Book twenty of the Odyssey by Homer. The Odyssey, Book twenty. Ulysses
cannot sleep Penelope's prayer to Diana. The two signs from heaven, Eumaeus and
Felicius, arrive. The suitors dine. Tysippus throws an ox's foot at Ulysses,
the Oclemenus fortells disaster and leaves the house. Ulysses slept in the cloister
upon an undressed bullock's hide, on the top of which he threw several skins
of the sheep the suitors had eaten, and Urynymy threw a cloak over him.
After he had laid himself down there. Then Ulysses lay wakefully brooding upon
the way in which he should kill the suitors. And by and by the
women who had been in the habit of misconducting themselves with them, left the
house, giggling and laughing with one another. This made Ulysses very angry,
and he doubted whether to get up and kill every single one of them then
and there, or to let them sleep one more and last time with the
suitors. His heart growled within him, and as a bitch with puppies growls
and shows her teeth when she sees a stranger. So did his heart growl
with anger at the evil deeds that were being done. But he beat his
breast and said, heart, be still, you had worse than this to
bear on the day when the terrible cyclops ate your brave companions. Yet you
bore it in silence till your cunning got you safe out of the cave,
though you made sure of being killed. Thus he chided with his heart and
checked it into endurance. But he tossed about as one who turns a paunch
full of blood and fat in front of a hot fire, doing it first
on one side and then on the other, that he may get it cooked
as soon as possible. Even so did he turn himself about from side to
side, thinking all the time how single handed as he was, he should
contrive to kill so large a body of men as the wicked suitors. But
by and by Minerva came down from heaven in the likeness of a woman,
and hovered over his head, saying, my poor, unhappy man, why
do you lie awake in this way? This is your house. Your wife
is safe inside it, and so is your son, who is just such
a young man as any father may be proud of goddess, answered Ulysses.
All that you have said is true. But I am in some doubt as
to how I shall be able to kill these wicked suitors single handed, seeing
what a number of them there always are. And there is this further difficulty
which is still more considerable. Supposing that, with joves and your assistance,
I succeed in killing them, I must ask you to consider where I am
to escape to from their avengers when it is all over. For shame,
replied Minerva. Why anyone else would trust a worse ally than myself, even
though that ally were only immortal and less wise than I am? Am I
not a goddess? And have I not protected you throw out in all your
troubles. I tell you plainly that even though there were fifty bands of men
surrounding us and eager to kill us, you should take all their sheep and
cattle and drive them away with you. But go to sleep. It is
a very bad thing to lie awake all night, and you shall be out
of your troubles. Before long as she spoke, she shed sleep over his
eyes, and then went back to Olympus. While Ulysses was thus yielding himself
to a very deep slumber that eased the burden of his sorrows. His admirable
wife awoke, and, sitting up in her bed, began to cry.
When she had relieved herself by weeping, she prayed to Diana, saying,
Great Goddess Diana, daughter of Jove, drive an arrow into my heart and
slay me, or let some whirlwinds snatch me up and bear me through paths
of darkness till it dropped me into the mouths of overflowing oceanus as it did
the daughters of Pandareus. The daughters of Pandareus lost their father and mother,
for the gods killed them, so they were left orphans. But Venus took
care of them and fed them on cheese, honey, and sweet wine.
Juno taught them to excel all women in beauty, of form and understanding.
Diana gave them an imposing presence, and Minerva endowed them with every kind of
accomplishment. But one day, when Venus had gone up to Olympus to see
Jove about getting them married, for well does he know both what shall happen
and what not happen to everyone? The storm winds came and spirited them away
to become handmaids to the dread Arnes. Even so, I wished that the
gods who live in heaven would hide me from mortal sight, or that fair
Diana might strike me, for I would fain go even beneath the sad earth,
if I might do so, still looking towards Ulysses only, and without
having to yield myself to a worse man than he was. Besides, no
matter how much people may grieve by day, they can put up with it
so long as they can sleep at night. For when the eyes are closed
in slumber, people forget good and ill alike. Whereas my misery haunts me
even in my dreams. This very night, methought, there was one lying
by my side who was like Ulysses as he was when he went away with
his host. And I rejoiced, for I believe that it was no dream,
but the very truth itself. On this the day broke, but Ulysses
heard the sound of her weeping, and it puzzled him, for it seemed
as though she already knew him and was by his side. Then he gathered
up the cloak and the fleeces on which he had lain, and set them
on a seat in the cloister, but he took the bullock's hide out into
the open. He lifted up his hands to heaven and prayed, saying,
Father Jove, since you have seen fit to bring the overland and see to
my own home, after all the afflictions you have laid upon me, give
me a sign out of the mouth of some one or other of those who
are waking within the house, and let me have another sign of some kind
from outside. Thus did he pray. Jove heard his prayer, and forthwith
thundered high up among the clouds from the splendor of Olympus and Ulysses. Was
glad when he heard it. At the same time, within the house,
a middlewoman from hard By in the mill room lifted up her voice and gave
him another sign. There were twelve millerwomen whose business it was to grind wheat
and barley, which are the staff of life. The others had ground their
task and had gone to take their rest. But this one had not yet
finished, for she was not so strong as they were, and when she
heard the thunder, she stopped grinding and gave the sign to her master.
Father Jove said, she, you who rule over heaven and earth. You
have thundered from a clear sky without so much as a cloud in it,
and this means something for somebody. Grant the prayer then of me, your
poor servant, who calls upon you, and let this be the very last
day that the suitors dine in the house of Ulysses. They have worn me
out with labor of grinding meal for them, and I hope they may never
have another dinner anywhere at all. Ulysses was glad when he heard the omens
convey to him by the woman's speech and by the thunder, for he knew
they meant that he should avenge himself on the suitors. Then the other maids
in the house rose and lit the fire on the hearth. Telemachus also rose
and put on his clothes. He girded his sword about his shoulder, bound
his sandals on to his comely feet, and took a doughty spear with a
point of sharpened bronze. Then he went to the threshold of the cloister and
said to Eurycleia, nurse, did you make the stranger comfortable both as regards
bed and board, or did you let him shift for himself? For my
mother good woman, though she is, has a way of paying great attention
to second great people, and of neglecting others who are in reality much better.
Men do not find fault, child, said Eurycleia, when there is
no one to find fault with. The stranger sat and drank his wine as
long as he liked. Your mother did ask him if he would take any
more bread, and he said he would not. When he wanted to go
to bed, she told the servants to make one for him, But he
said he was such a wretched outcast that he would not sleep on a bed
and under blankets. He insisted on having an undressed bullock's hide and some sheepskins
put for him in the cloister, And I threw a cloak over him myself.
Then Telemachus went out of the court to the place where the Achaeans were
meeting an assembly. He had his spear in his hand, and he was
not alone, for his two dogs went with him. But Eurycleia called the
maids and said, come wake up, set a us, sweeping the cloisters
and sprinkling them with water, to lay the dust, put the covers on
the seats. Why down the table, some of you with a wet sponge,
clean out the mixing jugs and the cups, and go for water from
them fountain. At once. The suitors will be here directly. They will
be here early, for it is a feast day. Thus did she speak,
and they did even as she had said. Twenty of them went to
the fountain for water, and the others set themselves busily to work about the
house. The men who were in attendance on the suitors also came up and
began chopping firewood. By and by the women returned from the fountain, and
the swineherd came after them with the three best pigs he could pick out.
These he let feed about the premises. And then he said, good humoredly
to Ulysses, stranger, are the suitors treating you any better now? Or
are they as insolent as ever? May heaven? Answered Ulysses, requite to
them the wickedness with which they deal high handily in another man's house, without
any sense of shame. Thus did they converse. Meanwhile, Melanthius the goatherd
came up, for he too was bringing in his best goats for the suitor's
dinner, and he had two shepherds with him they tied the goats up under
the gate house, and then Melanthius began gibing at Ulysses. Are you still
here, stranger? Said he to pester people by begging about the house.
Why can you not go elsewhere? You and I shall not come to an
understanding before we have given each other a taste of our fists. You beg
without any sense of decency? Are there not feasts elsewhere among the Achaeans as
well as here? Ulysses made no answer, but bowed his head and brooded.
Then a third man, Felicius, joined them, who was bringing in
a barren heifer and some goats. These were brought over by the boatmen,
who were there to take people over when any one comes to them. So
Felicius made his heifer and his goats secure under the gate house, and then
went up to the swineherd, who swineherd said, he is this stranger that
is lately come here? Is he one of your men? What is his
family? Where does he come from? Poor fellow? He looks as if
he had been some great man. But the gods give sorrow to whom they
will, even to kings, if it so pleases them, as he spoke,
He went up to Ulysses and saluted him with his right hand. Good
day to you, father, Stranger, said he. You seem to be
very poorly off now, but I hope you'll have better times by and by
Father Jove, of all the gods, you are the most malicious. We
are your own children, yet you show us no mercy in all our misery
and afflictions. A sweat came over me when I saw this man, and
my eyes filled with tears, for he reminds me of Ulysses, who I
fear is going about in just such rags as this man's are, if indeed
he is still among the living, if he is already dead and in the
house of Hades, then alas for my good master, who made me his
stockmen when I was quite young among the Cephalenians, and now his cattle are
countless, no one could have done better with them than I have, for
they have bread like ears of corn. Nevertheless, I have to keep bringing
them in for others to eat, who take no heed to his son,
though he is in the house, and fear not the wrath of heaven,
but are already eager to divide ulysses property among them because he has been away
so long, I have often thought only it would not be right while his
son is living, of giving off with the cattle to some foreign country.
Bad as this would be, it is still harder to stay here and be
ill treated about other people's herds. My position is intolerable, and I should
long since have run away and put myself under the protection of some other chief.
Only that I believe my poor master will yet return and send all these
suitors flying out of the house. Stockman answered, Ulysses, you seem to
be a very well disposed person, and I can see that you are a
man of sense. Therefore I will tell you, and will confirm my words
with an oath by Jove, the chief of all gods, and by that
heart of Ulysses, to which I am now come. Ulysses shall return before
you leave this place, and if you are so minded, you shall see
him killing the suitors who are now masters here. If Jove were to bring
this to pass, replied the stockman, you should see how I would do
my very utmost to help him. And in like manner, Eumaeus prayed that
Ulysses might return home. Thus did they converse. Meanwhile, the suitors were
hatching a plot to murder Telemachus. But a bird flew near them on their
left hand, an eagle with a dove in its talents. On this,
Amphinomus said, my friends, this plot of ours to murder Telemachus will not
succes eat. Let us go to dinner instead. The others assented, so
they went inside and laid their cloaks on the benches and seats. They sacrificed
the sheep, goats, pigs, and the heifer, and when the inward
meats were cooked, they served them round. They mixed the wine in the
mixing bowls, and the swineherd gave every man his cup, while Felecius handed
round the bread in the bread baskets, and Melantheus poured them out their wine.
Then they laid their hands upon the good things that were before them.
Telemachus purposely made Ulysses sit in the part of the cloister that was paved with
stone. He gave him a shabby looking seat at a little table to himself,
and had his portion of the inward meats brought to him, with his
wine in a gold cup. Sit there, said he, and drink your
wine among the great people. I will put a stop to the jives and
blows of the suitors, for this is no public house, but belongs to
Ulysses, and has passed from him to me. Therefore, Suitor, keep
your hands and your tongues to yourselves, or there will be mischief. The
suitors bit their lips and marveled at the boldness of his speech. Then Antonus
said, we do not like such language, but we will put up with
it, for Telemachus is threatening us in good earnest. If Jove had led
us, we should have put us stop to his brave talk. Ere Now,
thus spoke Antonus, but Telemachus heeded him not. Meanwhile, the heralds
were bringing the Holy hecatomb through the city, and the Achaeans gathered under the
shady grove of Apollo. Then they rose to the outer meet, drew it
off the spits, gave every man his portion, and feasted to their heart's
content. Those who waited at table gave Ulysses exactly the same portion as the
others had, for Telemachus had told them to do so. But Minerva would
not let the suitors for one moment drop their insolence, for she wanted Ulysses
to become still more bitter against them. Now there happened to be among them
a ribbled fellow, whose name was Tusippus, and who came from Sammi.
This man, confident in his great wealth, was paying court to the wife
of Ulysses, and said to the suitors, hear what I have to say.
The stranger has already had as large a portion as anyone else. This
is well, but it is not right nor reasonable to ill treat any guest
of Telemachus who comes here. I will, however, make him a present
on my own account, that he may have something to give the bath woman
or to some other of ulysses servants. As he spoke, he picked up
a heifer's foot from the meat basket in which it lay, and threw it
at Ulysses. But Ulysses turned his head a little aside and avoided it,
smiling grimly Sardinian fashion as he did so, and it hit the wall,
not him. On this Telemachus spoke fiercely to Tusippus. It is a good
thing for you, said he, that the stranger turned his head so that
missed him. If you had hit him, I should have run you through
with my spear and your father would have had to see about getting you buried
rather than married in this house. So let me have no more unseemly behavior
from any of you, for I am grown up now to the knowledge of
good and evil and understand what is going on, instead of being the child
that I have been. Heretofore, I have long seen you killing my sheep
and making free with my corn and wine. I have put up with this,
for one man is no match for many. But do me no further
violence. Still, if you wish to kill me, kill me. I
would far rather die than see such disgraceful scenes. Day after day, guests
insulted, and men dragging the women's servants about the house in an unseemly way.
They all held their peace till at last a jealous son of Damaster said,
no one should take offense at what has just been said, nor gainsay
it, for it is quite reasonable. Leave off therefore, ill treating the
stranger or any one else of the servants who are about the house. I
would say, however, a friendly word to Telemachus and his mother, which
I trust may command itself to both, as long, I would say,
as you had ground for hoping that Ulysses would one day come home. No
one could complain of your waiting and suffering the suitors to be in your house.
It would have been better that he should have returned, but it is
now sufficiently clear that he will never do so. Therefore, talk all this
quietly over with your mother, and tell her to marry the best man and
the one who makes her the most advantageous offer. Thus you will yourself be
able to manage your own inheritance and to eat and drink in peace, while
your mother will look after some other man's house, not yours. To this,
Telemachus answered, by jove Agellius, and by the sorrows of my unhappy
father, who has either perished far from Ithaca, or as wandering in some
distant land. I throw no obstacle in the way of my mother's marriage.
On the contrary, I urge her to choose whomsoever she will, and I
will give her numberless gifts into the bargain. But I dare not insist point
blank that she shall leave the house against her own wishes. Heaven forbid that
I should do this. Minerva now made the suitors fall to laughing. Immoderately
had set their wits wandering, but they were laughing with a forest laughter.
Their meat became smeared with blood, their eyes filled with tears, and their
hearts were heavy with forebodings. Theoclemenus saw this and said, unhappy men,
what is it that ails you? There is a shroud of darkness drawn over
you from head to foot. Your cheeks are wet with tears. The air
is alive with wailing voices. The walls and roof beams drip blood. The
gait of the cloisters, and the court beyond them are full of ghosts trooping
down into the night of hell. The sun is blotted out of heaven,
and a blinding gloom is over all the land. Thus did he speak,
and the all of them laughed heartily. Eurymachus then said, this stranger who
has lately come here has lost his senses. Servants turn him out into the
streets, since he finds it so dark here. But Theoclemenus said, Eurymachus,
you need not send anyone with me. I have eyes, ears,
and a pair of feet of my own, to say nothing of an understanding
mind. I will take these out of the house with me, for I
see mischief overhanging you, from which not one of you men who are insulting
people and plotting ill deeds in the house of Ulysses, will be able to
escape. He left the house as he spoke and went back to Pireus,
who gave him welcome. But the suitors kept looking at one another and provoking
Telemachus by laughing at the strangers. One insolent fellow said to him, Telemachus,
you are not happy in your guests. First, you have this importunate
tramp who comes begging bread and wine, and has no skill for work or
for hard fighting, but is perfectly useless. And now here is another fellow
who is setting himself up as a prophet. Let me persuade you, for
it will be much better to put them on board ship and send them off
to the Sisles to sell for what they will bring. Telemachus gave him no
heed, but sat silently watching his father, expecting every moment that he would
begin his attack upon the suitors. Meanwhile, the daughter of Acarious Wise,
Penelope, had had a rich seat placed for her, facing the court and
the cloisters, so that she could hear what everyone was saying. The dinner
indeed had been prepared amid much merriment. It had been both good and abundant,
for they had sacrificed many victims. But the supper was yet to come.
And nothing can be conceived more gruesome than the meal which a goddess and
a brave man were soon to lay before them, For they had brought their
doom upon themselves. End of Book twenty