"This hound," answered Eumaios,
"belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he
was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could
do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from
him when he was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil
times, for his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of
him. Servants never do their work when their master's hand is no
longer over them, for Zeus takes half the goodness
[aretê] out of a man when he makes a slave of
him."
As he spoke he went inside the
buildings to the room where the suitors were, but Argos died as soon
as he had recognized his master.
Telemakhos saw Eumaios long
before any one else did, and beckoned him to come and sit beside him;
so he looked about and saw a seat lying near where the carver sat
serving out their portions to the suitors; he picked it up, brought
it to Telemakhos’ table, and sat down opposite him. Then the
servant brought him his portion, and gave him bread from the
bread-basket.
Immediately afterwards Odysseus
came inside, looking like a poor miserable old beggar, leaning on his
staff and with his clothes all in rags. He sat down upon the
threshold of ash-wood just inside the doors leading from the outer to
the inner court, and against a bearing-post of cypress-wood which the
carpenter had skillfully planed, and had made to join truly with rule
and line. Telemakhos took a whole loaf from the bread-basket, with as
much meat as he could hold in his two hands, and said to Eumaios,
"Take this to the stranger, and tell him to go the round of the
suitors, and beg from them; a beggar must not be shamefaced
[aidôs]."
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