Book 24

Hermes of Cyllene was calling forth the soulsof the suitors; and he held in his hands a rodbeautiful and golden, wherewith he charms the eyes of menwhom he will, and others again he rouses even as they sleep:with this he stirred and led them on, and they followed, gibbering.As when bats in the recess of a wondrous caveflit gibbering, when one has fallenfrom the cluster on the rock, and they cling to one another,so these went along with squeaking cries; and before them ledHermes, the kindly guide, along the dank pathways.Past the streams of Ocean they came and the White Rock,and past the gates of the Sun and the land of dreamsthey went; and swiftly they came to the meadow of asphodel,where dwell the souls, the phantoms of the dead outworn.They found there the soul of Achilles, son of Peleus,and of Patroclus, and of blameless Antilochus,and of Ajax, who was best in form and in buildof all the other Danaans after the blameless son of Peleus.So these were gathered about him; and near at handcame the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus,grieving; and about him were gathered all the others, as many as with himin the house of Aegisthus had died and met their doom.Him the soul of the son of Peleus addressed first:Son of Atreus, we said that you were dear above all to Zeus who delights in thunder,among hero-men, all the days,because you were lord over many and mighty menin the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered sorrows.Truly even for you an early doom was destinedto stand beside you, that doom which no man escapes who is born.Would that you had enjoyed the honor, of which you were lord,in the land of the Trojans, and met death and doom;then all the Achaeans would have made you a tomb,and would have won great glory for your son hereafter;but now it was fated that you be taken in most piteous death.Then the soul of the son of Atreus answered him:Blessed son of Peleus, godlike Achilles,who died in Troy, far from Argos; and about you otherswere slain, the sons of the Trojans and the best of the Achaeans,fighting for your sake; but you in the whirlwind of dustlay, great in your greatness, forgetful of your horsemanship.And we fought the whole day long; nor would we everhave ceased from war, had Zeus not stopped it with a storm.But when we had carried you from the battle to the ships,we laid you on a bier, and cleansed your fair bodywith warm water and with oil; and about you manywarm tears the Danaans shed, and cut their hair.And your mother came from the sea with the immortal sea-nymphs,hearing the tidings; and a cry arose over the deep,a wondrous one, and trembling seized all the Achaeans.And now they would have leaped up and gone to the hollow ships,had not a man restrained them, old and knowing many things,Nestor, whose counsel had before shown itself the best.He, with kindly thought, addressed them and said:Hold, Argives, do not flee, you sons of the Achaeans;this is his mother from the sea, with the immortal sea-nymphs,coming to meet her dead son.So he spoke, and they held back, the great-hearted Achaeans;and about you stood the daughters of the old man of the sea,piteously lamenting, and clothed you in immortal garments.And all nine Muses, answering one another with beautiful voice,made lament; and there you would have seen no oneof the Argives tearless; so deeply did the clear-voiced Muse stir them.And seventeen days alike, nights and days,we wept, both the immortal gods and mortal men;and on the eighteenth we gave you to the fire, and about youwe slew many sheep, very fat, and horned cattle.And you burned in the clothing of the gods and in much oiland sweet honey; and many heroes, Achaeans,strengthened themselves with their armor about the burning pyre,both footmen and horsemen; and a great din arose.But when the flame of Hephaestus had made an end of you,at dawn we gathered your white bones, Achilles,in unmixed wine and in oil; and your mother gavea golden two-handled urn; and the gift of Dionysusshe said it was, and the work of renowned Hephaestus.In that your white bones lie, splendid Achilles,mingled with Patroclus, son of Menoetius, who had died,and apart with Antilochus, whom you honored beyond allyour other comrades, after Patroclus at least had died.And about them then a great and blameless tombwe heaped up, the sacred host of the Argives, spearmen,on a jutting headland of the wide Hellespont,so that it might be seen afar from the sea by menwho now are born and who shall be hereafter.And your mother, asking the gods for very beautiful prizes,set them in the midst of the contest for the best of the Achaeans.Already at the burial of many menof heroes you have been present, when a king has diedand the young men gird themselves and prepare the contests;but those you would have marveled at above all in your heart,such as the goddess set before you, the very beautiful prizes,silver-footed Thetis; for you were very dear to the gods.So you did not lose your name even in death, but foreveramong all men your good fame shall be, Achilles;but what joy was that to me, since I had wound up the war?For on my return Zeus devised for me a grievous destructionby the hands of Aegisthus and my accursed wife.So these two spoke such words to one another,and near them came the guide, the slayer of Argus,bringing down the souls of the suitors slain by Odysseus;and the two, astonished, went straight toward them, when they saw them.And the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, knewthe dear son of Melaneus, glorious Amphimedon;for he had been his host, dwelling in Ithaca in his house.The soul of the son of Atreus spoke to him first:Amphimedon, what has befallen you, that you went down into the dark earth,all chosen men and of like age? Not otherwisewould one, choosing, gather the best men in a city.Did Poseidon overpower you in your ships,rousing grievous winds and long waves?Or did hostile men do you harm on the land,as you were cutting off cattle or fair flocks of sheep,or fighting for a city and for women?Tell me, who ask you; for I declare that I am your host.Do you not remember when I came there to your house,urging Odysseus, with godlike Menelaus,to follow with me to Ilion in the well-benched ships?And in a whole month we crossed all the wide sea,with difficulty persuading Odysseus, the sacker of cities.Then the soul of Amphimedon answered him:Most glorious son of Atreus, lord of men Agamemnon,I remember all these things, heaven-nurtured, as you say;and I will recount to you all things very well and truly,the evil end of our death, how it came to pass.We wooed the wife of Odysseus, long gone away;and she neither refused the hateful marriage nor brought it to an end,devising death and black doom for us,but this other trick she planned in her mind:she set up a great loom in the halls and wove,fine and of great size; and straightway she said to us:You young men, my suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead,wait, eager though you are for my marriage, until I finishthis shroud, that the yarn I have spun not be wasted,a burial garment for the hero Laertes, against the time whenthe destroying doom of death that brings long sorrow lays him low,lest some one of the Achaean women in the land blame me,if he lies without a shroud, though he has won much wealth.So she spoke, and our proud hearts were persuaded.Then by day she wove the great loom,and by night she undid it, when she had set the torches beside her.So for three years she hid by trickery and persuaded the Achaeans;but when the fourth year came and the seasons came round,as the months waned and many days were brought to an end,then at last one of the women told, who knew it well,and we found her undoing the splendid web.So she finished it, though unwilling, under compulsion.And when she showed the shroud, having woven the great web,having washed it, like the sun or the moon,then at last some evil spirit brought Odysseusto the edge of the field, where the swineherd had his dwelling.There came the dear son of godlike Odysseus,coming from sandy Pylos in a black ship;and the two, having prepared evil death for the suitors,came to the famous city, and Odysseus indeedcame later, but Telemachus led the way before.And the swineherd led him, wearing evil clothing on his body,like a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and the wretched clothes he wore upon his body;nor could any of us know him as he was,suddenly appearing, not even those who were older,but we reviled him with evil words and with throws.But he for a time endured in his own hallsbeing struck and reviled with an enduring heart;but when the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus roused him,with Telemachus he lifted the very beautiful armorand laid it in the chamber and closed the doors;but he urged his wife, with her many wiles,to set the bow and the gray iron before the suitors,for us ill-fated ones, a contest and a beginning of slaughter.Nor could any of us string the bowstring of the mighty bow,for we were far too weak.But when the great bow came into the hands of Odysseus,then we all called out with wordsthat the bow should not be given, however much he might speak;but Telemachus alone urged him and commanded it.And the much-enduring, noble Odysseus took it in his hand,and easily strung the bow, and shot through the iron,and he stood, coming to the threshold, and poured out swift arrowslooking terribly about, and he struck Antinous, the king.And thereafter he loosed painful shafts at the others,aiming straight at them; and they fell in heaps.And it was known that some god was their helper;for at once, following through the halls with their own fury,they kept killing on every side, and a shameful groaning rose from themas their heads were struck, and all the floor flowed with blood.So we perished, Agamemnon, and even nowour bodies lie uncared for in the halls of Odysseus;for our friends in each man's house do not yet know,who might wash the black gore from the woundsand lay us out and lament; for that is the honor of the dead.Then the soul of the son of Atreus answered him:Blessed son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,surely with great virtue did you win your wife.What good sense had blameless Penelope,the daughter of Icarius; how well she remembered Odysseus,her wedded husband; therefore her fame shall never perishfor her virtue, and the immortals will make a songfor men on earth, a pleasing one, for wise Penelope,not as the daughter of Tyndareus devised evil deeds,who killed her wedded husband, and a hateful songshall be among men, and she gives a harsh reportto womankind, even to her who is virtuous.So these two spoke such words to one another,standing in the house of Hades, beneath the depths of the earth;but the others, when they had gone down from the city, quickly came to the field,the fair farm of Laertes, built by him, which onceLaertes himself had acquired, when he had toiled very much.There was his house, and a shed ran round it on every side,in which the necessary slaves ate and sat and slept,who worked for him with love.And in it was a Sicilian old woman, who tended the old mancarefully in the field, away from the city.There Odysseus spoke a word to his slaves and his son:You now go inside the well-built house,and sacrifice at once the best hog for dinner;but I will make trial of my father,whether he will recognize me and perceive me with his eyes,or will fail to know me, being long apart.So saying, he gave battle-gear to the slaves.They then went quickly to the house, but Odysseuswent near to the fruitful orchard, making trial.He did not find Dolius, going down into the great garden,nor any of the slaves nor of the sons; but theyhad gone to gather stones for the wall of the orchard,and the old man was leading the way for them.But he found his father alone in the well-built orchard,digging about a plant; and he wore a filthy tunic,patched and shameful, and about his shinshe had bound stitched ox-hide greaves, guarding against scratches,and gloves on his hands because of the briars; and abovehe had a goatskin cap on his head, adding to his grief.And when the much-enduring, noble Odysseus perceived himworn by old age, and having great grief in his heart,he stood beneath a tall pear tree and shed a tear.And he pondered then in his mind and heartwhether to kiss and embrace his father, and tell himeach thing, how he had come and reached his native land,or first to question him and try him in each thing.And as he thought, this seemed to him the better way,first to test him with mocking words.Thinking this, the noble Odysseus went straight to him.Indeed the old man was bending his head, digging about a plant;and standing beside him, his splendid son spoke to him:Old man, no lack of skill do you have in tendingthe orchard, but your care is good, and in no way,neither plant, nor fig tree, nor vine, nor olive,nor pear, nor garden bed, is without care in the garden.But another thing I will tell you, and do not put anger in your heart:no good care is yours, but at the same timeyou have wretched old age, and you are squalid and poorly clad and shamefully dressed.It is not because of idleness that your master tends you,nor does it befit you at all to be seenas a slave in form and stature; for you are like a kingly man.You are like such a one, when he has bathed and eaten,to sleep softly; for that is the way of old men.But come, tell me this and recount it truly,whose slave are you among men? Whose orchard do you tend?And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well,whether we have truly come to this Ithaca, as a man told me,this man just now met as I was coming here,not very sound of mind, since he did not dareto tell me each thing or hear my word, as I askedabout my guest, whether he still lives and isor has already died and is in the house of Hades.For I will tell you, and do you understand and listen to me:once I entertained a man in my dear native landwhen he came to my house, and never yet had any other mortalof far-off guest-friends come to my house as a friend;and he claimed to be of the race of Ithaca, and he saidthat Laertes, son of Arceisius, was his father.I led him to my house and entertained him well,kindly, since there were many things in the house,and I gave him gifts of hospitality, as was fitting.Of well-wrought gold I gave him seven talents,and I gave him a mixing bowl, all of silver, flowered,and twelve single cloaks, and as many rugs,and as many fair sheets, and as many tunics besides,and besides, women, knowing blameless works,four, beautiful, whom he himself wished to choose.Then his father answered him, shedding a tear:Stranger, you have indeed come to the land you ask about,but insolent and reckless men hold it;and these gifts you gave for nothing, giving countless things;for if you had found him alive in the land of Ithaca,he would have sent you away, having repaid you well with giftsand good hospitality; for that is right, for whoever gives first.But come, tell me this and recount it truly,how many years is it since you entertained that man,that poor guest of yours, my son, if ever he was,ill-fated? Whom somewhere far from friends and native landeither fish in the sea have eaten, or on the landhe became spoil for beasts and birds; nor did his motherlament him and lay him out, nor his father, we who bore him;nor did his richly dowered wife, wise Penelope,wail over her husband on the bed, as was fitting,closing his eyes; for that is the honor of the dead.And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well:who are you among men, and whence? Where is your city and your parents?Where stands your swift ship, which brought you here,and your godlike comrades? Or have you come as a traderon a ship belonging to others, and they have disembarked and gone away?Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Therefore I will recount to you all things very truly.I am from Alybas, where I dwell in famous halls,the son of Apheidas, son of lord Polypemon;and my name is Eperitus; but a goddrove me astray from Sicania to come here unwilling;and this ship of mine stands at the field away from the city.And for Odysseus this is now the fifth year,since he went away from there and left my country,ill-fated; yet surely his birds were good as he went,on the right hand, and rejoicing in them I sent him away,and he rejoiced as he went; and our hearts still hopedto meet in hospitality and give glorious gifts.So he spoke, and a black cloud of grief covered him;and with both hands he took up the dark dustand poured it over his gray head, groaning thickly.And his spirit was stirred, and up through his nostrilsthe sharp fury rushed, as he looked at his dear father.And he kissed him and clung to him, springing upon him, and said:That man is here, I myself, father, whom you seek;I have come in the twentieth year to my native land.But cease from weeping and lamentation and tearful groaning.For I will tell you; and it is very necessary to make haste nonetheless:I have killed the suitors in our halls,avenging their painful outrage and their evil deeds.Then Laertes answered him and said:If indeed you have come here as Odysseus, my son,tell me now some manifest sign, so that I may be persuaded.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:First, this scar, mark it with your eyes,which the boar struck me with its white tusk in Parnassuswhen I went there; but you and my lady mother sent meto my father Autolycus, my mother's dear father, so that I might receivethe gifts which he promised and pledged to me on coming here.But come, I will tell you also of the trees in the well-built orchard,which you once gave me, and I asked you for each one,when I was a child, following you in the garden; and through themwe walked, and you named and told me each one.You gave me thirteen pear trees and ten apple trees,and forty fig trees; and you named the rowsyou would give, fifty of them, and each one wasof varied grapes; and there are grapes of all kinds upon them —when the seasons of Zeus come on heavily from above.So he spoke, and his knees and dear heart were loosed,as he recognized the signs which Odysseus had told him securely.And he threw his arms about his dear son; and to himselfmuch-enduring, noble Odysseus caught him as he swooned.But when he revived and his spirit was gathered into his breast,again he answered him with words and said:Father Zeus, surely the gods are still on high Olympus,if truly the suitors have paid for their reckless outrage.But now I greatly fear in my heart lest all the Ithacanssoon come here, and the tidingsthey send everywhere to the cities of the Cephallenians.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Take heart, do not let these things weigh on your heart.But let us go to the house, which lies near the orchard;and there I sent Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherdahead, so that they might prepare dinner quickly.So speaking, the two went to the fair house.And when they came to the well-built house,they found Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherdcarving much meat and mixing the flaming wine.Meanwhile for great-hearted Laertes in his own housethe Sicilian handmaid bathed him and anointed him with oil,and threw a fair cloak about him; and Athenastanding near made the shepherd of the people grow in limb,and made him greater and more stout to look upon than before.He came out of the bath; and his dear son marveled at him,when he saw him like the immortal gods to look upon;and he spoke to him, and addressed him with winged words:Father, surely some one of the ever-living godshas made you better in form and stature to look upon.Then wise Laertes answered him and said:Would that, father Zeus and Athena and Apollo,as when I took Nericus, the well-built citadel,the headland of the mainland, ruling over the Cephallenians,such as I was then, I were in our house yesterday,with weapons on my shoulders, to stand by and defendagainst the suitors; then I would have loosed their kneesfor many in the halls, and you would have rejoiced in your heart within.So these two spoke such words to one another.But when they had ceased from toil and prepared the feast,they sat down in order on the benches and chairs;then they set to the meal, and near at handcame the old man Dolius, and with him the sons of the old man,wearied from their work, since she had come forth and called them,the Sicilian old woman, who nourished them and tendedthe old man carefully, when old age had seized him.And when they saw Odysseus and perceived him in their hearts,they stood in the halls in amazement; and Odysseusaddressed them, accosting them with gentle words:Old man, sit down to the meal, and forget your amazement;for we have long been waiting in the halls, eagerto set to the food, always awaiting you.So he spoke, and Dolius went straight to him with outstretchedboth hands, and Odysseus took his hand and kissed his wrist,and spoke to him, addressing him with winged words:Dear friend, since you have returned, when we longed for it greatlyand no longer expected it—and the gods themselves brought you up—welcome, and greatly rejoice, and may the gods give you prosperity.And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well,whether wise Penelope already knows clearlythat you have returned here, or should we send a messenger?Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Old man, she knows already; why need you trouble yourself about this?So he spoke, and he sat down again on a well-polished chair.And likewise the sons of Dolius about the famous Odysseusdid him honor with words and clung to his hands,and in order they sat down beside Dolius, their father.So these were busy about the meal in the halls;and Rumor, as a messenger, went swiftly everywhere through the city,telling of the hateful death and doom of the suitors.And they, hearing it, came together each from another quarterwith wailing and groaning before the house of Odysseus,and they carried out the dead from the house, and each buried them,and those from other cities each to his own homethey sent, putting them on swift ships for the fishermen to carry;and they themselves went in a body to the assembly, grieved at heart.But when they were gathered and had come together,Eupithes stood up among them and said:for in his heart lay unforgettable grief for his son,Antinous, whom noble Odysseus had killed first;weeping for him he addressed them and said:Friends, surely this man has devised a great deed against the Achaeans;those whom he led with his ships, many and brave,he destroyed the hollow ships and destroyed the men;and those who came he killed, the best of the Cephallenians.But come, before this man quickly reaches Pylosor divine Elis, where the Epeians rule,let us go; or even afterwards we shall always be downcast;for this is a disgrace even for those to come to hear,if indeed we do not avenge the murderers of our sons and brothers.To me at least it would not be pleasant in my heartto live, but may I die as quickly as possible and be among the dead.But let us go, lest those men cross over first.So he spoke, weeping, and pity seized all the Achaeans.And near them came Medon and the divine bardfrom the halls of Odysseus, when sleep had released them,and they stood in the midst; and amazement seized each man.And Medon, knowing wise things, spoke among them:Hear me now, Ithacans; for Odysseus did notcontrive these deeds against the will of the immortal gods;I myself saw an immortal god, who stoodnear Odysseus and was in all things like Mentor.And the immortal god at one time appeared beforeOdysseus, encouraging him, and at another roused the suitorsand rushed through the hall; and they fell in heaps.So he spoke, and pale fear seized them all.And the old hero Halitherses spoke among them,son of Mastor; for he alone saw before and behind;he, with kindly thought, addressed them and said:Hear me now, Ithacans, what I shall say:through your own wickedness, friends, these deeds have come to pass;for you did not obey me, nor Mentor, shepherd of the people,to stop your sons from their folly,who did a great deed in their evil recklessness,wasting the possessions and dishonoring the wifeof a noble man; and they thought he would not return.And now let it be so. Obey me as I speak:let us not go, lest someone find added evil.So he spoke, and they leaped up with a great cry,more than half of them; but the others remained together there;for the word did not please them in their hearts, but they obeyedEupithes; and at once they rushed to their armor.But when they had clothed their bodies in gleaming bronze,they gathered together before the broad-wayed city.And Eupithes led them in their folly;and he said he would avenge the murder of his son, and he was notto return back, but to meet his doom there.But Athena spoke to Zeus, son of Cronus:Our father, son of Cronus, highest of rulers,tell me, who ask you, what does your mind hide within?Will you further prepare evil war and dread battle,or will you put friendship between the two sides?Then cloud-gathering Zeus answered her and said:My child, why do you ask and question me about this?Did you not yourself plan this design,that Odysseus should return and punish those men?Do as you wish; and I will tell you what is fitting.Since noble Odysseus has punished the suitors,let them cut faithful oaths, and let him be king forever,and we in turn for the murder of their sons and brotherslet us make a forgetting; and let them love one anotheras before, and let there be wealth and peace in abundance.So saying, he urged Athena, who was eager before,and she darted down from the peaks of Olympus.But when they had satisfied their desire for honey-sweet food,much-enduring, noble Odysseus began the words among them:Let someone go out and see that they are not near, coming on.So he spoke; and the son of Dolius went out, as he commanded;he stood, coming to the threshold, and saw them all near;and at once he spoke winged words to Odysseus:These are near; but let us arm ourselves more quickly.So he spoke, and they sprang up and put on their armor,four about Odysseus, and six the sons of Dolius;and Laertes and Dolius also put on their armor,gray though they were, but warriors by necessity.But when they had clothed their bodies in gleaming bronze,they opened the doors and went out, and Odysseus led.And near them came the daughter of Zeus, Athena,like Mentor in form and in voice.And much-enduring, noble Odysseus rejoiced when he saw her;and at once he spoke to Telemachus, his dear son:Telemachus, now you will yourself know this when you go into it,where men fight and the best are distinguished,not to shame the race of your fathers, who before nowhave been distinguished in courage and manhood in all the world.Then wise Telemachus answered him and said:You will see, if you wish, dear father, that with this spiritI will in no way shame your race, as you say.So he spoke, and Laertes rejoiced and spoke a word:What day is this for me, dear gods? Surely I rejoice greatly;my son and my son's son have a contest over valor.And standing beside him, bright-eyed Athena spoke:Son of Arceisius, by far the dearest of all my comrades,pray to the bright-eyed maiden and to father Zeus,and at once, brandishing it, send forth the long-shadowing spear.So she spoke, and Pallas Athena breathed great strength into him;and when he had prayed to the daughter of great Zeus,at once, brandishing it, he sent forth the long-shadowing spear,and struck Eupithes through the bronze-cheeked helmet.And it did not keep out the spear, but the bronze went right through,and he fell with a thud, and his armor clattered upon him.And Odysseus and his splendid son fell upon the front ranks,and struck with swords and two-edged spears.And now they would have destroyed them all and made them not to return,had not Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,cried out with her voice, and held back all the people.Hold back from painful war, Ithacans,so that you may be separated quickly without bloodshed.So spoke Athena, and pale fear seized them;and in their fear the weapons flew from their hands,and all fell to the ground, at the voice of the goddess speaking;and they turned toward the city, longing for life.And much-enduring, noble Odysseus shouted terribly,and gathered himself and swooped like an eagle of high flight.And then the son of Cronus loosed a smoking thunderbolt,and it fell before the bright-eyed daughter of the mighty father.Then bright-eyed Athena spoke to Odysseus:Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,hold back, and cease from the strife of equal war,lest somehow the son of Cronus, wide-thundering Zeus, be angered at you.So spoke Athena, and he obeyed, and rejoiced in his heart.And afterwards Pallas Athena set oaths between the two sides,the daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,like Mentor in form and in voice.

Hermes of Cyllene was calling out the soulsof the suitors; he held in his hands a rodbeautiful and golden, with which he charms the eyes of menwhom he wishes, and wakes others again even while they sleep;with it he stirred them and led them, and they followed, squeaking.As when bats in the depth of a wondrous cavefly squeaking, when one has fallenfrom the cluster on the rock, and they cling to one another,so they went along squeaking; and Hermes led themalong the dank paths.They went past the streams of Ocean and the White Rock,and past the gates of the Sun and the land of dreamsthey went; and quickly they came to the meadow of asphodel,where the souls dwell, the ghosts of the worn-out dead.They found the soul of Achilles, son of Peleus,and of Patroclus and of blameless Antilochus,and of Ajax, who was the best in form and buildof the other Danaans after the blameless son of Peleus.So they were gathered around him; and close at handcame the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus,grieving; and around him all the others were gathered, as many as had diedwith him in the house of Aegisthus and met their fate.The soul of the son of Peleus spoke to him first:Son of Atreus, we said that you were dear to Zeus who delights in thunderamong heroic men for all your days,because you ruled over many and strong menin the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered pains.And so an early doom was destined to come upon you too,that doom which no one escapes who is born.How I wish that you had enjoyed the honor you held as kingin the land of the Trojans, and met death and fate there;then all the Achaeans would have made you a tomb,and would have won great glory for your son afterwards;but now it was fated that you be taken by the most pitiable death.Then the soul of the son of Atreus answered him:Blessed son of Peleus, godlike Achilles,who died in Troy far from Argos; and around you otherswere killed, the sons of the Trojans and the best of the Achaeans,fighting over you; but you in the whirlwind of dustlay, great in your greatness, forgetful of your horsemanship.We fought the whole day long; nor would we everhave stopped from war, if Zeus had not stopped it with a storm.But when we had carried you from the battle to the ships,we laid you on a bier, after cleansing your fair bodywith warm water and oil; and around you manywarm tears the Danaans shed and they cut their hair.Your mother came from the sea with the immortal sea nymphs,when she heard the news; and a cry rose over the sea,a wondrous one, and trembling seized all the Achaeans.And now they would have jumped up and gone to the hollow ships,if a man had not held them back, one old and knowing many things,Nestor, whose advice had shown itself the best before too.He, thinking kindly, spoke to them and said:Hold back, Argives, do not flee, sons of the Achaeans;this is his mother from the sea, with the immortal sea nymphs,coming to meet her dead son.So he spoke, and they held back, the great-hearted Achaeans;and around you stood the daughters of the old man of the sea,lamenting piteously, and they dressed you in immortal clothing.And all nine Muses, answering one another with beautiful voice,sang the dirge; and there you would have seen no oneof the Argives without tears; so much did the clear-voiced Muse stir them.For seventeen days alike, nights and days,we wept, both the immortal gods and mortal men;and on the eighteenth we gave you to the fire, and around youwe killed many sheep, very fat, and horned cattle.You burned in the clothing of the gods and in much oiland sweet honey; and many Achaean heroesarmed themselves with their gear around the burning pyre,both footmen and horsemen; and a great din rose.But when the flame of Hephaestus had finished you,at dawn we gathered your white bones, Achilles,in unmixed wine and oil; and your mother gavea golden two-handled urn; and she said it wasa gift of Dionysus, and the work of famous Hephaestus.In it your white bones lie, shining Achilles,mixed with those of Patroclus, son of Menoetius, who had died,and apart those of Antilochus, whom you honored above allyour other companions, after Patroclus at least had died.And over them then a great and blameless tombwe heaped up, the sacred army of Argive spearmen,on a jutting headland by the wide Hellespont,so that it might be seen from far out at sea by menwho now are born and who will be afterwards.And your mother, having asked the gods for very beautiful prizes,set them in the middle of the contest for the best of the Achaeans.Already at the burial of many menof heroes you have been present, when a king has diedand young men gird themselves and prepare contests;but you would have marveled above all in your heart at thosewhich the goddess set before you, the very beautiful prizes,silver-footed Thetis; for you were very dear to the gods.So you did not lose your name even in death, but foreveramong all men your good fame will be, Achilles;but what pleasure was that to me, since I had wound up the war?For on my return Zeus planned for me a wretched destructionby the hands of Aegisthus and my accursed wife.So these two spoke such things to one another,and close to them came the guide, the slayer of Argus,bringing down the souls of the suitors subdued by Odysseus;and the two, amazed, went straight toward them, when they saw them.And the soul of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, recognizedthe dear son of Melaneus, the famous Amphimedon;for he had been his host, living in a house in Ithaca.The soul of the son of Atreus spoke to him first:Amphimedon, what happened to you that you went down into the dark earth,all of you chosen men and of the same age? Not otherwisewould one, choosing, pick out the best men in a city.Was it Poseidon who subdued you in your ships,raising painful winds and long waves?Or did hostile men harm you on land,while you were cutting off cattle or fine flocks of sheep,or fighting for a city and for women?Tell me, who ask; for I claim to be your host.Do you not remember when I came there to your house,urging Odysseus, with godlike Menelaus,to follow with me to Ilion in the well-benched ships?And in a whole month we crossed the whole wide sea,with difficulty persuading Odysseus, the sacker of cities.Then the soul of Amphimedon answered him:Most glorious son of Atreus, lord of men Agamemnon,I remember all this, god-nurtured one, as you say;and I will tell you everything very well and accurately,the evil end of our death, how it happened.We wooed the wife of Odysseus, who was long gone;and she neither refused the hateful marriage nor completed it,plotting death and black doom for us,but she thought of this other trick in her mind:she set up a great loom in the hall and wove,fine and large; and at once she said to us:My young suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead,wait, eager as you are for my marriage, until I finishthis robe, so that the thread I have spun is not wasted,a burial garment for the hero Laertes, against the time whenthe ruinous doom of death that brings long grief lays him low,lest one of the Achaean women in the land blame me,if he lies without a shroud, though he has won much wealth.So she spoke, and our proud hearts were persuaded.Then by day she wove the great loom,and at night she undid it, after setting the torches beside her.So for three years she hid it by trickery and persuaded the Achaeans;but when the fourth year came and the seasons arrived,as the months waned and many days were completed,then at last one of the women told, who knew it clearly,and we found her undoing the splendid web.So she finished it, though unwilling, under compulsion.When she showed the robe, having woven the great web,after washing it, like the sun or the moon,then at last some evil spirit brought Odysseusto the edge of the field, where the swineherd had his home.There came the dear son of godlike Odysseus,coming from sandy Pylos in a black ship;and the two, having prepared evil death for the suitors,came to the famous city, and Odysseus indeedcame later, but Telemachus led the way in front.And the swineherd led him, wearing evil clothes on his body,like a wretched beggar and an old man,leaning on a staff; and he wore wretched clothes on his body;nor could any of us recognize who he was,appearing suddenly, not even those who were older,but we reviled him with evil words and with throws.But he for a while endured in his own hallbeing struck and reviled with an enduring heart;but when the mind of aegis-bearing Zeus roused him,with Telemachus he lifted the very beautiful armorand put it in the storeroom and locked the doors,but he urged his wife, with her many wiles,to set the bow and the gray iron before the suitors,for us ill-fated ones, a contest and the beginning of slaughter.Nor could any of us string the string of the mighty bow,for we were far too weak.But when the great bow came into Odysseus's hands,then we all called out with wordsthat the bow should not be given, however much he might say;but Telemachus alone urged him and commanded it.And the much-enduring, noble Odysseus took it in his hand,and easily strung the bow, and shot through the iron,and he stood, going to the threshold, and poured out swift arrows,looking terribly around, and he struck Antinous the king.And after that he kept shooting painful arrows at the others,aiming straight at them; and they fell in heaps.And it was clear that some god was their helper;for at once, following through the house with their own fury,they kept killing, striking on every side, and a shameful groaning rose from themas their heads were struck, and the whole floor flowed with blood.So we perished, Agamemnon, and even nowour bodies lie uncared for in the halls of Odysseus;for our friends in each man's house do not yet know,who might wash the black gore from the woundsand lay us out and mourn; for that is the honor of the dead.Then the soul of the son of Atreus answered him:Blessed son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,surely with great virtue you won your wife.How good was the mind of blameless Penelope,the daughter of Icarius; how well she remembered Odysseus,her wedded husband; so her fame will never perishfor her virtue, and the immortals will make a songfor men on earth, a pleasing one, for wise Penelope,not like the daughter of Tyndareus, who planned evil deeds,who killed her wedded husband, and a hateful songwill be among men, and she gives a harsh reputationto women, even to one who is virtuous.So these two spoke such things to one another,standing in the house of Hades, beneath the hiding places of the earth;but the others, when they had gone down from the city, quickly came to the field,the fair farm of Laertes, built by him, which onceLaertes himself had acquired, when he had toiled very much.There was his house, and a hut ran around it on every side,in which the necessary slaves ate and sat and slept,who worked for him with affection.And in it was a Sicilian old woman, who cared for the old mancarefully in the field, away from the city.There Odysseus spoke a word to his slaves and his son:You now go inside the well-built house,and sacrifice at once the best of the pigs for the meal;but I will test my father,whether he will recognize me and notice me with his eyes,or will not know me, since I have been away a long time.So saying, he gave battle gear to the slaves.They then went quickly to the house, but Odysseuswent near the fruitful orchard, testing him.He did not find Dolius, going down into the great garden,nor any of the slaves nor of the sons; but theyhad gone to gather stones for the orchard wall,and the old man was leading the way for them.But he found his father alone in the well-built orchard,digging around a plant; and he wore a filthy tunic,patched and shameful, and around his shinshe had bound stitched oxhide greaves, guarding against scratches,and gloves on his hands because of the briars; and abovehe had a goatskin cap on his head, adding to his grief.And when the much-enduring, noble Odysseus saw himworn by old age, and having great grief in his heart,he stood beneath a tall pear tree and shed a tear.And he pondered then in his mind and heartwhether to kiss and embrace his father, and tell himeverything, how he had come and reached his native land,or first to question him and test him in everything.And as he thought, this seemed to him the better way,first to test him with mocking words.Thinking this, the noble Odysseus went straight to him.Indeed the old man was bending his head, digging around a plant;and standing beside him, his splendid son spoke to him:Old man, it is not lack of skill that keeps you from tendingthe orchard, but your care is good, and in no way isany plant, or fig tree, or vine, or olive,or pear, or garden bed, without care in the garden.But I will tell you another thing, and do not put anger in your heart:your own care is not good, but at the same timeyou have wretched old age, and you are squalid and shamefully dressed.It is not because of idleness that your master does not care for you,nor does it suit you at all to be seenas a slave in form and size; for you look like a kingly man.You look like such a one, when he has bathed and eaten,to sleep softly; for that is the custom for old men.But come, tell me this and tell it accurately,whose slave are you among men? Whose orchard do you tend?And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well,whether we have truly come to this Ithaca, as a man told me,this man whom I just met as I was coming here,not very sound of mind, since he did not dareto tell me everything or listen to my word, as I askedabout my guest, whether he still lives and isor has already died and is in the house of Hades.For I will tell you, and do you understand and listen to me:I once entertained a man in my dear native landwhen he came to my house, and never yet had any other mortalof far-off guest-friends come to my house as a friend;and he claimed to be of the race of Ithaca, and he saidthat Laertes, son of Arceisius, was his father.I led him to my house and entertained him well,kindly, since there were many things in the house,and I gave him guest gifts, as was fitting.Of well-made gold I gave him seven talents,and I gave him a mixing bowl all of silver, flowered,and twelve single cloaks, and as many rugs,and as many fine sheets, and as many tunics besides,and besides that, women, knowing blameless work,four, beautiful, whom he himself wished to choose.Then his father answered him, shedding a tear:Stranger, you have indeed come to the land you ask about,but insolent and reckless men hold it;and these gifts you gave for nothing, giving countless things;for if you had found him alive in the land of Ithaca,he would have sent you away, having repaid you well with giftsand good hospitality; for that is the right thing, for whoever gives first.But come, tell me this and tell it accurately,how many years is it since you entertained that man,that unfortunate guest of yours, my son, if ever he was,ill-fated? Whom somewhere far from friends and native landeither fish in the sea have eaten, or on the landhe became prey for beasts and birds; nor did his mothermourn him and lay him out, nor his father, we who bore him;nor did his richly dowered wife, wise Penelope,wail over her husband on the bed, as was fitting,closing his eyes; for that is the honor of the dead.And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well:who are you among men, and where from? Where is your city and your parents?Where does your swift ship stand, which brought you here,and your godlike comrades? Or have you come as a traderon another's ship, and they disembarked and went away?Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Then I will tell you everything very accurately.I am from Alybas, where I live in famous halls,the son of Apheidas, son of lord Polypemon;and my name is Eperitus; but a goddrove me astray from Sicania to come here unwilling;and this ship of mine stands at the field away from the city.And for Odysseus this is now the fifth year,since he went away from there and left my country,ill-fated; and surely his birds were good as he went,on the right, and rejoicing in them I sent him away,and he rejoiced as he went; and our hearts still hopedto meet in hospitality and give glorious gifts.So he spoke, and a black cloud of grief covered him;and with both hands he took up the dark dustand poured it over his gray head, groaning thickly.And his spirit was stirred, and up through his nostrilsthe sharp fury rushed, as he looked at his dear father.And he kissed him and clung to him, springing upon him, and said:That man is here, I myself, father, whom you seek;I have come in the twentieth year to my native land.But stop weeping and lamenting and tearful groaning.For I will tell you; and it is very necessary to hurry anyway:I have killed the suitors in our halls,avenging their painful outrage and their evil deeds.Then Laertes answered him and said:If indeed you have come here as Odysseus, my son,tell me now some manifest sign, so that I may believe it.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:First, this scar, look at it with your eyes,which the boar struck me with its white tusk in Parnassuswhen I went there; but you and my lady mother sent meto my father Autolycus, my mother's dear father, so that I might receivethe gifts which he promised and pledged to me when he came here.But come, I will tell you also about the trees in the well-built orchard,which you once gave me, and I asked you for each one,when I was a child, following you in the garden; and through themwe walked, and you named and told me each one.You gave me thirteen pear trees and ten apple trees,and forty fig trees; and you named the rowsyou would give, fifty of them, and each one wasof varied grapes; and there are grapes of all kinds on them —when the seasons of Zeus come on heavily from above.So he spoke, and his knees and dear heart were loosed,as he recognized the signs which Odysseus told him securely.And he threw his arms around his dear son; and to himselfmuch-enduring, noble Odysseus caught him as he fainted.But when he revived and his spirit was gathered into his breast,again he answered him with words and said:Father Zeus, surely the gods are still on high Olympus,if truly the suitors have paid for their reckless outrage.But now I greatly fear in my heart that soon all the Ithacanswill come here, and the newsthey send everywhere to the cities of the Cephallenians.Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Take heart, do not let these things weigh on your heart.But let us go to the house, which lies near the orchard;and there I sent Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherdahead, so that they might prepare dinner as quickly as possible.So speaking, the two went to the fair house.And when they came to the well-built house,they found Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherdcarving much meat and mixing the flaming wine.Meanwhile, for great-hearted Laertes in his own housethe Sicilian handmaid bathed him and anointed him with oil,and threw a fair cloak around him; and Athenastanding near made the shepherd of the people grow in limb,and made him greater and stouter to look at than before.He came out of the bath; and his dear son marveled at him,when he saw him looking like the immortal gods;and he spoke to him and addressed him with winged words:Father, surely one of the ever-living godshas made you better in form and stature to look at.Then wise Laertes answered him and said:If only, father Zeus and Athena and Apollo,as when I took Nericus, the well-built citadel,the headland of the mainland, ruling over the Cephallenians,such as I was then, I were in our house yesterday,with weapons on my shoulders, to stand by and defendagainst the suitors; then I would have loosed their kneesfor many in the halls, and you would have rejoiced in your heart within.So these two spoke such things to one another.But when they had stopped working and prepared the feast,they sat down in order on the benches and chairs;then they set to the meal, and close at handcame the old man Dolius, and with him the sons of the old man,wearied from their work, since she had come forth and called them,the Sicilian old woman, who nourished them and cared forthe old man carefully, when old age had seized him.And when they saw Odysseus and recognized him in their hearts,they stood in the halls amazed; and Odysseusaddressed them, speaking to them with gentle words:Old man, sit down to the meal, and forget your amazement;for we have long been waiting in the halls, eagerto set to the food, always waiting for you.So he spoke, and Dolius went straight to him with bothhands outstretched, and Odysseus took his hand and kissed his wrist,and spoke to him, addressing him with winged words:Dear friend, since you have returned, when we longed for it greatlyand no longer expected it—and the gods themselves brought you up—welcome, and rejoice greatly, and may the gods give you prosperity.And tell me this truthfully, so that I may know well,whether wise Penelope already knows clearlythat you have returned here, or should we send a messenger?Then resourceful Odysseus answered him and said:Old man, she already knows; why must you trouble yourself with this?So he spoke, and he sat down again on a well-polished chair.And likewise the sons of Dolius around the famous Odysseusdid him honor with words and clung to his hands,and in order they sat down beside Dolius, their father.So these were busy about the meal in the halls;and Rumor went quickly everywhere through the city as a messenger,telling of the hateful death and doom of the suitors.And they, hearing it, came together each from another placewith wailing and groaning before the house of Odysseus,and they carried the dead out of the house, and each buried them,and those from other cities they sent each to his own home,putting them on swift ships for the fishermen to carry;and they themselves went in a body to the assembly, grieved at heart.But when they had gathered and come together,Eupithes stood up among them and said:for in his heart lay unforgettable grief for his son,Antinous, whom noble Odysseus had killed first;weeping for him he spoke to them and said:Friends, surely this man has devised a great deed against the Achaeans;those whom he led with his ships, many and brave,he destroyed the hollow ships and destroyed the men;and those who came he killed, the best of the Cephallenians.But come, before this man quickly reaches Pylosor divine Elis, where the Epeians rule,let us go; or even afterwards we will always be downcast;for this is a disgrace even for those to come to hear of,if indeed we do not avenge the murderers of our sons and brothers.To me at least it would not be pleasant in my heartto live, but may I die as quickly as possible and be among the dead.But let us go, lest those men cross over first.So he spoke, weeping, and pity seized all the Achaeans.And close to them came Medon and the divine bardfrom the halls of Odysseus, when sleep had released them,and they stood in the middle; and amazement seized each man.And Medon, who knew wise things, spoke among them:Hear me now, Ithacans; for Odysseus did notcontrive these deeds against the will of the immortal gods;I myself saw an immortal god, who stoodnear Odysseus and was like Mentor in everything.And the immortal god at one moment appeared beforeOdysseus, encouraging him, and at another roused the suitorsand rushed through the hall; and they fell in heaps.So he spoke, and pale fear seized them all.And the old hero Halitherses spoke among them,son of Mastor; for he alone saw before and behind;he, thinking kindly, spoke to them and said:Hear me now, Ithacans, whatever I say:through your own wickedness, friends, these deeds have come about;for you did not obey me, nor Mentor, shepherd of the people,to stop your sons from their folly,who did a great deed in their evil recklessness,wasting the possessions and dishonoring the wifeof a noble man; and they thought he would not return.And now let it be so. Obey me as I speak:let us not go, lest someone find added evil.So he spoke, and they jumped up with a great cry,more than half of them; but the others stayed together there;for the word did not please them in their hearts, but they obeyedEupithes; and at once they rushed to their weapons.But when they had clothed their bodies in gleaming bronze,they gathered together before the broad-wayed city.And Eupithes led them in their folly;and he said he would avenge the murder of his son, and he was notto return back, but to meet his doom there.But Athena spoke to Zeus, son of Cronus:Our father, son of Cronus, highest of rulers,tell me, who ask you, what does your mind hide within?Will you further prepare evil war and dread battle,or will you put friendship between the two sides?Then cloud-gathering Zeus answered her and said:My child, why do you ask and question me about this?Did you not yourself plan this design,that Odysseus would return and punish those men?Do as you wish; and I will tell you what is fitting.Since noble Odysseus has punished the suitors,let them cut faithful oaths, and let him be king forever,and we in turn for the murder of their sons and brotherslet us make a forgetting; and let them love one anotheras before, and let there be wealth and peace in abundance.So saying, he urged Athena, who was eager already,and she darted down from the peaks of Olympus.But when they had satisfied their desire for honey-sweet food,much-enduring, noble Odysseus began the words among them:Let someone go out and see that they are not near, coming on.So he spoke; and the son of Dolius went out, as he commanded;he stood, coming to the threshold, and saw them all near;and at once he spoke winged words to Odysseus:These are near; but let us arm ourselves more quickly.So he spoke, and they sprang up and put on their armor,four around Odysseus, and six the sons of Dolius;and Laertes and Dolius also put on their armor,gray though they were, but warriors by necessity.But when they had clothed their bodies in gleaming bronze,they opened the doors and went out, and Odysseus led.And close to them came the daughter of Zeus, Athena,like Mentor in form and in voice.And much-enduring, noble Odysseus rejoiced when he saw her;and at once he spoke to Telemachus, his dear son:Telemachus, you will now know this yourself when you go into it,where men fight and the best are distinguished,not to shame the race of your fathers, who before nowhave been distinguished in courage and manhood in all the world.Then wise Telemachus answered him and said:You will see, if you wish, dear father, that with this spiritI will in no way shame your race, as you say.So he spoke, and Laertes rejoiced and spoke a word:What day is this for me, dear gods? Surely I rejoice greatly;my son and my son's son have a contest over valor.And standing beside him, bright-eyed Athena spoke:Son of Arceisius, by far the dearest of all my comrades,pray to the bright-eyed maiden and to father Zeus,and at once, brandishing it, send forth the long-shadowing spear.So she spoke, and Pallas Athena breathed great strength into him;and when he had prayed to the daughter of great Zeus,at once, brandishing it, he sent forth the long-shadowing spear,and struck Eupithes through the bronze-cheeked helmet.And it did not keep out the spear, but the bronze went right through,and he fell with a thud, and his armor clattered upon him.And Odysseus and his splendid son fell upon the front ranks,and struck with swords and two-edged spears.And now they would have destroyed them all and made them not to return,had not Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,cried out with her voice, and held back all the people.Hold back from painful war, Ithacans,so that you may be separated quickly without bloodshed.So spoke Athena, and pale fear seized them;and in their fear the weapons flew from their hands,and all fell to the ground, at the voice of the goddess speaking;and they turned toward the city, longing for life.And much-enduring, noble Odysseus shouted terribly,and gathered himself and swooped like an eagle of high flight.And then the son of Cronus loosed a smoking thunderbolt,and it fell in front of the bright-eyed daughter of the mighty father.Then bright-eyed Athena spoke to Odysseus:Zeus-born son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus,hold back, and cease from the strife of equal war,lest somehow the son of Cronus, wide-thundering Zeus, be angered at you.So spoke Athena, and he obeyed, and rejoiced in his heart.And afterwards Pallas Athena set oaths between the two sides,the daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus,like Mentor in form and in voice.