THE DWELLINGS OF THE DEAD
(THE TALE OF ULYSSES)
"After this we made ready the ship for sailing, and put the black
sheep on board, and so departed; and Circe sent a wind from behind
that filled the sails; and all the day through our ship passed
quickly over the sea.
"And when the sun had set we came to the utmost border of the
ocean. Then I bade two of my comrades make ready the sheep for
sacrifice; and I myself dug a pit of a cubit every way, and poured
in it a drink-offering of honey and milk, and sweet wine, and
water, and sprinkled barley upon the drink-offering. Afterwards I
took the sheep and slew them, so that their blood ran into the
trench. And the dead were gathered to the place,--maidens, and old
men who had borne the sorrows of many years, and warriors that had
been slain in battle, having their arms covered with blood. All
these gathered about the pit with a terrible cry; and I was sore
afraid. Then I bade my comrades burn the carcasses of the sheep
and pray to the gods of the dead; but I myself sat down by the
pit's side, and would not suffer the souls of the dead to come
near unto the blood until I had inquired of Teiresias.
"First of all came the soul of my comrade Elpenor. Much did I
wonder to see him, and I asked, 'How comest thou hither, Elpenor,
to the land of darkness? and how have thy feet outstripped my
ship?' Then said Elpenor: 'I fell from the roof of the palace of
Circe, not bethinking me of the ladder, and so brake my neck. But
now, I pray thee, if thou lovest wife and father and son, forget
me not, when thou returnest to the island of Circe. Burn me with
fire and my arms with me; and make a mound for me by the shore of
the sea, that men may hear of me and of my fate in after time. And
set up my oar upon my tomb, even the oar which I was wont to ply
among my comrades.'
"Then I said to him, 'All this shall be done as thou desirest.'
"And we sat on either side of the trench as we talked, and I held
my sword over the blood.
"After him came to me the soul of my mother, whom I had left alive
when I sailed to Troy. Sorely I wept to see her, yet suffered her
not to come near and drink of the blood till I had inquired of
Teiresias. Then came Teiresias, holding a golden sceptre in his
hand, and spake, saying: 'Why hast thou left the light of day, and
come hither to this land of the dead, wherein is no delight? But
come, depart from the pit, and take away thy sword, that I may
come near and tell thee true.'
"So I thrust my sword into the scabbard; and Teiresias drank of
the blood; and when he had drunk, he spake: 'Thou seekest to hear
of thy going back to thy home. Know, therefore, that it shall be
with peril and toil. For Poseidon will not easily lay aside his
wrath against thee, because thou didst take from his dear son, the
Cyclops, the sight of his eye. Yet for all this ye may yet come
safe to your home, if only thou canst restrain thyself and thy
comrades when ye come to the island of the Three Capes, and find
there the oxen and the sheep of the Sun. If ye let them be and
harm them not, then may ye yet return to Ithaca, though after
dreadful toil. But if not, then shall ye perish. And if thou
escape thyself, after long time shalt thou return, having lost all
thy comrades, and the ship of strangers shall carry thee; and thou
shalt find trouble in thy house, men of violence who devour thy
substance while they seek thy wife in marriage.'
"To him I made answer: 'So be it, Teiresias. All these things the
gods have ordered after their own will. But tell me this. Here I
see the soul of my mother that is dead; and she sits near the
blood, but regards me not, nor speaks to me. How can she know that
I am indeed her son?'
"Then said Teiresias: 'Whomsoever of the dead thou shalt suffer to
drink of the blood, he will speak to thee; but whomsoever thou
sufferest not, he will depart in silence.'
"So I abode in my place; and the soul of my mother came near and
drank of the blood. And when she had drunk, she knew her son, and
said: 'My son, why hast thou come into the land of darkness, being
yet alive? Hast thou not yet returned to thy home?'
"To her I made answer: 'I came hither to inquire of Teiresias of
Thebes, and my home have I not seen. Truly trouble hath followed
me from the day that I first went with King Agamemnon to the land
of Troy. But tell me, how didst thou die? Did a wasting disease
slay thee, or did Artemis [Footnote: Ar'-te-mis] smite thee with a
sudden stroke of her arrow? And my father and my son, have they
enjoyment of that which is mine, or have others taken it from
them? And my wife, is she true to me, or hath she wedded some
prince among the Greeks?'
"Then said my mother: 'Thy wife is true, and sits weeping for thee
day and night. And thy son hath enjoyment of thy possessions, and
hath his due place at the feasts of the people. But thy father
cometh no longer to the city, but abideth in the country. Nor hath
he any couch for his bed, but in winter-time he sleeps, even as
sleep the slaves, in the ashes near unto the fire, and when the
summer comes, in the corner of the vineyard upon leaves. Greatly
doth he sorrow, waiting for thy return, and the burden of old age
lies heavy upon him. But as for me, no wasting disease slew me,
nor did Artemis smite me with her arrows; but I died of longing
for thee, so sorely did I miss thy wisdom and thy love.'
"Then I was fain to lay hold upon the soul of my mother. Thrice I
sprang forward, eager to embrace her, and thrice she passed from
out my hands, even as passeth a shadow. And when I said, 'How is
this, my mother? art thou then but a phantom that the queen of the
dead hath sent me?' my mother answered me: 'Thus it is with the
dead, my son. They have no more any flesh and bones; for these the
fire devours; but their souls are even as dreams, flying hither
and thither. But do thou return so soon as may be to the light,
and tell all that thou hast seen and heard to thy wife.'
"Thereupon I departed from the place, and bade my comrades embark
upon the ships and loose the ropes. And we embarked and sat upon
the benches; and the great stream of Ocean bare us onward, rowing
at the first, and afterwards hoisting the sails."