Book 24
1 And Cyllenian Hermes called forth the spirits of the suitors. He held in his hands the wand, beautiful and golden, with which he charms the eyes of men, of whomever he will, and wakes others again from sleep. With this he roused them and led them on, and they followed, gibbering. As when bats in the depths of an eerie cave fly about gibbering, when one has dropped from the cluster on the rock, and they cling to one another, so the spirits went with him, gibbering, and Hermes the Helper led them down the dank ways. They went past the streams of Ocean and the White Rock,1 past the gates of the Sun and the land of dreams, and soon they came to the meadow of asphodel, where the spirits dwell, the phantoms of those who are done with toil. There they found the spirit of Achilles, son of Peleus, and of Patroclus, and of excellent Antilochus, and of Ajax, who was the best in looks and build of all the Danaans after the excellent son of Peleus.
19 So these were gathered around Achilles, and close to them came the spirit of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, grieving; and around him were gathered the others, all who had died with him in the house of Aegisthus and met their doom. The spirit of the son of Peleus spoke to him first:
24 “Son of Atreus, we thought that of all heroes you were dear to Zeus who delights in thunder all your days, because you were lord over many mighty men in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered hardships. But to you too, after all, deadly fate was to come early, the fate that no one born escapes. How I wish that, in the full enjoyment of the honor you were lord of, you had met death and doom in the land of the Trojans! Then all the Achaeans would have made a tomb for you, and you would have won great glory for your son as well in days to come. But now it was your lot to be caught by a most pitiful death.” Then the spirit of the son of Atreus said to him: “Fortunate son of Peleus, godlike Achilles, who died in Troy far from Argos! Around you others were killed, the best of the sons of the Trojans and the Achaeans, fighting over you, while you lay in the whirling dust, a great man stretched over a great space of ground, your horsemanship forgotten. And we fought all day long, and would never have stopped the fighting if Zeus had not stopped it with a storm. But when we had carried you from the battle to the ships, we laid you on a bier and cleansed your fair skin with warm water and with ointment, and the Danaans shed many hot tears around you and cut their hair. Your mother came out of the sea with the immortal sea nymphs when she heard the news, and an unearthly cry rose over the sea, and trembling took hold of all the Achaeans. They would have sprung up and gone to the hollow ships, if a man who knew many things of old had not held them back: Nestor, whose counsel had always seemed the best before. With good intent he spoke among them and said:
54 “‘Hold, Argives, do not run, young men of the Achaeans! This is his mother coming out of the sea with the immortal sea nymphs, to meet her dead son.’
57 “So he spoke, and the great-hearted Achaeans held back from flight. The daughters of the old man of the sea stood around you, wailing pitifully, and they clothed you in immortal garments. And the Muses, all nine, answering one another with lovely voices, sang the lament. Then you would not have seen one of the Argives without tears, so piercing was the clear-voiced Muse who stirred them. For seventeen days, nights and days alike, we wept for you, immortal gods and mortal men; and on the eighteenth we gave you to the fire, and around you we slaughtered many fat sheep and shambling cattle with curving horns. You were burned in the clothing of the gods and in much ointment and sweet honey, and many Achaean heroes moved in their armor around the pyre as you burned, men on foot and in chariots, and a great din arose. And when the flame of Hephaestus had made an end of you, in the morning we gathered your white bones, Achilles, in unmixed wine and ointment. Your mother gave a golden jar with two handles; she said it was the gift of Dionysus, the work of far-famed Hephaestus. In it lie your white bones, shining Achilles, mingled with those of dead Patroclus, son of Menoetius, and apart from them those of Antilochus, whom you honored above all your other companions after Patroclus was dead. Around them we, the sacred army of Argive spearmen, heaped up a great and excellent tomb on a headland jutting out over the broad Hellespont, so that it might be seen far out from the sea by men, those who are born now and those who will come hereafter. And your mother asked the gods for beautiful prizes and set them in the middle of the field for the best of the Achaeans. You have been present before now at the funerals of many heroes, when at the death of a king the young men gird themselves and make ready for the games; but you would have marveled most in your heart if you had seen those prizes, so beautiful, that the goddess, silver-footed Thetis, set out in your honor; for you were very dear to the gods. So even in death you did not lose your name, but always among all men your fame will be great, Achilles. But what pleasure did I have in this, when I had wound up the war? For Zeus devised a grievous destruction for me on my homecoming, at the hands of Aegisthus and my accursed wife.”
98 So they spoke with one another, and close to them came the guide, the slayer of Argus, leading down the spirits of the suitors whom Odysseus had killed. The two of them were amazed, and went straight toward them when they saw them. And the spirit of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, recognized the dear son of Melaneus, far-famed Amphimedon, for he had been his host, living in his house in Ithaca. The spirit of the son of Atreus spoke to him first:
106 “Amphimedon, what has happened to you, that you have come down beneath the dark earth, all of you chosen men and of an age? No one choosing the best men in a city would have chosen otherwise. Did Poseidon overwhelm you in your ships, rousing cruel winds and long waves? Or did hostile men kill you on land as you were cutting off their cattle and their fine flocks of sheep, or fighting for a city and its women? Tell me, since I ask; I claim to be your guest-friend. Do you not remember when I came down to your house there with godlike Menelaus, to urge Odysseus to go with us to Ilion on the well-benched ships? It took us a whole month to cross the wide sea, for we had a hard time persuading Odysseus, sacker of cities.” Then the spirit of Amphimedon said to him: “Most glorious son of Atreus, Agamemnon, lord of men, I remember all this, Zeus-nurtured, as you tell it. And I will tell you everything, very truly, the evil end of our death, how it came about. We were wooing the wife of Odysseus, who had been long away. She neither refused the hateful marriage nor brought it to an end, but she was planning death and black fate for us. She devised this further trick in her mind: she set up a great loom in the halls and began to weave a web, fine and very wide, and at once she said to us:
131 “‘Young men, my suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead, wait, eager as you are for my marriage, until I finish this robe, so that my spinning may not go to waste: a shroud for the hero Laertes, for the time when the deadly fate of death that lays men out at length shall take him; so that none of the Achaean women in the land may blame me, if he lies without a shroud, who had won so much.’
138 “So she spoke, and our proud hearts were persuaded. Then by day she would weave at the great loom, and by night she would unravel it, with torches set beside her. So for three years she kept her trick hidden and persuaded the Achaeans. But when the fourth year came and the seasons came around, as the months waned and many days were completed, then at last one of the women, who knew it well, told us, and we caught her unraveling the splendid web. So she finished it, against her will, under compulsion.
147 “Just when she had shown us the robe, when she had woven the great web and washed it, and it shone like the sun or the moon, then some evil power brought Odysseus from somewhere to the edge of the farm, where the swineherd had his dwelling. There came the dear son of godlike Odysseus too, on his way back from sandy Pylos in his black ship. The two of them plotted an evil death for the suitors and came to the far-famed town, Odysseus later, while Telemachus led the way before him. The swineherd brought Odysseus, with vile clothes on his body, looking like a miserable beggar and an old man, leaning on a staff; and the clothes he wore on his body were wretched. And none of us could recognize who he was when he appeared so suddenly, not even the older men among us; we attacked him with evil words and with things thrown at him. For a time he endured being struck and abused in his own halls with a steadfast heart. But when the mind of Zeus who holds the aegis roused him, he and Telemachus took the fine armor and laid it away in the storeroom and shot the bolts. Then in his great cunning he told his wife to set the bow and the gray iron before the suitors, to be the contest for us ill-fated men and the beginning of slaughter. None of us could string that mighty bow; we fell far short of the strength. But when the great bow came to the hands of Odysseus, then we all shouted out that the bow should not be given to him, however much he talked; only Telemachus urged him on and told him to take it. And much-enduring noble Odysseus took it in his hand and strung the bow easily and shot through the iron. Then he went and stood on the threshold and poured out the swift arrows, glaring terribly, and struck down King Antinous. And then he let fly his arrows, bringers of groans, at the others, aiming straight ahead, and they fell thick and close together. It was plain that one of the gods was helping them; for at once they rushed through the house in their fury and killed us right and left, and a hideous groaning rose as heads were struck, and the whole floor ran with blood. So we perished, Agamemnon, and even now our bodies lie uncared for in the halls of Odysseus; for our families in each man’s house do not know yet, who would wash the black blood from our wounds and lay us out and mourn us; for that is the due of the dead.”
191 Then the spirit of the son of Atreus said to him: “Fortunate son of Laertes, resourceful Odysseus, truly you won a wife of great virtue! How good was the understanding of excellent Penelope, daughter of Icarius! How well she remembered Odysseus, her wedded husband! So the fame of her virtue will never perish, and the immortals will make a lovely song for those on earth in honor of sensible Penelope. Not so did the daughter of Tyndareus devise evil deeds, when she killed her wedded husband; a hateful song she will be among men, and she will give an evil name to all womankind, even to one who does good.”
203 So they spoke with one another, standing in the house of Hades, under the depths of the earth.
205 And the others, when they had gone down from the city, soon came to the fine, well-tended farm of Laertes, which Laertes himself had won long ago, after much toil. There was his house, and all around it ran a row of sheds, where the bond servants who did his will would eat and sit and sleep. In it there was an old Sicilian woman, who cared for the old man devotedly out on the farm, far from the city. There Odysseus spoke to the servants and to his son:
214 “You go now into the well-built house and quickly kill the best of the pigs for dinner. I will make trial of my father, to see whether he will recognize me and know me with his eyes, or whether he will not know me, since I have been away so long.”
219 With these words he gave his weapons of war to the servants. They went quickly into the house, and Odysseus went nearer to the fruitful orchard to make his trial. He did not find Dolius as he went down into the great orchard, nor any of the servants or Dolius’s sons; they had gone to gather stones for a wall around the orchard, and the old man had led the way for them. He found his father alone in the well-tended orchard, digging around a plant. He was wearing a dirty tunic, patched and wretched, and around his shins he had bound patched leggings of oxhide to guard against scratches, and he had gloves on his hands because of the brambles; and on his head he wore a cap of goatskin, nursing his grief. When much-enduring noble Odysseus saw him, worn with old age and with great grief in his heart, he stood under a tall pear tree and wept. Then he debated in his mind and in his heart whether to kiss his father and embrace him and tell him everything, how he had come back and reached his native land, or to question him first and test him on every point. As he pondered, this seemed to him the better way, to test him first with cutting words. With this in mind noble Odysseus went straight toward him. He was digging around a plant, keeping his head down, and his shining son came up beside him and spoke to him:
244 “Old man, there is no lack of skill in the way you tend the orchard; your care for it is good, and there is nothing at all, no plant, no fig tree, no vine, no olive, no pear, no garden bed in your plot that goes without care. But I will tell you something else, and do not take it to heart in anger: you yourself are not well cared for. You bear a miserable old age, and you are terribly unkempt and wear wretched clothes. It is not for your idleness that your master does not care for you, and there is nothing of the slave to be seen in your looks or your stature; you look like a king. You look like a man who should bathe and eat and then sleep softly; for that is the way of old men. But come, tell me this, and tell it truly: whose servant are you? Whose orchard do you tend? And tell me this truly, so that I may know it well: have I really come to Ithaca, as a man told me just now, who met me on my way here? He was not very sensible, for he would not tell me everything, or listen to what I said when I asked him about a guest-friend of mine, whether he is still alive or already dead and in the house of Hades. For I will tell you, and you mark it and listen to me. Once in my own dear native land I entertained a man who came to our house, and no other mortal of all the strangers from far away was ever dearer to me as a guest in my house. He claimed that his family was from Ithaca, and he said that Laertes, son of Arceisius, was his father. I took him to my house and entertained him well, with all kindness, from the plenty there was in the house, and I gave him guest gifts, such as were fitting. I gave him seven talents of well-wrought gold, and I gave him a mixing bowl all of silver, embossed with flowers, and twelve single cloaks and as many rugs, as many fine mantles, and as many tunics besides; and besides these, women skilled in excellent handiwork, four comely women, whom he chose himself.”
280 Then his father answered him, shedding tears: “Stranger, you have indeed come to the land you ask about, but violent and reckless men hold it. In vain you gave those gifts, the countless gifts you bestowed. If you had found him alive in the land of Ithaca, he would have sent you on your way repaid with good gifts and good hospitality; for that is right, for whoever begins it. But come, tell me this, and tell it truly: how many years is it since you entertained him, that unhappy guest of yours, my son, if he ever was, my ill-fated son? Somewhere far from his dear ones and his native land the fish have eaten him in the sea, or on land he has become the prey of wild beasts and birds. His mother did not lay him out and weep for him, nor did his father, we who brought him into the world; nor did his richly dowered wife, sensible Penelope, wail for her husband on his bier, as was fitting, and close his eyes; for that is the due of the dead. And tell me this truly, so that I may know it well: Who are you, and where are you from? Where is your city, and where are your parents? Where is the swift ship moored that brought you here, and your godlike companions? Or did you come as a passenger on someone else’s ship, and they put you ashore and went away?”
302 Odysseus of many wiles answered him: “Then I will tell you everything truly. I am from Alybas, where I live in a famous house; I am the son of Apheidas, son of lord Polypemon, and my name is Eperitus. But some power drove me off course from Sicania to come here against my will, and my ship is moored over there off the fields, far from the city. As for Odysseus, this is the fifth year since he went from there and left my country, ill-fated man. Yet the birds were good for him as he went, on the right, and I was glad as I sent him on his way, and he was glad as he went; and our hearts were still hoping that we would meet again as host and guest and give each other glorious gifts.”
315 So he spoke, and a black cloud of grief covered Laertes. He took the sooty dust in both his hands and poured it down over his gray head, groaning without end. The heart of Odysseus was stirred, and a sharp pang shot up through his nostrils as he looked at his dear father. He sprang to him and threw his arms around him and kissed him and said:
321 “I am he, father, the man you ask about, here I am myself; I have come in the twentieth year to my native land. But hold back from your crying and your tearful lament. For I will tell you plainly, and we must make all haste: I have killed the suitors in our house, avenging their heart-wounding outrage and their evil deeds.”
327 Then Laertes answered him and said: “If you really are Odysseus, my son, come back here, tell me now some clear sign, so that I may be sure.”
330 Odysseus of many wiles answered him: “First look with your eyes at this scar, which the boar gave me with his white tusk on Parnassus, when I went there. You and my lady mother sent me to Autolycus, my mother’s dear father, to get the gifts that he promised me and nodded his assent to when he came here. And come, let me tell you too the trees in the well-tended orchard, which you gave me once. I was a child, following you through the garden, and I asked you for each one; we went among them, and you named them and told me each one. You gave me thirteen pear trees and ten apple trees and forty fig trees; and you promised to give me fifty rows of vines, just so, each of them ripening in turn. There are grapes of every kind on them, whenever the seasons of Zeus weigh them down from above.”
345 So he spoke, and the knees and the heart of Laertes went slack where he stood, as he recognized the sure signs that Odysseus had told him. He threw his arms around his dear son, and much-enduring noble Odysseus caught him to himself as he fainted. But when he had recovered his breath and his spirit had gathered back into his breast, he spoke again in answer:
351 “Father Zeus, you gods are still on high Olympus after all, if the suitors have truly paid for their reckless outrage! But now I am terribly afraid in my heart that all the men of Ithaca will soon come against us here, and send messengers everywhere to the cities of the Cephallenians.”
356 Odysseus of many wiles answered him: “Take heart, and do not let these things trouble your mind. Let us go to the house that lies near the orchard. I sent Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd ahead there, to make dinner ready as quickly as they can.”
361 So the two of them spoke and went to the fine house. When they came to the stately house, they found Telemachus and the cowherd and the swineherd carving meat in plenty and mixing the sparkling wine. Meanwhile the Sicilian maid bathed great-hearted Laertes in his own house and rubbed him with oil,
367 and put a fine cloak about him; and Athena came and stood near him and filled out the limbs of the shepherd of the people, and made him taller than before to look at, and broader. He stepped out of the bath, and his dear son marveled at him when he saw him looking like the immortal gods face to face, and he spoke to him, and his words had wings:
373 “Father, surely one of the gods who are forever has made you finer to look at in form and stature.” Then thoughtful Laertes answered him: “Father Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, if only I were such as I was when I took Nericus, the well-built citadel on the coast of the mainland, as lord of the Cephallenians! If only I had been such as that yesterday in our house, with armor on my shoulders, to stand at your side and beat back the suitors! Then I would have loosened the knees of many of them in the halls, and your heart would have been glad within you.”
383 So they spoke with one another. And when they had finished their work and made the meal ready, they sat down in order on the chairs and seats. They were just putting out their hands to the food when old Dolius came near, and with him the old man’s sons, tired from their work, for their mother, the old Sicilian woman, had gone out and called them; she cared for them, and she looked after the old man devotedly, now that old age had laid hold of him. When they saw Odysseus and knew him in their hearts, they stood still in the halls, astonished. But Odysseus spoke to them with gentle words and said:
394 “Old man, sit down to dinner, and put your amazement away. We have been waiting long in the halls, eager to set our hands to the food, expecting you all the while.”
397 So he spoke, and Dolius went straight to him with both hands outstretched, and he took the hand of Odysseus and kissed it at the wrist, and he spoke to him, and his words had wings:
400 “Dear master, since you have come back to us, who longed for you so much and had stopped expecting you, and the gods themselves have brought you home: health to you, and great joy, and may the gods give you happiness. And tell me this truly, so that I may know it well: does prudent Penelope know for certain yet that you have come back here, or shall we send her a messenger?”
406 Odysseus of many wiles answered him: “Old man, she knows already. Why should you trouble yourself with that?”
408 So he spoke, and Dolius sat down again on the polished stool. And in the same way the sons of Dolius gathered around famous Odysseus and greeted him in words and clasped his hands, and then they sat down in order beside Dolius, their father.
412 So they were busy with their dinner in the halls. Meanwhile Rumor the messenger went swiftly all through the city, telling of the hateful death and fate of the suitors. And the people heard it all alike and came from every side, with moaning and with groaning, before the house of Odysseus. They carried the dead out of the house and buried them, each family its own; and those from other cities they sent each one home, putting them on swift ships for fishermen to carry. Then they went together to the place of assembly, grieving at heart. And when they had gathered and were all assembled, Eupeithes stood up and spoke among them, for unforgettable grief for his son lay in his heart, for Antinous, the first man noble Odysseus had killed. Shedding tears for him, he spoke in the assembly and said:
426 “Friends, this man has done a monstrous thing to the Achaeans. Some he led away in his ships, many and brave, and he lost the hollow ships and lost the men; and others, when he came back, he killed, by far the best of the Cephallenians. Come then, before he gets away quickly to Pylos or to bright Elis, where the Epeians rule, let us go; or else we will be shamed forever after. It is a disgrace even for men hereafter to hear of, if we do not take vengeance on the killers of our sons and brothers. For my part, there would be no sweetness in my heart in living; I would rather die at once and be among the dead. Let us go, before they get across ahead of us and escape.”
438 So he spoke, shedding tears, and pity took hold of all the Achaeans. Then Medon came near them, and the godlike bard, from the halls of Odysseus, for sleep had let them go, and they stood in the middle of them, and amazement took hold of every man. And Medon, whose mind was wise, spoke among them:
443 “Hear me now, men of Ithaca. Odysseus did not do these deeds without the will of the immortal gods. I myself saw an immortal god who stood close beside Odysseus and looked in every way like Mentor. At one moment the immortal god appeared in front of Odysseus, urging him on, and at another he rushed through the hall, routing the suitors, and they fell thick and close together.”
450 So he spoke, and pale fear took hold of them all. Then the old hero Halitherses, son of Mastor, spoke among them, for he alone saw both before and after. With good intent he spoke among them and said:
454 “Hear me now, men of Ithaca, what I have to say. It is through your own wickedness, friends, that these things have come about. You would not listen to me, nor to Mentor, shepherd of the people, and stop your sons in their folly, who did a monstrous thing in their wicked recklessness, wasting the possessions of a prince and dishonoring his wife; they said he would never return. And now let it be this way; be persuaded by me, as I tell you. Let us not go, in case someone finds an evil that he has brought upon himself.”
463 So he spoke, and more than half of them sprang up with a great shout, but the rest stayed where they were, together. His word did not please their minds, but they were persuaded by Eupeithes, and at once they rushed for their armor. And when they had put the flashing bronze around their bodies, they gathered together in front of the spacious city. Eupeithes led them in his folly. He said he would avenge the killing of his son, but he was not to come home again; he was to meet his doom there.
472 But Athena said to Zeus, the son of Cronus: “Our father, son of Cronus, highest of all who rule, tell me, since I ask: what does your mind hide within it? Will you bring about further evil war and dread strife, or will you set friendship between the two sides?”
477 Then Zeus the cloud-gatherer answered her: “My child, why do you question me and ask me about this? Did you not devise this plan yourself, that Odysseus should come back and take vengeance on those men? Do as you will; but I will tell you what is fitting. Now that noble Odysseus has taken vengeance on the suitors, let them swear solemn oaths, and let him be king all his days; and let us bring about a forgetting of the killing of their sons and brothers. Let them love one another as before, and let there be wealth and peace in plenty.”
487 With these words he urged on Athena, who was eager before, and she went darting down from the peaks of Olympus.
489 But when they had put from them the desire for honey-sweet food, much-enduring noble Odysseus began to speak among them: “Let someone go out and see whether they are already near and coming.”
492 So he spoke, and a son of Dolius went out as he bid. He went and stood on the threshold and saw them all close by, and at once he spoke to Odysseus, and his words had wings: “Here they are, close by! Let us arm quickly.”
496 So he spoke, and they sprang up and put on their armor, the four around Odysseus and the six sons of Dolius; and among them Laertes and Dolius put on armor too, gray-haired as they were, warriors by necessity. And when they had put the flashing bronze around their bodies, they opened the doors and went out, and Odysseus led the way.
502 And close to them came Athena, daughter of Zeus, in the likeness of Mentor, in form and in voice. Much-enduring noble Odysseus rejoiced when he saw her, and at once he spoke to Telemachus, his dear son:
506 “Telemachus, now you will learn this for yourself, when you have come to where men fight and the best are tested: not to shame the line of your fathers, we who have always excelled in strength and courage all over the earth.” Then thoughtful Telemachus answered him: “You will see, if you like, dear father, that in this spirit I will not shame your line, as you say.”
513 So he spoke, and Laertes was glad and said: “What a day this is for me, dear gods! I am very glad. My son and my grandson are vying with each other in courage.”
516 Then gray-eyed Athena came and stood beside him and said: “Son of Arceisius, dearest by far of all my companions, pray to the gray-eyed maiden and to father Zeus, and then at once raise your long-shadowing spear and throw it.”
520 So she spoke, and Pallas Athena breathed great strength into him. He prayed to the daughter of great Zeus, and then at once he raised his long-shadowing spear and threw it, and struck Eupeithes through the bronze cheek-piece of his helmet. The helmet did not stop the spear; the bronze went clean through, and he fell with a thud, and his armor clanged upon him. And Odysseus and his shining son fell upon the front ranks and struck them with swords and two-edged spears. And now they would have killed them all and cut them off from coming home, if Athena, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis, had not shouted aloud and held back all the people:
531 “Hold back from painful war, men of Ithaca, so that you may part quickly, without bloodshed.”
533 So Athena spoke, and pale fear took hold of them. In their fear the weapons flew from their hands, and all of them fell to the ground as the goddess’s voice rang out; and they turned toward the city, longing for their lives. Much-enduring noble Odysseus gave a terrible shout, and gathering himself he swooped like a high-flying eagle. And then the son of Cronus hurled a smoking thunderbolt, and it fell in front of the gray-eyed daughter of the mighty father. Then gray-eyed Athena said to Odysseus:
542 “Son of Laertes, sprung from Zeus, resourceful Odysseus, hold back, and stop the strife of war that spares no one, in case far-seeing Zeus, the son of Cronus, is angry with you.”
545 So Athena spoke, and he obeyed, and was glad in his heart. And afterward Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis, set oaths between the two sides, in the likeness of Mentor, in form and in voice.
Notes
1. The White Rock (Greek Leukas petrē): a landmark on the road to the dead, known only from this passage; it seems to stand at the edge of the world, by the streams of Ocean.