and let his words fly out.
“My friend! You have
come home! We are so very glad to see you!
We never thought this day would come! The gods400
have brought you here! A heartfelt welcome to you!
I pray the gods will bless you!—Does your wife
know you have come back home? Or should I send
a message?”
But Odysseus said coolly,
“Old man, she knows already. Do not bother.”
So Dolius sat back down on his chair.
His sons were also clustering around
their famous owner, Lord Odysseus,
to welcome him and hold him in their arms.
Then they sat down in turn beside their father.410
They had their meal together in the farmhouse.
Meanwhile, swift Rumor spread the news all through
the city, of the suitors’ dreadful murder.
When people heard, they rushed from all directions
towards the palace of Odysseus,
with shouts and lamentations. Then they brought
the bodies from the house and buried them.
The ones from distant towns were sent back home
by ship. The mourners gathered in the square,
heartbroken. When the people were assembled,420
Eupeithes first stood up and spoke to them.
This man was inconsolable with grief
for his dead son Antinous, the boy
Odysseus killed first. His father wept,
tears falling as he spoke.
“This scheming man,
my friends, has done us all most monstrous wrongs.
First, he took many good men off to sail
with him, and lost the ships, and killed the men!
Now he has come and murdered all the best
of Cephallenia. Come on, before430
he sneaks away to Pylos or to Elis,
we have to act! We will be shamed forever
unless we take revenge on him for killing
our sons and brothers. I would have no wish
to live; I would prefer to die and join
the boys already dead. We have to stop them
escaping overseas! Come on, right now!”
He spoke in tears, and pity seized them all.
But Medon and the bard had woken up;
they came outside and stood among the crowd.440
They all were terrified, and Medon said,
“Now listen, Ithacans. Odysseus
could not have done such things without the help
of gods. I saw a god myself, disguised
as Mentor, sometimes standing at his side,
giving him will to fight, and sometimes rushing
all through the hall to make the suitors scatter.
They fell like flies.”
Pale terror seized them all.
Then Halitherses, an old warrior,
the only one to know both past and future,450
stood up; he wished them well. He said to them,
“Now hear me, Ithacans. My friends, it was
because of your own cowardice this happened.
You did not listen to me, or to Mentor,
when we were telling you to stop your sons
from acting stupidly. They did great wrong,
through their impulsiveness; they skimmed the wealth
of an important man, and disrespected
his wife, believing he would never come.
But listen now. We must not go and fight,460
or we will bring more ruin on our heads.”
At that, some stayed there, huddling together,
but more than half jumped up with shouts. They thought
Eupeithes had the right idea. They rushed
to arms, and strapped their gleaming armor on,
and gathered in a mass before the town.
Eupeithes was their leader—to his cost.
He thought he would avenge his murdered son.
In fact, he would not come back home; it was
his fate to die out there.
And then Athena470
spoke to the son of Cronus.
“Father Zeus,
highest of powers! Tell what hidden thoughts
lie in you. Will you now make yet more war
and bitter strife, or join the sides in friendship?”
The Gatherer of Clouds replied, “My child,
why ask me this? The plan was your idea,
to have Odysseus come take revenge.
Do as you wish. But here is my advice.
He has already punished all the suitors,
so let them swear an oath that he will be480
the king forever, and let us make sure
the murder of their brothers and their sons
will be forgotten. Let them all be friends,
just as before, and let them live in peace
and in prosperity.”
Athena was
already eager; at these words she swooped
down from Olympus.
Meanwhile, they had finished
dinner, and battle-scarred Odysseus
said, “Somebody must go and see if they
are coming near.” A son of Dolius490
obeyed and went. As he stepped out, he stood
across the threshold, and he saw them all
near to the house. At once his words took wings.
He told Odysseus,
“Those men are near!
We have to arm, and fast!”
They quickly armed.
Odysseus, his son and their two slaves
made four, and Dolius had his six sons.
Laertes and old Dolius were also
needed as fighters, though they had gray hair.
When all of them were dressed in gleaming bronze,500
they opened up the gates and went outside;
Odysseus was leading them. Athena
came near, disguised as Mentor. When he saw her,
weathered Odysseus was glad and turned
towards Telemachus and said,
“Now, son,
soon you will have experience of fighting
in battle, the true test of worth. You must
not shame your father’s family; for years
we have been known across the world for courage
and manliness.”
Telemachus inhaled,510
then said, “Just watch me, Father, if you want
to see my spirit. I will bring no shame
onto your family. You should not speak
of shame.”
Laertes, thrilled, cried out, “Ah, gods!
A happy day for me! My son and grandson
are arguing about how tough they are!”
With glinting eyes, Athena stood beside him
and said, “You are my favorite, Laertes.
Pray to the bright-eyed goddess and her father,
then lift and hurl your spear.”
As she said this,520
Athena breathed great energy inside him.
Laertes quickly raised and hurled the spear,
and struck Eupeithes through his bronze-cheeked helmet,
which did not stop the weapon; it pierced through.
Then with a thud he fell; his armor clanged
around him on the ground. Odysseus
charged the front line, his radiant son beside him;
they hacked with swords and curving spears. They would
have killed them all and made sure none of them
could go back home—but then Athena spoke.530
Her voice held back the fighters.
“Ithacans!
Stop this destructive war; shed no more blood,
and go your separate ways, at once!”
Her voice
struck them with pale green fear and made them drop
their weapons. They were desperate to save
their lives, and they turned back towards the city.
Unwavering Odysseus let out
a dreadful roar, then crouched and swooped upon them,
just like an eagle flying from above.
But Zeus sent down a thunderbolt, which fell540
in front of his own daughter, great Athena.
She looked at him with steely eyes and said,
“Odysseus, you are adaptable;
you always find solutions. Stop this war,
or Zeus will be enraged at you.”
He was
glad to obey her. Then Athena made
the warring sides swear solemn oaths of peace
for future times—still in her guise as Mentor.
NOTES
BOOK 1 SUMMARY
The poet invokes the Muse. The gods hold a counciclass="underline" Athena appeals to Zeus about Odysseus, who is trapped far from home, on the island of the nymph Calypso. Zeus promises to send Hermes, the messenger god, to make Calypso help Odysseus go home. Athena goes to Ithaca in the guise of Mentor and inspires Telemachus, assuring him that his father is alive. Then she flies away, like a bird. The singer, Phemius, begins to sing about Troy; Penelope is made upset by the topic, and tries to stop him. Telemachus, to her surprise, intervenes, scolds her, and makes her go upstairs. Telemachus announces that he will be calling a meeting the next day. Antinous and Eurymachus speak to him nastily and try to find out who Athena was.