Scroll 14
Odysseus now left the haven, and
took the rough track up through the wooded country and over the crest
of the mountain till he reached the place where Athena had said that
he would find the swineherd, who was the most thrifty servant he had.
He found him sitting in front of his hut, which was by the yards that
he had built on a site which could be seen from far. He had made them
spacious and fair to see, with a free ran for the pigs all round
them; he had built them during his master's absence, of stones
which he had gathered out of the ground, without saying anything to
Penelope or
Laertes, and he had fenced them on top with thorn bushes.
Outside the yard he had run a strong fence of oaken posts, split, and
set pretty close together, while inside lie had built twelve sties
near one another for the sows to lie in. There were fifty pigs
wallowing in each sty, all of them breeding sows; but the boars slept
outside and were much fewer in number, for the suitors kept on eating
them, and the swineherd had to send them the best he had continually.
There were three hundred and sixty boar pigs, and the herdsman's
four hounds, which were as fierce as wolves, slept always with them.
The swineherd was at that moment cutting out a pair of sandals from a
good stout ox hide. Three of his men were out herding the pigs in one
place or another, and he had sent the fourth to town with a boar that
he had been forced to send the suitors that they might sacrifice it
and have their fill of meat.
When the hounds saw Odysseus they
set up a furious barking and flew at him, but Odysseus was cunning
enough to sit down and loose his hold of the stick that he had in his
hand: still, he would have been torn by them in his own homestead had
not the swineherd dropped his ox hide, rushed full speed through the
gate of the yard and driven the dogs off by shouting and throwing
stones at them. Then he said to Odysseus, "Old man, the dogs were
likely to have made short work of you, and then you would have got me
into trouble. The gods have given me quite enough worries without
that, for I have lost the best of masters, and am in continual grief
on his account. I have to attend swine for other people to eat, while
he, if he yet lives to see the light of day, is starving in some
distant dêmos. But come inside, and when you have had
your fill of bread and wine, tell me where you come from, and all
about your misfortunes."
On this the swineherd led the way
into the hut and bade him sit down. He strewed a good thick bed of
rushes upon the floor, and on the top of this he threw the shaggy
chamois skin - a great thick one - on which he used to sleep by
night. Odysseus was pleased at being made thus welcome, and said "May
Zeus, sir, and the rest of the gods grant you your heart's
desire in return for the kind way in which you have received
me."
To this you answered, O swineherd
Eumaios, "Stranger, though a still poorer man should come here, it
would not be right for me to insult him, for all strangers and
beggars are from Zeus. You must take what you can get and be
thankful, for servants live in fear when they have young lords for
their masters; and this is my misfortune now, for heaven has hindered
the return [nostos] of him who would have been always
good to me and given me something of my own - a house, a piece of
land, a good looking wife, and all else that a liberal master allows
a servant who has worked hard for him, and whose labor the gods have
prospered as they have mine in the situation which I hold. If my
master had grown old here he would have done great things by me, but
he is gone, and I wish that Helen's whole race were utterly
destroyed, for she has been the death of many a good man. It was this
matter that took my master to
Ilion, the land of noble steeds, to
fight the Trojans in the cause of king Agamemnon."
As he spoke he bound his belt
round him and went to the sties where the young sucking pigs were
penned. He picked out two which he brought back with him and
sacrificed. He singed them, cut them up, and spitted on them; when
the meat was cooked he brought it all in and set it before Odysseus,
hot and still on the spit, whereon Odysseus sprinkled it over with
white barley meal. The swineherd then mixed wine in a bowl of
ivy-wood, and taking a seat opposite Odysseus told him to
begin.
"Fall to, stranger," said he, "on
a dish of servant's pork. The fat pigs have to go to the
suitors, who eat them up without shame or scruple; but the blessed
gods love not such shameful doings, and respect those who do what is
lawful and right [dikê]. Even the fierce
free-booters who go raiding on other people's land, and Zeus
gives them their spoil - even they, when they have filled their ships
and got home again live conscience-stricken, and look fearfully for
judgment; but some god seems to have told these people that Odysseus
is dead and gone; they will not, therefore, go back to their own
homes and make their offers of marriage in the proper way
[dikaios], but waste his estate by force, without fear
or stint. Not a day or night comes out of heaven, but they sacrifice
not one victim nor two only, and they take the run of his wine, for
he was exceedingly rich. No other great man either in
Ithaca or on
the mainland is as rich as he was; he had as much as twenty men put
together. I will tell you what he had. There are twelve herds of
cattle upon the mainland, and as many flocks of sheep, there are also
twelve droves of pigs, while his own men and hired strangers feed him
twelve widely spreading herds of goats. Here in
Ithaca he runs even
large flocks of goats on the far end of the island, and they are in
the charge of excellent goatherds. Each one of these sends the
suitors the best goat in the flock every day. As for myself, I am in
charge of the pigs that you see here, and I have to keep picking
[krinô] out the best I have and sending it to
them."
This was his story, but Odysseus
went on eating and drinking ravenously without a word, brooding his
revenge. When he had eaten enough and was satisfied, the swineherd
took the bowl from which he usually drank, filled it with wine, and
gave it to Odysseus, who was pleased, and said as he took it in his
hands, "My friend, who was this master of yours that bought you and
paid for you, so rich and so powerful as you tell me? You say he
perished in the cause of King Agamemnon; tell me who he was, in case
I may have met with such a person. Zeus and the other gods know, but
I may be able to give you news of him, for I have traveled
much."
Eumaios answered, "Old man, no
traveler who comes here with news will get Odysseus’ wife and
son to believe his story. Nevertheless, tramps in want of a lodging
keep coming with their mouths full of lies, and not a word of truth
[alêthês]; every one who finds his way to
the Ithacan dêmos goes to my mistress and tells her
falsehoods, whereon she takes them in, makes much of them, and asks
them all manner of questions, crying all the time as women will when
they have lost their husbands. And you too, old man, for a shirt and
a cloak would doubtless make up a very pretty story. But the wolves
and birds of prey have long since torn Odysseus to pieces, and his
psukhê left him behind; or the fishes of the sea have
eaten him, and his bones are lying buried deep in sand upon some
foreign shore; he is dead and gone, and a bad business it is for all
his friends - for me especially; go where I may I shall never find so
good a master, not even if I were to go home to my mother and father
where I was bred and born. I do not so much care, however, about my
parents now, though I should dearly like to see them again in my own
country; it is the loss of Odysseus that grieves me most; I cannot
speak of him without reverence though he is here no longer, for he
was very fond of me, and took such care of me that wherever he may be
I shall always honor his memory."
"My friend," replied Odysseus,
"you are very positive, and very hard of belief about your
master's coming home again, nevertheless I will not merely say,
but will swear, that he is coming. Do not give me anything for my
news till he has actually come, you may then give me a shirt and
cloak of good wear if you will. I am in great want, but I will not
take anything at all till then, for hateful [ekhthros]
is the man, as hateful as Hades, who lets his poverty tempt him into
lying. I swear by king Zeus, by the rites of hospitality, and by that
hearth of Odysseus to which I have now come, that all will surely
happen as I have said it will. Odysseus will return in this self same
year; with the end of this moon and the beginning of the next he will
be here to do vengeance on all those who are ill treating his wife
and son."
To this you answered, O swineherd
Eumaios, "Old man, you will neither get paid for bringing good news,
nor will Odysseus ever come home; drink you wine in peace, and let us
talk about something else. Do not keep on reminding me of all this;
it always pains me when any one speaks about my honored master. As
for your oath we will let it alone, but I only wish he may come, as
do Penelope, his old father
Laertes, and his son Telemakhos. I am
terribly unhappy too about this same boy of his; he was running up
fast into manhood, and bade fare to be no worse man, face and figure,
than his father, but some one, either god or man, has been unsettling
his mind, so he has gone off to
Pylos to try and get news of his
father, and the suitors are lying in wait for him as he is coming
home, in the hope of leaving the house of Arceisius without a name in
Ithaca. But let us say no more about him, and leave him to be taken,
or else to escape if the son of Kronos holds his hand over him to
protect him. And now, old man, tell me your own story; tell me also,
for I want to know, who you are and where you come from. Tell me of
your town and parents, what manner of ship you came in, what crew
brought you to
Ithaca, and from what country they professed to come -
for you cannot have come by land."
And Odysseus answered, "I will
tell you all about it. If there were meat and wine enough, and we
could stay here in the hut with nothing to do but to eat and drink
while the others go to their work, I could easily talk on for a whole
twelve months without ever finishing the story of the sorrows with
which it has pleased heaven to visit me.
"I am by birth a Cretan; my
father was a well-to-do man, who had many sons born in marriage,
whereas I was the son of a slave whom he had purchased for a
concubine; nevertheless, my father Castor son of Hylax (whose lineage
I claim, and who was held in the highest honor in the
dêmos of the Cretans for his wealth, prosperity
[olbos], and the valor of his sons) put me on the same
level with my brothers who had been born in wedlock. When, however,
death took him to the house of Hades, his sons divided his estate and
cast lots for their shares, but to me they gave a holding and little
else; nevertheless, my valor [aretê] enabled me
to marry into a rich family, for I was not given to bragging, or
shirking on the field of battle. It is all over now; still, if you
look at the straw you can see what the ear was, for I have had
trouble enough and to spare. Ares and Athena made me doughty in war;
when I had picked [krinô] my men to surprise the
enemy with an ambuscade I never gave death so much as a thought, but
was the first to leap forward and spear all whom I could overtake.
Such was I in battle, but I did not care about farm work, nor the
frugal home life of those who would bring up children. My delight was
in ships, fighting, javelins, and arrows - things that most men
shudder to think of; but one man likes one thing and another another,
and this was what I was most naturally inclined to. Before the
Achaeans went to
Troy, nine times was I in command of men and ships
on foreign service, and I amassed much wealth. I had my pick of the
spoil in the first instance, and much more was allotted to me later
on.
"My house grew apace and I became
a great man among the Cretans, but when Zeus counseled that terrible
expedition, in which so many perished, the people required me and
Idomeneus to lead their ships to
Troy, and there was no way out of
it, for the judgment of the dêmos insisted on our doing
so. There we fought for nine whole years, but in the tenth we sacked
the city of Priam and sailed home again as heaven dispersed us. Then
it was that Zeus devised evil against me. I spent but one month
happily with my children, wife, and property, and then I conceived
the idea of making a descent on
Egypt, so I fitted out a fine fleet
and manned it. I had nine ships, and the people flocked to fill them.
For six days I and my men made feast, and I found them many victims
both for sacrifice to the gods and for themselves, but on the seventh
day we went on board and set sail from
Crete with a fair North wind
behind us though we were going down a river. Nothing went ill with
any of our ships, and we had no sickness on board, but sat where we
were and let the ships go as the wind and steersmen took them. On the
fifth day we reached the river Aigyptos; there I stationed my ships
in the river, bidding my men stay by them and keep guard over them
while I sent out scouts to reconnoiter from every point of
vantage.
"But the men in their insolence
[hubris] disobeyed my orders, took to their own
devices, and ravaged the land of the Egyptians, killing the men, and
taking their wives and children captive. The alarm was soon carried
to the city, and when they heard the war cry, the people came out at
daybreak till the plain was filled with horsemen and foot soldiers
and with the gleam of armor. Then Zeus spread panic among my men, and
they would no longer face the enemy, for they found themselves
surrounded. The Egyptians killed many of us, and took the rest alive
to do forced labor for them. Zeus, however, put it in my mind to do
thus - and I wish I had died then and there in
Egypt instead, for
there was much sorrow in store for me - I took off my helmet and
shield and dropped my spear from my hand; then I went straight up to
the king's chariot, clasped his knees and kissed them, whereon
he spared my life, bade me get into his chariot, and took me weeping
to his own home. Many made at me with their ashen spears and tried to
kill me in their fury, but the king protected me, for he feared the
mênis of Zeus the protector of strangers, who punishes
those who do evil.
"I stayed there for seven years
and got together much wealth among the Egyptians, for they all gave
me something; but when it was now going on for eight years there came
a certain Phoenician, a cunning rascal, who had already committed all
sorts of villainy, and this man talked me over into going with him to
Phoenicia, where his house and his possessions lay. I stayed there
for a whole twelve months, but at the end of that time when months
and days had gone by till the same season [hôra]
had come round again, he set me on board a ship bound for
Libya, on a
pretense that I was to take a cargo along with him to that place, but
really that he might sell me as a slave and take the wealth I
fetched. I suspected his intention, but went on board with him, for I
could not help it.
"The ship ran before a fresh
North wind till we had reached the sea that lies between
Crete and
Libya; there, however, Zeus counseled their destruction, for as soon
as we were well out from
Crete and could see nothing but sea and sky,
he raised a black cloud over our ship and the sea grew dark beneath
it. Then Zeus let fly with his thunderbolts and the ship went round
and round and was filled with fire and brimstone as the lightning
struck it. The men fell all into the sea; they were carried about in
the water round the ship looking like so many sea-gulls, but the god
presently deprived them of all chance of homecoming
[nostos] again. I was all dismayed; Zeus, however,
sent the ship's mast within my reach, which saved my life, for I
clung to it, and drifted before the fury of the gale. Nine days did I
drift but in the darkness of the tenth night a great wave bore me on
to the Thesprotian coast. There Pheidon king of the Thesprotians
entertained me hospitably without charging me anything at all, for
his son found me when I was nearly dead with cold and fatigue,
whereon he raised me by the hand, took me to his father's house
and gave me clothes to wear.
"There it was that I heard news
of Odysseus, for the king told me he had entertained him, and shown
him much hospitality while he was on his homeward journey. He showed
me also the treasure of gold, and wrought iron that Odysseus had got
together. There was enough to keep his family for ten generations, so
much had he left in the house of king Pheidon. But the king said
Odysseus had gone to
Dodona that he might learn Zeus’ mind from
the god's high oak tree, and know whether after so long an
absence he should return to the dêmos of
Ithaca openly,
or in secret. Moreover the king swore in my presence, making
drink-offerings in his own house as he did so, that the ship was by
the water side, and the crew found, that should take him to his own
country. He sent me off however before Odysseus returned, for there
happened to be a Thesprotian ship sailing for the wheat-growing
island of Dulichium, and he told those in charge of her to be sure
and take me safely to King Akastos.
"These men hatched a plot against
me that would have reduced me to the very extreme of misery, for when
the ship had got some way out from land they resolved on selling me
as a slave. They stripped me of the shirt and cloak that I was
wearing, and gave me instead the tattered old clouts in which you now
see me; then, towards nightfall, they reached the tilled lands of
Ithaca, and there they bound me with a strong rope fast in the ship,
while they went on shore to get supper by the sea side. But the gods
soon undid my bonds for me, and having drawn my rags over my head I
slid down the rudder into the sea, where I struck out and swam till I
was well clear of them, and came ashore near a thick wood in which I
lay concealed. They were very angry at my having escaped and went
searching about for me, till at last they thought it was no further
use and went back to their ship. The gods, having hidden me thus
easily, then took me to a good man's door - for it seems that I
am not to die yet awhile."
To this you answered, O swineherd
Eumaios, "Poor unhappy stranger, I have found the story of your
misfortunes extremely interesting, but that part about Odysseus is
not right [kosmos]; and you will never get me to
believe it. Why should a man like you go about telling lies in this
way? I know all about the return [nostos] of my
master. The gods one and all of them detest him, or they would have
taken him before
Troy, or let him die with friends around him when
the days of his fighting were done; for then the Achaeans would have
built a mound over his ashes and his son would have been heir to his
kleos, but now the storm winds have spirited him away we know
not where.
"As for me I live out of the way
here with the pigs, and never go to the town unless when Penelope
sends for me on the arrival of some news about Odysseus. Then they
all sit round and ask questions, both those who grieve over the
king's absence, and those who rejoice at it because they can eat
up his property without paying for it. For my own part I have never
cared about asking anyone else since the time when I was taken in by
an Aetolian, who had killed a man and come a long way till at last he
reached my station, and I was very kind to him. He said he had seen
Odysseus with Idomeneus among the Cretans, refitting his ships which
had been damaged in a gale. He said Odysseus would return in the
following summer or autumn with his men, and that he would bring back
much wealth. And now you, you unfortunate old man, since a
daimôn has brought you to my door, do not try to flatter
me in this way with vain hopes. It is not for any such reason that I
shall treat you kindly, but only out of respect for Zeus the god of
hospitality, as fearing him and pitying you."
Odysseus answered, "I see that
you are of an unbelieving mind; I have given you my oath, and yet you
will not credit me; let us then make a bargain, and call all the gods
in heaven to witness it. If your master comes home, give me a cloak
and shirt of good wear, and send me to Dulichium where I want to go;
but if he does not come as I say he will, set your men on to me, and
tell them to throw me from yonder precipice, as a warning to tramps
not to go about the country telling lies."
"And aretê famed
among men would be mine " replied Eumaios, "both now and
hereafter, if I were to kill you after receiving you into my hut and
showing you hospitality. I should have to say my prayers in good
earnest if I did; but it is just supper time
[hôra] and I hope my men will come in directly,
that we may cook something savory for supper."
Thus did they converse, and
presently the swineherds came up with the pigs, which were then shut
up for the night in their sties, and a tremendous squealing they made
as they were being driven into them. But Eumaios called to his men
and said, "Bring in the best pig you have, that I may sacrifice for
this stranger, and we will take toll of him ourselves. We have had
trouble enough this long time feeding pigs, while others reap the
fruit of our labor."
On this he began chopping
firewood, while the others brought in a fine fat five year old boar
pig, and set it at the altar. Eumaios did not forget the gods, for he
was a man of good principles, so the first thing he did was to cut
bristles from the pig's face and throw them into the fire,
praying to all the gods as he did so that Odysseus might return home
again. Then he clubbed the pig with a billet of oak which he had kept
back when he was chopping the firewood, and its psukhê
left it, while the others slaughtered and singed it. Then they
cut it up, and Eumaios began by putting raw pieces from each joint on
to some of the fat; these he sprinkled with barley meal, and laid
upon the embers; they cut the rest of the meat up small, put the
pieces upon the spits and roasted them till they were done; when they
had taken them off the spits they threw them on to the dresser in a
heap. The swineherd, who was a most equitable man, then stood up to
give every one his share. He made seven portions; one of these he set
apart for Hermes the son of
Maia and the nymphs, praying to them as
he did so; the others he dealt out to the men man by man. He gave
Odysseus some slices cut lengthways down the loin as a mark of
especial honor, and Odysseus was much pleased. "I hope, Eumaios,"
said he, "that Zeus will be as well disposed towards you as I am, for
the respect you are showing to an outcast like myself."
To this you answered, O swineherd
Eumaios, "Eat, my good fellow, and enjoy your supper, such as it is.
A god grants this, and withholds that, just as he thinks right, for
he can do whatever he chooses."
As he spoke he cut off the first
piece and offered it as a burnt sacrifice to the immortal gods; then
he made them a drink-offering, put the cup in the hands of Odysseus,
and sat down to his own portion. Mesaulios brought them their bread;
the swineherd had bought this man on his own account from among the
Taphians during his master's absence, and had paid for him with
his own wealth without saying anything either to his mistress or
Laertes. They then laid their hands upon the good things that were
before them, and when they had had enough to eat and drink, Mesaulios
took away what was left of the bread, and they all went to bed after
having made a hearty supper.
Now the night came on stormy and
very dark, for there was no moon. It poured without ceasing, and the
wind blew strong from the West, which is a wet quarter, so Odysseus
thought he would see whether Eumaios, in the excellent care he took
of him, would take off his own cloak and give it him, or make one of
his men give him one. "Listen to me," said he, "Eumaios and the rest
of you; when I have said a prayer I will tell you something. It is
the wine that makes me talk in this way; wine will make even a wise
man fall to singing; it will make him chuckle and dance and say many
a word that he had better leave unspoken; still, as I have begun, I
will go on. Would that I were still young and strong
[biê] as when we got up an ambuscade before
Troy. Menelaos and Odysseus were the leaders, but I was in command
also, for the other two would have it so. When we had come up to the
wall of the city we crouched down beneath our armor and lay there
under cover of the reeds and thick brush-wood that grew about the
swamp. It came on to freeze with a North wind blowing; the snow fell
small and fine like hoar frost, and our shields were coated thick
with rime. The others had all got cloaks and shirts, and slept
comfortably enough with their shields about their shoulders, but I
had carelessly left my cloak behind me, not thinking that I should be
too cold, and had gone off in nothing but my shirt and shield. When
the night was two-thirds through and the stars had shifted their
places, I nudged Odysseus who was close to me with my elbow, and he
at once gave me his ear.
"‘Odysseus,’ said I,
‘this cold will be the death of me, for I have no cloak; some
daimôn fooled me into setting off with nothing on but my
shirt, and I do not know what to do.’
"Odysseus, who was as crafty as
he was valiant, hit upon the following plan
[noos]:
"‘Keep still,’ said he
in a low voice, ‘or the others will hear you.’ Then he
raised his head on his elbow.
"‘My friends,’ said he,
‘I have had a dream from heaven in my sleep. We are a long way
from the ships; I wish some one would go down and tell Agamemnon to
send us up more men at once.’
"On this Thoas son of Andraimon
threw off his cloak and set out running to the ships, whereon I took
the cloak and lay in it comfortably enough till morning. Would that I
were still young and strong [biê] as I was in
those days, for then some one of you swineherds would give me a cloak
both out of good will and for the respect
[aidôs] due to a brave warrior; but now people
look down upon me because my clothes are shabby."
And Eumaios answered, "Old man,
you have told us an excellent story [ainos], and have
said nothing so far but what is quite satisfactory; for the present,
therefore, you shall want neither clothing nor anything else that a
stranger in distress may reasonably expect, but tomorrow morning you
have to shake your own old rags about your body again, for we have
not many spare cloaks nor shirts up here, but every man has only one.
When Odysseus’ son comes home again he will give you both cloak
and shirt, and send you wherever you may want to go."
With this he got up and made a
bed for Odysseus by throwing some goatskins and sheepskins on the
ground in front of the fire. Here Odysseus lay down, and Eumaios
covered him over with a great heavy cloak that he kept for a change
in case of extraordinarily bad weather.
Thus did Odysseus sleep, and the
young men slept beside him. But the swineherd did not like sleeping
away from his pigs, so he got ready to go and Odysseus was glad to
see that he looked after his property during his master's
absence. First he slung his sword over his brawny shoulders and put
on a thick cloak to keep out the wind. He also took the skin of a
large and well fed goat, and a javelin in case of attack from men or
dogs. Thus equipped he went to his rest where the pigs were camping
under an overhanging rock that gave them shelter from the North wind.