Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared,
Telemachus
rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to his comely
feet,
girded his sword about his shoulder, and left his room looking
like
an immortal god. He at once sent the criers round to call the
people
in assembly, so they called them and the people gathered
thereon;
then, when they were got together, he went to the place of
assembly
spear in hand- not alone, for his two hounds went with him.
Minerva
endowed him with a presence of such divine comeliness that all
marvelled
at him as he went by, and when he took his place' in his
father's
seat even the oldest councillors made way for him.
Aegyptius, a man bent double with age, and of infinite
experience,
the first to speak His son Antiphus had gone with Ulysses to
Ilius,
land of noble steeds, but the savage Cyclops had killed him when
they
were all shut up in the cave, and had cooked his last dinner for
him,
He had three sons left, of whom two still worked on their
father's
land, while the third, Eurynomus, was one of the suitors;
nevertheless
their father could not get over the loss of Antiphus, and was
still
weeping for him when he began his speech.
"Men of Ithaca," he said, "hear my words. From the day Ulysses
left
us there has been no meeting of our councillors until now; who
then
can it be, whether old or young, that finds it so necessary to
convene
us? Has he got wind of some host approaching, and does he wish
to
warn us, or would he speak upon some other matter of public
moment?
I am sure he is an excellent person, and I hope Jove will grant
him
his heart's desire."
Telemachus took this speech as of good omen and rose at once,
for
he was bursting with what he had to say. He stood in the middle
of
the assembly and the good herald Pisenor brought him his staff.
Then,
turning to Aegyptius, "Sir," said he, "it is I, as you will
shortly
learn, who have convened you, for it is I who am the most
aggrieved.
I have not got wind of any host approaching about which I would
warn
you, nor is there any matter of public moment on which I would
speak.
My grieveance is purely personal, and turns on two great
misfortunes
which have fallen upon my house. The first of these is the loss
of
my excellent father, who was chief among all you here present,
and
was like a father to every one of you; the second is much more
serious,
and ere long will be the utter ruin of my estate. The sons of
all
the chief men among you are pestering my mother to marry them
against
her will. They are afraid to go to her father Icarius, asking
him
to choose the one he likes best, and to provide marriage gifts
for
his daughter, but day by day they keep hanging about my father's
house,
sacrificing our oxen, sheep, and fat goats for their banquets,
and
never giving so much as a thought to the quantity of wine they
drink.
No estate can stand such recklessness; we have now no Ulysses to
ward
off harm from our doors, and I cannot hold my own against them.
I
shall never all my days be as good a man as he was, still I
would
indeed defend myself if I had power to do so, for I cannot stand
such
treatment any longer; my house is being disgraced and ruined.
Have
respect, therefore, to your own consciences and to public
opinion.
Fear, too, the wrath of heaven, lest the gods should be
displeased
and turn upon you. I pray you by Jove and Themis, who is the
beginning
and the end of councils, [do not] hold back, my friends, and
leave
me singlehanded- unless it be that my brave father Ulysses did
some
wrong to the Achaeans which you would now avenge on me, by
aiding
and abetting these suitors. Moreover, if I am to be eaten out of
house
and home at all, I had rather you did the eating yourselves, for
I
could then take action against you to some purpose, and serve
you
with notices from house to house till I got paid in full,
whereas
now I have no remedy."
With this Telemachus dashed his staff to the ground and burst
into
tears. Every one was very sorry for him, but they all sat still
and
no one ventured to make him an angry answer, save only Antinous,
who
spoke thus:
"Telemachus, insolent braggart that you are, how dare you try to
throw
the blame upon us suitors? It is your mother's fault not ours,
for
she is a very artful woman. This three years past, and close on
four,
she has been driving us out of our minds, by encouraging each
one
of us, and sending him messages without meaning one word of what
she
says. And then there was that other trick she played us. She set
up
a great tambour frame in her room, and began to work on an
enormous
piece of fine needlework. 'Sweet hearts,' said she, 'Ulysses is
indeed
dead, still do not press me to marry again immediately, wait-
for
I would not have skill in needlework perish unrecorded- till I
have
completed a pall for the hero Laertes, to be in readiness
against
the time when death shall take him. He is very rich, and the
women
of the place will talk if he is laid out without a pall.'
"This was what she said, and we assented; whereon we could see
her
working on her great web all day long, but at night she would
unpick
the stitches again by torchlight. She fooled us in this way for
three
years and we never found her out, but as time wore on and she
was
now in her fourth year, one of her maids who knew what she was
doing
told us, and we caught her in the act of undoing her work, so
she
had to finish it whether she would or no. The suitors,
therefore,
make you this answer, that both you and the Achaeans may
understand-'Send
your mother away, and bid her marry the man of her own and of
her
father's choice'; for I do not know what will happen if she goes
on
plaguing us much longer with the airs she gives herself on the
score
of the accomplishments Minerva has taught her, and because she
is
so clever. We never yet heard of such a woman; we know all about
Tyro,
Alcmena, Mycene, and the famous women of old, but they were
nothing
to your mother, any one of them. It was not fair of her to treat
us
in that way, and as long as she continues in the mind with which
heaven
has now endowed her, so long shall we go on eating up your
estate;
and I do not see why she should change, for she gets all the
honour
and glory, and it is you who pay for it, not she. Understand,
then,
that we will not go back to our lands, neither here nor
elsewhere,
till she has made her choice and married some one or other of
us."
Telemachus answered, "Antinous, how can I drive the mother who
bore
me from my father's house? My father is abroad and we do not
know
whether he is alive or dead. It will be hard on me if I have to
pay
Icarius the large sum which I must give him if I insist on
sending
his daughter back to him. Not only will he deal rigorously with
me,
but heaven will also punish me; for my mother when she leaves
the
house will calf on the Erinyes to avenge her; besides, it would
not
be a creditable thing to do, and I will have nothing to say to
it.
If you choose to take offence at this, leave the house and feast
elsewhere
at one another's houses at your own cost turn and turn about.
If,
on the other hand, you elect to persist in spunging upon one
man,
heaven help me, but Jove shall reckon with you in full, and when
you
fall in my father's house there shall be no man to avenge you."
As he spoke Jove sent two eagles from the top of the mountain,
and
they flew on and on with the wind, sailing side by side in their
own
lordly flight. When they were right over the middle of the
assembly
they wheeled and circled about, beating the air with their wings
and
glaring death into the eyes of them that were below; then,
fighting
fiercely and tearing at one another, they flew off towards the
right
over the town. The people wondered as they saw them, and asked
each
other what an this might be; whereon Halitherses, who was the
best
prophet and reader of omens among them, spoke to them plainly
and
in all honesty, saying:
"Hear me, men of Ithaca, and I speak more particularly to the
suitors,
for I see mischief brewing for them. Ulysses is not going to be
away
much longer; indeed he is close at hand to deal out death and
destruction,
not on them alone, but on many another of us who live in Ithaca.
Let
us then be wise in time, and put a stop to this wickedness
before
he comes. Let the suitors do so of their own accord; it will be
better
for them, for I am not prophesying without due knowledge;
everything
has happened to Ulysses as I foretold when the Argives set out
for
Troy, and he with them. I said that after going through much
hardship
and losing all his men he should come home again in the
twentieth
year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming
true."
Eurymachus son of Polybus then said, "Go home, old man, and
prophesy
to your own children, or it may be worse for them. I can read
these
omens myself much better than you can; birds are always flying
about
in the sunshine somewhere or other, but they seldom mean
anything.
Ulysses has died in a far country, and it is a pity you are not
dead
along with him, instead of prating here about omens and adding
fuel
to the anger of Telemachus which is fierce enough as it is. I
suppose
you think he will give you something for your family, but I tell
you-
and it shall surely be- when an old man like you, who should
know
better, talks a young one over till he becomes troublesome, in
the
first place his young friend will only fare so much the worse-
he
will take nothing by it, for the suitors will prevent this- and
in
the next, we will lay a heavier fine, sir, upon yourself than
you
will at all like paying, for it will bear hardly upon you. As
for
Telemachus, I warn him in the presence of you all to send his
mother
back to her father, who will find her a husband and provide her
with
all the marriage gifts so dear a daughter may expect. Till we
shall
go on harassing him with our suit; for we fear no man, and care
neither
for him, with all his fine speeches, nor for any fortune-telling
of
yours. You may preach as much as you please, but we shall only
hate
you the more. We shall go back and continue to eat up
Telemachus's
estate without paying him, till such time as his mother leaves
off
tormenting us by keeping us day after day on the tiptoe of
expectation,
each vying with the other in his suit for a prize of such rare
perfection.
Besides we cannot go after the other women whom we should marry
in
due course, but for the way in which she treats us."
Then Telemachus said, "Eurymachus, and you other suitors, I
shall
say no more, and entreat you no further, for the gods and the
people
of Ithaca now know my story. Give me, then, a ship and a crew of
twenty
men to take me hither and thither, and I will go to Sparta and
to
Pylos in quest of my father who has so long been missing. Some
one
may tell me something, or (and people often hear things in this
way)
some heaven-sent message may direct me. If I can hear of him as
alive
and on his way home I will put up with the waste you suitors
will
make for yet another twelve months. If on the other hand I hear
of
his death, I will return at once, celebrate his funeral rites
with
all due pomp, build a barrow to his memory, and make my mother
marry
again."
With these words he sat down, and Mentor who had been a friend
of
Ulysses, and had been left in charge of everything with full
authority
over the servants, rose to speak. He, then, plainly and in all
honesty
addressed them thus:
"Hear me, men of Ithaca, I hope that you may never have a kind
and
well-disposed ruler any more, nor one who will govern you
equitably;
I hope that all your chiefs henceforward may be cruel and
unjust,
for there is not one of you but has forgotten Ulysses, who ruled
you
as though he were your father. I am not half so angry with the
suitors,
for if they choose to do violence in the naughtiness of their
hearts,
and wager their heads that Ulysses will not return, they can
take
the high hand and eat up his estate, but as for you others I am
shocked
at the way in which you all sit still without even trying to
stop
such scandalous goings on-which you could do if you chose, for
you
are many and they are few."
Leiocritus, son of Evenor, answered him saying, "Mentor, what
folly
is all this, that you should set the people to stay us? It is a
hard
thing for one man to fight with many about his victuals. Even
though
Ulysses himself were to set upon us while we are feasting in his
house,
and do his best to oust us, his wife, who wants him back so very
badly,
would have small cause for rejoicing, and his blood would be
upon
his own head if he fought against such great odds. There is no
sense
in what you have been saying. Now, therefore, do you people go
about
your business, and let his father's old friends, Mentor and
Halitherses,
speed this boy on his journey, if he goes at all- which I do not
think
he will, for he is more likely to stay where he is till some one
comes
and tells him something."
On this he broke up the assembly, and every man went back to his
own
abode, while the suitors returned to the house of Ulysses.
Then Telemachus went all alone by the sea side, washed his hands
in
the grey waves, and prayed to Minerva.
"Hear me," he cried, "you god who visited me yesterday, and bade
me
sail the seas in search of my father who has so long been
missing.
I would obey you, but the Achaeans, and more particularly the
wicked
suitors, are hindering me that I cannot do so."
As he thus prayed, Minerva came close up to him in the likeness
and
with the voice of Mentor. "Telemachus," said she, "if you are
made
of the same stuff as your father you will be neither fool nor
coward
henceforward, for Ulysses never broke his word nor left his work
half
done. If, then, you take after him, your voyage will not be
fruitless,
but unless you have the blood of Ulysses and of Penelope in your
veins
I see no likelihood of your succeeding. Sons are seldom as good
men
as their fathers; they are generally worse, not better; still,
as
you are not going to be either fool or coward henceforward, and
are
not entirely without some share of your father's wise
discernment,
I look with hope upon your undertaking. But mind you never make
common
cause with any of those foolish suitors, for they have neither
sense
nor virtue, and give no thought to death and to the doom that
will
shortly fall on one and all of them, so that they shall perish
on
the same day. As for your voyage, it shall not be long delayed;
your
father was such an old friend of mine that I will find you a
ship,
and will come with you myself. Now, however, return home, and go
about
among the suitors; begin getting provisions ready for your
voyage;
see everything well stowed, the wine in jars, and the barley
meal,
which is the staff of life, in leathern bags, while I go round
the
town and beat up volunteers at once. There are many ships in
Ithaca
both old and new; I will run my eye over them for you and will
choose
the best; we will get her ready and will put out to sea without
delay."
Thus spoke Minerva daughter of Jove, and Telemachus lost no time
in
doing as the goddess told him. He went moodily and found the
suitors
flaying goats and singeing pigs in the outer court. Antinous
came
up to him at once and laughed as he took his hand in his own,
saying,
"Telemachus, my fine fire-eater, bear no more ill blood neither
in
word nor deed, but eat and drink with us as you used to do. The
Achaeans
will find you in everything- a ship and a picked crew to boot-
so
that you can set sail for Pylos at once and get news of your
noble
father."
"Antinous," answered Telemachus, "I cannot eat in peace, nor
take
pleasure of any kind with such men as you are. Was it not enough
that
you should waste so much good property of mine while I was yet a
boy?
Now that I am older and know more about it, I am also stronger,
and
whether here among this people, or by going to Pylos, I will do
you
all the harm I can. I shall go, and my going will not be in vain
though,
thanks to you suitors, I have neither ship nor crew of my own,
and
must be passenger not captain."
As he spoke he snatched his hand from that of Antinous.
Meanwhile
the others went on getting dinner ready about the buildings,
jeering
at him tauntingly as they did so.
"Telemachus," said one youngster, "means to be the death of us;
I
suppose he thinks he can bring friends to help him from Pylos,
or
again from Sparta, where he seems bent on going. Or will he go
to
Ephyra as well, for poison to put in our wine and kill us?"
Another said, "Perhaps if Telemachus goes on board ship, he will
be
like his father and perish far from his friends. In this case we
should
have plenty to do, for we could then divide up his property
amongst
us: as for the house we can let his mother and the man who
marries
her have that."
This was how they talked. But Telemachus went down into the
lofty
and spacious store-room where his father's treasure of gold and
bronze
lay heaped up upon the floor, and where the linen and spare
clothes
were kept in open chests. Here, too, there was a store of
fragrant
olive oil, while casks of old, well-ripened wine, unblended and
fit
for a god to drink, were ranged against the wall in case Ulysses
should
come home again after all. The room was closed with well-made
doors
opening in the middle; moreover the faithful old house-keeper
Euryclea,
daughter of Ops the son of Pisenor, was in charge of everything
both
night and day. Telemachus called her to the store-room and
said:
"Nurse, draw me off some of the best wine you have, after what
you
are keeping for my father's own drinking, in case, poor man, he
should
escape death, and find his way home again after all. Let me have
twelve
jars, and see that they all have lids; also fill me some
well-sewn
leathern bags with barley meal- about twenty measures in all.
Get
these things put together at once, and say nothing about it. I
will
take everything away this evening as soon as my mother has gone
upstairs
for the night. I am going to Sparta and to Pylos to see if I can
hear
anything about the return of my dear father.
When Euryclea heard this she began to cry, and spoke fondly to
him,
saying, "My dear child, what ever can have put such notion as
that
into your head? Where in the world do you want to go to- you,
who
are the one hope of the house? Your poor father is dead and gone
in
some foreign country nobody knows where, and as soon as your
back
is turned these wicked ones here will be scheming to get you put
out
of the way, and will share all your possessions among
themselves;
stay where you are among your own people, and do not go
wandering
and worrying your life out on the barren ocean."
"Fear not, nurse," answered Telemachus, "my scheme is not
without
heaven's sanction; but swear that you will say nothing about all
this
to my mother, till I have been away some ten or twelve days,
unless
she hears of my having gone, and asks you; for I do not want her
to
spoil her beauty by crying."
The old woman swore most solemnly that she would not, and when
she
had completed her oath, she began drawing off the wine into
jars,
and getting the barley meal into the bags, while Telemachus went
back
to the suitors.
Then Minerva bethought her of another matter. She took his
shape,
and went round the town to each one of the crew, telling them to
meet
at the ship by sundown. She went also to Noemon son of Phronius,
and
asked him to let her have a ship- which he was very ready to do.
When
the sun had set and darkness was over all the land, she got the
ship
into the water, put all the tackle on board her that ships
generally
carry, and stationed her at the end of the harbour. Presently
the
crew came up, and the goddess spoke encouragingly to each of
them.
Furthermore she went to the house of Ulysses, and threw the
suitors
into a deep slumber. She caused their drink to fuddle them, and
made
them drop their cups from their hands, so that instead of
sitting
over their wine, they went back into the town to sleep, with
their
eyes heavy and full of drowsiness. Then she took the form and
voice
of Mentor, and called Telemachus to come outside.
"Telemachus," said she, "the men are on board and at their oars,
waiting
for you to give your orders, so make haste and let us be off."
On this she led the way, while Telemachus followed in her steps.
When
they got to the ship they found the crew waiting by the water
side,
and Telemachus said, "Now my men, help me to get the stores on
board;
they are all put together in the cloister, and my mother does
not
know anything about it, nor any of the maid servants except
one."
With these words he led the way and the others followed after.
When
they had brought the things as he told them, Telemachus went on
board,
Minerva going before him and taking her seat in the stern of the
vessel,
while Telemachus sat beside her. Then the men loosed the hawsers
and
took their places on the benches. Minerva sent them a fair wind
from
the West, that whistled over the deep blue waves whereon
Telemachus
told them to catch hold of the ropes and hoist sail, and they
did
as he told them. They set the mast in its socket in the cross
plank,
raised it, and made it fast with the forestays; then they
hoisted
their white sails aloft with ropes of twisted ox hide. As the
sail
bellied out with the wind, the ship flew through the deep blue
water,
and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward. Then
they
made all fast throughout the ship, filled the mixing-bowls to
the
brim, and made drink offerings to the immortal gods that are
from
everlasting, but more particularly to the grey-eyed daughter of
Jove.
Thus, then, the ship sped on her way through the watches of the
night
from dark till dawn.