Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Reading by Robin Cotter, Toronto, Ontario,
October two thousand six. The Odyssey by Homer, translated by
Samuel Butler, Book sixteen. Ulysses reveals himself to Telemachus. Meanwhile,
Ulysses and the swineherd had lit a fire in the
hut and were getting breakfast ready at daybreak, for they
had sent the men out with the pigs. When Telemachus
came up, the dogs did not bark, but fawned upon him.
So Ulysses, hearing the sound of feet, and noticing that
the dogs did not bark, said to you, Maus Eumaeus,
I hear footsteps. I suppose one of your men, or
some one of your acquaintance is coming here, for the
dogs are fawning upon him and not barking. The words
were hardly out of his mouth before his son stood
at the door. Eumaeus sprang to his feet, and the
bulls in which he was mixing wine fell from his hands.
As he made towards his master. He kissed his head
and both his beautiful eyes and wept for joy. A
father could not be more delighted at the return of
an only son, the child of his old age, after
ten years absence in a foreign country, and after having
gone through much hardship. He embraced him, kissed him all
over as though he had come back from the dead,
and spoke fondly to him, saying, so you were come, Telemachus.
Light of my eyes, that you are. When I heard
you had gone to Pylos, I made sure I was
never going to see you any more. Come in, my
dear child, and sit down, that I may have a
good look at you. Now you are home again. It
is not very often you come into the country to
see us herdsmen. You stick pretty close to the town generally.
I suppose you think it better to keep an eye
on what the suitors are doing. So be it, old friend,
answered Telemachus. But I am come now because I want
to see you, and to learn whether my mother is
still at her old home, or whether some one else
has married her. So that the bed of Ulysses is
without bedding and covered with cobwebs, she is still at
the house, replied Eumaeus, grieving and breaking her heart and
doing nothing but weep both night and day continually. As
he spoke, he took Telemachus's spear. Whereon he crossed the
stone threshold and came inside. Ulysses rose from his seat
to give him place as he entered, but Telemachus checked him.
Sit down. Stranger said he, I can easily find another seat,
and there is one here who will lay it for me.
Ulysses went back to his own place, and Eumaeus strewed
some green brushwood on the floor and threw a sheepskin
on top of it for Telemachus to sit upon. Then
the swine herd brought them platters of cold meat, the
remains from what they had eaten the day before, and
he filled the bread baskets with bread as fast as
he could. He mixed wine alto in bowls of ivy wood,
and took his seat facing Ulysses. Then they laid their
hands on the good things that were before them, And
as soon as they had had enough to eat and drink,
Telemachus said to Eumaeus, old friend, where does this stranger
come from? How did his crew bring him to Ithaca?
And who were they? For? Assuredly he did not come
here by land to this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus,
my son, I will tell you the real truth. He
says he is a Cretan, and that he has been
a great traveler. At this moment he is running away
from a Thesparotian ship and has taken refuge at my station.
So I will put him into your hands. Do whatever
you like with him, only remember that he is yours suppliant.
I am very much distressed, said Telemachus by what you
have just told me. How can I take this stranger
into my house? I am as yet young, and am
not strong enough to hold my own if any man
attacks me. My mother cannot make up her mind whether
to stay where she is and look after the house
out of respect for public opinion and the memory of
her husband, or whether the time is now come for
her to take the best man of those who are
wooing her, and the one who will make her the
most advantageous offer. Ill as the stranger has come to
your station, I will find him a cloak and shirt
of good wear, with the sword and sandals, and will
send him wherever he wants to go, or, if you like,
you can keep him here at the station, and I
will send him clothes and food that he may be
no burden on you and on your men. But I
will not have him go near the suitors, for they
are very insolent and are sure to ill treat him
in a way that would greatly grieve me. No matter
how valiant a man may be, he can do nothing
against numbers, for they will be too strong for him. Then,
Ulysses said, sir, it is right that I should say
something myself. I am much shocked about what you have
said about the insolent way in which the suitors are
behaving in despite of such a man as you are.
Tell me, do you submit to such treatment tamely? Or
has some God set your people against you? May you
not complain of your brothers, for it is to these
that a man may look for support, however great his
quarrel may be. I wish I were as young as
you are, and in my present mind, if I were
son to Ulysses, or indeed Ulysses himself, I would rather
some one came and cut my head off. But I
would go to the house and be the bane of
every one of these men if they were too many
for me. I, being single, handed, I would rather die
fighting in my own house than see such disgraceful sights
day after day, strangers grossly maltreated, and men dragging the
women servants about the house in an unseemly way, wine
drawn recklessly, and bread wasted, all to no purpose, for
an end that shall never be accomplished. And Telemachus answered,
I will tell you truly everything. There is no enmity
between me and my people. Nor can I complain of
brothers to whom a man may look for support, however
great his quarrel may be. Jove has made us a
race of only sons. Laertes was the only son of
Archisius and Ulysses, only son of Laertes. I am myself
the only son of Ulysses, who left me behind him
when he went away, so that I have never been
of any use to him. Hence it comes that my
house is in the hands of numberless marauders. For the
chiefs from all the neighboring islands dulaquiem sameh zacynthus as
also all the principal men of Ithaca itself are eating
at my house under the pretext of paying court to
my mother, who will neither say point blank that she
will not marry nor yet bring matters to an end.
So they are making havoc of my estate, and before
long will do so with myself into the bargain. The issue, however,
rests with heaven. But do you, old friend Eumaeus, go
at once and tell Penelope that I am safe and
have returned from Pylos. Tell it to herself alone, and
then come back here without letting any one else know,
For there are many who are plotting mischief against me.
I understand and heed, you, replied, Eumaeus, You need instruct
me no further. Only I am going that way. Say
whether I had not better let poor lair Tees know
that you are returned. He used to superintend the work
on his farm in spite of his bitter sorrow about Ulysses,
and he would eat and drink at will along with
his servants. But they tell me that from the day
on which you set out for Pilos, he is neither
eaten nor drunk as he ought to do. Nor does
he look after his farm, but sits weeping and wasting
the flesh from off his bones. More's the pity, answered Telemachus.
I am sorry for him, But we must leave him
to himself just now. If people could have everything their
own way, the first thing I should choose would be
the return of my father. But go and give your message.
Then make haste back again, and do not turn out
of your way to tell Laertes. Tell my mother to
send one of her women secretly with the news at once,
and let him hear it from her. Thus did he
urge the swineherd. Eumaeus therefore took his sandals, bound them
to his feet, and started for the town. Minerva watched
him well off the station, and then came up to
it in the form of a woman fair, stately and wise.
She stood against the side of the entry, and revealed
herself to Ulysses. But Telemachus could not see her and
knew not that she was there, for the gods do
not let themselves be seen by everybody. Ulysses saw her,
and so did the dogs, for they did not bark,
but went scared and whining off to the other side
of the yards. She nodded her head and motioned to
Ulysses with her eyebrows, whereon he left the hut and
stood before her outside the main wall of the yards.
Then she said to him, Ulysses, noble son of Laerties,
it is now time for you to tell your son,
do not keep him in the dark any longer, but
lay your plans for the destruction of the suitors, and
then make for the town. I will not be long
in joining you, for I am too eager for the fray.
As she spoke, she touched him with her golden wand
first she threw a fair, clean shirt and cloak about
his shoulders. Then she made him younger and of more
imposing presents. She gave him back his color, filled out
his cheeks, and let his beard be dark again. Then
she went away, and Ulysses came back inside the hut.
His son was astounded when he saw him, and turned
his eyes away for fear he might be looking upon
a god stranger. Said he, how suddenly you have changed
from what you were a moment or two ago. You
were dressed differently, and your color is not the same.
Are you some one or other of the gods that
live in heaven? If so, be propitious to me till
I can make you do sacrifice and offerings of wrought gold.
Have mercy upon me, And Ulysses said, I am no God,
why should you take me for one? I am your father,
on whose account you grieve and suffer so much at
the hands of lawless men. As he spoke, he kissed
his son, and a tear fell from his cheek on
to the ground, for he had restrained all tears till now.
But tell Amak could not yet believe that it was
his father, and said, you are not my father, But
some God is flattering me with vain hopes that I
may grieve the more hereafter, No mortal man could have
himself contrived to do as you have been doing and
make yourself old and young at a moment's notice, unless
a god were with him. A second ago you were
old and all in rags, and now you are like
some god come down from heaven. Ulysses answered Telemachus. You
ought not to be so immeasurably astounded at my being
really here. There is no other Ulysses who will come
hereafter such as I am. It is I who, after
long wandering and much hardship, have got home in the
twentieth year to my own country. What you wonder at
is the work of the redoubtable goddess Minerva, who does
with me whatever she will, for she can do which
she pleases. At one moment she makes me like a beggar,
and the next I am a young man with good
clothes on my back. It is an easy matter for
the gods who live in heaven to make any man
look either rich or poor. As he spoke, he sat down,
and Telemachus threw his arms about his father and wept.
They were both so much moved that they cried aloud,
like eagles or vultures with crooked talons that have been
robbed of their half fledged young by peasants. Thus piteously
did they weep, and the sun would have gone down
upon their morning if Telemachus had not suddenly said, in
what ship, my dear father, did your crew bring you
to Ithaca? Of what nation did they declare themselves to be?
For you cannot have come by land. I will tell
you the truth, my son replied, Ulysses. It was the
Phaeacians who brought me here. They are great sailors and
are in the habit of giving escorts to any one
who reaches their coasts. They took me over the sea
while I was fast asleep, and landed me in Ithaca,
after giving me many presents in bronze, gold and raiment.
These things, by Heaven's mercy, are lying concealed in a cave.
And I am now come here on the suggestion of Minerva,
that we may consult about killing our enemies. First, therefore,
let me give a list of the suitors with their number,
that I may learn who and how many they are.
I can then turn the matter over in my mind
and see whether we two can fight the whole body
of them ourselves, or whether we must find others to
help us to this. Telemachus answered, father, I have always
heard of your renown, both in the field and in council.
But the task you talk of is a very great one.
I am all at the mere thought of it. Two
men cannot stand against many and brave ones. There are
not ten suitors only, nor twice ten, but ten many
times over. You shall learn their number at once. There
are fifty two chosen youths from Dulichium, and they have
six servants from sameh There are twenty four twenty young
Achaeans from Zacynthus, and twelve from Ithaca itself, all of
them well born. They have with them the servant Medon
a bard, and two men who can carve at table.
If we face such numbers as this, you may have
bitter cause to rue your coming and your revenge. See
whether you cannot think of some one who would be
willing to come and help us. Listen to me, replied Ulysses,
and think whether Minerva and her father Jove may seem sufficient,
or whether I am to try and find some one
out else as well. Those whom you have named, answered Telemachus,
are a couple of good allies. For though they dwell
high up among the clouds, they have power over both
gods and men. These two, continued Ulysses, will not keep
long out of the fray when the suitors and we
join the fight in my house. Now, therefore, return home
early tomorrow morning, and go about among the suitors as before.
Later on the swineherd will bring me to the city
disguised as a miserable old beggar. If you see them
ill treating me, steal your heart against my sufferings. Even
though they drag me feet foremost out of the house
or throw things at me, look on and do nothing
beyond gently trying to make them behave more reasonably. But
they will not listen to you, for the day of
their reckoning is at hand. Furthermore, I say, and lay
my saying to your heart. When Minerva shall put it
in my mind, I will gnad my head to you.
And on seeing me do this, you must collect all
the armor that is in the house and hide it
in the strong store room. Make some excuse when the
suitors ask you why you are removing it. Say that
you have taken it to be out of the way
of the smoke, inasmuch as it is no longer what
it was when Ulysses went away, but has become soiled
and be grimed with soot. Add to this more particularly
that you are afraid Jove may set them on to
quarrel over their wine, and that they may do each
other some harm, which may disgrace both Banquet and Wooing,
for the sight of arms sometimes tempts people to use them.
But leave a sword and a spear apiece for yourself
and me, and a couple ox hide shields, so that
we can snatch them up at any moment. Jove and
Minerva will then soon quiet these people. There is also
another matter. If you are indeed my son, and my
blood runs in your veins, let no one know that
Ulysses is within the house, neither lairties, nor yet the swineherd,
nor any of the servants, nor even Penelope herself. Let
you and me exploit the women alone, and let us
also make trial of some other of the men's servants,
to see who is on our side and whose hand
is against us. Father replied Telemachus. You will come to
know me by and by, and when you do, you
will find that I can keep your counsel. I do
not think, however, the plan you propose will turn it
well for either of us. Think it over. It will
take us a long time to go the round of
farms and exploit the men, and all the time the
suitors will be wasting your estate with impunity and without compunction.
Prove the women by all means to see who are
disloyal and who guiltless. But I am not in favor
of going round and trying the men. We can intend
to that later on, if you really have some sign
from Jove that he will support you. Thus they did converse,
And meanwhile, the ship which had brought Telemachus and his
crew from Pylos had reached the town of Ithaca. When
they had come inside the harbor. They drew the ship
on to the land. Their servants came and took their
armor from them, and they left all the presents at
the house of Clytius. Then they sent a servant to
tell Penelope that Telemachus had gone into the country, but
had sent the ship to the town to prevent her
from being alarmed and made unhappy. This servant and Eumaeus
happened to meet when they were both on the same
errand of going to tell Penelope. When they reached the house,
the servants stood up and said to the queen, in
the presence of the waiting women, your son, Madam, is
now returned from Pylos. But Eumaeus went close up to
Penelope and said privately all that her son had bidden
him tell her. When he had given his message, he
left the house with his out buildings and went back
to his pigs again. The suitors were surprised and angry
at what had happened, so they went outside the great
wall that ran round the outer court and held a
council near the main entrance. Eurymachus, son of Polybus, was
the first to speak. My friends, said he this voyage
of Telemachus's is a very serious matter. We had made
sure that it would come to nothing. Now, however, let
us draw a ship into the water and get a
crew together to send after the others, and tell them
to come back as fast as they can. He had
hardly done speaking when Amphinomus turned in his place and
saw the ship inside the harbor, with the crew lowering
her sails and putting by their oars. So he laughed
and said to the others, we need not send them
any message, for they are here. Some god must have
told them or else. They saw the ship go by
and could not overtake her. On this they rose and
went to the water side. The crew then drew the
ship on shore. Their servants took their armor from them,
and they went up in a body to the place
of assembly. But they would not let any one old
or young, sit along with them. And Antonus, son of Eupathus,
spoke first. Good heavens, said he see how the gods
have saved this man from destruction. We kept a succession
of scouts upon the headlands all day long, and when
the sun was down, we never went on shore to sleep,
but waited in the ship all night till morning, in
the hope of capturing and killing him. But some God
has conveyed him home in spite of us. Let us
consider how we can make an end of him. He
must not escape us. Our affair is never likely to
come off while he is alive, for he is very shrewd,
and public feeling is by no means all on our side.
We must make haste before he can call the Achaeans
and assembly. He will lose no time in doing so,
for he will be furious with us, and will tell
all the world how we plotted to kill him but
failed to take him. The people will not like this
when they come to know of it. We must see
that they do us no hurt, nor drive us from
our own country into exile. Let us try and lay
hold of him, either on his farm away from the town,
or on the road hither. Then we can divide up
his property amongst us, and let his mother and the
man who marries her have the house. If this does
not please you, and you wish Telemachus to live on
and hold his father's property, then we must not gather
here and eat up his goods in this way, but
must make our offers to Penelope each from his own house,
and she can marry the man who will give the
most for her her and whose lot it is to
win her. They all held her peace until Lamphinimus rose
to speak. He was the son of Nysus, who was
the son to King Ereteus, and he was foremost among
all the suitors, from the wheat growing and well grassed
island of duluchiem His conversation, moreover, was more agreeable to
Penelope than that of any of the other suitors, for
he was a man of good natural disposition. My friends said,
he speaking to them plainly and in all honesty. I
am not in favor of killing Telemachus. It is a
heinous thing to kill one who is of noble blood.
Let us first take counsel of the gods, and if
the oracles of Jove advise it, I will both help
to kill him myself, and will urge every one else
to do so. But if they dissuade us, I would
have you hold your hands. Thus did he speak, and
his words pleased them. So they rose forthwith and went
to the house of Ulysses, where they took their accustomed seats.
Then Penelope resolved that she would show herself to the suitors.
She knew of the plot against Telemachus, for the servant
Medon had overheard their councils and had told her. She
went down therefore to the court, attended by her maidens,
and when she reached the suitors, she stood by one
of the bearing posts supporting the roof of the cloister,
holding a veil before her face, and rebuked Antonus, saying, Antonus,
insolent and wicked schemer. They say you are the best
speaker and counselor of any man your own age in Ithaca,
but you are nothing of the kind madman. Why should
you try to compass the death of Telemachus and take
no heed of suppliants whose witness is Jove himself. It
is not right for you to plot thus against one another.
Do you not remember how your father fled to this
in fear of the people who were enraged against him
for having gone with some Taffian pirates and plundered the
Thesprotians who were at peace with us. They wanted to
tear him in pieces and eat up everything he had,
but Ulysses stayed their hands although they were infuriated. And
now you devour his property without paying for it, and
break my heart by wooing his wife and trying to
kill his son. Leave off doing so, and stop the others.
Also to this, Eurymachus, son of Pollybus, answered, take heart,
Queen Penelope, daughter of Vicarius, and do not trouble yourself
about these matters. The man is not yet born, nor
never will be, who shall lay hands upon your son, Telemachus.
While I yet live to look upon the face of
the earth, I say, and it shall surely be that
my spear shall be reddened with his blood. For many
a time his Ulysses taken me on his knees, held
wine up to my lips to drink, and put pieces
of meat into my hands. Therefore, Telemachus is much the
dearest friend I have, and has nothing to fear from
the hands of us suitors. Of course, if death comes
to him from the gods, he cannot escape it. He
said this to quiet her, but in reality he was
plotting against Telemachus. Then Penelope went upstairs again and mourned
her husband till Minerva sed sleep over her eyes. In
the evening, Eumaeus got back to Ulysses and his son,
who had just sacrificed a young pig of a year old,
and were helping one another to get supper ready. Minerva
therefore came up to Ulysses, turned him into an old
man with a stroke of her wand and clad him
in his old clothes again for fear that the swineherd
might recognize him and not keep the secret. But go
and tell Penelope. Telemachus was the first to speak. So
you have got back, Eumaeus, said he. What is the
news of the town. Had the suitors returned or are
they still waiting over yonder to take me on my
way home. I did not think of asking about that,
replied Eumaeus. When I was in the town, I thought
I would give my message and come back as soon
as I could. I met a man sent by those
who had gone with you to Pylos, and he was
the first to tell the news to your mother. But
I can say what I saw with my own eyes.
I had just got on to the crest of the
hill of Mercury, above the town, when I saw a
ship coming into harbor with a number of men in her.
They had many shields and spears, and I thought it
was the Suitors, But I cannot be sure. On Hearing this,
Telemachus smiled to his father, but so that Eumaeus could
not see him. Then, when they had finished their work
and the meal was ready, they ate it, and every
man had his full share, so that all were satisfied.
As soon as they had had an to eat and drink,
they lay down to rest and enjoyed the boon of sleep.
End of Book sixteen