and shot the arrow,aiming straight; and he missed none of all the axes,from the first handle, and straight through came outthe bronze-heavy arrow; and he spoke to Telemachus:"Telemachus, the stranger sitting in your halls has not disgraced you,nor have I missed the mark, nor did I toil longin stringing the bow; my strength is still steadfast,not as the suitors supposed in their contempt.Now it is time that dinner be made ready for the Achaeansin the light, and afterwards that they make merry in another waywith song and lyre; for these are the ornaments of a feast."He spoke and nodded with his brows; and he put on the sharp sword,Telemachus, the dear son of godlike Odysseus,and laid his dear hand upon the spear, and close beside himhe stood by his chair, armed in the flashing bronze.

Bright-eyed Athene put it into her mind,the daughter of Icarius, wise Penelope,to set the bow and the grey iron before the suitorsin Odysseus' hall, a contest and the start of slaughter.She climbed the high staircase of her own house,and took in her stout hand a well-bent key,a lovely one of bronze, and its handle was of ivory.She went to the innermost storeroom with her women servants,where the treasures of the lord lay stored,bronze and gold and iron worked with much toil.There lay the back-springing bow and the quiver,the arrow-holder, and inside were many groaning arrows,gifts that a guest had given him in Lacedaemon,Iphitus son of Eurytus, like the immortal gods.The two had met each other in Messene,in the house of warlike Ortilochus. Odysseushad come for a debt that all the people owed him;for Messenian men had carried off from Ithacathree hundred sheep in their many-benched ships, and the herdsmen too.For their sake Odysseus went on that long journey,though he was a boy; his father sent him, and the other elders.And Iphitus was seeking his horses that were lost,twelve mares, and the mules that labour under the yoke;and these afterwards became his death and his fate,when he came to the strong-hearted son of Zeus,Heracles, a man who knew great deeds,who killed him, though he was his guest, in his own house,the cruel man, and had no shame before the gods nor before the tablethat he had set before him; and then he killed him too,and kept the strong-hoofed horses in his halls himself.Seeking these, Iphitus met Odysseus and gave him the bow,which great Eurytus had carried before, but he left it to his sonwhen he died, in his high-roofed halls.And to him Odysseus gave a sharp sword and a strong spear,the beginning of a kindly friendship; yet at the tablethe two never knew each other; for before that the son of Zeus had killedIphitus son of Eurytus, like the immortals,who had given him the bow. And never did noble Odysseustake it with him when he went to war on the black ships,but it lay there in his halls, a memorial of a dear guest-friend,and he carried it only in his own land.And when she, the shining among women, came to that storeroomand stepped on the oaken threshold, which a craftsman oncehad smoothed with skill and trued to the line,and set the doorposts in it and hung the shining doors,at once she quickly loosed the strap from the hook,and put in the key, and knocked back the bolts of the doors,aiming straight at them; and they bellowed like a bullgrazing in a meadow; so bellowed the lovely doorswhen the key struck them, and they flew open quickly.She stepped up onto the high platform, where the chestsstood, and fragrant clothing lay in them.Reaching up from there she took the bow from its peg,with its own case, which shone all about it.Sitting down right there she laid it on her knees,and wept very loudly, and took up the lord's bow.But when she had had her fill of much-weeping lament,she went to the hall among the proud suitors,holding in her hand the back-springing bow and the quiver,the arrow-holder; and many groaning arrows were inside.Her women servants carried a box, in which ironlay in abundance, and bronze, the prizes of the lord.And when she, the shining among women, came to the suitors,she stood beside the doorpost of the well-built roof,holding her shining headband before her cheeks.And a trusty servant stood beside her on either side.At once she spoke to the suitors and said a word:"Hear me, bold suitors, who by your constant eatingand drinking have worn down this house,while the man has been gone a long time; and no otherexcuse for your talk could you make,except that you wished to marry me and make me your wife.Come then, suitors, since this contest is set before you.For I will set out the great bow of godlike Odysseus;whoever strings it most easily in his handsand shoots through all twelve of the axes,him I will follow, leaving this house,my marriage house, very lovely, full of livelihood,which I think I will remember even in a dream."So she spoke, and she ordered Eumaeus, the noble swineherd,to set the bow and the grey iron before the suitors.Eumaeus took them weeping and laid them down;the cowherd wept too, when he saw the bow of the lord.Antinous rebuked them and spoke and called them by name:"You foolish country men, thinking only of the day before you,you wretches, why do you let tears fall and stir upthe heart in her breast? Her heart alreadylies in sorrow, since she lost her dear husband.But sit and feast in silence, or go outsideand weep, leaving the bow here,an unbroken contest for the suitors; for I do not thinkthis well-polished bow is easily strung.For there is no such man among all these hereas Odysseus was; and I myself have seen him,for I have a memory of it, though I was still a young child."So he spoke, but in his breast his heart hopedto string the bow and shoot through the iron.Truly he was to be the first to taste the arrowfrom the hands of blameless Odysseus, whom he then dishonouredas he sat in the hall, and stirred up all his companions.And sacred Telemachus' strength spoke among them too:"Ah me, surely Zeus the son of Cronos has made me foolish!My own dear mother says to me, wise though she is,that she will follow another and leave this house;and I laugh and take pleasure in my foolish heart.Come then, suitors, since this contest is set before you,since there is no woman now in the land of Achaea,neither in holy Pylos nor in Argos nor in Mycenae,nor in Ithaca itself nor on the dark mainland;and you yourselves know this; why should I praise my mother?Come, do not put me off with excuses, nor any longerturn away from the bow that must be strung, so that we may see.And I myself could try this bow;for if I string it and shoot through the iron,then my honoured mother would not, grieving for me, leave these hallsand go with another man, when I am left behindable now to take up my father's fine prizes."He spoke, and sprang up straight and took the purple cloak from his shoulders,and took the sharp sword from his shoulders.First he set up the axes, after digging one long trenchfor them all, and trued it to a line,and heaped the earth around; wonder seized all who saw it,how neatly he set them; before that he had never seen it done.He went and stood on the threshold and tried the bow.Three times he shook it, eager to draw it,three times he let his strength rest, hoping in his heartto string the bow and shoot through the iron.And now he would have strung it, drawing the fourth time with force,but Odysseus shook his head and held him back, eager as he was.And again sacred Telemachus' strength spoke among them:"Ah me, so I will be a coward and a weakling,or I am too young and do not yet trust my handsto fight off a man when someone first gets angry.Come then, you who are stronger than I am,try the bow, and let us finish the contest."So he spoke, and set the bow down on the ground away from him,leaning it against the close-jointed polished panels,and leaned the swift arrow against the fine horn tip,and sat down again on the chair from which he had risen.Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, spoke among them:"Rise up in order, all you companions, from the right,beginning from the place where he pours the wine."So spoke Antinous, and his word pleased them.Leiodes rose first, son of Oenops,who was their diviner, and always satat the lovely mixing bowl in the innermost corner; and reckless deeds alonewere hateful to him, and he was angry with all the suitors.He then was the first to take the bow and the swift arrow.He went and stood on the threshold and tried the bow,but he did not string it; before that his hands grew tired drawing,untrained and soft; then he spoke to the suitors:"Friends, I cannot string it; let another take it too.For this bow will rob many of the best menof their spirit and life, since it is far betterto die than to live and fail the thing for whichwe gather here always, waiting every day.Now indeed someone hopes in his heart and longsto marry Penelope, Odysseus' wife.But when he has tried the bow and seen it,let him then woo some other of the well-robed Achaean womenwith gifts, seeking her; and she may thenmarry whoever gives the most and comes as her fate."So he spoke, and set the bow down from him,leaning it against the close-jointed polished panels,and leaned the swift arrow against the fine horn tip,and sat down again on the chair from which he had risen.Antinous rebuked him and spoke and called him by name:"Leiodes, what kind of word escaped the fence of your teeth,dreadful and painful — and I am angry to hear it —if this bow will rob the best menof their spirit and life, because you cannot string it.For your honoured mother did not bear youto be a stringer of a bow and a shooter of arrows;but other proud suitors will soon string it."So he spoke, and ordered Melanthius, the goatherd of goats:"Come now, Melanthius, light a fire in the hall,and set a great chair beside it and a fleece on top of it,and bring out a great wheel of fat from what is inside,so that we young men, warming it and rubbing it with grease,may try the bow and finish the contest."So he spoke, and Melanthius quickly lit the tireless fire,and brought and set a chair beside it and a fleece on top,and brought out a great wheel of fat from what was inside;with that the young men warmed the bow and tried; but they could notstring it, for they fell far short of strength.Antinous still held back, and godlike Eurymachus,the leaders of the suitors; they were far the best in courage.And the two went out of the house together,the cowherd and the swineherd of godlike Odysseus;and noble Odysseus himself came out of the house after them.But when they were outside the doors and the courtyard,he spoke and addressed them with gentle words:"Cowherd, and you, swineherd, shall I tell you a word,or keep it hidden myself? My heart urges me to speak.What sort of men would you be to defend Odysseus, if he came from somewhereright here so suddenly, or some god brought him?Would you defend the suitors or Odysseus?Say it as your heart and spirit command you."And the keeper of cattle answered him:"Father Zeus, if only you would fulfil this wish,that that man would come, and some god lead him here;then you would know what my strength is and what my hands can do."In the same way Eumaeus prayed to all the godsthat wise Odysseus might return to this house.But when he had read their mind as true,he answered them again and spoke:"Here I am, inside — I myself, after suffering many troubles,have come to my homeland in the twentieth year.I know that I have come to you two alone of the servants as men who long for me;for of the others I have heard not onepraying that I might come back home again.But to you two, as it will be, I will tell the truth.If a god subdues the proud suitors under me,I will bring wives for both of you and give you possessionsand houses built near mine; and after thatyou two will be companions and brothers to Telemachus.But come now, I will show you another very clear sign,so that you may know me well and trust me in your heart:the scar, which a boar once struck with its white tuskwhen I went to Parnassus with the sons of Autolycus."So he spoke, and drew the rags away from the great scar.And when the two saw it and marked each thing well,they wept and threw their arms around wise Odysseus,and kept kissing his head and his shoulders in welcome.And in the same way Odysseus kissed their heads and their hands.And the light of the sun would have set on them as they wept,if Odysseus himself had not stopped them and spoken:"Stop your weeping and wailing, in case someone seesand comes out of the hall and tells the others inside.But go in one at a time, not all together,I first, then you; and let this be the sign:for all the others, as many as are proud suitors,will not let me be given the bow and the quiver;but you, noble Eumaeus, carry the bow through the houseand put it into my hands, and tell the womento lock the closely fitted doors of the hall;and if anyone hears groaning or a noise insideamong our men within the walls, let no onecome out, but stay quiet there at her work.And to you, noble Philoetius, I commandto lock the doors of the courtyard with the key, and quickly tie the fastening."So he spoke and went into the well-built house;he went and sat down on the chair from which he had risen;and the two servants also went into the house of godlike Odysseus.Eurymachus was already handling the bow in his hands,warming it this way and that at the flame of the fire; but even sohe could not string it, and he groaned greatly in his proud heart.Troubled, he spoke a word and said and named him:"Ah me, grief is mine for myself and for all of us.I do not grieve so much for the marriage, troubled as I am;for there are many other Achaean women, some in Ithaca itselfringed by the sea, and some in other cities;but if we are so much short of strengthcompared with godlike Odysseus, since we cannot stringthe bow — a disgrace even for those to come to hear of."Then Antinous, son of Eupeithes, answered him:"Eurymachus, it will not be so; you know it yourself.For now throughout the land it is the holy feast of the god;who would string a bow? But set it quietlydown; and let us let all the axes stand there too;for I do not think anyone will carry them off,coming into the hall of Laertes' son Odysseus.Come, let the wine-pourer make the first offering with the cups,so that after pouring a libation we may set down the curved bows;and at dawn tell Melanthius, the goatherd of goats,to bring goats, which stand out far above all his herds,so that setting thigh pieces for Apollo, famous with the bow,we may try the bow and finish the contest."So spoke Antinous, and their plan pleased them.Heralds poured water over their hands,and young men filled the mixing bowls with drink,and served it to all, after the first offering, with cups.And when they had poured and drunk as much as their heart wished,then Odysseus of many wiles spoke to them with a crafty mind:"Hear me, suitors of the far-famed queen,so that I may say what my heart in my breast commands me.I beg Eurymachus especially, and godlike Antinous,since he has also spoken this word fittingly:to stop the bow for now, and leave it to the gods;in the morning the god will give victory to whomever he wishes.Come, give me the polished bow, so that among youI may test my hands and my strength, whether I still havethe power that once was in my supple limbs,or whether wandering and neglect have already destroyed it for me."So he spoke, and all of them were outraged beyond measure,afraid that he might string the polished bow.Antinous rebuked him and spoke and called him by name:"You wretch of a stranger, you have no sound sense in you!Are you not content that you feast in peace among us proud men,and are not cheated of your share of the feast, but you listento our words and our talk? No other strangeror beggar hears our words. Sweet wine hurts you,the honey-sweet wine that harms others too, whoevergulps it down and does not drink in measure.Wine drove even the Centaur, famous Eurytion,mad in the hall of great-hearted Peirithous,when he came to the Lapiths; and when wine ruined his wits,raging he did evil deeds in Peirithous' house;grief seized the heroes, and they sprang up and dragged himthrough the doorway and outside, and cut off his ears and his nosewith pitiless bronze; and he, ruined in his own mind,went on bearing his own folly with a foolish heart.From that time quarrelling arose between Centaurs and men,and he first found evil for himself by being heavy with wine.So I foretell great trouble for you too, if you stringthat bow; for you will meet with no kindnessin our land, but at once in a black shipwe will send you to king Echetus, the destroyer of all mortals;from there you will never be saved. But quietlydrink, and do not quarrel with younger men."Then wise Penelope answered him:"Antinous, it is neither fine nor justto slight the guests of Telemachus, whoever comes to this house.Do you expect that if this stranger strings Odysseus' great bowand trusts in his hands and his strength,he will take me home and make me his wife?He himself surely does not hope that in his breast;and let none of you feast here grieving in his heartfor that reason, since that is not fitting either."Then Eurymachus, son of Polybus, answered her:"Daughter of Icarius, wise Penelope,we do not think he will take you home; that is not fitting.But we are ashamed before the talk of men and women,in case some other, worse Achaean should say:'Far worse men than he woo the wifeof a blameless man, and cannot even stringhis polished bow; but some beggar stranger came wandering inand easily strung the bow and shot through the iron.'So they will say, and that would be a disgrace to us."Then wise Penelope answered him:"Eurymachus, it is in no way possible for men to be well spoken ofin the land who dishonour and eat up the houseof a noble man. Why do you count this a disgrace?This stranger here is very big and well built,and he claims to be born the son of a noble father.Come, give him the polished bow, so that we may see.For I will say this, and it will also be brought to pass:if he strings it, and Apollo grants him glory,I will dress him in a cloak and tunic, fine clothes,and I will give him a sharp spear, a defence against dogs and men,and a two-edged sword; and I will give him sandals for his feet,and I will send him wherever his heart and spirit command."Then wise Telemachus answered her:"My mother, no one of the Achaeans has more power than Ito give or refuse it to whomever I wish,neither all who rule rocky Ithaca,nor all who hold the islands toward horse-pasturing Elis;none of them will force me against my will, if I wishto give this bow outright to the stranger to carry away.But go into the house and attend to your own work,the loom and the distaff, and tell your womento go about their work; the bow will be a care for men,for all of them, and most of all for me; for the power in this house is mine."She was amazed and went back into the house;for she laid her son's wise word to heart.She went up to the upper room with her women servants,and then wept for Odysseus, her dear husband, until sweet sleepAthene of the bright eyes cast upon her eyelids.But the noble swineherd took up the curved bow and carried it;and all the suitors shouted at him in the hall;and one of the over-proud young men said:"Where are you carrying the curved bow, you wretched swineherd,you vagabond? Soon the swift dogs will eat you beside your pigs,alone, away from men, whom you raised, if Apolloand the other immortal gods are gracious to us."So they spoke, but he carried it and set it down in that same place,afraid, because many were shouting in the hall.But Telemachus from the other side called out with a threat:"Father, carry the bow forward; soon you will not obey everyone well;or I, though younger, will chase you into the fields,throwing stones at you; for I am stronger in force.If only I were as much stronger than all the suitorsin hands and strength, as many of them as are in the house!Then I would soon send someone home in miseryout of our house, since they plot evil."So he spoke, and all the suitors laughed sweetly at him,and the suitors let go of their harsh angeragainst Telemachus; and the swineherd carried the bow through the houseand stood beside wise Odysseus and put it into his hands.He called the nurse Eurycleia and spoke to her:"Telemachus asks you, wise Eurycleia,to lock the closely fitted doors of the hall.And if anyone hears groaning or a noise insideamong our men within the walls, let no onecome out, but stay quiet there at her work."So he spoke, and her word was wingless — she needed no second telling —and she locked the doors of the well-built hall.And silently Philoetius sprang out of the house,and then locked the doors of the well-fenced courtyard.Under the portico lay the cable of a curved ship,made of papyrus, with which he tied the doors, and went back inside;he went and sat down on the chair from which he had risen,watching Odysseus. And he was already handling the bow,turning it all over, trying it this way and that,in case worms had eaten the horn while the lord was away.And one of them said, looking at his neighbour:"This man must be a connoisseur and a thief of bows;or maybe such a bow lies at his home,or he wants to make one, since he handles it in his handsthis way and that, the wicked wandering beggar."Another of the over-proud young men said:"If only he could get as much profitas he will ever be able to string this bow."So the suitors spoke; but Odysseus of many wiles,as soon as he had lifted the great bow and looked it over everywhere,just as a man skilled in the lyre and in songeasily stretches a string around a new peg,fastening the twisted sheep-gut on both ends,so without effort Odysseus strung the great bow.Taking it in his right hand he tried the string;and it sang beautifully under his hand, like the voice of a swallow.Great grief came to the suitors, and the skinof all of them changed; and Zeus thundered loudly, showing signs.And much-enduring noble Odysseus rejoiced,because the son of Cronos of the crooked counsel had sent him the sign.He took a swift arrow, which lay beside him on the table,bare; the others lay inside the hollow quiver,the ones the Achaeans were soon to try.Taking it by the middle he drew the string and the notches,sitting there on his chair, and shot the arrow,aiming straight; he did not miss any of the axes,from the first handle, and straight throughcame the bronze-heavy arrow; and he spoke to Telemachus:"Telemachus, the stranger sitting in your hall has not disgraced you,nor have I missed the mark, nor did I toil longin stringing the bow; my strength is still firm,not as the suitors supposed in their contempt.Now it is time for dinner to be made ready for the Achaeansin the light, and afterwards to make merry in another waywith song and lyre; for these are the things that go with a feast."He spoke and nodded with his brows; and he put on the sharp sword,Telemachus, the dear son of godlike Odysseus,and laid his dear hand on the spear, and close beside himhe stood by the chair, armed in the flashing bronze.