Epic poetry, Greek -- Translations into English; Homer -- Translations into English; Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character)
Therewith he caught up a footstool, but Odysseus sat him down at the
knees of Amphinomus of Dulichium, in dread of Eurymachus. And
Eurymachus cast and smote the cup-bearer on the right hand, and the
ladle cup dropped to the ground with a clang, while the young man
groaned and fell backwards in the dust. Then the wooers clamoured
through the shadowy halls, and thus one would say looking to his
neighbour:
“Would that our wandering guest had perished otherwhere, or ever he
came hither; so should he never have made all this tumult in our midst!
But now we are all at strife about beggars, and there will be no more
joy of the good feast, for worse things have their way.”
Then the mighty prince Telemachus spake among them:
“Sirs, ye are mad; now doth your mood betray that ye have eaten and
drunken; some one of the gods is surely moving you. Nay, now that ye
have feasted well, go home and lay you to rest, since your spirit so
bids; for as for me, I drive no man hence.”
Thus he spake, and they all bit their lips and marvelled at Telemachus,
in that he spake boldly. Then Amphinomus made harangue, and spake among
them, Amphinomus, the famous son of Nisus the prince, the son of
Aretias:
“Friends, when a righteous word has been spoken, none surely would
rebuke another with hard speech and be angry. Misuse ye not this
stranger, neither any of the thralls that are in the house of godlike
Odysseus. But come, let the wine-bearer pour for libation into each cup
in turn, that after the drink-offering we may get us home to bed. But
the stranger let us leave in the halls of Odysseus for a charge to
Telemachus: for to his home has he come.”
Thus he spake, and his word was well-pleasing to them all. Then the
lord Mulius mixed for them the bowl, the henchman out of Dulichium, who
was squire of Amphinomus. And he stood by all and served it to them in
their turn; and they poured forth before the blessed gods, and drank
the honey-sweet wine. Now when they had poured forth and had drunken to
their hearts’ content, they departed to lie down, each one to his own
house.
BOOK XIX.
Telemachus removes the arms out of the hall. Odysseus disburseth with
Penelope. And is known by his nurse, but concealed. And the hunting of
the boar upon that occasion related.
Now the goodly Odysseus was left behind in the hall, devising with
Athene’s aid the slaying of the wooers, and straightway he spake winged
words to Telemachus:
“Telemachus, we must needs lay by the weapons of war within, every one;
and when the wooers miss them and ask thee concerning them, thou shalt
beguile them with soft words, saying:
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