THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES
Meanwhile, Ulysses went forth from his palace to the dwelling of
Laertes, that was in the fields. There the old man dwelt, and a
woman of Sicily cared for him. And Ulysses spake to his son and to
the shepherds, saying: "Go ye into the house and prepare a meal of
swine's flesh, as savoury as may be; and I will make trial of my
father, whether he will know me. For it may well be that he hath
forgotten me, seeing that I have been now a long time absent."
So spake Ulysses, and gave also his arms to the men to keep for
him. So they went into the house. And Ulysses went to the orchard,
making search for his father. There he found not Dolius [Footnote:
Do'-li-us.], that was steward to Laertes, nor any one of his
servants, nor of his sons, for they were gone to make a fence
about the field. Only the old man he found; and he was busy
digging about a tree. Filthy was the tunic that he had about him
and sewn with thread; and he had coverings of ox-hide on his legs
to keep them from the thorns, and gloves upon his hands, and a cap
of dog-skin on his head. And when Ulysses saw him, how that he was
worn with old age and very sorrowful, he stood under a pear tree
and wept. Then for awhile he took counsel with himself, whether he
should kiss his father and embrace him, and make himself known,
and tell him how he had come back to his home, or should first
inquire of him, and learn all that he would know. And he judged it
best first to inquire. So he came near to the old man; and the old
man was digging about a tree, having his head bent down.
Then said Ulysses: "Verily, old man, thou lackest not skill to
deal with an orchard. And truly, neither fig, nor vine, nor olive,
nor pear may flourish in a garden without care. But yet another
thing will I say to thee, and be not thou wroth when thou hearest
it. Thy garden, indeed, is well cared for, but thou thyself art in
evil plight. For old age lieth heavy upon thee, and thou art clad
in filthy garments. Yet truly it is not because thou art idle that
thy master thus dealeth with thee; nor, indeed, art thou in any
wise like unto a slave; for thy face and thy stature are as it
might be of a king. Such an one as thou art should wash himself,
and sit down to meat, and sleep softly; for such is the right of
old age. But come, tell me truly, whose servant art thou? Whose
orchard dost thou tend? Tell me this also: is this, indeed, the
land of Ithaca to which I am come? This, indeed, a certain man
that I met as I came hither told me, but he seemed to be but of
simple mind, nor would he listen to my words, nor tell me of a
friend that I have who dwelleth in this place, whether he be alive
or dead. I entertained him a long time since in my house, and
never was there stranger whom I loved more than him. And he said
that he was the son of Laertes, and that he came from the land of
Ithaca."
To him Laertes made answer, weeping the while: "Doubt not,
stranger, that thou art come to the land of which thou inquirest.
But unrighteous and violent men have it in possession. But as for
the son of Laertes, hadst thou found him here, verily, he would
have sent thee away with many gifts. But tell me truly, is it long
time since thou didst give him entertainment? For, indeed, he is
my son, unhappy man that I am. Surely either he hath been drowned
in the sea, and the fishes have devoured him, or wild beasts and
birds of the air have eaten him upon the land. And neither father
nor mother, nor his wife, Penelope, most prudent of women, could
make lamentation for him and lay him out for his burial. But tell
me, who art thou? Where is thy city, and what thy parentage? Did
thine own ship bring thee hither, and thy companions with thee, or
didst thou come as a trader upon the ship of another?"
Then said Ulysses: "All this I will tell thee truly. My name is
Eperitus.[Footnote: E-per'-i-tus.] It was of the doing of the gods
that I came hither from the land of Sicily, and not of mine own
will. And my ship is moored hard by. As for Ulysses, it is now the
fifth year since he left me. Yet verily, the omens were good when
he went forth on his journey, so that we both rejoiced, thinking
that he would journey safely, and that we should be friends the
one to the other in the time to come."
So spake Ulysses; and when the old man, his father, heard these
words, great grief came upon him, and he took up the dust in his
hands and poured it upon the white hairs of his head. And the
heart of Ulysses was moved within him as he saw it, and he was
ready to weep when he beheld his father. Then he threw his arms
about him and kissed him, and said: "My father, here am I, thy son
for whom thou weepest. Lo! I am come back to my native country
after twenty years, and I have avenged myself on them that sought
my wife in marriage, slaying them all."
To him the old man made answer, "If thou art my very son Ulysses,
tell me some clear sign whereby I may know thee."
Then said Ulysses: "See, now, this scar upon my thigh where the
wild boar wounded me on Mount Parnassus.[Footnote: Par nas'-sus.]
For thou and my mother sent me to my grandfather, and I was
wounded in the hunting. And let this also be a sign to thee. I
will tell thee what trees of the orchard thou gavest me long
since, when I was a boy and walked with thee, inquiring of thee
their names. Thirteen pear trees didst thou give me, and ten apple
trees, and of fig trees two score. Fifty rows also of vines didst
thou promise to give me when the time of grapes should come."
And the old man's heart was moved within him, and his knees failed
him, for he knew that the signs were true. And he threw his arms
about his son, and the spirit of the old man revived, and he said:
"Now I know that there are gods in heaven when I hear that these
evil men have been punished for their wrong-doing. Nevertheless, I
fear much lest their kinsmen shall stir up the men of Ithaca and
of the islands round about against us."
Then said Ulysses: "Trouble not thyself with these matters, my
father. Let us go rather to the house. There are Telemachus and
Eumaeus, and the keeper of the herds, and they have made ready,
that we may dine."
So they went to the house, and found Telemachus and his companions
cutting flesh for the dinner and mixing the wine. Then the woman
of Sicily washed the old man Laertes and anointed him with oil,
and clad him in a fair cloak. And Athene also stood by him, and
made him taller and sturdier to look on than before. And his son
marvelled to behold him, so fair he was and like to the gods that
live forever, so that he spake to him, saying, "O my father,
surely one of the gods that live forever hath made thee fair to
look upon and tall!"
And Laertes made answer: "Would to God that I had stood by you
yesterday, taking vengeance on the suitors, with the strength I
had of old. Many a man would I have slain with my spear, and thou
wouldest have rejoiced in thy heart."
Thus spake they together. And when the dinner was ready they sat
down to meat; and the old man Dolius, with his sons, approached,
coming in from their labour; for the woman of Sicily, that was the
mother of the lads, had called them. And when they saw Ulysses,
they stood amazed and speechless. And Ulysses said, "Cease to
wonder, old man, at this sight, and sit down to meat; truly we are
ready for our meat, and have waited long time for you."
Then Dolius ran to him, stretching forth both his hands, and
caught the hand of Ulysses and kissed it on the wrist. And he
spake, saying: "Right glad are we at thy coming, for we looked not
for thee. Surely it is of the gods that thou hast returned. May
all things be well with thee. But tell me this. Knoweth Queen
Penelope of thy coming, or shall I send a messenger to tell her?"
"Verily, she knoweth it," said Ulysses. Then the old man sat down
to meat, and his sons also, when they had greeted Ulysses.
In the meanwhile there spread through the city the tidings how the
suitors had been slain; and the kindred of the men came to the
house of Ulysses with many groans and tears, and carried away the
dead bodies and buried them. But such as came from other lands
they put on shipboard, that they might carry them to the
sepulchres of their fathers. And when these things were ended they
gathered themselves together in the marketplace; and Eupeithes
[Footnote: Eu-pei'-thes.] stood up amongst them, being sore
troubled in his heart for his son Antinous, whom Ulysses had slain
first of all the suitors. He stood up, therefore, in the midst,
and spake: "Surely this man hath wrought great evils in this land.
First he took comrades with him to Troy, many in number and brave.
These all he lost, and their ships also. And now he hath come
hither and slain the princes of the people. Shame it were to us,
yea, among the generations to come, if we avenge not ourselves on
them that have slain our sons and our brothers. Verily, I desire
not life, if such should go unpunished. Come, therefore, let us
make haste, lest they cross over the sea and so escape."
So Eupeithes spake, weeping the while. And all the people had pity
to hear him. But Medon, the herald, stood up in the assembly and
spake, saying: "Hear me, men of Ithaca! Verily, Ulysses did not
all these things without the helping of the gods that live
forever. I, indeed, saw with mine own eyes one of the gods
standing by Ulysses, being like to Prince Mentor in shape. By
Ulysses there stood a god, and strengthened him; and another was
there among the suitors, troubling them so that they fell."
Thus spake Medon, the herald, and after him stood up Alitherses
[Footnote: A-li-ther'-ses.], the seer, that knew all things that
had been and should be hereafter, and spake, saying: "It is of
your folly, ye men of Ithaca, that all these things have come to
pass. Ye would not hearken to me, no, nor to Mentor, nor would ye
restrain your sons from their folly. Great wickedness did they
work, wasting the goods of a brave man, and making suit to his
wife, for they thought not that he would return. Come now, hearken
unto me, lest some worse evil befall you."
Then some indeed rose up and made haste to depart; and these were
the greater part; but the others remained in their places, for
they liked not the counsel of Medon and the seer, but regarded the
words of Eupeithes. Then they clad themselves in their armour and
marched to the city, Eupeithes leading them.
Then spake Athene to Zeus: "Tell me, my father, what dost thou
purpose in thy heart? Wilt thou that there be strife or friendship
between these two?"
To her Zeus made answer: "Why dost thou inquire this thing of me?
Was it not of thy contriving that Ulysses slew the suitors in his
palace? Order it as thou wilt. But let there be peace and
friendship in the end, that Ulysses may prosper in the land, and
the people dwell in happiness about him."
Then Athene departed, and came to the land of Ithaca.
And when Ulysses and they that sat with him had made an end of
eating and drinking, the King said, "Let some one go forth and see
whether these men are near at hand."
So the son of Dolius went forth. And as he stood on the threshold
he saw them approaching, and cried: "They are even now close at
hand; let us arm ourselves in all haste."
So they armed themselves. With Ulysses were Telemachus, and
Eumaeus, and the keeper of the herds. Also there stood with him
six sons of Dolius; and the two old men also, Laertes and Dolius,
though their heads were white with age. And as they went forth
from the house Athene came near, having the form and the voice of
Prince Mentor. And when Ulysses saw her, he was glad at heart, and
spake to Telemachus, saying, "I know thee well, my son, that thou
wilt bear thyself bravely, and do no dishonour to the house of thy
fathers, that have ever been famous in the land for courage and
manhood."
Telemachus answered, "This, my father, thou shalt see for thyself,
if thou wilt."
And Laertes was glad at heart, and said, "How happy is this day,
in the which my son and my grandson contend one with the other in
valour."
Then Athene came near to the old man, and said, "Laertes, pray
thou first to Athene and Father Zeus, and then cast thy spear."
So she spake, and breathed great strength into his heart. And
having prayed, he cast his spear, and smote Eupeithes through the
helmet, so that he fell dead upon the ground. Then Ulysses and his
son fell upon the men of Ithaca with swords and two-handed spears.
Verily, they had slain them all, but that Athene cried aloud,
saying: "Cease, men of Ithaca, from the battle, for it is too hard
for you."
And the men were sore afraid when they heard her voice, and threw
their arms upon the ground and fled, if haply they might escape to
the city. And when Ulysses would have pursued after them, Zeus
cast a thunderbolt from heaven, so that it fell before the feet of
Athene. And Athene cried, "Cease from the battle, son of Laertes,
lest Zeus be wroth with thee."
So Ulysses was stayed from the battle; and Zeus and Athene made
peace between the King and the men of Ithaca.
PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES
Pronounce _ae_, as in _Caesar_; _ei_ as _i_ in _island_; _oe_ as ae;
_y_, when accented, as _i_ in _island_; when unaccented, as _i_ in
_till_.
Pronounce _ch_ as _k_. _C_ and _g_ are soft (as _s_ and _j_) before
_ei_, _i_, _ae_, _oe_, _eu_; otherwise, hard, as _k_; and _g_ (in
_gas_).
A-chil'-les. AE-gis'-thus. AE-gyp'-tus. AE'-o-lus. AE-to'-li-an.
Ag-a-mem'-non. A-ge-la'-us. A'-jax. Al-cin'-o-us. A-li-ther'-ses.
Am-phim'-e-don. Am-phin'-o-mus. An-tin'-o-us. A-pol'-lo. A-re'-te.
A-re-thu'-sa. Ar'-te-mis. A-the'-ne. A'-treus.
Bo-o'-tes.
Ca-lyp'-so. Cau-co'-ni-ans. Cha-ryb'-dis. Ci'-co-nes. Cir'-ce.
Cte-sip'-pus. Cy-clo'-pes. Cy'-clops.
De-mod'-e-cus. Do-do'-na. Do'-li-s. Du-lich'-i-um.
E-che-ne'-us. E'-lis. El-pe'-nor. E-per'-i-tus. Eu-mae'-us
Eu-pei'-thes. Eu-ryb'-a-tes. Eu-ry-clei'-a. Eu-ryl'-o-dus.
Eu-rym'-a-chus. Eu-ryn'-o-me.
Ha'-des. He'-ra. Her'-mes. He-phaes-tus.
I'-no. I'-ris. I-rus. Ith'-a-ca.
Ja'-son.
La-ce-dae'-mon. La-er'-tes. La'-mos. Laes'-try-gons. La-o'-da-mas.
Lei-o'-des. Le-oc'-ri-tus.
Me'-don. Me-lan'-thi-us. Me-ne-la'-us. Men'-tes. Men'-tor.
Nau-sic'-a-a.
O-gyg'-i-a. O-lym'-pus. O-ri'-on.
Par-nas'-sus. Pa-tro'-clus. Pei-sis'-tra-tus. Pe-nel'-o-pe.
Phae-a'-ci-aus. Pha'-ros. Phe'-mi-us. Phe'-rae. Phi-loe'-ti-us.
Phoe-ni'-ci-aus. Phor'-cys. Plei'-a-des. Po-li'-des.
Pol-y-phe'-mus. Po-sei'-don. Pro'-teus. Py'-los.
Sa'-mos. Si-do'-ni-ans. Scyl'-la.
Ta'-phi-ans. Tei-re'-si-as. Te-lem'-a-chus. Thes-pro'-ti-a.
U-lys'-ses.
Za-cyn'-thus.
As many of the Greek gods are better known under the names given
to them by the Romans, the following list is given:--
_Greek_ _Latin_
Zeus. Jupiter.
Hera. Juno.
(Pallas) Athene. Minerva.
Aphrodite. Venus.
Poseidon. Neptune.
Ares. Mars.
Hephaestus. Vulcan.