Then, when we had got down to the sea shore we drew our ship
into
the water and got her mast and sails into her; we also put the
sheep
on board and took our places, weeping and in great distress of
mind.
Circe, that great and cunning goddess, sent us a fair wind that
blew
dead aft and stayed steadily with us keeping our sails all the
time
well filled; so we did whatever wanted doing to the ship's gear
and
let her go as the wind and helmsman headed her. All day long her
sails
were full as she held her course over the sea, but when the sun
went
down and darkness was over all the earth, we got into the deep
waters
of the river Oceanus, where lie the land and city of the
Cimmerians
who live enshrouded in mist and darkness which the rays of the
sun
never pierce neither at his rising nor as he goes down again out
of
the heavens, but the poor wretches live in one long melancholy
night.
When we got there we beached the ship, took the sheep out of
her,
and went along by the waters of Oceanus till we came to the
place
of which Circe had told us.
"Here Perimedes and Eurylochus held the victims, while I drew my
sword
and dug the trench a cubit each way. I made a drink-offering to
all
the dead, first with honey and milk, then with wine, and thirdly
with
water, and I sprinkled white barley meal over the whole, praying
earnestly
to the poor feckless ghosts, and promising them that when I got
back
to Ithaca I would sacrifice a barren heifer for them, the best I
had,
and would load the pyre with good things. I also particularly
promised
that Teiresias should have a black sheep to himself, the best in
all
my flocks. When I had prayed sufficiently to the dead, I cut the
throats
of the two sheep and let the blood run into the trench, whereon
the
ghosts came trooping up from Erebus- brides, young bachelors,
old
men worn out with toil, maids who had been crossed in love, and
brave
men who had been killed in battle, with their armour still
smirched
with blood; they came from every quarter and flitted round the
trench
with a strange kind of screaming sound that made me turn pale
with
fear. When I saw them coming I told the men to be quick and flay
the
carcasses of the two dead sheep and make burnt offerings of
them,
and at the same time to repeat prayers to Hades and to
Proserpine;
but I sat where I was with my sword drawn and would not let the
poor
feckless ghosts come near the blood till Teiresias should have
answered
my questions.
"The first ghost 'that came was that of my comrade Elpenor, for
he
had not yet been laid beneath the earth. We had left his body
unwaked
and unburied in Circe's house, for we had had too much else to
do.
I was very sorry for him, and cried when I saw him: 'Elpenor,'
said
I, 'how did you come down here into this gloom and darkness? You
have
here on foot quicker than I have with my ship.'
"'Sir,' he answered with a groan, 'it was all bad luck, and my
own
unspeakable drunkenness. I was lying asleep on the top of
Circe's
house, and never thought of coming down again by the great
staircase
but fell right off the roof and broke my neck, so my soul down
to
the house of Hades. And now I beseech you by all those whom you
have
left behind you, though they are not here, by your wife, by the
father
who brought you up when you were a child, and by Telemachus who
is
the one hope of your house, do what I shall now ask you. I know
that
when you leave this limbo you will again hold your ship for the
Aeaean
island. Do not go thence leaving me unwaked and unburied behind
you,
or I may bring heaven's anger upon you; but burn me with
whatever
armour I have, build a barrow for me on the sea shore, that may
tell
people in days to come what a poor unlucky fellow I was, and
plant
over my grave the oar I used to row with when I was yet alive
and
with my messmates.' And I said, 'My poor fellow, I will do all
that
you have asked of me.'
"Thus, then, did we sit and hold sad talk with one another, I on
the
one side of the trench with my sword held over the blood, and
the
ghost of my comrade saying all this to me from the other side.
Then
came the ghost of my dead mother Anticlea, daughter to
Autolycus.
I had left her alive when I set out for Troy and was moved to
tears
when I saw her, but even so, for all my sorrow I would not let
her
come near the blood till I had asked my questions of Teiresias.
"Then came also the ghost of Theban Teiresias, with his golden
sceptre
in his hand. He knew me and said, 'Ulysses, noble son of
Laertes,
why, poor man, have you left the light of day and come down to
visit
the dead in this sad place? Stand back from the trench and
withdraw
your sword that I may drink of the blood and answer your
questions
truly.'
"So I drew back, and sheathed my sword, whereon when he had
drank
of the blood he began with his prophecy.
"You want to know,' said he, 'about your return home, but heaven
will
make this hard for you. I do not think that you will escape the
eye
of Neptune, who still nurses his bitter grudge against you for
having
blinded his son. Still, after much suffering you may get home if
you
can restrain yourself and your companions when your ship reaches
the
Thrinacian island, where you will find the sheep and cattle
belonging
to the sun, who sees and gives ear to everything. If you leave
these
flocks unharmed and think of nothing but of getting home, you
may
yet after much hardship reach Ithaca; but if you harm them, then
I
forewarn you of the destruction both of your ship and of your
men.
Even though you may yourself escape, you will return in bad
plight
after losing all your men, [in another man's ship, and you will
find
trouble in your house, which will be overrun by high-handed
people,
who are devouring your substance under the pretext of paying
court
and making presents to your wife.
"'When you get home you will take your revenge on these suitors;
and
after you have killed them by force or fraud in your own house,
you
must take a well-made oar and carry it on and on, till you come
to
a country where the people have never heard of the sea and do
not
even mix salt with their food, nor do they know anything about
ships,
and oars that are as the wings of a ship. I will give you this
certain
token which cannot escape your notice. A wayfarer will meet you
and
will say it must be a winnowing shovel that you have got upon
your
shoulder; on this you must fix the oar in the ground and
sacrifice
a ram, a bull, and a boar to Neptune. Then go home and offer
hecatombs
to an the gods in heaven one after the other. As for yourself,
death
shall come to you from the sea, and your life shall ebb away
very
gently when you are full of years and peace of mind, and your
people
shall bless you. All that I have said will come true].'
"'This,' I answered, 'must be as it may please heaven, but tell
me
and tell me and tell me true, I see my poor mother's ghost close
by
us; she is sitting by the blood without saying a word, and
though
I am her own son she does not remember me and speak to me; tell
me,
Sir, how I can make her know me.'
"'That,' said he, 'I can soon do Any ghost that you let taste of
the
blood will talk with you like a reasonable being, but if you do
not
let them have any blood they will go away again.'
"On this the ghost of Teiresias went back to the house of Hades,
for
his prophecyings had now been spoken, but I sat still where I
was
until my mother came up and tasted the blood. Then she knew me
at
once and spoke fondly to me, saying, 'My son, how did you come
down
to this abode of darkness while you are still alive? It is a
hard
thing for the living to see these places, for between us and
them
there are great and terrible waters, and there is Oceanus, which
no
man can cross on foot, but he must have a good ship to take him.
Are
you all this time trying to find your way home from Troy, and
have
you never yet got back to Ithaca nor seen your wife in your own
house?'
"'Mother,' said I, 'I was forced to come here to consult the
ghost
of the Theban prophet Teiresias. I have never yet been near the
Achaean
land nor set foot on my native country, and I have had nothing
but
one long series of misfortunes from the very first day that I
set
out with Agamemnon for Ilius, the land of noble steeds, to fight
the
Trojans. But tell me, and tell me true, in what way did you die?
Did
you have a long illness, or did heaven vouchsafe you a gentle
easy
passage to eternity? Tell me also about my father, and the son
whom
I left behind me; is my property still in their hands, or has
some
one else got hold of it, who thinks that I shall not return to
claim
it? Tell me again what my wife intends doing, and in what mind
she
is; does she live with my son and guard my estate securely, or
has
she made the best match she could and married again?'
"My mother answered, 'Your wife still remains in your house, but
she
is in great distress of mind and spends her whole time in tears
both
night and day. No one as yet has got possession of your fine
property,
and Telemachus still holds your lands undisturbed. He has to
entertain
largely, as of course he must, considering his position as a
magistrate,
and how every one invites him; your father remains at his old
place
in the country and never goes near the town. He has no
comfortable
bed nor bedding; in the winter he sleeps on the floor in front
of
the fire with the men and goes about all in rags, but in summer,
when
the warm weather comes on again, he lies out in the vineyard on
a
bed of vine leaves thrown anyhow upon the ground. He grieves
continually
about your never having come home, and suffers more and more as
he
grows older. As for my own end it was in this wise: heaven did
not
take me swiftly and painlessly in my own house, nor was I
attacked
by any illness such as those that generally wear people out and
kill
them, but my longing to know what you were doing and the force
of
my affection for you- this it was that was the death of me.'
"Then I tried to find some way of embracing my mother's ghost.
Thrice
I sprang towards her and tried to clasp her in my arms, but each
time
she flitted from my embrace as it were a dream or phantom, and
being
touched to the quick I said to her, 'Mother, why do you not stay
still
when I would embrace you? If we could throw our arms around one
another
we might find sad comfort in the sharing of our sorrows even in
the
house of Hades; does Proserpine want to lay a still further load
of
grief upon me by mocking me with a phantom only?'
"'My son,' she answered, 'most ill-fated of all mankind, it is
not
Proserpine that is beguiling you, but all people are like this
when
they are dead. The sinews no longer hold the flesh and bones
together;
these perish in the fierceness of consuming fire as soon as life
has
left the body, and the soul flits away as though it were a
dream.
Now, however, go back to the light of day as soon as you can,
and
note all these things that you may tell them to your wife
hereafter.'
"Thus did we converse, and anon Proserpine sent up the ghosts of
the
wives and daughters of all the most famous men. They gathered in
crowds
about the blood, and I considered how I might question them
severally.
In the end I deemed that it would be best to draw the keen blade
that
hung by my sturdy thigh, and keep them from all drinking the
blood
at once. So they came up one after the other, and each one as I
questioned
her told me her race and lineage.
"The first I saw was Tyro. She was daughter of Salmoneus and
wife
of Cretheus the son of Aeolus. She fell in love with the river
Enipeus
who is much the most beautiful river in the whole world. Once
when
she was taking a walk by his side as usual, Neptune, disguised
as
her lover, lay with her at the mouth of the river, and a huge
blue
wave arched itself like a mountain over them to hide both woman
and
god, whereon he loosed her girdle and laid her in a deep
slumber.
When the god had accomplished the deed of love, he took her hand
in
his own and said, 'Tyro, rejoice in all good will; the embraces
of
the gods are not fruitless, and you will have fine twins about
this
time twelve months. Take great care of them. I am Neptune, so
now
go home, but hold your tongue and do not tell any one.'
"Then he dived under the sea, and she in due course bore Pelias
and
Neleus, who both of them served Jove with all their might.
Pelias
was a great breeder of sheep and lived in Iolcus, but the other
lived
in Pylos. The rest of her children were by Cretheus, namely,
Aeson,
Pheres, and Amythaon, who was a mighty warrior and charioteer.
"Next to her I saw Antiope, daughter to Asopus, who could boast
of
having slept in the arms of even Jove himself, and who bore him
two
sons Amphion and Zethus. These founded Thebes with its seven
gates,
and built a wall all round it; for strong though they were they
could
not hold Thebes till they had walled it.
"Then I saw Alcmena, the wife of Amphitryon, who also bore to
Jove
indomitable Hercules; and Megara who was daughter to great King
Creon,
and married the redoubtable son of Amphitryon.
"I also saw fair Epicaste mother of king OEdipodes whose awful
lot
it was to marry her own son without suspecting it. He married
her
after having killed his father, but the gods proclaimed the
whole
story to the world; whereon he remained king of Thebes, in great
grief
for the spite the gods had borne him; but Epicaste went to the
house
of the mighty jailor Hades, having hanged herself for grief, and
the
avenging spirits haunted him as for an outraged mother- to his
ruing
bitterly thereafter.
"Then I saw Chloris, whom Neleus married for her beauty, having
given
priceless presents for her. She was youngest daughter to Amphion
son
of Iasus and king of Minyan Orchomenus, and was Queen in Pylos.
She
bore Nestor, Chromius, and Periclymenus, and she also bore that
marvellously
lovely woman Pero, who was wooed by all the country round; but
Neleus
would only give her to him who should raid the cattle of
Iphicles
from the grazing grounds of Phylace, and this was a hard task.
The
only man who would undertake to raid them was a certain
excellent
seer, but the will of heaven was against him, for the rangers of
the
cattle caught him and put him in prison; nevertheless when a
full
year had passed and the same season came round again, Iphicles
set
him at liberty, after he had expounded all the oracles of
heaven.
Thus, then, was the will of Jove accomplished.
"And I saw Leda the wife of Tyndarus, who bore him two famous
sons,
Castor breaker of horses, and Pollux the mighty boxer. Both
these
heroes are lying under the earth, though they are still alive,
for
by a special dispensation of Jove, they die and come to life
again,
each one of them every other day throughout all time, and they
have
the rank of gods.
"After her I saw Iphimedeia wife of Aloeus who boasted the
embrace
of Neptune. She bore two sons Otus and Ephialtes, but both were
short
lived. They were the finest children that were ever born in this
world,
and the best looking, Orion only excepted; for at nine years old
they
were nine fathoms high, and measured nine cubits round the
chest.
They threatened to make war with the gods in Olympus, and tried
to
set Mount Ossa on the top of Mount Olympus, and Mount Pelion on
the
top of Ossa, that they might scale heaven itself, and they would
have
done it too if they had been grown up, but Apollo, son of Leto,
killed
both of them, before they had got so much as a sign of hair upon
their
cheeks or chin.
"Then I saw Phaedra, and Procris, and fair Ariadne daughter of
the
magician Minos, whom Theseus was carrying off from Crete to
Athens,
but he did not enjoy her, for before he could do so Diana killed
her
in the island of Dia on account of what Bacchus had said against
her.
"I also saw Maera and Clymene and hateful Eriphyle, who sold her
own
husband for gold. But it would take me all night if I were to
name
every single one of the wives and daughters of heroes whom I
saw,
and it is time for me to go to bed, either on board ship with my
crew,
or here. As for my escort, heaven and yourselves will see to
it."
Here he ended, and the guests sat all of them enthralled and
speechless
throughout the covered cloister. Then Arete said to them:
"What do you think of this man, O Phaecians? Is he not tall and
good
looking, and is he not Clever? True, he is my own guest, but all
of
you share in the distinction. Do not he a hurry to send him
away,
nor niggardly in the presents you make to one who is in such
great
need, for heaven has blessed all of you with great abundance."
Then spoke the aged hero Echeneus who was one of the oldest men
among
them, "My friends," said he, "what our august queen has just
said
to us is both reasonable and to the purpose, therefore be
persuaded
by it; but the decision whether in word or deed rests ultimately
with
King Alcinous."
"The thing shall be done," exclaimed Alcinous, "as surely as I
still
live and reign over the Phaeacians. Our guest is indeed very
anxious
to get home, still we must persuade him to remain with us until
to-morrow,
by which time I shall be able to get together the whole sum that
I
mean to give him. As regards- his escort it will be a matter for
you
all, and mine above all others as the chief person among you."
And Ulysses answered, "King Alcinous, if you were to bid me to
stay
here for a whole twelve months, and then speed me on my way,
loaded
with your noble gifts, I should obey you gladly and it would
redound
greatly to my advantage, for I should return fuller-handed to my
own
people, and should thus be more respected and beloved by all who
see
me when I get back to Ithaca."
"Ulysses," replied Alcinous, "not one of us who sees you has any
idea
that you are a charlatan or a swindler. I know there are many
people
going about who tell such plausible stories that it is very hard
to
see through them, but there is a style about your language which
assures
me of your good disposition. Moreover you have told the story of
your
own misfortunes, and those of the Argives, as though you were a
practised
bard; but tell me, and tell me true, whether you saw any of the
mighty
heroes who went to Troy at the same time with yourself, and
perished
there. The evenings are still at their longest, and it is not
yet
bed time- go on, therefore, with your divine story, for I could
stay
here listening till to-morrow morning, so long as you will
continue
to tell us of your adventures."
"Alcinous," answered Ulysses, "there is a time for making
speeches,
and a time for going to bed; nevertheless, since you so desire,
I
will not refrain from telling you the still sadder tale of those
of
my comrades who did not fall fighting with the Trojans, but
perished
on their return, through the treachery of a wicked woman.
"When Proserpine had dismissed the female ghosts in all
directions,
the ghost of Agamemnon son of Atreus came sadly up tome,
surrounded
by those who had perished with him in the house of Aegisthus. As
soon
as he had tasted the blood he knew me, and weeping bitterly
stretched
out his arms towards me to embrace me; but he had no strength
nor
substance any more, and I too wept and pitied him as I beheld
him.
'How did you come by your death,' said I, 'King Agamemnon? Did
Neptune
raise his winds and waves against you when you were at sea, or
did
your enemies make an end of you on the mainland when you were
cattle-lifting
or sheep-stealing, or while they were fighting in defence of
their
wives and city?'
"'Ulysses,' he answered, 'noble son of Laertes, was not lost at
sea
in any storm of Neptune's raising, nor did my foes despatch me
upon
the mainland, but Aegisthus and my wicked wife were the death of
me
between them. He asked me to his house, feasted me, and then
butchered
me most miserably as though I were a fat beast in a slaughter
house,
while all around me my comrades were slain like sheep or pigs
for
the wedding breakfast, or picnic, or gorgeous banquet of some
great
nobleman. You must have seen numbers of men killed either in a
general
engagement, or in single combat, but you never saw anything so
truly
pitiable as the way in which we fell in that cloister, with the
mixing-bowl
and the loaded tables lying all about, and the ground reeking
with
our-blood. I heard Priam's daughter Cassandra scream as
Clytemnestra
killed her close beside me. I lay dying upon the earth with the
sword
in my body, and raised my hands to kill the slut of a murderess,
but
she slipped away from me; she would not even close my lips nor
my
eyes when I was dying, for there is nothing in this world so
cruel
and so shameless as a woman when she has fallen into such guilt
as
hers was. Fancy murdering her own husband! I thought I was going
to
be welcomed home by my children and my servants, but her
abominable
crime has brought disgrace on herself and all women who shall
come
after- even on the good ones.'
"And I said, 'In truth Jove has hated the house of Atreus from
first
to last in the matter of their women's counsels. See how many of
us
fell for Helen's sake, and now it seems that Clytemnestra
hatched
mischief against too during your absence.'
"'Be sure, therefore,' continued Agamemnon, 'and not be too
friendly
even with your own wife. Do not tell her all that you know
perfectly
well yourself. Tell her a part only, and keep your own counsel
about
the rest. Not that your wife, Ulysses, is likely to murder you,
for
Penelope is a very admirable woman, and has an excellent nature.
We
left her a young bride with an infant at her breast when we set
out
for Troy. This child no doubt is now grown up happily to man's
estate,
and he and his father will have a joyful meeting and embrace one
another
as it is right they should do, whereas my wicked wife did not
even
allow me the happiness of looking upon my son, but killed me ere
I
could do so. Furthermore I say- and lay my saying to your heart-
do
not tell people when you are bringing your ship to Ithaca, but
steal
a march upon them, for after all this there is no trusting
women.
But now tell me, and tell me true, can you give me any news of
my
son Orestes? Is he in Orchomenus, or at Pylos, or is he at
Sparta
with Menelaus- for I presume that he is still living.'
"And I said, 'Agamemnon, why do you ask me? I do not know
whether
your son is alive or dead, and it is not right to talk when one
does
not know.'
"As we two sat weeping and talking thus sadly with one another
the
ghost of Achilles came up to us with Patroclus, Antilochus, and
Ajax
who was the finest and goodliest man of all the Danaans after
the
son of Peleus. The fleet descendant of Aeacus knew me and spoke
piteously,
saying, 'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, what deed of daring will
you
undertake next, that you venture down to the house of Hades
among
us silly dead, who are but the ghosts of them that can labour no
more?'
"And I said, 'Achilles, son of Peleus, foremost champion of the
Achaeans,
I came to consult Teiresias, and see if he could advise me about
my
return home to Ithaca, for I have never yet been able to get
near
the Achaean land, nor to set foot in my own country, but have
been
in trouble all the time. As for you, Achilles, no one was ever
yet
so fortunate as you have been, nor ever will be, for you were
adored
by all us Argives as long as you were alive, and now that you
are
here you are a great prince among the dead. Do not, therefore,
take
it so much to heart even if you are dead.'
"'Say not a word,' he answered, 'in death's favour; I would
rather
be a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above ground than
king
of kings among the dead. But give me news about son; is he gone
to
the wars and will he be a great soldier, or is this not so? Tell
me
also if you have heard anything about my father Peleus- does he
still
rule among the Myrmidons, or do they show him no respect
throughout
Hellas and Phthia now that he is old and his limbs fail him?
Could
I but stand by his side, in the light of day, with the same
strength
that I had when I killed the bravest of our foes upon the plain
of
Troy- could I but be as I then was and go even for a short time
to
my father's house, any one who tried to do him violence or
supersede
him would soon me it.'
"'I have heard nothing,' I answered, 'of Peleus, but I can tell
you
all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own ship
from
Scyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war before Troy he
was
always first to speak, and his judgement was unerring. Nestor
and
I were the only two who could surpass him; and when it came to
fighting
on the plain of Troy, he would never remain with the body of his
men,
but would dash on far in front, foremost of them all in valour.
Many
a man did he kill in battle- I cannot name every single one of
those
whom he slew while fighting on the side of the Argives, but will
only
say how he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son of Telephus,
who
was the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; many others
also
of the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman's bribes.
Moreover,
when all the bravest of the Argives went inside the horse that
Epeus
had made, and it was left to me to settle when we should either
open
the door of our ambuscade, or close it, though all the other
leaders
and chief men among the Danaans were drying their eyes and
quaking
in every limb, I never once saw him turn pale nor wipe a tear
from
his cheek; he was all the time urging me to break out from the
horse-
grasping the handle of his sword and his bronze-shod spear, and
breathing
fury against the foe. Yet when we had sacked the city of Priam
he
got his handsome share of the prize money and went on board
(such
is the fortune of war) without a wound upon him, neither from a
thrown
spear nor in close combat, for the rage of Mars is a matter of
great
chance.'
"When I had told him this, the ghost of Achilles strode off
across
a meadow full of asphodel, exulting over what I had said
concerning
the prowess of his son.
"The ghosts of other dead men stood near me and told me each his
own
melancholy tale; but that of Ajax son of Telamon alone held
aloof-
still angry with me for having won the cause in our dispute
about
the armour of Achilles. Thetis had offered it as a prize, but
the
Trojan prisoners and Minerva were the judges. Would that I had
never
gained the day in such a contest, for it cost the life of Ajax,
who
was foremost of all the Danaans after the son of Peleus, alike
in
stature and prowess.
"When I saw him I tried to pacify him and said, 'Ajax, will you
not
forget and forgive even in death, but must the judgement about
that
hateful armour still rankle with you? It cost us Argives dear
enough
to lose such a tower of strength as you were to us. We mourned
you
as much as we mourned Achilles son of Peleus himself, nor can
the
blame be laid on anything but on the spite which Jove bore
against
the Danaans, for it was this that made him counsel your
destruction-
come hither, therefore, bring your proud spirit into subjection,
and
hear what I can tell you.'
"He would not answer, but turned away to Erebus and to the other
ghosts;
nevertheless, I should have made him talk to me in spite of his
being
so angry, or I should have gone talking to him, only that there
were
still others among the dead whom I desired to see.
"Then I saw Minos son of Jove with his golden sceptre in his
hand
sitting in judgement on the dead, and the ghosts were gathered
sitting
and standing round him in the spacious house of Hades, to learn
his
sentences upon them.
"After him I saw huge Orion in a meadow full of asphodel driving
the
ghosts of the wild beasts that he had killed upon the mountains,
and
he had a great bronze club in his hand, unbreakable for ever and
ever.
"And I saw Tityus son of Gaia stretched upon the plain and
covering
some nine acres of ground. Two vultures on either side of him
were
digging their beaks into his liver, and he kept on trying to
beat
them off with his hands, but could not; for he had violated
Jove's
mistress Leto as she was going through Panopeus on her way to
Pytho.
"I saw also the dreadful fate of Tantalus, who stood in a lake
that
reached his chin; he was dying to quench his thirst, but could
never
reach the water, for whenever the poor creature stooped to
drink,
it dried up and vanished, so that there was nothing but dry
ground-
parched by the spite of heaven. There were tall trees, moreover,
that
shed their fruit over his head- pears, pomegranates, apples,
sweet
figs and juicy olives, but whenever the poor creature stretched
out
his hand to take some, the wind tossed the branches back again
to
the clouds.
"And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious
stone
with both his hands. With hands and feet he' tried to roll it up
to
the top of the hill, but always, just before he could roll it
over
on to the other side, its weight would be too much for him, and
the
pitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain.
Then
he would begin trying to push it up hill again, and the sweat
ran
off him and the steam rose after him.
"After him I saw mighty Hercules, but it was his phantom only,
for
he is feasting ever with the immortal gods, and has lovely Hebe
to
wife, who is daughter of Jove and Juno. The ghosts were
screaming
round him like scared birds flying all whithers. He looked black
as
night with his bare bow in his hands and his arrow on the
string,
glaring around as though ever on the point of taking aim. About
his
breast there was a wondrous golden belt adorned in the most
marvellous
fashion with bears, wild boars, and lions with gleaming eyes;
there
was also war, battle, and death. The man who made that belt, do
what
he might, would never be able to make another like it. Hercules
knew
me at once when he saw me, and spoke piteously, saying, my poor
Ulysses,
noble son of Laertes, are you too leading the same sorry kind of
life
that I did when I was above ground? I was son of Jove, but I
went
through an infinity of suffering, for I became bondsman to one
who
was far beneath me- a low fellow who set me all manner of
labours.
He once sent me here to fetch the hell-hound- for he did not
think
he could find anything harder for me than this, but I got the
hound
out of Hades and brought him to him, for Mercury and Minerva
helped
me.'
"On this Hercules went down again into the house of Hades, but I
stayed
where I was in case some other of the mighty dead should come to
me.
And I should have seen still other of them that are gone before,
whom
I would fain have seen- Theseus and Pirithous glorious children
of
the gods, but so many thousands of ghosts came round me and
uttered
such appalling cries, that I was panic stricken lest Proserpine
should
send up from the house of Hades the head of that awful monster
Gorgon.
On this I hastened back to my ship and ordered my men to go on
board
at once and loose the hawsers; so they embarked and took their
places,
whereon the ship went down the stream of the river Oceanus. We
had
to row at first, but presently a fair wind sprang up.