I entreat you by these same offerings and by the gods, and

  also by your own head, and by the men who accompany you;

  answer my question truthfully, and do not conceal anything.

  Who among men are you? Where is your city, and your parents?’

  Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus addressed him: ‘I will265

  indeed, stranger, give you a true account of all you ask.

  My family is from Ithaca, and my father is Odysseus—if ever

  he was, though by now he has surely died a miserable death.

  That is why I took my companions and my black ship and

  have come here, searching for news of my long-absent father.’ 270

  Then in answer godlike Theoclymenus addressed him:

  ‘Just so, I too am far from my country; I killed a man of

  my clan, and he had many brothers and kinsmen throughout

  horse-rearing Argos, who have great power among the Achaeans.

  Seeking to escape death and black destruction at their hands, 275

  I am now an exile, for it is my fate to be a wanderer among men.

  I entreat you as a fugitive; give me a place on your ship,

  and do not let them kill me—I believe they are on my track.’

  Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus answered him:

  ‘Be sure I shall not bar you from my trim ship if you wish to 280

  join us. Come; in Ithaca you will enjoy what hospitality we have.’

  So he spoke, and took the bronze-tipped spear from him

  and laid it on the deck of the balanced ship, and himself

  went on board the vessel, traverser of the deep. This done,

  he took his place at its stern, and next to him he settled 285

  Theoclymenus; and his companions slipped the stern-cables.

  He urged his crew on, ordering them to set their hands

  to the rigging; and they bustled about and did what he said.

  They raised the fir-tree mast, and stepped it inside its

  hollow mast-box, and then secured it with forestays, and 290

  with tightly twisted oxhide ropes hauled up the white sail.

  Grey-eyed Athena sent them a following wind, which blew

  with boisterous force through the upper air, to make the ship

  speed over the sea’s salt water and complete her course.

  So they sailed past Crounoi and Chalcis with its fine rivers. 295

  The sun went down, and all the ways grew dark; and the

  ship, sped on by the breeze from Zeus, made for Pheae

  and ran past splendid Elis, where the Epeians hold power.

  From there Telemachus steered her on towards the Pointed Isles,*

  wondering if he would escape death, or would now be taken. 300

  Now the other two, Odysseus and the excellent swineherd, were

  eating their supper in the hut; and the other men ate with them.

  When they had put from themselves the desire for food and drink

  Odysseus addressed them all, putting the swineherd to the test,

  to see whether he would entertain him properly and invite him to 305

  stay there on the farm, or would urge him to go on to the city:

  ‘Listen to me now, Eumaeus and all you others, his companions;

  I am eager to leave you when morning comes and to go

  begging in the city, so as not to impoverish you and your men.

  So give me some useful advice, and let me have a good guide310

  to conduct me there; once in the city I shall have to drift about

  on my own, to see if anyone offers me a cup of wine and a crust.

  I might perhaps find my way to godlike Odysseus’ palace, and

  bring some news to circumspect Penelope; and I might join

  the company of those arrogant suitors, to see if they would315

  give me my supper, for they have good things in plenty.

  Then I might do them some service, whatever they wanted.

  I tell you this truly; listen and store it in your mind: by the

  good favour of Hermes the guide, who dispenses grace and

  glory to all men in their occupations, there is no other man320

  who can challenge me in the business of a serving-man,

  in the lighting of a good fire and in the splitting of dry logs,

  in carving meat, in cooking it, and serving as a pourer of

  wine—all the tasks that lesser men perform for the well born.’

  Greatly agitated, you addressed him, swineherd Eumaeus:325

  ‘Nonsense, stranger! How has this thought entered your head?

  You must be utterly determined to die, there and then, if

  it really is your wish to associate with that gang of suitors,

  whose mindless arrogance and violence reach to the iron sky.

  Those who serve them are not of the same kind as you;330

  they are young lads, smartly dressed in cloaks and tunics,

  their heads sleek with oil, and their looks are handsome.

  That is what their servants are like; and their well-polished

  tables are heavily laden with bread and meat and wine.

  No, stay here with us. No one is offended by your presence,335

  neither I myself nor any of the men I have here with me.

  But when the dear son of Odysseus comes, he will himself

  give you a tunic and a cloak for you to wear, and

  will send you wherever your heart and spirit desire.’

  Then much-enduring glorious Odysseus answered him:340

  ‘I wish, Eumaeus, that father Zeus looked on you as kindly as

  I do, for you have put an end to my painful, miserable roving.

  There is nothing worse for mortals than the wandering life,

  but for the sake of their cursed belly men will endure hardship,

  all the wandering and misery and pain that come their way.345

  But now, since you are keeping me here and bidding me wait

  for his son, tell me about the mother of godlike Odysseus,

  and the father he left behind on the threshold of old age

  when he went away—if they are still living in the sun’s

  rays, or if they are now dead, and in the house of Hades.’ 350

  Then in turn you addressed him, swineherd, captain of men:

  ‘I will indeed, stranger, give you a true account of all you ask.

  As for Laertes, he is still alive, but all the time prays to Zeus

  that the spirit may waste away from his body in his house;

  terrible is his mourning over the son who has gone away, 355

  and over his wise wedded wife, whose death caused him

  such keen pain, and brought him to old age before his time.

  It was through grief for her renowned son that she wasted

  away, and died a miserable death—I hope no friend of mine

  who lives here and deals with me kindly may die in this way. 360

  As long as she was alive, though she was of course grieving,

  I always liked to ask her questions and ask for news, because

  she had brought me up herself with handsome Ctimene of the

  long robe, the youngest child she had borne. I was raised

  with Ctimene, and she honoured me only a little less than her. 365

  But as soon as we both reached our captivating prime, they

  sent her away in marriage to Same, and got a huge bride-price.

  As for me, Anticleia gave me a cloak and a tunic, very fine

  garments to wear, and sandals for my feet, and sent me away

  to work on the farm; but she loved me dearly in her heart. 370

  Now I have to manage without these things; but the blessed

  gods still prosper the work which is here my lasting labour;

  from it I have eaten and drunk, and have given to worthy men.

  But from my mistress there is no comfort for us to hear,

  neither word nor deed, ever since disaster fell upon the house— 375

  I mean those arrogant men. Servants greatly miss the talking

  and asking for news in their mistress’ presence, the eating and

  drinking there, and then taking some small gift with them into

  the country, the kind of thing that always warms a servant’s heart.’

  Then in answer Odysseus, man of many wiles, addressed him: 380

  ‘Well! You must have been quite small, swineherd Eumaeus,

  when you were driven away from your land and your parents.

  Come, tell me this and give me a full and true account:

  was your city of men, with its broad ways, utterly sacked,

  that city where your father and revered mother lived, or did 385

  some enemy band come upon you all alone with your sheep

  or cattle, and drag you off to their ships, and then sell you into

  the house of the man ruling here, getting a good price for you?’

  Then in turn the swineherd, captain of men, addressed him:

  ‘Guest, you ask the question and seek to know about all this;390

  so now be silent, listen and enjoy the tale, as you sit here and

  drink your wine. The nights are now very long; there is time

  enough to sleep, and to enjoy hearing a story. You do not need

  to go to bed before time; and too much sleep does you no good.

  As for you others, let anyone whose heart and spirit move him395

  leave now and sleep outside, and as soon as dawn appears

  let him eat his meal and then go out with our master’s pigs.

  We two will have our food and drink here in the hut and find

  pleasure in each other’s sad troubles, as we call them to mind;

  for it is man’s way to get enjoyment even from affliction, after400

  the event, if he is a man who has suffered much and roamed far.

  So now I will tell you the story you ask about in your questions.

  ‘There is an island called Syria*—you may have heard of it—

  to the north of Ortygia, where lie the turning-points of the sun:

  not very thickly populated, but a good land, abounding in405

  cattle and sheep, with plentiful vines and rich in wheat.

  Famine never visits the people there, nor does any

  terrible disease spread itself among wretched mortals.

  Rather, as the generations of men grow old in that city

  Apollo of the silver bow visits them, together with Artemis,410

  and goes after them with his gentle shafts, and kills them.

  There are two cities there, and the whole land is divided

  between them; and over both cities my father was king—

  Ctesius, son of Ormenus, a man who looked like the immortals.

  ‘To this place there came some Phoenicians, famed for their415

  seamanship, tricksters, in a black ship crammed with trinkets.

  Now there was in my father’s house a woman of Phoenicia,

  tall and beautiful, and skilled in exquisite crafts; and she it was

  on whom the scheming Phoenicians began to work their deceit.

  It started when she was washing clothes by their hollow ship:420

  one of them coupled with her in love—for this always beguiles

  the minds of womankind, even those who live upright lives.

  Later on he asked who she was, and where she came from,

  and she without more ado pointed out my father’s high-roofed house:

  “I am proud”, she said, “to hail from Sidon, rich in bronze, 425

  and I am the daughter of Arybas, a man awash with wealth.

  But once when I was returning from the fields some Taphian

  pirates seized and brought me to this place, and sold me into

  the house of the ruler here; and he paid a good price for me.”

  ‘Then the man who had secretly coupled with her answered: 430

  “Would you like to return with us to your home, to see

  again the high-roofed palace of your father and mother, and

  them too? They are indeed still alive, and spoken of as wealthy.”

  ‘Then in turn the woman answered and addressed him:

  “I should like that very much, but only if you sailors will 435

  promise on oath to take me back home quite unharmed.”

  ‘So she spoke, and they all swore as she had charged them.

  When they had sworn their oath, and brought it to an end,

  the woman spoke to them once again, addressing them:

  “Keep silent now, and let none of your companions speak 440

  to me in greeting if he chances to meet me, either in the street

  or perhaps at the well, in case some man should go to the

  old man’s palace and inform him, and he should suspect and

  imprison me in painful bonds, and plot destruction for you.

  So hold these words in your minds, and press on with buying 445

  your home-cargo. But when the ship is loaded full of stores,

  then let a message for me come straightaway to the palace;

  and I shall bring gold with me, all that I can lay my hands on.

  And there is something else I would gladly give to pay for my

  passage: I am nurse to a boy in the halls, a son of the master— 450

  such a smart lad, who trots along beside me whenever I go out.

  I could bring him on board, and he would earn you a huge price

  wherever you sell him to men who speak in foreign tongues.”

  ‘So she spoke, and went away towards the splendid palace.

  Now these Phoenicians stayed on among us a whole year, and 455

  by trading gathered a great deal of wealth in their hollow ship.

  But when the hollow ship was fully laden, ready for them to

  sail, they sent a messenger to carry the news to the woman.

  A man came, a very shrewd fellow, to my father’s palace

  with a necklace made of gold, and strung with amber beads. 460

  While the maids and my mother in the hall were passing it

  through their hands, gazing at it closely and suggesting a price

  to him, he without speaking nodded to the woman; as soon as

  he had made the sign he set off for the hollow ship, and

  she seized me by the hand and led me out of the house.465

  In the forecourt she found the cups and tables of the guests

  attending my father who had been feasting there, and had

  left for an assembly in the place where the people debate;

  she quickly hid three drinking-cups in the fold of her dress

  and carried them off, and I in my innocence followed her.470

  The sun went down, and all the ways grew dark, and

  we made haste and quickly reached the famous harbour,

  where the swift ship of the men of Phoenicia was lying.

  They put us on board, embarked themselves and sailed away

  over the watery pathways; and Zeus sent a following breeze.475

  For six days we sailed on, night and day without ceasing,

  but when Zeus the son of Cronus added a seventh day

  Artemis shooter of arrows struck the woman down; she

  dropped like a sea-tern and fell with a crash into the bilge.

  The crew threw her overboard, to become the prey of seals480

  and fishes, and I was left behind, grieving in my heart.

  They were carried on by wind and currents, which brought

  them to Ithaca, where Laertes used his wealth to buy me.

  And that is how my eyes came to look upon this land.’

  Then in turn Odysseus, sprung from Zeus, addressed him:485

  ‘To be sure, Eumaeus, you have stirred feelings within me

  with your tale of all these hardships your heart has endured.

  But for all that Zeus has sent you good fortune to set beside

  the bad, in that after much toil you came to the house of a

  kindly man, who as I see generously provides you with490

  food and drink; you live a good life, whereas I have roamed

  through many cities of men before fetching up here.’

  So they conversed, one with another, in this way, and then

  settled themselves for sleep—for a short time, not for long,

  because very soon Dawn on her golden throne arrived. Meanwhile495

  near the shore Telemachus’ companions struck their sail, quickly

  lowered the mast and rowed the ship on to a mooring-place.

  They threw out the anchor-stones and made the stern-cables

  fast, and disembarked at the place where the breakers reached;

  and there they prepared a meal and mixed some gleaming wine.500

  When they had put from themselves the desire for food and

  drink thoughtful Telemachus was the first to speak to them:

  ‘Now you must row the black ship quickly on to the city,

  while I shall make for my estate and the herdsmen there, and

  in the evening, having seen my lands, I shall return to the city. 505

  In the morning I shall put before you payment for this voyage:

  a good feast of meat and of wine that is sweet to drink.’

  Then in turn godlike Theoclymenus addressed him:

  ‘But where then shall I go, dear boy? Whose house shall I

  make my way to, of those men who are lords in rocky Ithaca? 510

  Or should I head straight for your and your mother’s house?’

  Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus answered him: ‘If things

  were different I would indeed urge you to go to my house, for

  there is no lack of provision for guests there; but that would be

  the worse for you, since I shall not be there, and my mother 515

  will not see you, for she does not often appear in the house

  before the suitors, but stays apart, weaving upstairs at her loom.

  Still, I can tell you of another man to whom you could go—

  Eurymachus, the splendid son of prudent Polybus,

  on whom the people of Ithaca look as if he were a god. 520

  He is by far the best man among them, and more than the rest

  is eager to marry my mother and assume Odysseus’ powers;

  but Zeus the Olympian who dwells in the clear air knows

 

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