The Prince Returns
Athena went to Sparta, to ensure
the safe return of Prince Telemachus.
She found him with Pisistratus, both lying on Menelaus’ porch, and Nestor’s son was fast asleep, but no sweet slumber held Telemachus. His worries for his father
kept him awake all through god-given night. Owl-eyed Athena stood by him and said,
“Telemachus, you should no longer travel
so far from home, abandoning your wealth, 10
with greedy men at home. You must watch out; They may divide and eat up all your wealth, and make your journey useless. Quickly ask for help from Menelaus to get home,
so you may find your mother safe and blameless.
Her father and her brothers are already telling her she should wed Eurymachus. He is the one most generous with gifts to her and to her father. Do not let her
take any items from the house, without 20
your full consent. You know how women are— they want to help the house of any man
they marry. When one darling husband dies, his wife forgets him, and her children by him. She does not even ask how they are doing.
Let your best slave girl watch your property, until the gods give you your own wife. Also, I have more news: take note. There is a gang of suitors lurking in the stream between your Ithaca and rocky Same, who 30
have plans to kill you on your journey home. But I suspect that some of those who waste your wealth will soon be lying under earth.
Now steer your ship far distant from the islands, and sail both day and night. Some god who guards and watches over you will send fair wind
behind your sails. When you first reach the shore of Ithaca, your men must drag the ship
up to the town, while you first go and visit
the swineherd, who is better than most slaves. 40
Spend the night there. Tell him to go to town to tell Penelope that you have come
safely back home from Pylos.”
With these words the goddess went back up to Mount Olympus.
He woke the son of Nestor with a kick, and said to him,
“Pisistratus! Go fetch
the horses, get them harnessed to the carriage, and let us hurry on our way.”
He answered,
“Telemachus, this is impossible,
for us to drive when it is pitch-black night, 50
however eager we may be to travel.
Dawn will come soon. Wait till great Menelaus comes out to bring us presents in his carriage, and sends us on our way with friendly words.
A generous host is sure to be remembered as long as his guests live.”
Then all at once Dawn on her golden throne lit up the sky.
King Menelaus got up from the bed
he shared with fair-haired Helen and approached them. Seeing him on his way, Telemachus 60
put on his bright white tunic, and then slung his mighty sword across his sturdy shoulders.
So in a warlike guise, the well-loved son of godlike King Odysseus stood near and spoke to Menelaus.
“Royal son
of Atreus, now, please, send me home now, to my beloved country. My heart yearns
to go back home.”
And Menelaus answered, “Telemachus, I will not keep you here
if you are truly desperate for home. 70
I disapprove of too much friendliness
and of too much standoffishness. A balance is best. To force a visitor to stay
is just as bad as pushing him to go.
Be kind to guests while they are visiting,
then help them on their way. So friend, remain just till I fetch some splendid gifts to pile
onto your carriage. Wait till you see them!
I will instruct the women to prepare
a banquet in the hall from our rich stores. 80
Feasting before a long trip brings you honor; it also makes good sense. And if you want
to have me travel with you all through Greece, I shall yoke up my horses and escort you through every town, and everywhere we go we will be given gifts—a fine bronze tripod,
a cauldron, or two mules, or golden cups.”
Telemachus replied, “King Menelaus,
I want to go home right away. I have
no one back there to watch my property. 90
I would not want to die while I am searching for Father, or to lose my wealth at home.”
So General Menelaus shouted out
to tell his wife and female slaves to make a feast from his rich stores. Eteoneus
got out of bed and came—he lived nearby.
The general boomed out orders: “Light the fire
and roast the meat!” The slave obeyed. Meanwhile, his master went inside the fragrant room
containing treasures. Helen went with him, 100
and Megapenthes. There he took a goblet, two-handled, and he told his son to bring a silver bowl. And Helen stood beside
the chests in which she kept the special clothes that she had worked with her own hands. She lifted the most elaborate and largest robe
that shone like starlight under all the rest.
Then they went through the palace till they reached Telemachus. And fair-haired Menelaus
said to him,
“May great Zeus, the Lord of Thunder, 110
husband of Hera, make your wish come true— may you go back home safely. I will give you the best of all my treasure, as a mark
of deep respect: a bowl of solid silver, circled with gold; Hephaestus fashioned it. The King of Sidon, Phaedimus, bestowed it on me when I was at his house, en route
for home. Now take it; it is yours.”
He gave the goblet first, and Megapenthes brought
the shining silver bowl and put it down 120
in front of him. Then Helen’s lovely cheeks flushed as she moved in close. She held the robe and said,
“Sweet boy, I also have a gift, crafted by my own hands. Remember Helen when your own wedding day at last arrives, and let your bride wear this. Until that time, your mother should take care of it. I wish you
great joy. I hope you reach your well-built home, and fatherland.”
She handed it to him;
he took it gladly. Prince Pisistratus 130
took all the gifts and packed them in the luggage, and marveled at them in his heart.
The king led them inside; they sat on chairs. A slave girl brought out a beautiful gold water pitcher
and silver bowl so she could wash their hands. She set a polished table at their side.
Another lowly girl brought bread and food of every kind. Boethoedes began
to carve and serve the meat. The king’s son poured
the wine for everyone. They helped themselves 140
to all the delicacies spread before them.
When they were satisfied, Telemachus
and Nestor’s son strapped on the horses’ harness, and yoked them to the chariot and drove
off from the echoing portico and gate. But Menelaus ran up just behind them, holding a golden cup of honeyed wine
in his right hand, so they could pour libations before they left. He stopped in front of them and spreading wide his arms said,
“Boys, good luck! 150
Give Nestor my best wishes—he was always as kind as any father while we Greeks
were making war in Troy.”
Telemachus said carefully, “Yes, king, when we go there we will pass on what you have said. I hope I may go back to Ithaca and meet Odysseus—good luck to match my fortune in all your generosity and kindness.”
Then on the right an eagle flew; it held
a big white goose clutched in its claws—a tame one, 160
caught from the yard. The people, men and women, were running round and yelling after it.
It darted on the right beside the boys,
and flew before their horses. They were all delighted. Nestor’s son was first to speak.
“My lord, King Menelaus, what do you think? Was this a sign sent by some god for us?
Or sent for you?”
And Menelaus, favorite of Ares, wondered how he ought to answer.
But Helen cut in first and said, “Now listen, 170
and I will make a prophecy. The gods have put it in my heart and I believe
it will come true. Just as the eagle flew
down from the mountains where he has his home with chicks and parents, seizing this tame goose— so will Odysseus, who has been gone
so long and has endured so much, come back and take revenge. Indeed, he is already
at home and planting ruin for the suitors.”
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Telemachus replied, “May thundering Zeus fulfill your prophecy at once! If so, I would bow down to you as to a goddess.” |
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He whipped the horses and they galloped off through the town center to the open plain. All day the harness rattled as they ran. But when the sun went down and it grew dark, they came to Pherae, home of Diocles, son of Ortilochus, who was the son of Alpheus. He welcomed them and there they spent the night. When rosy-fingered Dawn |
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the early-born appeared, they yoked the horses, climbed in the chariot, and drove away from the resounding portico and gate. The horses flew with gusto at the whip. Soon they were near the rocky town of Pylos. Telemachus then asked Pisistratus, |
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“Would you do me a favor? We are friends because our fathers have been friends forever, and we are age-mates, and this trip has made us even more intimate. Please do not bring me |
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beyond my ship, but leave me here, in case the old man forces me to visit him and be his guest. I long to get back home. I have to go, and fast.” |
The son of Nestor wondered how he should best respond. He thought upon reflection he should turn the horses
back to the ship and shore beside the sea. There he took out the splendid gifts and clothes and gold from Menelaus, and he packed them
inside the stern, and told Telemachus, 210
“Hurry! Embark now! Get your crew in too, before I get back home and tell my father that you are here. I know him; he is stubborn.
He will not let you go; he will come here to fetch you, and he surely will not leave without you. He will be in such a rage!”
With that, he spurred the horses. Long manes flowing, they galloped to the citadel of Pylos.
Telemachus gave orders: “Make it all
shipshape, my friends, and get on board, so we 220
can start our journey.”
Quickly they obeyed and sat along the benches. As he worked,
with prayers and sacrifices to Athena,
a foreigner approached him, who had killed a man in Argos and had run away.
He was a prophet and descended from Melampus, who once lived in Pylos, land
of sheep. Melampus had been rich, and owned a palace, but he left his home, escaping
from Neleus, a proud, important man, 230
who seized all his great wealth while he was trapped and tortured in the house of Phylacus,
because a Fury put inside his mind
a dangerous obsession with the daughter of Neleus. He managed to escape,
and drove the cattle, lowing loudly, off from Phylace to Pylos. He avenged
the wrong that Neleus had done to him,
and brought the woman to his brother’s house
as wife, then went to Argos, home of horses, 240
since there it was his destiny to rule the multitude of Argives, and he had
two strong sons: Mantius, and Antiphates, who fathered the heroic Oïcles,
whose son was Amphiaraus, the warlord, whom Zeus who holds the aegis and Apollo adored wholeheartedly. But he did not
live to old age, since he was killed at Thebes, because his wife took bribes. He had two sons, Amphilochus and Alcmaeon. The sons 250
of Mantius were Clitus, snatched by Dawn
to join the gods, because he was so handsome, and Polypheides, whom Apollo gave
the best prophetic skill of any mortal after Amphiaraus had died. This prophet grew angry with his father, and migrated to Hyperisia, and there he told
fortunes for everyone. It was his son, named Theoclymenus, who had approached
Telemachus while he was pouring wine 260
and praying to the gods. The stranger said,
“My friend, I find you making sacrifices. I beg you, by religion, by the gods,
and by your life and your men’s lives: who are you? Who are your parents? What is your home town?”
Telemachus said, “Stranger, I will tell you. I come from Ithaca; my father is Odysseus—he was. He must have died some dreadful death by now. It was for him
I got this ship and crew. I sailed to seek 270
news of my absent father.”
And the stranger replied, “I too am far from home. I killed
a man of my own tribe, and I have many brothers and kinsmen, powerful in Argos, so I am on the run. They want to kill me.
I have been doomed to homelessness. But please, let me on board your ship. I come to you
in desperation—otherwise I will
surely be killed. Those men are after me.”
Telemachus said, “Yes, you can join us 280
on board our ship. And what we have is yours; you are our guest.”
He took the stranger’s spear, laid it on deck, then climbed on board himself,
sat at the stern, and had his guest sit down beside him at the stern. They loosed the ropes.
Telemachus gave orders to the men
to seize the tackle; promptly they obeyed, and raised the wooden mast and fastened it into the socket, binding it with forestays,
and hauled the white sail up with leather cables. 290
Sharp-eyed Athena sent fair wind that gusted
a wild explosive breath through bright clear sky; the ship began to race across the sea,
past Crouni and the lovely streams of Chalcis. The sun went down and all the world was dark. Impelled by wind from Zeus, the ship sped on past Phaea and they came to famous Elis
ruled by the Epeians; from there they steered towards the Needle Islands, still unsure
Meanwhile, Odysseus 300
was having dinner with the noble swineherd inside the cottage, and the other men
were eating with them. After they were done, Odysseus began to test the swineherd,
to see if he would be hospitable,
and ask him to stay there, out on the farm, or send him into town. He said,
“Eumaeus,
listen, and listen all of you. At dawn I plan to go to town to beg—I have
no wish to be a burden to you all. 310
I only need directions and a guide
who can go with me. I will roam around the city on my own, in search of drink and crusts of bread—so it must be. And if I reach the house of King Odysseus,
I plan to tell Penelope my news,
and mingle with the high and mighty suitors;
they may give me some food from their rich stores. I could do anything they want at once.
I have the capability, you see. 320
Hermes the messenger, the god who gives favor and glorifies all human labor,
has blessed me with unrivaled skill in all domestic tasks: fire-laying, splitting logs, carving and roasting meat, and pouring wine—
I can do all the chores poor people do to serve the rich.”
But angrily you said, Eumaeus, “No! Why would you think of this?
You would be killed if you set foot among
that horde of suitors; their aggression reaches 330
the iron sky. And those who wait on them
are not like you. They are young men, well dressed, with bright clean hair and handsome faces, serving the bread and wine and meat, piled high upon
their polished tables. Stay here. No one minds your presence—not myself, nor my companions. And when Odysseus’ son arrives,
he will provide a proper cloak and tunic,
and help you travel where your heart desires.”
Odysseus, experienced in pain, 340
answered, “I hope Zeus loves you as I do, since you have saved me from the agonies
of wandering. The worst thing humans suffer is homelessness; we must endure this life because of desperate hunger; we endure,
as migrants with no home. But since you now want me to stay and wait for your young master, tell me about Odysseus’ parents.
His father, when he left, was on the threshold
of age. Are they alive still? Have they died?” 350
He answered, “Stranger, I will tell you truly.
Laertes is alive, but he is always praying to Zeus to let him pass away
in his own home. He feels such desperate grief about his son and his beloved wife,
whose death made him so heartbroken, he aged before his time. She died a dreadful death,
a death I would not wish for any friend— grieving her absent son, the famous hero.
While she was still alive, despite her sadness, 360
she used to like to talk and chat with me—
she brought me up herself with her own daughter, strong, pretty Ctimene, her youngest child.
She raised us both together, treating me almost as equal, just a little less.
And when we came of age, they sent the girl to Same, for a hefty bridal-price.
The mother dressed me in fine clothes, a cloak and tunic, tying sandals on my feet,
and sent me to the country. But she still 370
loved me with all her heart. I miss them both.
The blessed gods have made my work here prosper, so I have had enough to eat and drink
and give to guests. But I hear no good news about my mistress. Ruin has befallen
the house from those invaders. All her slaves miss talking to their owner, getting gossip, sharing some food and drink with her, and taking scraps to the fields with them—the kind of thing that makes slaves happy.”
And Odysseus 380
exclaimed, “Eumaeus! What a little child
you were when you were taken far from home and from your parents! Tell me more. Did they live in a city that was sacked? Or was it bandits that found you, herding sheep or cows alone? Did they seize hold of you and put you onto their ship, and sell you for a profit
in this man’s house?”
The swineherd answered him, “Since you have asked this question, stranger, listen; enjoy my story, sitting quietly, 390
drinking your wine. These nights are magical, with time enough to sleep and to enjoy hearing a tale. You need not sleep too early;
it is unhealthy. Any other man
who feels the need of sleep should go lie down, get up at dawn, have breakfast, and go herd
the master’s pigs. But let us, you and I, sit in my cottage over food and wine,
and take some joy in hearing how much pain
we each have suffered. After many years 400
of agony and absence from one’s home, a person can begin enjoying grief.
I will tell you my story as you ask.
There is an island—you may know it—called Syria, where the sun turns round, above Ortygia. It has few inhabitants,
but it is good land, rich in sheep and wine and grain; no famine ever hurts those there, nor any deadly sickness. They grow old,
and with their gentle arrows, Artemis 410
and silver-bowed Apollo cause their death. The land is split into two provinces;
my father Ctesius was king of both.
Then avaricious merchants came—Phoenicians, skilled sailors, with great piles of treasure stored in their black ship. And in my father’s house there was a woman from Phoenicia—tall
and beautiful and skilled in many arts.
Those clever rascals tricked her. One of them
first found her washing clothes beside the ship 420
and lay with her. Sex sways all women’s minds, even the best of them. And then he asked her
where she was from and who she was; she showed him my father’s palace, and she said, ‘I am
from Sidon, rich in bronze. I am the daughter of wealthy Arybas; as I was walking
back from the fields one day, some Taphian pirates kidnapped me, brought me here to this man’s house, and sold me to him, for a tidy sum.’
Her secret lover said, ‘Then would you like 430
to go back home with us, and see your parents and your fine home again? They are alive
and quite rich now.’ The woman said, ‘Oh, yes,
I would! If all you sailors swear an oath
to bring me safely home.’ At that, they swore as she had asked, and made their solemn vows.
And then the woman said, ‘You must keep mum, and none of you can even speak to me
if you bump into me beside the road
or at the water fountain—otherwise 440
someone might tell the old man at the house. Then he would get suspicious, chain me up, and plan to have you killed. Remember this, bear it in mind and do your trading quickly, and when your ship is full of stores to take
back home with you, send news to me, and fast. I will bring gold with me as well, whatever wealth I can find to hand. I also want
to give another gift to pay my fare.
I take care of my master’s clever son— 450
who always runs around outside with me. I will bring him on board and he will fetch a pretty price from foreigners.’ With that, she went back to the palace. For a year they stayed with us accumulating wealth
by trading, and they filled their ship’s hold up.
When it was time to go, they sent a man to tell the woman at my father’s house.
He was a very cunning man. He wore
a golden necklace strung with amber beads; 460
the slave girls in the palace and my mother
stared and began to finger it and ask
how much it cost; he nodded to the woman in silence, and then went back to the ship.
She took me by the hand and led me out
into the forecourt, where she found some cups left on the tables by my father’s men
who had been banqueting, and now had gone to council—they were having a debate.
She took three cups and hid them in her dress 470
and carried them away with her. I followed, knowing no better. As the sun went down,
we hurried through the dark streets to the harbor. There was the swift Phoenician ship. They all embarked, put us on board as well, and sailed over the watery waves; Zeus sent fair wind.
For seven days we sailed and on the eighth, Artemis struck the woman with her arrows. She crashed into the ship’s hold like a seagull.
They threw her overboard to feed the fish 480
and seals, and I was left there, brokenhearted. The current carried them to Ithaca,
and then Laertes bought me with his wealth. That was the way my eyes first saw this land.”
Odysseus replied, “My heart is touched to hear the story of your sufferings,
Eumaeus. In the end, though, Zeus has blessed you, since after going through all that, you came
to live with someone kind, a man who gives you plenty to eat and drink. Your life is good. 490
But as for me, I am still lost; I trekked through many towns before I wandered here.”
So went their conversation; then they slept for just a little while; Dawn soon arrived upon her throne.
Meanwhile, Telemachus drew near the mainland. Lowering the sail nimbly, his men took down the mast and rowed to anchorage. They cast the mooring stones, and tied the cables from the stern, then climbed
out in the surf, and waded into shore. 500
There they made dinner, mixing bright red wine. When they had had enough to eat and drink,
the boy said sensibly,
“You all should drag the ship towards the town, while I go visit
the herdsmen in the fields of my estate. Then I will come to town, at evening time.
At dawn, I will provide a feast for you of meat and wine.”
Then Theoclymenus asked him, “But where shall I go, my dear boy?
To whose house? One of those who rule this land? 510
Or should I go at once to your own mother in your house?”
And Telemachus replied, “Well, ordinarily I would invite you.
We are good hosts. But as it is—best not, for your own sake. I will not be at home, and Mother will not see you; she is weaving upstairs upon her loom—she does not want the suitors seeing her. So I suggest
you go to someone else’s house: the son
of skillful Polybus, Eurymachus. 520
The Ithacans look at him as a god.
He is the dominant suitor and the keenest on marrying my mother and acquiring the riches of Odysseus. Zeus knows
the future, he alone. Eurymachus
may die a dreadful death before that marriage.”
As he said this, a bird flew on his right: a hawk, Apollo’s messenger. It clutched a pigeon in its talons; feathers scattered
between the ship and young Telemachus. 530
Then Theoclymenus called him aside
and grasped him by the hand, and said to him,
“Telemachus! Some god has sent this bird to fly on your right hand. I knew at once it was a sign. No family in all
of Ithaca has greater power; you are the kings forever.”
He replied, “Oh, stranger!
I hope your words come true! If so, I would give you so many gifts to show my friendship
that everyone you met would be impressed.” 540
And then he told his faithful man, “Piraeus, you were most trustworthy of those who came with me to Pylos. Let this stranger come
to your own house, be kind to him and give him a cordial welcome till I come.”
Piraeus answered, “However long you are away,
I will take care of him.”
And then he climbed aboard and told the men to come as well,
and loose the cables, which they did, and sat
down on the benches. Then Telemachus 550
tied on his sandals, and took from the deck
his sharp bronze spear. The men untied the ropes and sailed towards the town, just as the son
of great Odysseus had ordered them.
The boy walked quickly till he reached the farmyard.
Hundreds of pigs were there and with them slept the swineherd who knew how to help his masters.
