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Thus did she speak, and they did
even as she had said: twenty of them went to the fountain for water,
and the others set themselves busily to work about the house. The men
who were in attendance on the suitors also came up and began chopping
firewood. By and by the women returned from the fountain, and the
swineherd came after them with the three best pigs he could pick out.
These he let feed about the premises, and then he said with good
humor to Odysseus, "Stranger, are the suitors treating you any better
now, or are they as insolent as ever?"
"May heaven," answered Odysseus,
"requite to them the wickedness with which they deal high-handedly in
another man's house without any sense of shame
[aidôs]."
Thus did they converse; meanwhile
Melanthios the goatherd came up, for he too was bringing in his best
goats for the suitors’ dinner; and he had two shepherds with
him. They tied the goats up under the gatehouse, and then Melanthios
began gibing at Odysseus. "Are you still here, stranger," said he,
"to pester people by begging about the house? Why can you not go
elsewhere? You and I shall not come to an understanding before we
have given each other a taste of our fists. You beg without any sense
of decency [kosmos]: are there not feasts elsewhere
among the Achaeans, as well as here?"
Odysseus made no answer, but
bowed his head and brooded. Then a third man, Philoitios, joined
them, who was bringing in a barren heifer and some goats. These were
brought over by the boatmen who are there to take people over when
any one comes to them. So Philoitios made his heifer and his goats
secure under the gatehouse, and then went up to the swineherd. "Who,
Swineherd," said he, "is this stranger that is lately come here? Is
he one of your men? What is his family? Where does he come from? Poor
fellow, he looks as if he had been some great man, but the gods give
sorrow to whom they will - even to kings if it so pleases
them
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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