Page 42 of The Odyssey
Odysseus stood there unshaken, pondering whether
235
he should attack with his staff, and beat the life out of him,
or collar him by the waist, dash his head on the ground.
But he steeled himself, and endured. The swineherd stared
in rebuke at this fellow, raised his arms, and prayed aloud:
"You nymphs of the spring, Zeus' daughters, if Odysseus
240
ever burned thigh pieces for you, wrapped in rich fat,
of lambs or kids, then grant me fulfillment of this prayer:
may that man, my master, return, and divinity guide him!
Then would he scatter all those glorious airs that you
flaunt in your arrogance now, always strutting around
245
this township, while useless herdsmen bring the flocks to ruin."
The goatherd Melanthios responded to him, saying:
"My oh my, how this dog rants, mind full of malice!
One day I'll carry him off in a well-benched black ship,
far away from Ithake, where he might bring me a fortune.
250
Oh, I wish silver-bowed Apollo would strike down Telemachos
today in his halls, or the suitors would kill him, as surely
as for Odysseus, far off, the day of return's been lost."
So saying, he left them behind there, as they walked slowly on,
while he moved fast, and soon reached his master's house.
255
He went straight in, and sat down among the suitors,
facing Eurymachos, the friend whom he liked the best.
The carvers set before him a portion of roast meat, while
the respected housekeeper brought him bread, and placed it
ready to eat. Now Odysseus and the noble swineherd
260
stopped when they got near; about them rang the notes
of the hollow lyre, for Phemios was preparing to sing for them.
Then Odysseus clutched the swineherd's hand, and said:
"Eumaios, surely this is Odysseus' fine house? It's easily
distinguishable from the rest, even when there are many.
265
One building's linked to another, and the courtyard's fitted
with wall and copestones, its doors are finely worked
and double-paneled: no man could furnish it better. And I
observe that within there's a feast for many in progress,
for the smell of roast meat rises from it, and within it echoes
270
the lyre, made by the gods an accompaniment to feasting."
To him then, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
"Easily did you know it, for in all else you don't lack sense.
But now we have to think how we shall act next.
You could go first into this pleasantly sited house,
275
and mix with the suitors, while I stay out here. Or else,
if you like, you stay here, and I'll go in before you.
But don't linger outside too long, or someone might notice,
and hit you or chase you off. Do please be careful."
Much-enduring noble Odysseus responded to him, saying:
280
"Noted and understood. You're spelling it out for the wise.
You go on ahead, and I'll stay behind out here--
I'm not unused to being hit, or having things thrown at me.
My spirit is steadfast, for I've suffered many setbacks
from rough seas and in war: let this be added to them!
285
But a ravening belly there's no way of concealing--
an accursed plague, that brings many evils upon mankind.
For its sake, too, well-benched ships are armed and sent
out on the unharvested sea, bearing ills to their enemies."
Such was the conversation they had with one another.
290
Now a dog lying there raised its head and pricked up its ears--
Argos, stout-hearted Odysseus' dog, that he, years ago,
had bred up himself, but got no joy of, departing too soon
for sacred Ilion. Young hunters used to take Argos
to go in pursuit of wild goats, or deer, or hares; but now
295
he lay neglected, his master long since absent,
in the abundant dung of the mules and oxen left
outside the gates, until the servants of Odysseus
carted it off to manure his widespread estate. There lay
the dog Argos now, his body crawling with dog ticks.
300
But the moment he sensed that it was Odysseus nearby
he wagged his tail and laid back both ears, and yet
no longer had the strength to move any closer to
his master, who now looked away, and wiped off a tear
that he easily hid from Eumaios, then questioned him, saying:
305
"Eumaios, it's odd, this dog lying here in the dung--
he has a good body, but I still can't really be certain
if he once had the speed to match his fine appearance,
or was nothing more than one of those table dogs
that their masters take care of only to put on a show."
310
To him, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
"This is indeed the dog of a man who died far away.
If he were such today, in body and performance,
as he was when Odysseus left him, and set out for Troy,
you'd at once be astonished on seeing his speed and strength!
315
No wild beast that he started in the thick woodland's depths
ever escaped him. He was also a keen-nosed tracker.
But now he's in a poor way, and his master has perished
far from his homeland. The women are heedless, can't be bothered
to care for him. Servants no longer directed by their master
320
won't perform their duties properly any more,
for far-seeing Zeus strips away half the proper worth
from any man, once the day of slavery overtakes him."
So saying, he went on into the pleasantly sited building
and made straight for the hall to join the noble suitors.
325
But Argos the fated lot of black death overwhelmed
once he'd seen Odysseus again, in the twentieth year.
Godlike Telemachos was the first by far to notice
the swineherd advancing through the house, and at once
invited him with a nod. Eumaios looked round and seized
330
a nearby stool, on which the carver would sit to cut
all the portions of meat for the suitors feasting there
in the hall. This he took and placed at Telemachos' table,
opposite him, and sat down himself. A herald now set
a portion of meat before him, with bread from a basket.
335
Very soon after him Odysseus entered the building
as he was, in the guise of a miserable aged beggar
propped on a staff, wearing mean and threadbare clothes.
He sat down on the ash-wood threshold inside the doorway,
leaning back on the doorpost of cypress, which long ago
340
a craftsman had skillfully planed and made true to the line.
Telemachos now beckoned the swineherd over to him,
took a whole loaf from the exquisite basket, together
with all the meat he could pick up in both hands, and said:
"Take this, a gift for the stranger. Tell him he should himself
345
go round among all the suitors, begging. Embarrassed restraint
is not a useful emotion for a man who's in need."
So he spoke;
the swineherd, on hearing his order, went up to Odysseus,
and standing close, addressed him with winged words, saying:
"Stranger, Telemachos gives you this, says you should
350
go round among all the suitors, begging. Embarrassed restraint
is not a useful emotion, he says, for a man who begs."
Resourceful Odysseus then responded to him, saying:
"Zeus, lord, grant that Telemachos prosper among his peers,
and may all that his heart desires be accomplished for him."
355
With that he received the food in both hands and laid it
down at his feet on his tattered old leather bag and ate
while the minstrel was still performing there in the hall.
But when he'd eaten dinner, and the divine minstrel was done,
the suitors' noisy clamor resumed in the hall. Now Athene,
360
standing close beside Odysseus, Laertes son, urged him on,3
to go round among the suitors, collect his crusts of bread,
discover which were right-thinking, which lawless. Yet even so
she'd no plan to save a single one of them from destruction.
Off he went to beg of them, moving from left to right,
365
with outstretched hand all round, as though he'd long been at it.
They felt pity, and gave, and regarded him with wonder,
questioning who he might be, and where he came from.
The goatherd Melanthios now addressed them, saying:
"Listen to me, you suitors of our illustrious queen!
370
About this stranger: I've actually seen him before--in fact
it was the swineherd who brought him back here, but I
don't know the man himself, or who he claims as family."
So he spoke. Antinoos then chastised the swineherd, saying:
"You infamous swineherd, why did you bring this fellow
375
here into town? Don't we have enough vagrants already,
these tiresome beggars who disrupt our feasts? Is it not
enough for you that such men should cluster here and guzzle
our lord's livelihood, that you bring in this fellow too?"
To him, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
380
"High-born you may be, Antinoos, but that was not well said.
For who'd himself seek out and invite any stranger
from abroad, except maybe some kind of public worker--
a prophet, a healer of sickness, a carpenter--even a godlike
minstrel, who gives delight with his singing? Such men
385
are invited worldwide on mankind's boundless earth,
but no man would bring in a beggar to devour his substance!
You're always too severe, more than the rest of the suitors,
on Odysseus' servants, on me above all--although
I don't care, so long as prudent Penelope and godlike
390
Telemachos are here, both still living in these halls."
Sagacious Telemachos then responded to him, saying:
"Silence! Never waste words in answering this man!
Antinoos has an old habit of meanly provoking people
with his rough language, and urges others to do the same."
395
That said, he addressed Antinoos with winged words, saying:
"Antinoos, truly you care for me like a father his son, the way
you tell me to drive this stranger away from our halls with words
of enforcement! May no god bring this about! Take something,
and give it him! Far from begrudging you, I command it!
400
Don't worry about my mother, or the rest of the household
servants resident here in the house of godlike Odysseus!
But in fact this isn't the kind of thought in your breast:
you'd far rather eat yourself than give to somebody else."
To him then in turn Antinoos responded: "Telemachos,
405
high-flown speaker, in anger unbridled, what's this you said?
If all the suitors would offer him just what I do, then
for three months this house would keep him at a distance!"
So saying, he seized and brought out from beneath the table
the footstool on which he rested his sleek feet while feasting.
410
The others, more generous, filled Odysseus' old bag
with crusts and meat. Now Odysseus was on his way
back to the entrance, after making free trial of the Achaians,
but he stopped by Antinoos, and said to him: "Give, friend!
You don't look to me like the meanest of the Achaians,
415
but rather the noblest, for you have the air of a king!
So it's right that you should give me an even larger portion
of food than the rest, and I'd spread your fame worldwide!
For I too once dwelt in my own rich house among other
prosperous men, and I often would give to a vagrant,
420
no matter what sort he was or what he might be lacking!
Countless servants I had, and much else in abundance
owning which men live well, and are known as wealthy.
But Kronos' son Zeus lost me all--on some whim, I suppose--
by inciting me to go off, with a bunch of roving pirates
425
to Egypt--a lengthy voyage--and meet my ruin there.
Well, in the river of Egypt I anchored my curved vessels.
Then I issued orders to my trusty comrades, to stay
there with the ships, and to be those ships' protectors
while I sent off scouts to find and man lookout posts.
430
But, trusting their strength, they yielded to wanton aggression,
and at once began ravaging the Egyptians' splendid fields,
carrying off their wives and their little children,
and killing the men. Word quickly reached the city,
and, hearing the shouting, people came out at daybreak.
435
The whole plain filled up with infantry and horses
and the bright glint of bronze. Zeus, hurler of thunderbolts,
cast a craven panic upon my comrades: nobody dared
to stand firm and face the foe, for trouble confronted us
on every side. Many of us they slew with the sharp bronze;
440
others they led off alive, to do forced labor for them.
But me they sent on to Cyprus with a chance-met stranger,
Dmetor, Iasos' son, a powerful Cypriot prince.
From there I've come here, with much hardship on the way."
To him Antinoos then responded, saying: "What god
445
has delivered this nuisance, this spoiler of feasts, to us?
You, keep your distance, stand well away from my table,
or you'll soon find yourself in a bitter Egypt and Cyprus,
the right place for the bold and shameless beggar you are!
You make your pitch to each man in turn, and they give
450
thoughtlessly, since there's no restraint and no compunction
in handing out other men's stuff, and everyone has so much."
At this resourceful Odysseus took a step back, and said:
"I see your mind's no match for your looks! You wouldn't
spare even salt from your home store for your own suppliant,
455
and though at another man's table, you're still reluctant
to break off a crust and give it me! Yet there's plenty here."
So he spoke, and Antinoos grew yet more enraged at heart.
Staring angrily, he addressed him with winged words, saying:
"Indeed, you'll no longer get safely back, I think,
460
235
he should attack with his staff, and beat the life out of him,
or collar him by the waist, dash his head on the ground.
But he steeled himself, and endured. The swineherd stared
in rebuke at this fellow, raised his arms, and prayed aloud:
"You nymphs of the spring, Zeus' daughters, if Odysseus
240
ever burned thigh pieces for you, wrapped in rich fat,
of lambs or kids, then grant me fulfillment of this prayer:
may that man, my master, return, and divinity guide him!
Then would he scatter all those glorious airs that you
flaunt in your arrogance now, always strutting around
245
this township, while useless herdsmen bring the flocks to ruin."
The goatherd Melanthios responded to him, saying:
"My oh my, how this dog rants, mind full of malice!
One day I'll carry him off in a well-benched black ship,
far away from Ithake, where he might bring me a fortune.
250
Oh, I wish silver-bowed Apollo would strike down Telemachos
today in his halls, or the suitors would kill him, as surely
as for Odysseus, far off, the day of return's been lost."
So saying, he left them behind there, as they walked slowly on,
while he moved fast, and soon reached his master's house.
255
He went straight in, and sat down among the suitors,
facing Eurymachos, the friend whom he liked the best.
The carvers set before him a portion of roast meat, while
the respected housekeeper brought him bread, and placed it
ready to eat. Now Odysseus and the noble swineherd
260
stopped when they got near; about them rang the notes
of the hollow lyre, for Phemios was preparing to sing for them.
Then Odysseus clutched the swineherd's hand, and said:
"Eumaios, surely this is Odysseus' fine house? It's easily
distinguishable from the rest, even when there are many.
265
One building's linked to another, and the courtyard's fitted
with wall and copestones, its doors are finely worked
and double-paneled: no man could furnish it better. And I
observe that within there's a feast for many in progress,
for the smell of roast meat rises from it, and within it echoes
270
the lyre, made by the gods an accompaniment to feasting."
To him then, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
"Easily did you know it, for in all else you don't lack sense.
But now we have to think how we shall act next.
You could go first into this pleasantly sited house,
275
and mix with the suitors, while I stay out here. Or else,
if you like, you stay here, and I'll go in before you.
But don't linger outside too long, or someone might notice,
and hit you or chase you off. Do please be careful."
Much-enduring noble Odysseus responded to him, saying:
280
"Noted and understood. You're spelling it out for the wise.
You go on ahead, and I'll stay behind out here--
I'm not unused to being hit, or having things thrown at me.
My spirit is steadfast, for I've suffered many setbacks
from rough seas and in war: let this be added to them!
285
But a ravening belly there's no way of concealing--
an accursed plague, that brings many evils upon mankind.
For its sake, too, well-benched ships are armed and sent
out on the unharvested sea, bearing ills to their enemies."
Such was the conversation they had with one another.
290
Now a dog lying there raised its head and pricked up its ears--
Argos, stout-hearted Odysseus' dog, that he, years ago,
had bred up himself, but got no joy of, departing too soon
for sacred Ilion. Young hunters used to take Argos
to go in pursuit of wild goats, or deer, or hares; but now
295
he lay neglected, his master long since absent,
in the abundant dung of the mules and oxen left
outside the gates, until the servants of Odysseus
carted it off to manure his widespread estate. There lay
the dog Argos now, his body crawling with dog ticks.
300
But the moment he sensed that it was Odysseus nearby
he wagged his tail and laid back both ears, and yet
no longer had the strength to move any closer to
his master, who now looked away, and wiped off a tear
that he easily hid from Eumaios, then questioned him, saying:
305
"Eumaios, it's odd, this dog lying here in the dung--
he has a good body, but I still can't really be certain
if he once had the speed to match his fine appearance,
or was nothing more than one of those table dogs
that their masters take care of only to put on a show."
310
To him, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
"This is indeed the dog of a man who died far away.
If he were such today, in body and performance,
as he was when Odysseus left him, and set out for Troy,
you'd at once be astonished on seeing his speed and strength!
315
No wild beast that he started in the thick woodland's depths
ever escaped him. He was also a keen-nosed tracker.
But now he's in a poor way, and his master has perished
far from his homeland. The women are heedless, can't be bothered
to care for him. Servants no longer directed by their master
320
won't perform their duties properly any more,
for far-seeing Zeus strips away half the proper worth
from any man, once the day of slavery overtakes him."
So saying, he went on into the pleasantly sited building
and made straight for the hall to join the noble suitors.
325
But Argos the fated lot of black death overwhelmed
once he'd seen Odysseus again, in the twentieth year.
Godlike Telemachos was the first by far to notice
the swineherd advancing through the house, and at once
invited him with a nod. Eumaios looked round and seized
330
a nearby stool, on which the carver would sit to cut
all the portions of meat for the suitors feasting there
in the hall. This he took and placed at Telemachos' table,
opposite him, and sat down himself. A herald now set
a portion of meat before him, with bread from a basket.
335
Very soon after him Odysseus entered the building
as he was, in the guise of a miserable aged beggar
propped on a staff, wearing mean and threadbare clothes.
He sat down on the ash-wood threshold inside the doorway,
leaning back on the doorpost of cypress, which long ago
340
a craftsman had skillfully planed and made true to the line.
Telemachos now beckoned the swineherd over to him,
took a whole loaf from the exquisite basket, together
with all the meat he could pick up in both hands, and said:
"Take this, a gift for the stranger. Tell him he should himself
345
go round among all the suitors, begging. Embarrassed restraint
is not a useful emotion for a man who's in need."
So he spoke;
the swineherd, on hearing his order, went up to Odysseus,
and standing close, addressed him with winged words, saying:
"Stranger, Telemachos gives you this, says you should
350
go round among all the suitors, begging. Embarrassed restraint
is not a useful emotion, he says, for a man who begs."
Resourceful Odysseus then responded to him, saying:
"Zeus, lord, grant that Telemachos prosper among his peers,
and may all that his heart desires be accomplished for him."
355
With that he received the food in both hands and laid it
down at his feet on his tattered old leather bag and ate
while the minstrel was still performing there in the hall.
But when he'd eaten dinner, and the divine minstrel was done,
the suitors' noisy clamor resumed in the hall. Now Athene,
360
standing close beside Odysseus, Laertes son, urged him on,3
to go round among the suitors, collect his crusts of bread,
discover which were right-thinking, which lawless. Yet even so
she'd no plan to save a single one of them from destruction.
Off he went to beg of them, moving from left to right,
365
with outstretched hand all round, as though he'd long been at it.
They felt pity, and gave, and regarded him with wonder,
questioning who he might be, and where he came from.
The goatherd Melanthios now addressed them, saying:
"Listen to me, you suitors of our illustrious queen!
370
About this stranger: I've actually seen him before--in fact
it was the swineherd who brought him back here, but I
don't know the man himself, or who he claims as family."
So he spoke. Antinoos then chastised the swineherd, saying:
"You infamous swineherd, why did you bring this fellow
375
here into town? Don't we have enough vagrants already,
these tiresome beggars who disrupt our feasts? Is it not
enough for you that such men should cluster here and guzzle
our lord's livelihood, that you bring in this fellow too?"
To him, swineherd Eumaios, you then responded, saying:
380
"High-born you may be, Antinoos, but that was not well said.
For who'd himself seek out and invite any stranger
from abroad, except maybe some kind of public worker--
a prophet, a healer of sickness, a carpenter--even a godlike
minstrel, who gives delight with his singing? Such men
385
are invited worldwide on mankind's boundless earth,
but no man would bring in a beggar to devour his substance!
You're always too severe, more than the rest of the suitors,
on Odysseus' servants, on me above all--although
I don't care, so long as prudent Penelope and godlike
390
Telemachos are here, both still living in these halls."
Sagacious Telemachos then responded to him, saying:
"Silence! Never waste words in answering this man!
Antinoos has an old habit of meanly provoking people
with his rough language, and urges others to do the same."
395
That said, he addressed Antinoos with winged words, saying:
"Antinoos, truly you care for me like a father his son, the way
you tell me to drive this stranger away from our halls with words
of enforcement! May no god bring this about! Take something,
and give it him! Far from begrudging you, I command it!
400
Don't worry about my mother, or the rest of the household
servants resident here in the house of godlike Odysseus!
But in fact this isn't the kind of thought in your breast:
you'd far rather eat yourself than give to somebody else."
To him then in turn Antinoos responded: "Telemachos,
405
high-flown speaker, in anger unbridled, what's this you said?
If all the suitors would offer him just what I do, then
for three months this house would keep him at a distance!"
So saying, he seized and brought out from beneath the table
the footstool on which he rested his sleek feet while feasting.
410
The others, more generous, filled Odysseus' old bag
with crusts and meat. Now Odysseus was on his way
back to the entrance, after making free trial of the Achaians,
but he stopped by Antinoos, and said to him: "Give, friend!
You don't look to me like the meanest of the Achaians,
415
but rather the noblest, for you have the air of a king!
So it's right that you should give me an even larger portion
of food than the rest, and I'd spread your fame worldwide!
For I too once dwelt in my own rich house among other
prosperous men, and I often would give to a vagrant,
420
no matter what sort he was or what he might be lacking!
Countless servants I had, and much else in abundance
owning which men live well, and are known as wealthy.
But Kronos' son Zeus lost me all--on some whim, I suppose--
by inciting me to go off, with a bunch of roving pirates
425
to Egypt--a lengthy voyage--and meet my ruin there.
Well, in the river of Egypt I anchored my curved vessels.
Then I issued orders to my trusty comrades, to stay
there with the ships, and to be those ships' protectors
while I sent off scouts to find and man lookout posts.
430
But, trusting their strength, they yielded to wanton aggression,
and at once began ravaging the Egyptians' splendid fields,
carrying off their wives and their little children,
and killing the men. Word quickly reached the city,
and, hearing the shouting, people came out at daybreak.
435
The whole plain filled up with infantry and horses
and the bright glint of bronze. Zeus, hurler of thunderbolts,
cast a craven panic upon my comrades: nobody dared
to stand firm and face the foe, for trouble confronted us
on every side. Many of us they slew with the sharp bronze;
440
others they led off alive, to do forced labor for them.
But me they sent on to Cyprus with a chance-met stranger,
Dmetor, Iasos' son, a powerful Cypriot prince.
From there I've come here, with much hardship on the way."
To him Antinoos then responded, saying: "What god
445
has delivered this nuisance, this spoiler of feasts, to us?
You, keep your distance, stand well away from my table,
or you'll soon find yourself in a bitter Egypt and Cyprus,
the right place for the bold and shameless beggar you are!
You make your pitch to each man in turn, and they give
450
thoughtlessly, since there's no restraint and no compunction
in handing out other men's stuff, and everyone has so much."
At this resourceful Odysseus took a step back, and said:
"I see your mind's no match for your looks! You wouldn't
spare even salt from your home store for your own suppliant,
455
and though at another man's table, you're still reluctant
to break off a crust and give it me! Yet there's plenty here."
So he spoke, and Antinoos grew yet more enraged at heart.
Staring angrily, he addressed him with winged words, saying:
"Indeed, you'll no longer get safely back, I think,
460
Homer's Novels