Speaker 1: Book fifteen of the Odyssey by Homer, translated by Samuel Butler.
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Odyssey
Speaker 1: Book fifteen Minerva summons Telemachus from Lacedemon. He meets with
Speaker 1: Theoclymenus at Pylos and brings him to Ithaca. On landing,
Speaker 1: he goes to the hut of Eumaeus. But Minerva went
Speaker 1: to the fair city of Lacedemon to tell Ulysses son
Speaker 1: that he was to return at once. She found him
Speaker 1: in Pisistratus, sleeping in the forecourt of Menelaeus's house. Pisistratus
Speaker 1: was fast asleep, but Telemachus could get no rest all
Speaker 1: night for thinking of his unhappy father. So Minerva went
Speaker 1: close up to him and said, Telemachus, you should not
Speaker 1: remain so far away from home any longer, nor leave
Speaker 1: your property with such dangerous people in your house. They
Speaker 1: will eat up everything you have among them, and you
Speaker 1: will have been on a fool's Errand ask Menelaus to
Speaker 1: send you home at once if he wished to find
Speaker 1: your excellent mother still there. When you get back, her
Speaker 1: father and brothers are already urging her to marry Euymicus.
Speaker 1: Who has given her more than any of the others,
Speaker 1: and has been greatly increasing his wedding presents. I hope
Speaker 1: nothing valuable may be taken from the house in spite
Speaker 1: of you. But you know what women are. They always
Speaker 1: want to do the best they can for the man
Speaker 1: who marries them, and never give another thought to the
Speaker 1: children of their first husband, nor to their father, either
Speaker 1: when he is dead and done with. Go home, therefore,
Speaker 1: and put everything in charge of the most respectable woman
Speaker 1: servant that you have, until it shall please Heaven to
Speaker 1: send you a wife of your own. Let me tell
Speaker 1: you also of another matter which you had better attend to.
Speaker 1: The chief men among the suitors are lying in wait
Speaker 1: for you in the strait between Ithaca and Samos, and
Speaker 1: they mean to kill you before you can reach home.
Speaker 1: I do not much think they will succeed. It is
Speaker 1: more likely that some of those who are now eating
Speaker 1: up your property will find a grave themselves. Sail night
Speaker 1: and day, and keep your shapes well away from the islands.
Speaker 1: The God who watches over you and protects you, will
Speaker 1: send you a fair wind as soon as you get
Speaker 1: to Ithaca. Send your ship and men on to the town.
Speaker 1: But yourself go straight to the swineherd, who has charge
Speaker 1: of your pigs. He is well disposed towards you. Stay
Speaker 1: with him therefore for the night, and then send him
Speaker 1: to Penelope to tell her that you have got back
Speaker 1: safe from Pylos. Then she went back to Olympus. But
Speaker 1: Telemachus stirred Pisistratus with his heel to rouse him, and said,
Speaker 1: wake up, Pisistratus, and yoke the horses to the chariot,
Speaker 1: for we must set off home. But Pisistratus said, no
Speaker 1: matter what hurry we are in, we cannot drive in
Speaker 1: the dark. It will be morning soon. Wait till Menelaeus
Speaker 1: has brought his presence, and put them in the chariot
Speaker 1: for us, and then let him say good bye to
Speaker 1: us in the usual way. So long as he lives,
Speaker 1: a guest should never forget a host who has shown
Speaker 1: him kindness. As he spoke, day began to break, and Menelaeus,
Speaker 1: who had already risen, leaving Helen in bed, came towards them.
Speaker 1: When Telemachus saw him, he put on his shirt as
Speaker 1: fast as he could, threw a great cloak over his shoulders,
Speaker 1: and went out to meet him. Menelaus said, he let
Speaker 1: me go back now to my own country, for I
Speaker 1: want to go home, Aunt Menelaus, answered Telemachus. If you
Speaker 1: insist on going, I will not detain you. I do
Speaker 1: not like to see a host either too fond of
Speaker 1: his guest or too rude to him. Moderation is best
Speaker 1: in all things, and not letting a man go when
Speaker 1: he wants to do so is as bad as telling
Speaker 1: him to go if he would like to stay. One
Speaker 1: should treat a guest well as long as he is
Speaker 1: in the house, and speed him when he wants to
Speaker 1: leave it. Wait then till I get your beautiful presents
Speaker 1: into your chariot. Until you have yourself seen them, I
Speaker 1: will tell the women to prepare a sufficient dinner for you,
Speaker 1: of what there may be in the house. It will
Speaker 1: be at once more proper and cheaper for you to
Speaker 1: get your dinner before setting out on such a long journey.
Speaker 1: If moreover you have a fancy for making a tour
Speaker 1: in Hellas or in the Peloponnese, I will yoke my
Speaker 1: horses and will conduct you myself through all our principal cities.
Speaker 1: No one will send us away empty handed. Every one
Speaker 1: will give us something a bronze tripod, a couple of mules,
Speaker 1: or a gold cup. Menelaus replied, Telemachus, I want to
Speaker 1: go home at once, for when I came away, I
Speaker 1: left my property without protection, and fear that while looking
Speaker 1: for my father, I shall come to ruin myself or
Speaker 1: find that something valuable has been stolen during my absence.
Speaker 1: When Menelaeus heard this, he immediately told his wife and
Speaker 1: servants to prepare us a fish in dinner from what
Speaker 1: there might be in the house. At this moment, Etionius
Speaker 1: joined him, for he lived close by and had just
Speaker 1: got up, So Menelaus told him to light the fire
Speaker 1: and cook some meat, which he at once did. Then
Speaker 1: Menelaeus went down into his fragrant storeroom, not alone, but
Speaker 1: Helen went too with Megapenthes. When he reached the place
Speaker 1: where the treasures of his house were kept, he selected
Speaker 1: a double cup and told his son Megapenthes to bring
Speaker 1: also a silver mixing bowl. Meanwhile, Helen went to the
Speaker 1: chest where she kept the lovely dresses which she had
Speaker 1: made with her own hands, and took out one that
Speaker 1: was largest and most beautifully enriched with embroidery. It glittered
Speaker 1: like a star and lay at the very bottom of
Speaker 1: the chest. Then they all came back through the house
Speaker 1: again till they got to Telemachus, and Meneleu said, Telemachus
Speaker 1: made Jove, the mighty husband of Juno, bring you safely
Speaker 1: home according to your desire. I will now present you
Speaker 1: with the finest and most precious piece of plate in
Speaker 1: all my house. It is a mixing bowl of pure silver,
Speaker 1: except the rim, which is inlaid with gold, and is
Speaker 1: the work of Vulcan. Fadimus, king of the Sedonians, made
Speaker 1: me a present of it in the course of a
Speaker 1: visit that I paid him while I was on my
Speaker 1: return home. I should like to give it to you
Speaker 1: With these words, He placed the double cup the hands
Speaker 1: of Telemachus, while Megapenthes brought the beautiful mixing bowl and
Speaker 1: set it before him. Hard By stood lovely Helen, with
Speaker 1: the robe ready in her hand. I too, my son, said,
Speaker 1: she have something for you as a keepsake from the
Speaker 1: hand of Helen. It is for your bride to wear
Speaker 1: upon her wedding day. Till then get your dear mother
Speaker 1: to keep it for you. Thus may you go back
Speaker 1: rejoicing to your own country and to your home. So saying,
Speaker 1: she gave the robe over to him, and he received
Speaker 1: it gladly. Then Pisistratus put the presents into the chariot
Speaker 1: and admired them all as he did so. Presently, Menelaeus
Speaker 1: took Telemachus and Pisistratus into the house, and they both
Speaker 1: of them sat down to table. A maid servant brought
Speaker 1: them water in a beautiful golden ewer and poured it
Speaker 1: into a silver basin for them to wash their hands,
Speaker 1: and she drew a clean table beside them. An upper
Speaker 1: servant brought them bread and offered them many good things
Speaker 1: of what there was in the house. Attionius carved the
Speaker 1: meat and gave them eat their portion, while Megapenthes poured
Speaker 1: out the wine. Then they laid their hands upon the
Speaker 1: good things that were before them. But as soon as
Speaker 1: they had had enough to eat and drink, Telemachus and
Speaker 1: Pisistratus yoked the horses and took their places in the chariot.
Speaker 1: They drove out through the inner gateway and under the
Speaker 1: echoing gatehouse of the outer court, and Menelaeus came after
Speaker 1: them with a golden goblet of wine in his right hand,
Speaker 1: that they might make a drink offering. Before they set out,
Speaker 1: he stood in front of the horses and pledged them, saying,
Speaker 1: farewell to both of you. See that you tell Nestor
Speaker 1: how I have treated you, For he was as kind
Speaker 1: to me as any father could be while we Achaeans
Speaker 1: were fighting before Troy. We will be sure, sir, answered Telemachus,
Speaker 1: to tell him everything as soon as we see him.
Speaker 1: I wish I were as certain of finding Ulysses return
Speaker 1: when I get back to Ithaca, that I might tell
Speaker 1: him of the very great kindness you have shown me,
Speaker 1: and of the many beautiful presents I am taking with me.
Speaker 1: As he was thus speaking, a bird flew on his
Speaker 1: right hand, an eagle with a great white goose in
Speaker 1: its talons, which it had carried off from the farm yard,
Speaker 1: and all the men and women were running after it
Speaker 1: and shouting. It came quite close up to them and
Speaker 1: flew away on their right hands in front of the horses.
Speaker 1: When they saw it, they were glad, and their hearts
Speaker 1: took comfort with them. Whereon, Pisistratus said, tell me, Menelaus,
Speaker 1: has Heaven set this omen for us or for you?
Speaker 1: Menelaus was thinking what would be the most proper answer
Speaker 1: for him to make. But Helen was too quick for him,
Speaker 1: and said, I will read this matter as Heaven has
Speaker 1: put it in my heart, and as I doubt not
Speaker 1: that it will come to pass. The eagle came from
Speaker 1: the mountain where it was bred and has its nest,
Speaker 1: and in like manner, Ulysses, after having traveled far and
Speaker 1: suffered much, will return to take his revenge. If indeed
Speaker 1: he is not back already and hatching mischief for the suitors.
Speaker 1: May jove so grant, it, replied Telemachus. If it should
Speaker 1: prove to be so, I will make vows to you
Speaker 1: as though you were a god, even when I am
Speaker 1: at home. As he spoke, he lashed his horses, and
Speaker 1: they started off at full speed through the town towards
Speaker 1: the open country. They swayed the yoke upon their necks
Speaker 1: and traveled the whole day long till the sun set
Speaker 1: and darkness was over the land. Then they reached Ferry,
Speaker 1: where Diocles lived, to a son of Artilicus, the son
Speaker 1: of Alpheus. There they passed the night and were treated hospitably.
Speaker 1: When the child of morning, rosy fingered dawn appeared, they
Speaker 1: again yoked their horses and their places in the chariot.
Speaker 1: They drove out through the inner gateway and under the
Speaker 1: echoing gatehouse of the outer court. Then Pisistratus lashed his
Speaker 1: horses on, and they flew forward nothing loth ere long
Speaker 1: they came to Pylos, and then Telemachus said, Pisistratus, I
Speaker 1: hope you will promise to do what I am going
Speaker 1: to ask you. You know, our fathers were old friends
Speaker 1: before us. Moreover, we are both of an age, and
Speaker 1: this journey has brought us together still more closely. Do
Speaker 1: not therefore take me past my ship, but leave me there,
Speaker 1: for if I go to your father's house, he will
Speaker 1: try to keep me in the warmth of his good
Speaker 1: will towards me, and I must go home at once.
Speaker 1: Pisistratus thought how he should do as he was asked,
Speaker 1: and in the end he deemed it best to turn
Speaker 1: his horses towards the ship and put Menilaeus's beautiful presence
Speaker 1: of gold and raiment in the stern of the vessel.
Speaker 1: Then he said, go on board at once, and tell
Speaker 1: your men to do so also before I can reach
Speaker 1: home to tell my father. I know how obstinate he is,
Speaker 1: and am sure he will not let you go. He
Speaker 1: will come down here to fetch you, and he will
Speaker 1: not go back without you, but he will be very
Speaker 1: angry with this. He drove his goodly steeds back to
Speaker 1: the city of the Pylians, and soon reached his home.
Speaker 1: But Telemachus called the men together and gave his orders. Now,
Speaker 1: my men, said, he get everything in order on board
Speaker 1: the ship, and let us set out home. Thus did
Speaker 1: he speak, and they went on board even as he
Speaker 1: had said. But as Telemachus was thus busied praying also
Speaker 1: and sacrificing to Minerva in the ship's stern, there came
Speaker 1: to him a man from a distant country, a seer,
Speaker 1: who was flying from Argos because he had killed a man.
Speaker 1: He was descended from Melampus, who used to live in Pylos,
Speaker 1: the land of sheep. He was rich and owned a
Speaker 1: great house, but he was driven into exile by the
Speaker 1: great and powerful King Nelius. Nelius seized his goods and
Speaker 1: held them for a whole year, during which he was
Speaker 1: a close prisoner in the house of King Philicus, and
Speaker 1: in much distress of mind, both on account of the
Speaker 1: daughter of Nelius and because he was haunted by a
Speaker 1: great sorrow that dread Erinis had laid upon him. In
Speaker 1: the end, however, he escaped with his life, drove the
Speaker 1: cattle from Pheles to Pylos, avenged the wrong that had
Speaker 1: been done him, and gave the daughter of Nelius to
Speaker 1: his brother. Then he left the country and went to Argos,
Speaker 1: where it was ordained that he should reign over much people.
Speaker 1: There he married, established himself and had two famous sons,
Speaker 1: Antiphides and Mantius. Antifides became father of Eoeclaius and Eecleus
Speaker 1: of Amphireus, who was dearly loved both by Jove and
Speaker 1: by Apollo. But he did not live to an old age,
Speaker 1: for he was killed in Thebes by reasonable woman's gifts.
Speaker 1: His sons were Alcmion and Amphilicus. Mantius, the other son
Speaker 1: of Melampus, was father to Polyphanes and Cleitus. Aurora, throned
Speaker 1: in gold, carried off Cleidus for his beauty's sake, that
Speaker 1: he might dwell among the immortals, But Apollo made Polyphanes
Speaker 1: the greatest seer in the whole world. Now that Amphiarius
Speaker 1: was dead, he quarreled with his father and went to
Speaker 1: live in Hyperasia, where he remained and prophesied for all men.
Speaker 1: His son, Theoclemius, it was who now came up to
Speaker 1: Telemachus as he was making drink offerings and praying in
Speaker 1: his ship. Friend said he, now that I find you
Speaker 1: sacrificing in this place, I beseech you, by your sacrifices
Speaker 1: themselves and by the God to whom you make them.
Speaker 1: I pray you also by your own head and by
Speaker 1: those of your followers. Tell me the truth, and nothing
Speaker 1: but the truth. Who and whence are you? Tell me
Speaker 1: also of your town and parents. Telemachus said, I will
Speaker 1: answer you quite truly. I am from Ithaca, and my
Speaker 1: father is Ulysses, as surely as that he ever lived,
Speaker 1: But he has come to some miserable end. Therefore I
Speaker 1: have taken this ship and got my crew together to
Speaker 1: see if I can hear any news of him, for
Speaker 1: he has been away a long time. I too, answered
Speaker 1: the ecclemenus, am in exile, for I have killed a
Speaker 1: man of my own race. He has many brothers and
Speaker 1: kinsmen in Argos, and they have great power among the Argives.
Speaker 1: I am flying to escape death at their hands, and
Speaker 1: am thus doomed to be a wanderer on the face
Speaker 1: of the earth. I am your suppliant. Take me therefore
Speaker 1: on board your ship, that they may not kill me,
Speaker 1: for I know they are in pursuit. I will not refuse, you, replied,
Speaker 1: Tell him, if you wish to join us, come therefore,
Speaker 1: and in Ithaca, we will treat you hospitably according to
Speaker 1: what we have on this He received their Cleminus's spear
Speaker 1: and laid it down on the deck of the ship.
Speaker 1: He went on board and sat in the stern, bidding
Speaker 1: Theoclemenus sit beside him. Then the men let go the hawsers.
Speaker 1: Telemachus told them to catch hold of the ropes, and
Speaker 1: they made all haste to do so. They set the
Speaker 1: mast in its socket in the cross plank, raised it
Speaker 1: and made it fast with the forestays, and they hoisted
Speaker 1: their white sails with sheets of twisted ox hide. Minervas
Speaker 1: sent them a fair wind that blew fresh and strong,
Speaker 1: to take the ship on her course as fast as possible. Thus,
Speaker 1: then they passed by Crooney and Kelsis. Presently the sun
Speaker 1: set and darkness was over all the land. The vessel
Speaker 1: made a quick passage to Fia, and thence on to Ellis,
Speaker 1: where the Appeans rule Telemachus then headed her for the
Speaker 1: Flying Islands, wondering within himself whether he should escape death
Speaker 1: or should be taken prison. Meanwhile, Ulysses and the swineherd
Speaker 1: were eating their supper in the hut, and the men
Speaker 1: supped with them as soon as they had had to
Speaker 1: eat and drink. Ulysses began trying to prove the swineherd
Speaker 1: and see whether he would continue to treat him kindly
Speaker 1: and ask him to stay on at the station or
Speaker 1: pack him off to the city. So he said, Eumaeus
Speaker 1: and all of you tomorrow, I want to go away
Speaker 1: and begin begging about the town, so as to be
Speaker 1: no more trouble to you or to your men. Give
Speaker 1: me your advice therefore, and let me have a good
Speaker 1: guide to go with me and show me the way.
Speaker 1: I will go round of the city, begging as I
Speaker 1: needs must to see if any one will give me
Speaker 1: a drink and a piece of bread. I should like
Speaker 1: also to go to the house of Ulysses and bring
Speaker 1: news of her husband to Queen Penelope. I could then
Speaker 1: go about among the suitors and see if, out of
Speaker 1: all their abundance, they will give me a dinner. I
Speaker 1: should soon make them an excellent servant in all sorts
Speaker 1: of ways. Listen and believe when I tell you that,
Speaker 1: by the blessing a mercury, who gives grace and good
Speaker 1: name to the works of all men, there is no
Speaker 1: one living who would make a more handy servant than
Speaker 1: I should. To put fresh wood on the fire, chop fuel, carve, cook,
Speaker 1: pour out wine, and do all those services that poor
Speaker 1: men have to do for their betters. The swineherd was
Speaker 1: very much disturbed when he heard this. Heaven help me,
Speaker 1: he exclaimed, whatever can have put such a notion as
Speaker 1: that into your head? If you go near the suitors,
Speaker 1: you will be undone to a certainty for their pride
Speaker 1: and insolence. Reach the very heavens, they would never think
Speaker 1: of taking a man like you for a servant. Their
Speaker 1: servants are all young men, well dressed, wearing good cloaks
Speaker 1: and shirts, with well looking faces, and their hair always tidy.
Speaker 1: The tables are kept quite clean and are loaded with bread,
Speaker 1: meat and wine. Stay where you are, then you are
Speaker 1: not in anybody's way. I do not mind your being here,
Speaker 1: no more do any of the others. And when Telemacha
Speaker 1: comes home, he will give you a shirt and cloak,
Speaker 1: and will send you wherever you want to go. Ulysses answered,
Speaker 1: I hope you may be as clear to the gods
Speaker 1: as you are to me, for having saved me from
Speaker 1: going about and getting into trouble. There is nothing worse
Speaker 1: than being always on the tramp. Still, when men have
Speaker 1: once got low down in the world, they will go
Speaker 1: through a great deal on behalf of their miserable bellies. Since, however,
Speaker 1: you press me to stay here and await the return
Speaker 1: of Telemachus, tell me about ulysses mother and his father,
Speaker 1: whom he left on the threshold of old age when
Speaker 1: he set out for Troy. Are they still living or
Speaker 1: are they already dead? And in the house of Hades,
Speaker 1: I will tell you all about them, replied Eumaeus. Laertes
Speaker 1: is still living, and praise Heaven to let him depart
Speaker 1: peacefully in his own house, for he is terribly distressed
Speaker 1: about the absence of his son, and also about the
Speaker 1: death of his wife, which grieved him greatly and aged
Speaker 1: him more than anything else did. She came to an
Speaker 1: unheal happy end through sorrow for her son. May no
Speaker 1: friend or neighbor who has dealt kindly by me come
Speaker 1: to such an end as she did as long as
Speaker 1: she was still living, though she was always grieving. I
Speaker 1: used to like seeing her and asking her how she did,
Speaker 1: For she brought me up along with her daughter, Timody,
Speaker 1: the youngest of her children. We were boy and girl together,
Speaker 1: and she made little difference between us. When, however, we
Speaker 1: both grew up. They said Timody to Sammy and received
Speaker 1: a splendid dowry for her. As for me, my mistress
Speaker 1: gave me a good shirt and cloak, with a pair
Speaker 1: of sandals for my feet, and set me off into
Speaker 1: the country. But she was just as fond of me
Speaker 1: as ever. This is all over now. Still it has
Speaker 1: pleased Heaven to prosper my work in the situation which
Speaker 1: I now hold. I have enough to eat and drink,
Speaker 1: and can find something for any respectable stranger that comes here.
Speaker 1: But there is no getting a kind word or deed
Speaker 1: out of my mistress, for the house has fallen into
Speaker 1: the hands of wicked people. Servants want sometimes to see
Speaker 1: their mistress and have a talk with her. They like
Speaker 1: to have something to eat and drink at the house,
Speaker 1: and something too to take back with them into the country.
Speaker 1: This is what will keep servants in a good humor.
Speaker 1: Ulysses answered, then you must have been a very little fellow, Eumaeus,
Speaker 1: when you were taken so far away from your home
Speaker 1: and parents. Tell me, and tell me true, was the
Speaker 1: city in which your father and mother lived sacked and pillaged?
Speaker 1: Or did some enemies carry you off when you were
Speaker 1: alone tending sheep or cattle, ship you off here and
Speaker 1: sell you for whatever your master gave them? Stranger, replied Eumaeus,
Speaker 1: as regards your question, sit still, make yourself comfortable, drink
Speaker 1: your wine, and listen to me. The nights are now
Speaker 1: at their longest. There is plenty of time both for
Speaker 1: sleeping and sitting up talking together. You ought not to
Speaker 1: go to bed till bedtime. Too much sleep is as
Speaker 1: bad as too little. If any one of the others
Speaker 1: wishes to go, let him leave us and do so.
Speaker 1: He can then take my master's pigs out. When he
Speaker 1: has done breakfast. In the morning, we too will sit here,
Speaker 1: eating and drinking in the hut and telling one another's
Speaker 1: stories about our misfortunes. For when a man has suffered
Speaker 1: much and been buffeted about in the world, he takes
Speaker 1: pleasure in recalling the memory of sorrows that have gone by.
Speaker 1: As regards your question, then my tale is as follows.
Speaker 1: You may have heard of an island called Syrah, that
Speaker 1: lives over above or Tiga, where the land begins to
Speaker 1: turn round and look in another direction. It is not
Speaker 1: very thickly peopled, but the soil is good, with much
Speaker 1: pasture fit for cattle and sheep, and it abounds with
Speaker 1: wine and wheat. Darth never comes there, nor are the
Speaker 1: people plagued by any sickness, But when they grow old,
Speaker 1: Apollo comes with Diana and kills them with his painless shafts.
Speaker 1: It contains two communities, and the whole country is divided
Speaker 1: between these two. My father Tseus, son of war menas
Speaker 1: a man comparable to the gods, reigned over both. Now
Speaker 1: to this place there came some cunning traders from Phoenicia,
Speaker 1: for the Phoenicians are great mariners. In a ship which
Speaker 1: they had freighted with gegaws of all kinds, there happened
Speaker 1: to be a Phoenician woman in my father's house, very
Speaker 1: tall and comely, and an excellent servant. These scoundrels got
Speaker 1: hold of her one day when she was washing near
Speaker 1: their ship seduced her and cajoled her in ways that
Speaker 1: no woman can resist, no matter how good she may
Speaker 1: be by nature. The man who had seduced her asked
Speaker 1: her who she was and where she came from, and
Speaker 1: on this she told him her father's name. I come
Speaker 1: from Sidon, said she, and am daughter to Erebus, a
Speaker 1: man rolling in wealth. One day, as I was coming
Speaker 1: into the town from the country, some Taffian pirates seized
Speaker 1: me and took me here over the sea, where they
Speaker 1: sold me to the man who owns this house, and
Speaker 1: he gave them their price for me. The man who
Speaker 1: had seduced her then said, would you like to come
Speaker 1: along with us to see the house of your parents?
Speaker 1: And your parents themselves they are both alive and are
Speaker 1: said to be well off. I will do so, gladly,
Speaker 1: answered she, if you men will first swear me a
Speaker 1: solemn oath that you will do me no harm. By
Speaker 1: the way, they all swore as she told them, And
Speaker 1: when they had completed their oath, the woman said, hush,
Speaker 1: and if any of your men meets me in the
Speaker 1: street or at the well, do not let him speak
Speaker 1: to me, for fear some one should go and tell
Speaker 1: my master In which case he would suspect something, he
Speaker 1: would put me in prison and would have all of
Speaker 1: you murdered. Keep your own counsel. Therefore, buy your merchandise
Speaker 1: as fast as you can, and send me word when
Speaker 1: you have done loading. I will bring as much gold
Speaker 1: as I can lay my hands on. And there is
Speaker 1: something else also that I can do towards paying my fare.
Speaker 1: I am nursed to the son of the good man
Speaker 1: of the house, a funny little fellow, just able to
Speaker 1: run about. I will carry him off in your ship,
Speaker 1: and you will get a great deal of money for
Speaker 1: him if you take him and sell him in foreign parts.
Speaker 1: On this she went back to the house. The Phoenicians
Speaker 1: stayed a whole year till they had loaded their ship
Speaker 1: with much precious merchandise, and then when they had got
Speaker 1: freight enough, they sent to tell the woman. Their messenger,
Speaker 1: a very cunning fellow, came to my father's house bringing
Speaker 1: a necklace of gold with amber beads strung among it.
Speaker 1: And while my mother and the servants had it in
Speaker 1: their hands, admiring it and bargaining about it, he made
Speaker 1: a sign quietly to the woman, and then went back
Speaker 1: to the ship, whereon she took me by the hand
Speaker 1: and led me out of the house. In the fore
Speaker 1: part of the house, she saw the table set with
Speaker 1: the cups of guests who had been feasting with my
Speaker 1: father as being in attendance on him. These were now
Speaker 1: all gone to a meeting of the public assembly. So
Speaker 1: she snatched up three cups and carried them off in
Speaker 1: the bosom of her dress, while I followed her, for
Speaker 1: I knew no better. The sun was now set and
Speaker 1: darkness was over all the land, so we hurried on
Speaker 1: as fast as we could, till we reached the harbor
Speaker 1: where the Phoenician ship was lying. When they had got
Speaker 1: on board, they sailed their ways over the sea, taking
Speaker 1: us with them, and Jove sent them a fair wind.
Speaker 1: Six days did we sail, both night and day. But
Speaker 1: on the seventh day Diana struck the woman, and she
Speaker 1: fell heavily down into the ship's hold, as though she
Speaker 1: were a sea gull alighting on the water. So they
Speaker 1: threw her overboard to the seals and fishes, and I
Speaker 1: was left all sorrowful and alone. Presently, the winds and
Speaker 1: waves took the ship to Ithaca, where Laertes gave Sundry
Speaker 1: of his chattels for me, And thus it was that
Speaker 1: ever I came to set eyes upon this country. Ulysses
Speaker 1: answered Eumaeus, I have heard the story of your misfortunes
Speaker 1: with the most lively interest and pity. But Jove has
Speaker 1: given you good as well as evil, for in spite
Speaker 1: of everything you have a good master who sees that
Speaker 1: you always have enough to eat and drink, and you
Speaker 1: lead a good life, whereas I am still going about
Speaker 1: begging my way from city to city. Thus did they converse,
Speaker 1: and they had only a very little time left for sleep,
Speaker 1: for it was soon daybreak. In the meantime, Telemachus and
Speaker 1: his crew were nearing land, so they loosed the sails,
Speaker 1: took down the mast, and rowed the ship into the harbor.
Speaker 1: They cast out their mooring stones and made fast the hawsers.
Speaker 1: They then got out upon the sea shore, mixed their wine,
Speaker 1: and got dinner ready. As soon as they had had
Speaker 1: enough to eat and drink, Telemacha said, take the ship
Speaker 1: on to the town, but leave me here, for I
Speaker 1: want to look after the herdsman on one of my farms.
Speaker 1: In the evening. When I have seen all I want,
Speaker 1: I will come down to the city. And tomorrow morning,
Speaker 1: in return for your trouble, I will give you all
Speaker 1: a good dinner with meat and wine. Then Theoclemenus said,
Speaker 1: and what my dear young friend is to become of me?
Speaker 1: To whose house among all your chief men am I
Speaker 1: to repair? Or shall I go straight to your own
Speaker 1: house and to your mother at any other time? Replied Telemachus,
Speaker 1: I should have bid you to go to my own house,
Speaker 1: for you would find no want of hospitality. At the
Speaker 1: present moment, however, you would not be comfortable there, for
Speaker 1: I shall be away, and my mother will not see you.
Speaker 1: She does not often show herself even to the suitors,
Speaker 1: but sits at her loom, weaving in an upper chamber,
Speaker 1: out of their way. But I can tell you a
Speaker 1: man whose house you can go to. I mean Eurymicus,
Speaker 1: son of Polybus, who is held in the highest estimation
Speaker 1: by every one in Ithaca. He is much the best
Speaker 1: man and most persistent wooer of all those who are
Speaker 1: paying court to my mother and trying to take you
Speaker 1: Lizzie's place. Jove, however, in Heaven alone knows whether or
Speaker 1: no they will come to a bad end before the
Speaker 1: marriage takes place. As he was speaking, a bird flew
Speaker 1: by upon his right hand, a hawk, Apollo's messenger. It
Speaker 1: held a dove in its talons, and the feathers, as
Speaker 1: it tore them off, fell to the ground midway between
Speaker 1: Telemachus and the ship. On this Theocleminus called him apart
Speaker 1: and caught him by the hand. Telemachus said, he that
Speaker 1: bird did not fly on your right hand without having
Speaker 1: been sent there by some god. As soon as I
Speaker 1: saw it, I knew it was an omen. It means
Speaker 1: that you will remain powerful, and there will be no
Speaker 1: house in Ithaca more royal than your own. I wish
Speaker 1: it may prove so, answered Telemachus. If it does, I
Speaker 1: will show you so much good will and give you
Speaker 1: so many presents that all who meet you will congratulate you.
Speaker 1: Then he said to his friend Pereeus, Pereus, son of Clytius,
Speaker 1: you have throughout shown yourself the most willing to serve
Speaker 1: me of all those who have accompanied me to Pylos.
Speaker 1: I wish you would take this stranger to your own
Speaker 1: house and entertain him hospitably till I can come for him.
Speaker 1: And Pereeus answered Telemachus, you may stay away as long
Speaker 1: as you please. But I will look after him for you,
Speaker 1: and he shall find no lack of hospitality. As he spoke,
Speaker 1: he went on board and bade the others do so also,
Speaker 1: and loose the hawsers. So they took their places in
Speaker 1: the ship. But Telemachus bound on his sandals and took
Speaker 1: a long and dowdy spear with a head of sharpened
Speaker 1: bronze from the deck of the ship. Then they loosed
Speaker 1: the hawsers, thrust the ship off from land, and made
Speaker 1: on towards the city, as they had been told to do,
Speaker 1: while Telemachus strode on as fast as he could, till
Speaker 1: he reached the homestead where his countless herds of swine
Speaker 1: were feeding, and where dwelt the excellent swineherd who was
Speaker 1: so devoted a servant to his master. End of Book fifteen.