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14 - The Odyssey - Homer · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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Speaker 1: Book fourteen. Ulysses in the hut with Eumaeus. Eulysses now
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Speaker 1: left the haven and took the rough track up through
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Speaker 1: the wooded country and over the crest of the mountain
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Speaker 1: till he reached the place where Minerva had said that
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Speaker 1: he would find the swineherd, who was the most thrifty
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Speaker 1: servant he had. He found him sitting in front of
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Speaker 1: his hut, which was by the yards that he had
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Speaker 1: built on a site which could be seen from afar.
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Speaker 1: He had made them spacious and fair to see, with
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Speaker 1: a free run for the pigs all round them. He
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Speaker 1: had built them during his master's absence of stones which
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Speaker 1: he had gathered out of the ground without saying anything
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Speaker 1: to Penelope or Laertes, and he'd fenced them on top
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Speaker 1: with thorn bushes. Outside the yard he'd run a strong
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Speaker 1: fence of oaken posts, split and set pretty close together,
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Speaker 1: while inside he'd built twelves styes near one another for
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Speaker 1: the sows to lie in. There were fifty pigs wallowing
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Speaker 1: in each stye, all of them breeding sows, but the
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Speaker 1: boars slept outside and were much fewer in number, for
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Speaker 1: the suitors kept on eating them, and the swineherd had
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Speaker 1: to send them the best he had Continually. There were
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Speaker 1: three hundred and sixty bore pigs, and the herdsman's four hounds,
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Speaker 1: which were as fierce as wolves, slept always with them.
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Speaker 1: The swineherd was at that moment cutting out a pair
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Speaker 1: of sandals from a good stout ox hide. Three of
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Speaker 1: his men were out herding the pigs in one place
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Speaker 1: or another, and he had sent the fourth to town
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Speaker 1: with a boar that he had been forced to send
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Speaker 1: the suitors, that they might sacrifice it and have their
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Speaker 1: fill of meat. When the hounds saw Ulysses, they set
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Speaker 1: up a furious barking and flew at him. But Ulysses
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Speaker 1: was cunning enough to sit down and loose his hole
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Speaker 1: the stick that he had in his hand. Still, he
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Speaker 1: would have been torn by them in his own homestead
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Speaker 1: had not the swineherd dropped his ox hide, rushed full
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Speaker 1: speed through the gate of the yard, and driven the
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Speaker 1: dogs off by shouting and throwing stones at them. Then
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Speaker 1: he said to Ulysses, old man, the dogs were likely
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Speaker 1: to have made short work of you, and then you
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Speaker 1: would have got me into trouble. The gods have given
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Speaker 1: me quite enough worries without that, for I have lost
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Speaker 1: the best of masters, and I am in continual grief
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Speaker 1: on his account. I have to attend swine for other
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Speaker 1: people to eat, while he, if he yet lives to
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Speaker 1: see the light of day, is starving in some distant land.
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Speaker 1: But come inside, and when you've had your fill of
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Speaker 1: bread and wine, tell me where you come from and
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Speaker 1: all about your misfortunes. On this the swineherd led the
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Speaker 1: way into the hut and bade him sit down. He
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Speaker 1: strewed a good thick bed of rushes upon the floor,
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Speaker 1: and on the top of this he threw the shaggy
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Speaker 1: shamois skin, a great thick one on which he used
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Speaker 1: to sleep by night. Ulysses was pleased at being made
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Speaker 1: thus welcome, and said, may Jove, sir and the rest
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Speaker 1: of the gods grant you your heart's desire in return
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Speaker 1: for the kind way in which you have received me.
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Speaker 1: To this you answered, O swine heard Eumaeus stranger. Though
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Speaker 1: a still poorer man should come here, it would not
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Speaker 1: be right for me to insult him, For all strangers
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Speaker 1: and beggars are from Jove. You must take what you
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Speaker 1: can get and be thankful for servants live in fear
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Speaker 1: when they have young lords for their masters. And this
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Speaker 1: is my misfortune now, for Heaven has hindered the return
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Speaker 1: of him who would have been always good to me
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Speaker 1: and given me something of my own, a house, a
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Speaker 1: piece of land, a good looking wife, and all else
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Speaker 1: that all liberal master allows a servant who has worked
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Speaker 1: hard for him, and whose labor the gods have prospered,
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Speaker 1: as they have mine in the situation which I hold,
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Speaker 1: if my master had grown old here, he would have
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Speaker 1: done great things by me. But he is gone, and
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Speaker 1: I wish that Helen's whole race were utterly destroyed, for
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Speaker 1: she has been the death of many a good man.
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Speaker 1: It was this matter that took my master to Ilias,
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Speaker 1: the land of noble steeds, to fight the Trojans in
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Speaker 1: the cause of King Agamemnon. As he spoke, he bound
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Speaker 1: his girdle round him and went to the styes where
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Speaker 1: the young socking pigs were penned. He picked out two,
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Speaker 1: which he brought back with him and sacrificed. He singed them,
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Speaker 1: cut them up, and spitted them. When the meat was cooked,
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Speaker 1: he brought it all in and set it before Ulysses.
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Speaker 1: Hot and still on the spit, whereon Ulysses sprinkled it
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Speaker 1: over with white barley meal. The swineherd then mixed wine
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Speaker 1: in a bowl of ivy wood, and taking a seat
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Speaker 1: opposite Ulysses, told him to begin fall too. Stranger, said
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Speaker 1: he on a dish of servants pork. The fat pigs
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Speaker 1: have to go to the suitors, who eat them up
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Speaker 1: without shame or scruple. But the blessed gods love not
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Speaker 1: such shameful doings, and respect those who do what is
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Speaker 1: lawful and right. Even the fierce free booters who go
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Speaker 1: raiding on other people's land, and Jove gives them their spoil.
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Speaker 1: Even they, when they have filled their ships and got
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Speaker 1: home again, live conscience stricken and look fearfully for judgment.
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Speaker 1: But some god seems to have told these people that
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Speaker 1: Ulysses is dead and gone. They will not therefore go
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Speaker 1: back to their own homes and make their offers of
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Speaker 1: marriage in the usual way, but waste his estate by
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Speaker 1: force without fear or stint. Not a day or night
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Speaker 1: comes out of heaven. But they sacrifice not one victim,
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Speaker 1: nor two only, and they take the run of his wine.
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Speaker 1: For he was exceedingly rich. No other great man either
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Speaker 1: in Ithaca or on the mainland, is as rich as
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Speaker 1: he was. He had as much as twenty men put together.
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Speaker 1: I will tell you what he had. There are twelve
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Speaker 1: herds of cattle upon the mainland, and as many flocks
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Speaker 1: of sheep. There are also twelve droves of pigs, while
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Speaker 1: his own men and hired strangers feed him twelve wildly
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Speaker 1: spreading herds of goat. Here in Ithaca. He runs even
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Speaker 1: large flocks of goats on the far end of the island,
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Speaker 1: and they are in the charge of excellent goat herds.
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Speaker 1: Each one of these sends the suit as the best
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Speaker 1: goat in the flock every day. As for myself, I'm
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Speaker 1: in charge of the pigs that you see here, and
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Speaker 1: I have to keep picking out the best I have
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Speaker 1: and sending it to them. This was his story. But
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Speaker 1: Ulysses went on eating and drinking ravenously without a word,
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Speaker 1: brooding his revenge. When he had eaten enough and was satisfied,
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Speaker 1: the swineherd took the bowl from which he usually drank,
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Speaker 1: filled it with wine, and gave it to Ulysses, who
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Speaker 1: was pleased, and said, as he took it in his hands,
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Speaker 1: my friend, who was this master of yours that bought
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Speaker 1: you and paid for you, so rich and so powerful
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Speaker 1: as you tell me, you say he perished in the
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Speaker 1: course of King Agamemnon. Tell me who he was. In
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Speaker 1: case I may have met with such a person, Jove
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Speaker 1: and the other gods know, But I may be able
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Speaker 1: to give you news of him, for I have traveled much,
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Speaker 1: Eumaeus answered, old man. No traveler who comes here with
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Speaker 1: news will get Ulysses wife and son to believe his story. Nevertheless,
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Speaker 1: tramps in want of a lodging keep coming with their
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Speaker 1: mouths full of lies and not a word of truth.
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Speaker 1: Every One who finds his way to Ithaca goes to
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Speaker 1: my mistress and tells her falsehoods. Whereon she takes them in,
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Speaker 1: makes much of them, and asks them all manner of questions,
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Speaker 1: crying all the time, as women will when they have
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Speaker 1: lost their husbands. And you, too, old man, for a
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Speaker 1: shirt and a cloak would doubtless make up a very
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Speaker 1: pretty story. But the wolves and birds of prey have
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Speaker 1: long since torn Ulysses to pieces, or the fishes of
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Speaker 1: the sea have eaten him, and his bones are lying
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Speaker 1: buried deep in sand upon some foreign shore. He is
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Speaker 1: dead and gone and a bad business. It is for
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Speaker 1: all his friends. For me especially go where I may,
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Speaker 1: I shall never find so good a master, not even
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Speaker 1: if I were to go home to my mother and father,
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Speaker 1: where I was bred and born. I do not so
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Speaker 1: much care, however, about my parents now, though I should
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Speaker 1: dearly like to see them again in my own country.
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Speaker 1: It is the loss of Ulysses that grieve me most.
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Speaker 1: I cannot speak of him without reverence, though he is
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Speaker 1: no longer here, for he was very fond of me
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Speaker 1: and took much care of me. That wherever he may be,
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Speaker 1: I shall always honor his memory. My friend replied, Ulysses,
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Speaker 1: you are very positive and very hard of belief about
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Speaker 1: your master's coming home again. Nevertheless, I will not merely say,
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Speaker 1: but will swear that he is coming. Do not give
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Speaker 1: me anything for my news till he has actually come.
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Speaker 1: You may then give me a shirt and cloak of
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Speaker 1: good wear, if you will. I am in great want.
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Speaker 1: But I will not take anything at all till then,
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Speaker 1: for I hate a man even as I hate hell Fire,
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Speaker 1: who lets his poverty tempt him into lying. I swear
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Speaker 1: by King Jove, by the rights of hospitality, and by
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Speaker 1: that hearth of Ulysses, to which I have now come,
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Speaker 1: that all will surely happen as I have said it will.
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Speaker 1: Ulysses will return in this self same year, with the
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Speaker 1: end of this moon and the beginning of the next,
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Speaker 1: he will be here to do vengeance on all those
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Speaker 1: who are ill treating his wife and son. To this,
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Speaker 1: you answered, o swine, heard Eumaeus, old man, you will
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Speaker 1: neither get paid for bringing good news, nor will Ulysses
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Speaker 1: ever come home. Drink your wine in peace, and let
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Speaker 1: us talk about something else. Do not keep on reminding
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Speaker 1: me of all this. It always pains me when anyone
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Speaker 1: speaks about my honored master. As for your oath, we
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Speaker 1: will let it alone. But I only wish he may come,
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Speaker 1: as do Penelope, his old father Laertes, and his son Telemachus.
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Speaker 1: I am terribly unhappy too about this same boy of his.
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Speaker 1: He was running up fast into manhood and bade fair
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Speaker 1: to be no worse a man face and figure than
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Speaker 1: his father. But someone, either God or man, has been
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Speaker 1: unsettling his mind. So he's gone off to Pylos to
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Speaker 1: try and get news of his father, and the suitors
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Speaker 1: are lying in wait for him as he's coming home
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Speaker 1: in the hope of leaving the house of Arcasius without
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Speaker 1: a name in Ithaca. But let us say no more
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Speaker 1: about him and leave him to be taken or else
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Speaker 1: to escape. If the son of Saturn holds his hand
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Speaker 1: over him to protect him. And now, old man, tell
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Speaker 1: me your own story. Tell me also, for I want
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Speaker 1: to know who you are and where you come from.
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Speaker 1: Tell me of your town and parents, what manner of
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Speaker 1: ship you came in, how crew brought you to Ithaca,
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Speaker 1: and from what country they profess to come, for you
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Speaker 1: cannot have come by land, And Ulysses answered, I will
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Speaker 1: tell you all about it. If there were meat and
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Speaker 1: wine enough, and we could stay here in the hut
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Speaker 1: with nothing to do but to eat and drink while
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Speaker 1: the others go to their work, I could easily talk
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Speaker 1: on for a whole twelve months without ever finishing the
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Speaker 1: story of the sorrows with which it has pleased Heaven
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Speaker 1: to visit me. I am by birth a Cretan. My
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Speaker 1: father was a well to do man who had many
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Speaker 1: sons born in marriage, whereas I was the son of
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Speaker 1: a slave whom he'd purchased for a concubine. Nevertheless, my father,
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Speaker 1: castor son of Hylax, whose lineage I claim, and who
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Speaker 1: was held in the highest honor among the Cretans, for
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Speaker 1: his wealth, prosperity, and the valor of his sons put
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Speaker 1: me on the same level with my brothers, who had
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Speaker 1: been born in wedlock. When, however, death took him to
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Speaker 1: the House of Hades, his sons divided his estate and
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Speaker 1: cast lots for their shares. But to me they gave
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Speaker 1: holding and little else less. My valor enabled me to
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Speaker 1: marry into a rich family, for I was not given
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Speaker 1: to bragging or shirking on the field of battle. It
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Speaker 1: is all over now still if you look at the straw,
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Speaker 1: you can see what the ear was. For I have
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Speaker 1: had trouble enough, and to spare Mars and Minerva made
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Speaker 1: me doughty in war. When I had picked my men
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Speaker 1: to surprise the enemy with an ambuscade, I never gave
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Speaker 1: death so much as a thought, but was the first
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Speaker 1: to leap forward and spear all whom I could overtake.
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Speaker 1: Such was I in battle. But I did not care
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Speaker 1: about farm work, nor the frugal home life of those
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Speaker 1: who would bring up children. My delight was in ships, fighting,
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Speaker 1: javelins and arrows, things that most men shudder to think of.
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Speaker 1: But one man likes one thing and another another, and
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Speaker 1: this is what I was most naturally inclined to. Before
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Speaker 1: the Achaeans went to Troy. Nine times was I in
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Speaker 1: command of men and ships on foreign service, and I
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Speaker 1: amassed much wealth. I had my pick of the spoil
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Speaker 1: in the first instance, and much more was allotted to me.
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Speaker 1: Later on. My house grew apace, and I became a
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Speaker 1: great man among the Cretans. But when Jove counseled that
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Speaker 1: terrible expedition in which so many perished, the people required
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Speaker 1: me and I Dominius to lead their ships to Troy,
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Speaker 1: and there was no way out of it, for they
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Speaker 1: insisted on our doing. So. There we fought for nine
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Speaker 1: whole years, but in the tenth we sacked the city
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Speaker 1: of Priam and sailed home again, as Heaven dispersed us.
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Speaker 1: Then it was that Jove devised evil against me. I
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Speaker 1: spent but one month happily with my children, wife and property,
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Speaker 1: and then I conceived the idea of making a descent
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Speaker 1: on it Egypt. So I fitted out a fine fleet
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Speaker 1: and manned it. I had nine ships, and the people
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Speaker 1: flocked to fill them. For six days, I and my
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Speaker 1: men made feast, and I found them many victims, both
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Speaker 1: for sacrifice to the gods and for themselves. But on
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Speaker 1: the seventh day we went on board and set sail
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Speaker 1: from Crete, with a fair north wind behind us. Though
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Speaker 1: we were going down a river. Nothing went ill with
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Speaker 1: any of our ships, and we had no sickness on board,
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Speaker 1: but sat where we were and let the ships go
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Speaker 1: as the wind and steersmen took them. On the fifth
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Speaker 1: day we reached the river Egyptus. There I stationed my
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Speaker 1: ships in the river, bidding my men stay by them
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Speaker 1: and keep guard over them, while I sent out scouts
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Speaker 1: to reconnoiter from every point of advantage. But the men
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Speaker 1: disobeyed my orders took to their own devices and ravage
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Speaker 1: the land of the Egyptians, killing the men and taking
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Speaker 1: their wives and children captive. The alarm was soon carried
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Speaker 1: to the city, and when they heard the war cry,
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Speaker 1: the people came out at daybreak, till the plain was
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Speaker 1: filled with horsemen and foot soldiers and with the gleam
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Speaker 1: of armor. Then Jove spread panic among my men, and
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Speaker 1: they would no longer face the enemy, for they found
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Speaker 1: themselves surrounded. The Egyptians killed many of us and took
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Speaker 1: the rest alive to do force labor for them. Jove, however,
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Speaker 1: put it in my mind to do thus, and I
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Speaker 1: wish I had died then and there in Egypt instead,
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Speaker 1: for there was much sorrow in store for me. I
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Speaker 1: took off my helmet and shield, and dropped my spear
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Speaker 1: from my hand. Then I went straight up to the
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Speaker 1: king's chariot, clasped his knees, and kissed them, whereon he
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Speaker 1: spared my life, bade me get into his chariot, and
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Speaker 1: took me weeping to his own home. Many made at
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Speaker 1: me with their ashen spears and tried to kill me
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Speaker 1: in their fury, but the king protected me, for he
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Speaker 1: feared the wrath of Jove, the protector of strangers, who
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Speaker 1: punishes those who do evil. I stayed there for seven
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Speaker 1: years and got together much money among the Egyptians, for
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Speaker 1: they all gave me something. But when it was now
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Speaker 1: going on for eight years, there came a certain Phoenician,
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Speaker 1: a cunning rascal, who had already committed all sorts of villany.
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Speaker 1: And this man taught me over into going with him
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Speaker 1: to Phoenicia, where his house and his possessions lay. I
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Speaker 1: stayed there for a whole twelve months. But at the
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Speaker 1: end of that time, when months and days had gone
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Speaker 1: by till the same season had come round again, he
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Speaker 1: set me on board a ship bound for Libya, on
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Speaker 1: a pretense that I was to take a cargo along
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Speaker 1: with him to that place, but really that he might
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Speaker 1: sell me as a slave and take the money I fetched.
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Speaker 1: I suspected his intention, but went on board with him,
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Speaker 1: for I could not help it. The ship ran before
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Speaker 1: a fresh north wind till we had reached the sea
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Speaker 1: that lies between Crete and Libya. There, however, Jove counseled
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Speaker 1: the destruction, for as soon as we were well out
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Speaker 1: from Crete and could see nothing but sea and sky,
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Speaker 1: he raised a black cloud over our ship, and the
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Speaker 1: sea grew dark beneath it. Then Jove let fly with
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Speaker 1: his thunderbolts, and the ship went round and round, and
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Speaker 1: was filled with fire and brimstone. As the lightning struck it,
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Speaker 1: the men fell all into the sea. They were carried
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Speaker 1: about in the water round the ship, looking like so
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Speaker 1: many sea gulls, but the God presently deprived them of
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Speaker 1: all chance of getting home again. I was all dismayed. Jove, however,
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Speaker 1: sent the ship's mast within my reach, which saved my life,
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Speaker 1: for I clung to it and drifted before the fury
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Speaker 1: of the gale. Nine days did I drift, But in
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Speaker 1: the darkness of the tenth night, a great wave bore
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Speaker 1: me on to the Thesperotian coast. There fied On, King
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Speaker 1: of the Thesperotians, entertained me hospitably, without charging me anything
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Speaker 1: at all. For his son found me when I was
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Speaker 1: nearly dead with cold and fatigue, whereupon he raised me
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Speaker 1: by the hand, took me to his father's house, and
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Speaker 1: gave me clothes to wear. There it was that I
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Speaker 1: heard news of Ulysses, for the king told me he
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Speaker 1: had entertained him and shown him much hospitality while he
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Speaker 1: was on his homeward journey. He showed me also the
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Speaker 1: treasure of gold and wrought iron that Ulysses had got together.
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Speaker 1: There was enough to keep his family for ten jennies vs.
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Speaker 1: So much had he left in the house of King Phidon.
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Speaker 1: But the King said Ulysses had gone to Dodona that
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Speaker 1: he might learn Jove's mind from the god's high oak
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Speaker 1: tree and know whether, after so long an absence he
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Speaker 1: should return to Ithaca openly or in secret. Moreover, the
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Speaker 1: king swore in my presence, making drink offerings in his
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Speaker 1: own house. As he did so, that the ship was
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Speaker 1: by the water side, and the crew found that should
20:29
Speaker 1: take him to his own country. He sent me off. However,
20:33
Speaker 1: before Ulysses returned, for there happened to be a Thesprotian
20:38
Speaker 1: ship sailing for the wheat growing island of Dolichium, and
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Speaker 1: he told those in charge of her to be sure
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Speaker 1: and take me safely to King Acastus. These men hatched
20:50
Speaker 1: a plot against me that would have reduced me to
20:53
Speaker 1: the very extreme of misery, for when the ship had
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Speaker 1: got some way out from land, they resolved on selling
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Speaker 1: me as a slave. They stripped me of the shirt
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Speaker 1: and cloak that I was wearing, and gave me instead
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Speaker 1: the tattered old clouts in which you now see me. Then,
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Speaker 1: towards nightfall they reached the tilled lands of Ithaca, and
21:16
Speaker 1: there they bound me with a strong rope fast in
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Speaker 1: the ship while they went on shore to get supper
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Speaker 1: by the sea side. But the gods soon undid my
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Speaker 1: bonds for me, and having drawn my rags over my head,
21:30
Speaker 1: I slid down the rudder into the sea, where I
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Speaker 1: struck out and swam till I was well clear of them,
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Speaker 1: and came ashore near a thick wood in which I
21:40
Speaker 1: lay concealed. They were very angry at my having escaped,
21:45
Speaker 1: and went searching about for me, till at last they
21:48
Speaker 1: thought it was no further use and went back to
21:50
Speaker 1: their ship. The gods, having hidden me thus easily, then
21:55
Speaker 1: took me to a good man's door. For it seems
21:59
Speaker 1: that I am not to die yet. Awhile to this,
22:03
Speaker 1: you answered, O swine heard Eumaeus, poor unhappy stranger. I
22:09
Speaker 1: have found the story of your misfortunes extremely interesting. But
22:14
Speaker 1: that part about Ulysses is not right, and you will
22:17
Speaker 1: never get me to believe it. Why should a man
22:20
Speaker 1: like you go about telling lies in this way? I
22:23
Speaker 1: know all about the return of my master. The gods
22:27
Speaker 1: one and all of them detest him, or they would
22:29
Speaker 1: have taken him before Troy, or let him die with
22:33
Speaker 1: friends around him when the days of his fighting were done.
22:37
Speaker 1: For then the Achaeans would have built a mound over
22:39
Speaker 1: his ashes, and his son would have been heir to
22:42
Speaker 1: his renown. But now the storm winds have spirited him away.
22:46
Speaker 1: We know not whither. As for me, I live out
22:50
Speaker 1: of the way here with the pigs, and never go
22:53
Speaker 1: to the town, unless when Penelope sends for me on
22:56
Speaker 1: the arrival of some news about Ulysses. Then they all
23:00
Speaker 1: sit round and ask questions, both those who grieve over
23:04
Speaker 1: the king's absence and those who rejoice at it because
23:07
Speaker 1: they can eat up his property without paying for it.
23:11
Speaker 1: For my own part, I have never cared about asking
23:13
Speaker 1: any one else since the time when I was taken
23:17
Speaker 1: in by an Aetolian who had killed a man, and
23:20
Speaker 1: come a long way till at last he reached my station,
23:23
Speaker 1: and I was very kind to him. He said he
23:26
Speaker 1: had seen Ulysses with I Dominius among the Cretans, refitting
23:31
Speaker 1: his ships, which had been damaged in a gale. He
23:34
Speaker 1: said Ulysses would return in the following summer or autumn
23:37
Speaker 1: with his men, and that he would bring back much wealth.
23:41
Speaker 1: And now you, you unfortunate old man, since fate has
23:45
Speaker 1: brought you to my door, do not try to flatter
23:48
Speaker 1: me in this way with vain hopes. It is not
23:51
Speaker 1: for any such reason that I shall treat you kindly,
23:54
Speaker 1: but only out of respect for Jove, the god of hospitality,
23:58
Speaker 1: as fearing him and pitying you, Ulysses answered, I see
24:05
Speaker 1: that you are of an unbelieving mind. I have given
24:09
Speaker 1: you my oath, and yet you will not credit me.
24:13
Speaker 1: Let Us then make a bargain and call all the
24:15
Speaker 1: gods in heaven to witness it. If your master comes home,
24:20
Speaker 1: give me a cloak and shirt of good wear, and
24:23
Speaker 1: send me to Dullchium, where I want to go. But
24:27
Speaker 1: if he does not come as I say, he will
24:29
Speaker 1: set your men on to me and tell them to
24:32
Speaker 1: throw me from yonder precipice as a warning to tramps
24:35
Speaker 1: not to go about the country telling lies and a
24:39
Speaker 1: pretty figure. I should cut, then, said Eumaeus, both now
24:43
Speaker 1: and hereafter. If I were to kill you, after receiving
24:47
Speaker 1: you into my hut and showing you hospitality, I should
24:50
Speaker 1: have to say my prayers in good earnest if I did.
24:54
Speaker 1: But it is just supper time, and I hope my
24:57
Speaker 1: men will come in directly that we may cook some
25:00
Speaker 1: thing savory for supper. Thus did they converse, and presently
25:06
Speaker 1: the swine herds came up with the pigs, which were
25:09
Speaker 1: then shut up for the night in their thighs, and
25:12
Speaker 1: a tremendous squealing they made as they were being driven
25:15
Speaker 1: into them. But Eumaeus called to his men and said,
25:19
Speaker 1: bring in the best pig you have, that I may
25:22
Speaker 1: sacrifice him for this stranger, and we will take toll
25:25
Speaker 1: of him ourselves. We have had trouble enough this long
25:29
Speaker 1: time feeding pigs, while others reap the fruit of our labour.
25:35
Speaker 1: On this he began chopping firewood, while the others brought
25:39
Speaker 1: in a fine, fat, five year old boar pig and
25:42
Speaker 1: set it at the altar. Eumaeus did not forget the gods,
25:46
Speaker 1: for he was a man of good principles. So the
25:50
Speaker 1: first thing he did was to cut bristles from the
25:52
Speaker 1: pig's face and throw them into the fire, praying to
25:56
Speaker 1: all the gods as he did, so that Ulysses might
25:59
Speaker 1: return home again. Then he clubbed the pig with a
26:02
Speaker 1: billet of oak which he had kept back when he
26:04
Speaker 1: was chopping the firewood, and stunned it while the others
26:08
Speaker 1: slaughtered and singed it. Then they cut it up, and
26:12
Speaker 1: Eumaeus began by putting raw pieces from each joint on
26:16
Speaker 1: to some of the fat. These he sprinkled with barley
26:20
Speaker 1: meal and laid upon the embers. They cut the rest
26:23
Speaker 1: of the meat up small put the pieces upon the
26:26
Speaker 1: spits and roasted them till they were done. When they
26:30
Speaker 1: had taken them off the spits, they threw them onto
26:33
Speaker 1: the dresser in a heap. The swineherd, who was a
26:36
Speaker 1: most equitable man, then stood up to give every one
26:40
Speaker 1: his share. He made seven portions. One of these he
26:45
Speaker 1: set apart for Mercury, the son of Maya, and the nymphs,
26:48
Speaker 1: praying to them as he did so. The others he
26:51
Speaker 1: dealt out to the men man by man. He gave
26:55
Speaker 1: Ulysses some slices cut lengthways down the loin as a
26:59
Speaker 1: mark of a special and Ulysses was much pleased. I
27:04
Speaker 1: hope Eumaeus. He said that Jove will be as well
27:07
Speaker 1: disposed towards you as I am, for the respect you
27:10
Speaker 1: are showing to an outcast like myself. To this, you answered,
27:16
Speaker 1: O Swineherd, Eumaeus, eat my good fellow, and enjoy your supper,
27:21
Speaker 1: such as it is. God grants this and withholds that
27:25
Speaker 1: just as he thinks right, for he can do whatever
27:29
Speaker 1: he chooses. As he spoke, he cut off the first
27:33
Speaker 1: piece and offered it as a burnt sacrifice to the
27:36
Speaker 1: immortal gods. Then he made them a drink offering, put
27:40
Speaker 1: the cup in the hands of Ulysses, and sat down
27:43
Speaker 1: to his own portion. Mesaulius brought them their bread. The
27:49
Speaker 1: swineherd had brought this man on his own account from
27:51
Speaker 1: among the Tathians during his master's absence, and had paid
27:56
Speaker 1: for him with his own money, without saying anything either
27:59
Speaker 1: to his mistress or Laertes. They then laid their hands
28:03
Speaker 1: upon the good things that were before them, and when
28:06
Speaker 1: they had had enough to eat and drink, Messauleas took
28:10
Speaker 1: away what was left of the bread, and they all
28:12
Speaker 1: went to bed after having made a hearty supper. Now
28:17
Speaker 1: the night came on, stormy and very dark, for there
28:21
Speaker 1: was no moon. It poured without ceasing, and the wind
28:26
Speaker 1: blew strong from the west, which is a wet quarter.
28:29
Speaker 1: So Ulysses thought he would see whether Eumaeus, in the
28:33
Speaker 1: excellent care he took of him, would take off his
28:36
Speaker 1: own cloak and give it to him, or make one
28:39
Speaker 1: of his men give him one. Listen to me, he said,
28:43
Speaker 1: Eumaeus and the rest of you, when I have said
28:46
Speaker 1: a prayer, I will tell you something. It is the
28:49
Speaker 1: wine that makes me talk. In this way, wine will
28:52
Speaker 1: make even a wise man fall to singing. It will
28:55
Speaker 1: make him chockle and dance and say many a word
28:58
Speaker 1: that he had better leave on spa spoken still. As
29:02
Speaker 1: I have begun, I will go on. Would that I
29:05
Speaker 1: was still young and strong as when we had got
29:08
Speaker 1: up an ambuscade before Troy Menelaeus and Ulysses were the leaders,
29:13
Speaker 1: but I was in command also for the other two
29:16
Speaker 1: would have it. So, when we had come up to
29:19
Speaker 1: the wall of the city, we crouched down beneath our
29:22
Speaker 1: armor and lay there under cover of the reeds and
29:25
Speaker 1: thick brushwood that grew about the swamp. It came on
29:29
Speaker 1: to freeze with a north wind blowing. The snow fell
29:33
Speaker 1: small and fine like hoar frost, and our shields were
29:36
Speaker 1: coated thick with rime. The others had all got cloaks
29:40
Speaker 1: and shirts and slept comfortably enough with their shields about
29:44
Speaker 1: their shoulders. But I had carelessly left my cloak behind me,
29:49
Speaker 1: not thinking that I should be too cold, and had
29:52
Speaker 1: gone off in nothing but my shirt and shield. When
29:55
Speaker 1: the night was two thirds through and the stars had
29:58
Speaker 1: shifted their place, I nudged Ulysses, who was close to me,
30:03
Speaker 1: with my elbow, and he at once gave me his ear,
30:07
Speaker 1: Ulysses said, I this cold will be the death of me,
30:11
Speaker 1: for I have no cloak. Some god fooled me into
30:14
Speaker 1: setting off with nothing on but my shirt, and I
30:17
Speaker 1: do not know what to do. Ulysses, who was as
30:20
Speaker 1: crafty as he was valiant, hit upon the following plan.
30:24
Speaker 1: Keep still, said he in a low voice, or the
30:28
Speaker 1: others will hear you. Then he raised his head on
30:31
Speaker 1: his elbow. My friends said he, I've had a dream
30:36
Speaker 1: from heaven in my sleep. We are a long way
30:39
Speaker 1: from the ships. I wish some one would go down
30:42
Speaker 1: and tell Agamemnon to send us up more men at once.
30:46
Speaker 1: On this thoas son of Andreamon, threw off his cloak
30:50
Speaker 1: and set out running for the ships. Whereon I took
30:53
Speaker 1: the cloak and lay in it comfortably enough till morning.
30:58
Speaker 1: Would that I was still young and strong as I
31:00
Speaker 1: was in those days, For then some one of you
31:03
Speaker 1: swineherds would give me a cloak, both out of good
31:05
Speaker 1: will and for the respect due to a brave soldier.
31:09
Speaker 1: But now people look down on me because my clothes
31:13
Speaker 1: are shabby. And Eumaeus answered, old man, you have told
31:18
Speaker 1: us an excellent story and have said nothing so far,
31:22
Speaker 1: but what is quite satisfactory for the present. Therefore you
31:26
Speaker 1: shall want neither clothing nor anything else that a stranger
31:30
Speaker 1: in distress me reasonably expect. But tomorrow morning you have
31:34
Speaker 1: to shake your own old rags about your body again,
31:38
Speaker 1: for we have not many spare cloaks nor shirts up here,
31:42
Speaker 1: but every man has only one. When Ulysses son comes
31:46
Speaker 1: home again, he will give you both cloak and shirt,
31:49
Speaker 1: and send you wherever you may want to go. With this,
31:54
Speaker 1: he got up and made a bed for Ulysses by
31:57
Speaker 1: throwing some goat skins and sheepskins on the ground in
32:00
Speaker 1: front of the fire. Here Ulysses lay down, and Eumaeus
32:05
Speaker 1: covered him over with a great heavy cloak that he
32:09
Speaker 1: kept for a change in case of extraordinarily bad weather.
32:13
Speaker 1: Thus did Ulysses sleep, and the young men slept beside him.
32:18
Speaker 1: But the swineherd did not like sleeping away from his pigs.
32:23
Speaker 1: So he got ready to go outside, and Ulysses was
32:26
Speaker 1: glad to see that he looked after his property during
32:29
Speaker 1: his master's absence. First, he slung his sword over his
32:34
Speaker 1: brawny shoulders and put on a thick cloak to keep
32:37
Speaker 1: out the wind. He also took the skin of a
32:40
Speaker 1: large and well fed goat and a javelin in case
32:44
Speaker 1: of attack from men or dogs. Thus equipped, he went
32:48
Speaker 1: to his rest, where the pigs were camping under an
32:51
Speaker 1: overhanging rock that gave them shelter from the north wind.
32:58
Speaker 1: End of book Fourtyan