The Odyssey 1732 Studios

Ancient Greek · The Homecoming

Ὀδυσσείας ο

Book 15. Telemachus Sails Home; The Seer Theoclymenus

Athena sends Telemachus home and warns him of the ambush. He takes a fugitive prophet aboard. Eumaeus tells how he was sold as a child.

557 lines · 63 notes

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  1. 1

    But Pallas Athena went to Lacedaemon of the wide dancing-grounds,

    Metre

    ἡsheὁ · nominative singular feminine pronounsubject
    δbut/andδέ · particlecoordinating word

    δέ is a postpositive connective particle continuing the narrative; it never stands as the first word of its clause.

    εἰςto, intoεἰς · prepositionpreposition
    εὐρύχορονwide-dancingεὐρύχορος · accusative singular feminine adjectivemodifies Λακεδαίμονα
    ΛακεδαίμοναLacedaemonΛακεδαίμων · accusative singular feminine nounobject of εἰς
    ΠαλλὰςPallasπαλλάς · nominative singular feminine nounmodifies Ἀθήνη

    Epic epithet-name pair Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη forms a fixed formula filling the verse-end.

    ἈθήνηAthenaʼἀθήνη · nominative singular feminine nounsubject
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    to remind the glorious son of great-hearted Odysseus

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    of his return, and to urge him to set out for home.

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    She found Telemachus and the splendid son of Nestor

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    sleeping in the forecourt of glorious Menelaus,

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    Nestor's son, that is, overcome by gentle sleep;

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    but sweet sleep did not hold Telemachus; instead, in his heart

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    all through the immortal night cares for his father kept him awake.

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    Standing close beside him, gray-eyed Athena spoke to him:

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    "Telemachus, it is no longer good to wander so far from home,

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    leaving your wealth behind and men in your house

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    so arrogant; beware lest they devour all

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    your goods, dividing them, and your journey prove a wasted errand.

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    Come, urge Menelaus, good at the war-cry,

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    to send you off, so you may still find your noble mother at home.

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    For already her father and her brothers are pressing her

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    to marry Eurymachus; for he outdoes all the others,

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    the suitors, in gifts, and keeps raising his bride-price.

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    Take care that some valuable not be carried from the house against your will.

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    For you know the kind of heart there is in a woman's breast:

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    she wants to build up the house of the man who marries her,

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    and of her former children and of her dear wedded husband

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    she no longer thinks, once he is dead, nor asks after him.

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    But go yourself and entrust each thing

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    to whichever of the serving women seems best to you,

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    until the gods reveal to you a glorious wife.

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    Now I will tell you another thing, and you take it to heart.

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    The best of the suitors lie deliberately in wait for you

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    in the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos,

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    eager to kill you before you reach your fatherland.

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    But I do not think it will be so; sooner the earth will hold down

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    some of those suitor men who are devouring your livelihood.

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    Keep your well-built ship far from the islands,

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    and sail by night as well; a following wind will be sent to you

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    by that one of the immortals who watches over you and keeps you safe.

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    But when you reach the first headland of Ithaca,

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    send the ship on to the city with all your comrades,

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    but you yourself, first of all, go to the swineherd,

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    who guards your pigs and is loyally kind to you.

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    Spend the night there, and send him into the city

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    to carry the message to wise Penelope,

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    that you are safe and have come back from Pylos."

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    So speaking she departed for high Olympus,

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    while he roused Nestor's son from sweet sleep,

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    nudging him with a kick of his foot, and spoke to him:

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    "Wake up, Peisistratus, son of Nestor; the single-hoofed horses

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    lead out and yoke under the chariot, so we may get on with our journey."

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    Then Nestor's son Peisistratus answered him:

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    "Telemachus, there is no way, however much we hasten on the road,

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    to drive through the murky night; soon it will be dawn.

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    Wait, then, until the hero, son of Atreus,

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    Menelaus famed for the spear, brings gifts and sets them on the chariot,

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    and with kindly words bids us a friendly farewell.

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    For a guest remembers, all his days,

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    the host who has shown him kindness."

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    So he spoke, and at once Dawn came on her golden throne.

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    Menelaus, good at the war-cry, came near to them,

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    having risen from his bed, from the side of fair-haired Helen.

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    When the dear son of Odysseus noticed him,

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    in haste he drew the shining tunic about his body

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    and threw a great cloak over his sturdy shoulders,

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    the hero, and went to the door, and standing near him spoke:

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    Telemachus, dear son of godlike Odysseus:

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    "Son of Atreus, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, leader of armies,

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    now send me off at last to my dear fatherland,

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    for now my heart longs to return home."

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    Then Menelaus, good at the war-cry, answered him:

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    "Telemachus, I for my part will not hold you here a long time

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    when you long to return; I would blame another man too,

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    a host who, in receiving guests, loves them excessively

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    or hates them excessively; better are all things in due measure.

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    It is just as bad when a man drives off a guest

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    who does not wish to leave, as when he holds back one who is eager to go.

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    One should love the guest who is present, and send off the one who wishes to leave.

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    But wait until I bring fine gifts and set them on your chariot,

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    and you see them with your own eyes, and I tell the women

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    to prepare a meal in the hall from the plentiful stores within.

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    It is both an honor and a glory, and a benefit besides,

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    to dine before going over the wide, boundless earth.

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    And if you wish to turn aside through Hellas and central Argos,

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    so that I myself may accompany you, I will yoke your horses

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    and guide you to the towns of men; and no one

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    will send us off empty-handed, but will give some one thing to carry away,

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    either some tripod of fine bronze, or a cauldron,

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    or a pair of mules, or a golden cup."

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    Then shrewd Telemachus answered him in turn:

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    "Son of Atreus, Menelaus, nurtured by Zeus, leader of armies,

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    I wish to return now to our own land; for behind me

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    I left no guardian when I came away over my possessions.

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    I fear that in seeking my godlike father I may perish myself,

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    or that some fine treasure may be lost from my halls."

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    But when Menelaus, good at the war-cry, heard this,

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    at once he commanded his wife and the serving women

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    to prepare a meal in the hall from the plentiful stores within.

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    Eteoneus, son of Boethous, came near to him,

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    having risen from his bed, since he lived not far from him;

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    Menelaus, good at the war-cry, bade him kindle a fire

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    and roast some meat; and he did not disobey when he heard.

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    And he himself went down into the fragrant store-room,

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    not alone: Helen went with him, and Megapenthes.

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    But when they came to where the treasures lay,

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    the son of Atreus then took a two-handled cup,

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    and ordered his son Megapenthes to carry a mixing-bowl

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    of silver; and Helen stood beside the chests,

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    where lay her richly embroidered robes, which she herself had made.

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    Lifting out one of these, Helen carried it, she radiant among women,

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    the one that was loveliest in its embroidery and largest,

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    and it shone like a star; it had lain lowest of all the rest.

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    They set out to go forward through the house, until they reached

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    Telemachus; and fair-haired Menelaus spoke to him:

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    "Telemachus, your return — just as you long for it in your heart,

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    so may Zeus accomplish it for you, the loud-thundering husband of Hera.

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    Of the gifts, all the treasures that lie stored in my house,

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    I will give you the one that is finest and most precious.

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    I will give you a well-wrought mixing-bowl; it is all of silver,

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    and its rims are finished off with gold,

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    the work of Hephaestus. The hero Phaedimus gave it to me,

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    king of the Sidonians, when his house sheltered me

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    on my journey home there. This I am willing to bestow on you."

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    So speaking he placed the two-handled cup in his hand,

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    the hero, son of Atreus; and the shining mixing-bowl

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    mighty Megapenthes carried and set down before him,

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    the silver one; and Helen of the lovely cheeks stood by

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    holding a robe in her hands, and she spoke and addressed him:

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    "I too give you this gift, dear child,

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    a remembrance of Helen's hands, for the hour of your longed-for wedding,

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    for your bride to wear; until then let it lie beside your dear mother

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    in the hall. And may you come rejoicing to

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    your well-built home and to your native land."

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    So speaking she placed it in his hands, and he received it gladly.

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    And the hero Peisistratus stowed these things in the wicker basket,

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    taking them up, and marveled at them all in his heart.

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    Then fair-haired Menelaus led them into the house.

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    And the two of them sat down on the couches and chairs.

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    A handmaid brought water and poured it from a pitcher

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    of beautiful gold, over a silver basin,

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    for them to wash; and she drew up a polished table beside them.

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    The honored housekeeper brought bread and set it before them,

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    laying out many dishes, freely giving of her store;

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    and beside them the son of Boethous carved the meat and dealt out the portions;

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    and the son of glorious Menelaus poured the wine.

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    So they reached out their hands to the good things set ready before them.

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    But when they had put away their desire for food and drink,

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    then Telemachus and the splendid son of Nestor

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    yoked the horses and climbed into the inlaid chariot,

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    and drove out from the gateway and the echoing portico.

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    After them went the son of Atreus, fair-haired Menelaus,

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    holding honey-sweet wine in his right hand,

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    in a golden cup, that they might pour a libation before they set out.

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    He stood before the horses and, pledging them, spoke:

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    "Farewell, young men, and give my greeting to Nestor, shepherd of the people;

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    for truly he was as kind to me as a father,

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    while we sons of the Achaeans fought at Troy."

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    Then wise Telemachus answered him in turn:

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    "Indeed, Zeus-nurtured one, just as you say,

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    we will recount all this to him when we arrive. If only I might, in the same way,

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    returning to Ithaca, find Odysseus at home

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    and tell him how, having met with every kindness from you,

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    I come, and bring with me many fine treasures."

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    As he was speaking, a bird flew past on his right,

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    an eagle carrying in its talons a great white goose,

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    a tame one from the yard; and men and women followed

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    shouting after it; but the eagle, coming near them,

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    darted off to the right in front of the horses. And seeing it

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    they rejoiced, and the heart in every breast was warmed.

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    Among them Peisistratus, son of Nestor, was first to speak:

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    "Consider, Zeus-nurtured Menelaus, leader of the people,

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    whether the god has shown this sign for the two of us, or for you yourself."

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    So he spoke, and Menelaus, dear to Ares, pondered

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    how he might rightly interpret it after thinking it through.

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    But Helen of the long robe forestalled him and spoke:

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    "Listen to me; I will prophesy, as in my heart

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    the immortals put it, and as I think it will be fulfilled.

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    As this eagle snatched the goose reared in the house,

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    coming from the mountain where its kind and offspring are,

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    so Odysseus, after suffering many evils and wandering far,

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    will return home and take his revenge; or even already

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    he is home, and is sowing evil for all the suitors."

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    Then wise Telemachus answered her in turn:

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    "May Zeus now make it so, the loud-thundering husband of Hera;

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    then even there I would pray to you as to a god."

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    He spoke, and laid the whip on the horses; and they very swiftly

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    sped toward the plain, eager, straight through the city.

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    All day long they shook the yoke they held between them.

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    The sun set and all the ways grew dark;

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    and they came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles,

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    son of Ortilochus, whom Alpheus begot as his child.

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    There they spent the night, and he set out guest-gifts for them.

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    When early-born, rosy-fingered Dawn appeared,

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    they yoked the horses and climbed into the inlaid chariot,

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    and drove out from the gateway and the echoing portico;

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    he whipped them to run, and the pair flew on, not unwilling.

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    and soon they came to the steep citadel of Pylos.

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    And then Telemachus spoke to the son of Nestor:

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    "Son of Nestor, how might you promise and carry out

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    this request of mine? We declare ourselves guest-friends forever

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    through our fathers' friendship, and we are of the same age besides;

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    and this journey will bring us still more into one mind.

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    Do not take me past my ship, Zeus-nurtured one, but leave me there,

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    lest the old man keep me against my will in his house,

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    eager to show me kindness; but I must get home faster."

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    So he spoke, and the son of Nestor took counsel in his heart

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    how he might rightly promise and carry it out.

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    And as he pondered, this seemed to him the better course:

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    he turned the horses toward the swift ship and the shore of the sea,

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    and at the ship's stern unloaded the beautiful gifts,

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    the clothing and the gold that Menelaus had given him;

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    and urging him on he spoke winged words:

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    "Now climb aboard in haste and order all your companions,

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    before I reach home and report to the old man.

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    For I know this well in my mind and in my heart:

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    such is his overbearing spirit, he will not let you go,

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    but will come here himself to summon you, and I tell you he will not

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    go back empty-handed; for he will be very angry indeed."

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    So speaking he drove the fair-maned horses

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    back to the city of the Pylians, and quickly reached his house.

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    And Telemachus, urging on his companions, gave the order:

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    "Set the gear in order, comrades, in the black ship,

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    and let us climb aboard ourselves, so we may get on with the journey."

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    So he spoke, and they listened well to him and obeyed,

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    At once they went on board and took their places at the oar-pins.

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    While he was busy with this and praying, sacrificing to Athena

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    beside the ship's stern, a man came up close to him,

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    a stranger from far off, fleeing Argos after killing a man,

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    a seer; by birth he was a descendant of Melampus,

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    who once long ago lived in Pylos, the mother of flocks,

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    rich among the Pylians, dwelling in a house of great splendor;

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    but then he came to the land of another people, fleeing his homeland

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    and great-hearted Neleus, most lordly of living men,

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    who by force kept his many possessions for a full year's

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    turning. Meanwhile, in the halls of Phylacus,

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    he lay bound in painful chains, suffering grievous anguish

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    on account of the daughter of Neleus and the heavy ruin

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    that the dread goddess Erinys had laid upon his mind.

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    Yet he escaped death and drove the loud-bellowing cattle

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    to Pylos from Phylace, and avenged the shameful deed

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    on godlike Neleus, and led the woman as a wife

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    to his brother's house. He himself went to another people,

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    to horse-pasturing Argos; for there it was his destiny

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    to dwell, ruling over many of the Argives.

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    There he married a wife and built a high-roofed house,

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    and fathered Antiphates and Mantius, two mighty sons.

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    Antiphates begot great-hearted Oicleus,

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    and Oicleus the host-rouser Amphiaraus,

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    whom aegis-bearing Zeus and Apollo loved in their hearts

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    with every kind of affection; yet he did not reach the threshold of old age,

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    but perished at Thebes because of a woman's bribes.

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    His sons were Alcmaeon and Amphilochus.

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    Mantius in turn fathered Polypheides and Cleitus;

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    but Cleitus golden-throned Dawn carried off

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    for the sake of his beauty, so that he might dwell among the immortals;

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    but high-spirited Polypheides Apollo made

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    by far the best seer among mortals, once Amphiaraus had died.

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    He moved to Hyperesia, angry with his father,

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    and dwelling there he prophesied to all mortals.

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    His son it was who now came up, Theoclymenus by name,

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    and stood beside Telemachus. He found him

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    pouring libations and praying beside the swift black ship,

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    and he spoke to him in winged words:

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    "Friend, since I find you sacrificing in this place,

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    I beg you by these offerings and by the god, and after that

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    by your own head and by your companions who follow you:

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    tell me truly what I ask, and do not hide it.

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    Who are you among men, and from where? Where is your city and your parents?"

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    Then wise Telemachus answered him:

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    "Well then, stranger, I will tell you quite truly.

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    By birth I am from Ithaca, and my father is Odysseus,

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    if ever he was; but now he has perished by a wretched death.

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    For this reason now, taking my companions and a black ship,

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    I have come seeking news of my father, gone so long."

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    Then godlike Theoclymenus spoke to him in turn:

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    "So too am I far from my homeland, having killed a man

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    of my own tribe; and many are his brothers and kinsmen

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    in horse-pasturing Argos, and they hold great power among the Achaeans.

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    Shunning death and black doom at their hands,

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    I flee, since now it is my lot to wander among mankind.

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    But take me aboard your ship, since in flight I have come as your suppliant,

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    so they may not kill me; for I think they are in pursuit."

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    Then wise Telemachus answered him:

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    "I will surely not thrust you, willing, from my balanced ship;

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    but follow; there you shall be welcomed with what we have."

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    So speaking, he took from him the bronze-tipped spear

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    and laid it along the deck of the curved ship;

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    then he himself climbed aboard the seafaring ship.

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    He sat down at the stern, and beside himself

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    he seated Theoclymenus; and the men loosed the stern-cables.

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    Telemachus urged his companions and gave the order

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    to lay hold of the tackle; and they eagerly obeyed.

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    The mast of fir they raised and set upright within

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    the hollow mast-box, and made it fast with the forestays,

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    and they hauled up the white sails with well-twisted ox-hide thongs.

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    And for them gray-eyed Athena sent a favoring wind,

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    blowing strong through the upper air, so that as quickly as possible

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    the ship might run her course over the salt sea-water.

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    They sailed past Crounoi and fair-flowing Chalcis.

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    The sun set and all the ways grew dark;

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    and the ship pressed on toward Pheae, driven by the wind of Zeus,

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    and past noble Elis, where the Epeans hold power.

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    From there he steered her on toward the swift islands,

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    pondering whether he would escape death or be taken.

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    Meanwhile in the hut Odysseus and the noble swineherd

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    were taking their supper, and beside them the other men supped too.

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    But when they had put off their desire for drink and food,

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    Odysseus spoke among them, testing the swineherd,

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    whether he would still kindly entertain him and bid him stay

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    there at the steading, or send him off to the city.

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    "Listen now, Eumaeus, and all you other companions:

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    at dawn I am eager to set out for the town

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    to beg, so that I may not wear you and your men down.

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    Advise me well, and give me a good guide to go with me

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    who will lead me there; and through the city itself, of necessity,

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    I will wander, in case someone offers a cup and a crust.

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    And going to the house of godlike Odysseus,

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    I might bring news to wise Penelope,

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    and I might mingle among the overbearing suitors,

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    in case they give me a meal, having boundless plenty.

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    Soon I would serve them well in whatever they might wish.

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    For I will tell you plainly, and you mark it and hear me:

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    by the favor of Hermes the guide, who upon all

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    men's labors bestows grace and glory,

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    in service no other mortal could rival me:

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    to lay a fire well, to split dry wood,

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    to carve and roast the meat, and to pour the wine,

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    such tasks as lesser men perform for their betters."

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    Then, deeply troubled, you answered him, Eumaeus the swineherd:

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    "Ah, stranger, why has this notion come into your mind?

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    Surely you are bent on perishing utterly there,

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    if you mean to plunge into the throng of the suitors,

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    whose violence and insolence reach the iron sky.

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    Their servants are not men of your kind:

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    but young men, well clothed in cloaks and tunics,

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    their heads always glistening with oil and their faces handsome,

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    these are the ones who serve them; and the polished tables

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    are laden with bread and meat and wine.

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    No, stay here; no one is troubled by your presence,

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    neither I nor any other of the companions I have.

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    But when the dear son of Odysseus comes,

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    he will clothe you with a cloak and tunic for garments,

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    and he will send you wherever your heart and spirit bid you."

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    Then much-enduring noble Odysseus answered him:

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    "May you, Eumaeus, become as dear to father Zeus

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    as you are to me, since you have ended my wandering and bitter misery.

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    There is nothing worse for mortals than vagrancy;

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    but for the sake of the accursed belly men endure cruel troubles,

  345. 345

    any man whom wandering and suffering and grief have reached.

  346. 346

    But now, since you detain me and bid me wait for him,

  347. 347

    come, tell me about the mother of noble Odysseus

  348. 348

    and his father, whom he left behind on the threshold of old age when he went away,

  349. 349

    whether they still live perhaps beneath the rays of the sun,

  350. 350

    or are already dead and in the house of Hades."

  351. 351

    Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:

  352. 352

    "Well then, stranger, I will tell you the whole truth.

  353. 353

    Laertes still lives, but always prays to Zeus

  354. 354

    that the spirit may waste from his limbs there in his halls;

  355. 355

    for terribly does he mourn his departed son

  356. 356

    and his wedded wife, the wise one, who most of all

  357. 357

    grieved him by her death and brought him to raw old age.

  358. 358

    She perished in grief for her glorious son,

  359. 359

    by a wretched death — may no one die so who, for me,

  360. 360

    dwelling here, is a friend and does kind deeds.

  361. 361

    So long, then, as she was alive, grieving though she was,

  362. 362

    so long it was dear to me to inquire and ask after her,

  363. 363

    because she herself reared me alongside long-robed Ctimene,

  364. 364

    her sturdy daughter, the youngest of the children she bore;

  365. 365

    with her I was raised, and she honored me only a little less.

  366. 366

    But when we both came to the much-desired bloom of youth,

  367. 367

    then they gave her in marriage to Same and took countless gifts for her,

  368. 368

    but as for me, she clothed me in a cloak and tunic for garments,

  369. 369

    very fine ones, and gave sandals for my feet,

  370. 370

    and sent me off to the country; but in her heart she loved me even more.

  371. 371

    Now I lack all these things; yet for me myself

  372. 372

    the blessed gods make the work prosper at which I labor;

  373. 373

    from this I have eaten and drunk and given to those worthy of respect.

  374. 374

    But from my mistress there is nothing gracious to hear,

  375. 375

    neither word nor any deed, since evil has fallen on the house —

  376. 376

    the arrogant men; and greatly do the servants long

  377. 377

    to speak face to face with their mistress and learn each thing,

  378. 378

    and to eat and drink, and then to carry something also

  379. 379

    to the country — the kind of things that always warm the hearts of servants."

  380. 380

    Then resourceful Odysseus answered him in reply:

  381. 381

    "Well now, swineherd Eumaeus, so as a little child

  382. 382

    you were driven far from your homeland and your parents.

  383. 383

    But come, tell me this and recount it truly:

  384. 384

    was the wide-streeted city of men sacked

  385. 385

    in which your father and honored mother dwelt,

  386. 386

    or did hostile men, when you were left alone among the sheep or among the cattle,

  387. 387

    seize you with their ships and ferry you across

  388. 388

    to this man's house, and he gave a worthy price?"

  389. 389

    Then the swineherd, leader of men, answered him:

  390. 390

    "Stranger, since indeed you ask me about these things and inquire,

  391. 391

    listen now in silence and take your pleasure, and drink your wine

  392. 392

    as you sit. These nights are immense: there is time to sleep,

  393. 393

    and time to listen with delight; nor is there any need for you,

  394. 394

    before the hour, to lie down: too much sleep is a weariness too.

  395. 395

    Whoever of the others his heart and spirit bids,

  396. 396

    let him go out and sleep; and at the appearing of Dawn

  397. 397

    let him breakfast and follow the master's pigs.

  398. 398

    But we two, in the hut, drinking and feasting,

  399. 399

    let us take pleasure in each other's grievous sorrows

  400. 400

    as we remember them; for a man takes pleasure even in his pains afterward,

  401. 401

    one who has suffered very much and wandered far.

  402. 402

    So I will tell you what you ask me and inquire about.

  403. 403

    There is an island called Syria — perhaps you have heard of it —

  404. 404

    above Ortygia, where are the turnings of the sun,

  405. 405

    not so very populous, yet a good land,

  406. 406

    rich in cattle, rich in sheep, abounding in wine, with much wheat.

  407. 407

    Famine never enters that land, nor any other

  408. 408

    hateful sickness comes upon wretched mortals;

  409. 409

    but when the tribes of men grow old throughout the city,

  410. 410

    Apollo of the silver bow comes, together with Artemis,

  411. 411

    and slays them, drawing near with his gentle shafts.

  412. 412

    There are two cities there, and everything is divided in two between them;

  413. 413

    over both of these my father was king,

  414. 414

    Ctesius son of Ormenus, a man like the immortals.

  415. 415

    There came Phoenician men, famed for their ships,

  416. 416

    greedy rogues, bringing countless trinkets in their black ship.

  417. 417

    Now there was a Phoenician woman in my father's house,

  418. 418

    beautiful and tall and skilled in splendid handiwork;

  419. 419

    and the crafty Phoenicians beguiled her.

  420. 420

    As she was washing, one of them first lay with her beside the hollow ship

  421. 421

    in love and in bed — things that deceive the wits

  422. 422

    of womankind, even one who is honest.

  423. 423

    Then he asked who she was and where she came from;

  424. 424

    and at once she pointed out my father's high-roofed house:

  425. 425

    'I claim to be from Sidon, rich in bronze,

  426. 426

    and I am the daughter of Arybas, a man of flowing wealth;

  427. 427

    but Taphian pirate men carried me off

  428. 428

    as I came from the fields, and brought me here over the sea,

  429. 429

    to this man's house; and he gave a worthy price.'

  430. 430

    Then the man who had secretly lain with her answered her:

  431. 431

    'Would you now come back home together with us,

  432. 432

    to see your father's and mother's high-roofed house

  433. 433

    and themselves? For they still live and are called wealthy.'

  434. 434

    Then the woman answered him and spoke in reply:

  435. 435

    'Even this might be, if you sailors would be willing

  436. 436

    to pledge me by oath to bring me home unharmed.'

  437. 437

    So she spoke, and they all swore as she bade.

  438. 438

    But when they had sworn and completed the oath,

  439. 439

    the woman spoke among them again and answered in reply:

  440. 440

    'Be silent now: let none of your companions address me with words

  441. 441

    of your men, should one meet me, either in the street

  442. 442

    or maybe at the well; let no one go to the house and tell the old man,

  443. 443

    for if he suspects he will bind me

  444. 444

    in cruel bonds, and plot destruction for you all.

  445. 445

    But keep my words in mind, and press on with buying your cargo.

  446. 446

    And when at last your ship is laden full with goods,

  447. 447

    then let word come quickly to me at the house;

  448. 448

    for I will bring gold too, whatever comes to my hand;

  449. 449

    and there is something else I would gladly give for my passage.

  450. 450

    For I am nursing the son of my own master within his halls,

  451. 451

    a clever little thing, who runs about beside me out of doors;

  452. 452

    him I would bring aboard the ship, and he would fetch you a vast price

  453. 453

    wherever you sell him among men of foreign speech."

  454. 454

    So having spoken she went away to the fair house,

  455. 455

    while they stayed on there with us a whole year long,

  456. 456

    buying up a great store of goods for their hollow ship.

  457. 457

    But when the hollow ship was loaded for their voyage home,

  458. 458

    then they sent a messenger to carry word to the woman.

  459. 459

    A man full of cunning came to my father's house

  460. 460

    with a golden necklace, strung here and there with amber.

  461. 461

    This the maids in the hall and my honored mother

  462. 462

    kept handling in their hands and gazing on with their eyes,

  463. 463

    offering a price; and he nodded silently to the woman.

  464. 464

    Then, having given the nod, he went off to the hollow ship,

  465. 465

    and she, taking me by the hand, led me out of the house.

  466. 466

    In the forecourt she found the cups and the tables

  467. 467

    of the men who had feasted, who waited upon my father.

  468. 468

    They had gone out to the meeting-place and the people's council,

  469. 469

    and she at once, hiding three cups beneath her dress,

  470. 470

    carried them off; and I followed in my childish folly.

  471. 471

    The sun went down and all the streets grew dark;

  472. 472

    and we came in haste to the famous harbor,

  473. 473

    where the swift-sailing ship of the Phoenician men lay.

  474. 474

    Then they went aboard and sailed the watery ways,

  475. 475

    taking the two of us aboard; and Zeus sent a fair wind after.

  476. 476

    For six days alike we sailed, by night and by day;

  477. 477

    but when Zeus son of Cronos brought on the seventh day,

  478. 478

    then Artemis the archer struck down the woman,

  479. 479

    and she crashed down into the bilge like a seagull plunging.

  480. 480

    And her they threw out, to be prey for the seals and the fish,

  481. 481

    overboard; but I was left grieving in my heart.

  482. 482

    Wind and water bore them and brought them to Ithaca,

  483. 483

    where Laertes bought me with his own possessions.

  484. 484

    And so it was that I saw this land with my own eyes."

  485. 485

    Then Odysseus, sprung from Zeus, answered him and said:

  486. 486

    "Eumaeus, deeply indeed have you stirred the heart in my breast

  487. 487

    telling out each of these things, all the sorrows you have suffered in your spirit.

  488. 488

    Yet truly, alongside the evil Zeus has set good for you

  489. 489

    as well, since after much hardship you came to the house

  490. 490

    of a kindly man, who gives you food and drink

  491. 491

    with care, and you live a good life; but as for me,

  492. 492

    I have come here wandering through the many cities of men."

  493. 493

    So they spoke such things to one another,

  494. 494

    and they slept not long, but only a little while;

  495. 495

    for soon came Dawn on her fair throne. Meanwhile, near shore

  496. 496

    Telemachus' comrades were loosing the sails, and they lowered the mast

  497. 497

    swiftly, and rowed the ship forward into the anchorage with their oars;

  498. 498

    they cast out the mooring-stones and made fast the stern-cables;

  499. 499

    and they themselves stepped out upon the breaking surf of the sea,

  500. 500

    and made ready their meal, and mixed the gleaming wine.

  501. 501

    But when they had put away their desire for drink and food,

  502. 502

    then wise Telemachus began to speak among them:

  503. 503

    "You now drive the black ship on to the city,

  504. 504

    but I will go to the fields and to the herdsmen;

  505. 505

    and at evening, when I have seen my own work, I will come down to the city.

  506. 506

    And at dawn I will set before you, for your journey,

  507. 507

    a good feast of meats and sweet-to-drink wine."

  508. 508

    Then godlike Theoclymenus said to him in turn:

  509. 509

    "And where, dear child, am I to go? Whose house am I to reach,

  510. 510

    among the men who hold sway over rugged Ithaca?

  511. 511

    Or shall I go straight to your mother and to your house?"

  512. 512

    Then wise Telemachus answered him in turn:

  513. 513

    "At any other time I would bid you go to our own home,

  514. 514

    for there is no lack of hospitality there; but for you yourself

  515. 515

    it would be worse, since I shall be away, and my mother will not

  516. 516

    see you; for she does not often show herself in the house

  517. 517

    among the suitors, but apart from them weaves at her loom upstairs.

  518. 518

    But I will name you another man whose house you might go to,

  519. 519

    Eurymachus, the shining son of wise Polybus,

  520. 520

    whom now the men of Ithaca look upon as a god;

  521. 521

    for he is by far the best man, and is most eager

  522. 522

    to marry my mother and to hold the honor of Odysseus.

  523. 523

    But Olympian Zeus, who dwells in the bright sky, knows these things,

  524. 524

    whether he will bring on them an evil day before the marriage."

  525. 525

    As he was speaking, a bird flew by on his right,

  526. 526

    a hawk, the swift messenger of Apollo; and in its talons

  527. 527

    it held a dove, plucking it, and shed the feathers to the ground

  528. 528

    midway between the ship and Telemachus himself.

  529. 529

    Then Theoclymenus, calling him apart from his comrades,

  530. 530

    clasped him by the hand, and spoke a word, and called him by name:

  531. 531

    "Telemachus, not without a god did that bird fly by on your right;

  532. 532

    for I knew, seeing it before my eyes, that it was a bird of omen.

  533. 533

    There is no other family more kingly than yours

  534. 534

    in the land of Ithaca; you will always be the mighty ones."

  535. 535

    Then wise Telemachus answered him in turn:

  536. 536

    "Would, stranger, that this word might be fulfilled;

  537. 537

    then you would soon know my friendship, and many gifts

  538. 538

    from me, so that anyone who met you would call you blessed."

  539. 539

    He spoke, and called to Peiraeus, his trusty comrade:

  540. 540

    "Peiraeus, son of Clytius, you above all the others

  541. 541

    obey me, of my comrades who followed me to Pylos;

  542. 542

    so now too take this stranger to your house

  543. 543

    and care for him kindly and honor him, until I come."

  544. 544

    Then Peiraeus, famed for his spear, answered him in turn:

  545. 545

    "Telemachus, even if you stay here a long time,

  546. 546

    I will take care of this man, and he shall have no lack of hospitality."

  547. 547

    So saying he went aboard the ship, and bade his comrades

  548. 548

    themselves embark and loose the stern-cables.

  549. 549

    And they at once went aboard and sat down at the oarlocks.

  550. 550

    Then Telemachus bound the fair sandals beneath his feet,

  551. 551

    and he took up his sturdy spear, tipped with sharp bronze,

  552. 552

    from the ship's deck; and they loosed the stern cables.

  553. 553

    They pushed off and sailed for the town, as he had ordered,

  554. 554

    Telemachus, dear son of godlike Odysseus;

  555. 555

    but his feet carried him swiftly striding on, until he reached the farmstead

  556. 556

    where his countless swine were, among which the swineherd

  557. 557

    good as he was, made his bed, loyal-hearted toward his masters.

The particulars

The text
Ὀδύσσεια, Homer. The Homecoming.
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Public-domain Greek (Homer, ancient; text via the Perseus Digital Library). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
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Two whoopie pies and a pine. An inside joke.