The Odyssey (Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection) Page 6
All the others stayed silent, and no one was bold enough
to answer Telemachus with angry words equal to his;
and only Antinous addressed him in reply: ‘Telemachus,
you intemperate public loudmouth, how your words85
seek to shame us! You want to fasten the blame on us!
With you the Achaean suitors have no quarrel; no, it is your
mother, that exceedingly cunning woman, who is at fault.
It is now the third year, and a fourth will soon be here, since
she began to deceive the hearts of the Achaeans in their breasts.90
She holds out hope to all, and promises herself to each man,
sending messages to him, but her mind has another purpose.
And here is a new deception she has devised in her mind.
She set up a great loom in her halls and began to weave
on it, using fine, very long thread, and then said to us:95
“Young men, my suitors! Glorious Odysseus is dead; but
eager though you are for this marriage, wait until I finish
this robe, so that my weaving is not wasted, all in vain. It is
a burial shroud* for the hero Laertes, meant for when the cruel
fate of death, bringer of long misery, takes him away, so that100
no Achaean woman in our people will be indignant with me
because he who amassed great wealth is lying without a shroud.”
That is what she said, and our proud hearts were persuaded.
From that time she would weave at the great loom by day, but
at night torches were set beside her and she unravelled her work.105
So for three years her guile went unnoticed and she fooled the
Achaeans; but when with the seasons’ round the fourth year arrived,
then at last one of her women, who knew the deceit well, told us,
and we found her in the act of undoing the bright weaving; and so
the robe was brought forcibly to completion, albeit against her will. 110
This then is the suitors’ answer, that you may know the truth
in your own heart, and that all the Achaeans too may know it.
Send your mother away, and tell her to marry whichever
man her father orders her to wed, and who is to her liking.
But if she means to weary the sons of the Achaeans for long,115
plotting with the many talents that Athena has given her—
her skill in beautiful handiwork, her excellent character and
her cleverness—qualities we do not hear about, not even
among the lovely-haired Achaean women of long ago, such
as Tyro and Alcmene and Mycene of the beautiful crown;*120
not one of these was Penelope’s equal in shrewdness of mind
(though in this one instance her thoughts have not been seemly);
if she does, your livelihood and possessions will be devoured
as long as she keeps to that purpose, whatever it is that the gods
have now put into her breast. She may be winning great fame125
for herself, but for you it means much loss of livelihood.
As for us, we will not go back to our estates or anywhere else
until she agrees to marry whichever Achaean she chooses.’
Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus answered him:
‘Antinous, I cannot drive her unwilling from my house,130
she who bore and nurtured me. My father, alive or dead,
is elsewhere in the world; it will be hard to pay Icarius
a large sum if of my own free will I send my mother away.
I shall suffer some hurt from him, her father, and a god will
send me more trouble, since my mother will call down hateful135
furies when she leaves the house, and the people’s anger
will fall upon me. So I shall never say that word to her.
As for all of you, if your spirits are outraged by my words,
leave my halls and turn your minds to feasting elsewhere,
eating up your own possessions and taking turns in your houses. 140
But if you think it is a better thing and more to your benefit
to exhaust the substance of one man without payment,
then go on consuming it, and I shall cry out to the immortals
in the hope that Zeus may somehow grant me redress;
then you would perish in my house, with no restitution given.’145
So Telemachus spoke, and in answer wide-thundering Zeus
sent two eagles swooping down from a high mountain peak.
These for a while flew along on gusts of wind, driving
onwards with their wings close to each other; but when
they were over the middle of the assembly, place of many150
speeches, they turned and wheeled, wings beating rapidly,
and hovered over the heads of all with destruction in their eyes.
With their talons they tore at each other’s cheeks and necks, and
then darted away to the right, over the Ithacans’ city and houses.
When they saw these birds before their eyes the people were155
amazed, and wondered in their hearts what would happen next.
At last the aged hero Halitherses, son of Mastor, spoke out
among them; alone of all his generation he excelled in
the knowledge of birds and interpretation of their omens.
With generous intent he spoke out and addressed them:160
‘Listen to me now, men of Ithaca, to what I have to say:
to the suitors most of all I make this pronouncement, since
a huge disaster will soon overwhelm them: Odysseus will not
be long away from his loved ones, but is even now somewhere
nearby, planting the seed of slaughter and doom for these men,165
all of them; and ruin will come upon many others too, on us
who live on clear-seen Ithaca. Long before this happens let us
consider how we may make them stop—or better, let them
stop themselves, because this is surely their better course.
This is no unskilled prophecy; I know well what I am saying.170
I declare that for Odysseus everything has been fulfilled just
as I prophesied when the Argives took ship on their way to
to Troy, and Odysseus, man of many wiles, went with them.
I said he would suffer greatly and lose all his companions,
and in the twentieth year* would come back to his home,175
unrecognized by everyone; and now all this is coming to pass.’
Then in turn Eurymachus, son of Polybus, answered him:
‘Enough, old man! Go home now, and prophesy to your
children, for fear they may suffer some harm in the future.
In these matters I am a far better prophet than you. There are180
many birds flying this way and that in the rays of the sun,
but they do not all signify something. As for Odysseus,
he is dead, far away, and I wish you too had died along with
him, for then you would not be delivering so many predictions,
nor would you be exciting Telemachus to anger like this,185
hoping that he might give you some gift for your household.
I tell you this plainly, and I believe it will be fulfilled:
if ever you, with all your ancient knowledge and skill,
beguile a younger man with words and so stir him to anger,
first of all it will be the worse for him, because in any case190
he will not be able to achieve anything because of these men,
and also we shall lay a fine on you, old man, which you will
find painful to pay; and that will be a heavy misery for you.
As for Telemachus, I advise him in the presence of you all:
let him order his mother to return to her father’s house, and195
his people there will arrange the marriage and prepare a
plentiful dowry, such as is proper to go with a loved daughter.
I do not believe the sons of the Achaeans will give up their
unwished-for suit, since despite what men say, we fear no one,
no, not Telemachus, for all that he has become a big talker.200
Nor do we care for the divine revelation that you, old man, tell
us about; it will come to nothing, and you will be the more hated.
Telemachus’ wealth will be brutally eaten away, without any
compensation, so long as she puts off her marriage to us
Achaeans; meanwhile we, waiting expectantly day by day,205
quarrel with each other over her excellence, and do not pursue
other women whom we might each of us be expected to marry.’
Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus answered him:
‘Eurymachus, and all you other lordly suitors, on this
matter I no longer entreat you, and I have no more to say,210
since it is now known to the gods, and to all the Achaeans.
So now, grant me a swift ship and twenty companions to
go with me on a voyage, and to come back here afterwards.
I am going to Sparta and to sandy Pylos, in order to learn
about the return of my father who has been gone so long,215
to see if any mortal has word for me, or if I can hear a rumour
coming from Zeus, which is above all how news reaches men.
If I hear that my father is alive and on his way home,
then, though worn down, I can still endure for even a year;
but if I learn that he is now dead, and no longer living,220
I shall come back to my dear native land and heap up
a grave-mound for him and perform all the funeral rites
due to him, and then give my mother to a new husband.’
So he spoke, and took his seat again, and among them stood up
Mentor, a man who had been a companion of excellent Odysseus;225
when Odysseus took ship he had entrusted his whole household to
this old man to keep everything secure; and all were to obey him.
He with generous intent spoke out and addressed them:
‘Listen to me now, men of Ithaca, to what I have to say:
let no staff-holding king ever feel the need to be gentle230
and kindly again, nor to have right thoughts in his mind;
but let him be always harsh and unjust in his acts, seeing that
no one now remembers godlike Odysseus among the people
he used to rule; yet he was like a gentle father to them.
I say to you that I have no quarrel with the proud suitors,235
at the violent deeds they commit in their minds’ evil scheming,
for by riotously devouring Odysseus’ household, thinking that
he will never return, they are putting their own lives at risk.
No, it is you other people I am indignant with, to see how you
all sit in silence and do not speak out and challenge the suitors—240
they are few and you are many, and you do not restrain them.’
Then Leocritus the son of Euenor spoke to him in answer:
‘Wretched Mentor, your wits are crazed; what a thing to say,
urging them to stop us! It would be hard for them, even with
greater numbers, to fight against us, all for the sake of a feast.245
Even if Odysseus lord of Ithaca himself were to come upon
the proud suitors feasting in his own house, and his heart was
raging to drive them from his hall, his wife would have no joy
in his coming, much though she had longed for him; but there
and then he would meet a shameful doom, fighting against250
superior numbers. What you say makes no sense at all.
And now, let the people disperse, each to his own estate, and
Mentor and Halitherses will prepare this man’s voyage for him;
they are his friends, as they have always been to his father.
For all that, I think he will sit here in Ithaca for a long time,255
waiting for news, and will never complete this expedition.’
So he spoke, and abruptly broke up the assembly, and
the people scattered, each man to his own house, and
the suitors went back into the house of godlike Odysseus.
But Telemachus made his way apart, to the shore of the sea,260
and washed his hands in the grey salt sea and prayed to Athena:
‘Hear me, you who yesterday came to our house as a god
and ordered me to take ship over the misty sea, to learn
about the homecoming of my father, absent for so long.
But this is all being delayed by the Achaeans, and above265
all by the suitors, in their wicked, arrogant behaviour.’
So he spoke in prayer, and Athena came and stood by him,
taking on the likeness of Mentor in both form and voice,
and addressed him, speaking with winged words:
‘Telemachus, you will not in future prove cowardly or foolish270
if you have truly inherited your father’s strong vigour—
and what a man he was for carrying out his word and deed—
and so your journey will surely not be unfulfilled or in vain.
If however you are not the offspring of him and of Penelope,
I have no hope that you will ever accomplish what you desire.275
It is a truth that few sons are the equal of their fathers;
most are inferior to their father, and few surpass them.
Still—since you will not in future prove cowardly or
foolish, nor is Odysseus’ cleverness wholly lacking in you—
there is hope that you will one day be successful in this.280
So pay no attention to the suitors’ plots and schemes, for
they are out of their minds, witless and given to wrongdoing,
nor do they know that death and black doom are even now
close to them, and that they will all perish on a single day.
As for you, the voyage you desire will not be long coming now;285
such is my support for you as your father’s companion that
I shall fit out a swift ship for you, and accompany you myself.
Go now to your house and join the company of suitors, and
get your provisions ready, and stow everything in containers,
the wine in two-handled jars and the grain, marrow of men,290
in tightly fastened skins. I shall go among the people and
collect some volunteers to be your companions. There are
many ships in sea-girt Ithaca, both new and old, and these I
shall inspect and choose the one that is the best; then we shall
quickly fit it out and launch it on to the wide, open sea.’295
So spoke Athena, daughter of Zeus, and when Telemachus
had heard the goddess’ voice he did not delay long.
He made his way towards his house, troubled in heart,
and there he found the proud suitors still in his halls,
skinning goats and singeing fatted swine in the courtyard.300
Bursting into laughter Antinous made straight for Telemachus,
and grasping him firmly by the hand addressed him:
‘Telemachus; you are an intemperate assembly loudmouth,
but do not let hard words or deeds trouble your heart;
come, please, eat and drink with us as in the past, and305
the Achaeans will make all these things happen for you:
a ship and chosen oarsmen, so that you may quickly reach
sacred Pylos and search out news of your lordly father.’
Then in turn thoughtful Telemachus answered him:
‘Antinous, there is no way that I can dine in silence and310
enjoy myself at ease among such arrogant men as you.
Is it not enough that in the past you wasted much of my
splendid property, you suitors, while I was still a child?
But now that I am full-grown, and can learn the true tale from
others, and indeed the spirit within me is growing stronger,315
I shall do my utmost to send grim death your way, whether
I sail to Pylos or stay behind here among this people.
But go I certainly shall, and the voyage I speak of will not
be in vain—though as a passenger, since I own neither ship
nor oarsman, which, I suppose, suits your purpose better.’320
So he spoke, and coolly pulled his hand away from Antinous’.
Now the suitors were busy with the feast about the house,
and in their talk began to mock and taunt Telemachus;
and this is what one of the arrogant young men would say:
‘It must be that Telemachus is planning to murder us;325
either he will bring some men to help him from sandy Pylos,
or even from Sparta, since he is so fiercely set on his plan.
Or perhaps he means to visit Ephyre,* that country of rich
ploughland, to fetch back life-destroying poisons, and will
drop them into our mixing-bowl, and kill us every one.’330
And another of the arrogant young men would break in:
‘Who knows if, sailing far from friends in his hollow ship,
he too will perish in his wanderings, just like Odysseus?
But that would make our task even greater, since we would
have to divide all his property between us, and give his house335
to his mother to keep, together with the man who marries her.’
So they spoke; but he went down into his father’s high-roofed
storeroom, a wide chamber, where gold and bronze lay piled high,
and clothing stored in chests, and fragrant olive oil in plenty.
There stood jars of vintage wine that was sweet to drink,340
jars that held in them a divine drink, unmixed with water,
packed close in a line along the wall, against the time
Odysseus would come home, though after much suffering.
Bolts secured the tightly fitting double doors, made of two
leaves; and a woman housekeeper had charge of the room345
day and night, guarding everything with shrewd intelligence—