Book XVIII: Combat of Ulysses and Irus

Lyrics

Ulysses insulted by the beggar Irus`Amusement of the suitors, who encourage the quarrel`Victory of Ulysses in the combat with Irus`Manoeuvre of Penelope to obtain presents from the suitors, and its success`Ulysses insulted by Eurymachus`His reply`The cupbearer struck down by a footstool flung at Ulysses by Eurymachus. There came a common beggar, wont to ask Alms through the town of Ithaca, well known For greediness of stomach, gluttonous And a wine-bibber, but of little strength And courage, though he seem5d of powerful mould. Arnaeus was the nam5 which at his birth His mother gave him, but the young men called The fellow Irus, for it was his wont To go on errands, as a messenger, When he was ordered. Coming now, he thought To drive Ulysses out of his own house, And railed at him, and said in winged words:` "Hence with thee! leave the porch, old man, at once, Lest thou be taken by the foot and dragged Away from it. Dost thou not see how all Around us nod, to bid me drag thee out? I am ashamed to do it. Rise and go, Else haply we may have a strife of blows." Ulysses, the sagacious, frowned and said: "Wretch! there is nothing that I do or say To harm thee aught. I do not envy thee What others give thee, though the dole be large; And ample is this threshold for us both. Nor shouldst thou envy others, for thou seemst A straggler like myself. The gods bestow Wealth where they list. But do not challenge me To blows, lest, aged as I am, thou rouse My anger, and I make thy breast and lips Hideous with blood. Tomorrow then will be A quiet day for me, since thou, I trust, In all the time to come, wilt never more Enter the palace of Laertes' son." The beggar Irus angrily rejoined: "Ye gods! this glutton prattles volubly, Like an old woman at the chimney-side. Yet could I do him mischief, smiting him On both his sides, and dashing from his cheeks The teeth to earth, as men are wont to deal With swine that eat the wheat. Now gird thyself, Let these men see us fighting. How canst thou Think to contend with one so young as I?" Thus fiercely did they wrangle as they stood Beside the polished threshold and before The lofty gates. The stout Antino�s heard, And, laughing heartily, bespake the rest:` "Here, friends, is what we never yet have had. Behold the pleasant pastime which the gods Provide for us. These men`the stranger here, And Irus`quarrel, and will come to blows. Let us stand by and bring the combat on." He spake. All rose with laughter and came round The ragged beggars, while Eupeithes' son, Antino�s, in these words harangued the rest:` "Ye noble suitors, hear me. At the fire Already lie the paunches of two goats, Preparing for our evening meal, and both Are filled with fat and blood. Whoever shows Himself the better man in this affray, And conquers, he shall take the one of these He chooses, and shall ever afterward Feast at our table, and no man but he Shall ever come among us asking alms." He ended. All approved his words, and thus Ulysses, craftily dissembling, said:` "O friends, it is not well that one so old As I, and broken by calamity, Should fight a younger man; but hunger bids, And I may be o'ercome by blows. But now Swear all a solemn oath, that none of you, To favor Irus, wickedly will raise His mighty hand to smite me, and so aid My adversary to my overthrow." He spake; the suitor-train, assenting, took The oath, and when they all were duly sworn, The highborn prince Telemachus began:` "O stranger, if thy manly heart be moved To drive him hence, fear no one else of all The Achaians. Whosoever strikes at thee Has many to contend with. I am here The host. Antino�s and Eurymachus, Wise men and kings, agree with me in this." He spake, and all approved. Ulysses drew And girt his tatters round his waist and showed His large and shapely thighs. Unclothed appeared His full broad shoulders, and his manly breast And sinewy arms. Minerva stood by him, And with a mighty breadth of limb endued The shepherd of the people. Earnestly The suitors gazed, and wondered at the sight, And each one, turning to his neighbor, said:` "Irus, poor Irus, on himself has drawn An evil fate, for what a sinewy thigh His adversary shows beneath his rags!" So talked they, while the heart of Irus sank Within him; yet the attendants girding him Forcibly drew him forward, sore afraid, The muscles quivering over every limb. And then Antino�s spake, and chid him thus:` "Now, boaster, thou deservest not to live, Nay, nor to have been born, if thou dost fear And quake at meeting one so old as he, So broken with the hardships he has borne. And now I tell thee what will yet be done, Should he approve himself the better man, And conquer. I will have thee sent on board A galley to Epirus, and its king, The foe of all men living, Echetus, And he will pare away thy nose and ears With the sharp steel, and, wrenching out the parts Of shame, will cast them to be torn by dogs." He spake, and Irus shook through all his frame With greater terror, yet they dragged him on Into the midst. Both champions lifted up Their arms. The godlike, much-enduring man, Ulysses, pondered whether so to strike His adversary that the breath of life Might leave him as he fell, or only smite To stretch him on the earth. As thus he mused, The lighter blow seemed wisest, lest the Greeks Should know who dealt it. When the hands of both Were thus uplifted, Irus gave a blow On his right shoulder, while Ulysses smote Irus beneath the ear, and broke the bone Within, and brought the red blood from his mouth. He fell amid the dust, and shrieked and gnashed His teeth, and beat with jerking feet the ground. The suitor-train threw up their hands and laughed Till breathless, while Ulysses seized his feet And drew him o'er the threshold to the court And the porch doors, and there, beside the wall, Set him to lean against it, gave a staff Into his hands, and said in winged words:` "Sit there, and scare away the dogs and swine, But think not, wretched creature, to bear rule Over the stranger and the beggar tribe, Or worse than this may happen to thee yet." He spake, and o'er his shoulders threw the scrip That yawned with chinks, and by a twisted thong Was fastened; then he turned to take his seat Upon the threshold, while the suitor-train Went back into the palace with gay shouts Of laughter, and bespake him blandly thus:` "Stranger, may Jove and all the other gods Grant thee what thou desirest, and whate'er Is pleasant to thee! Thou hast put an end To this importunate beggar's rounds among The people. We shall send him off at once Into Epirus, and to Echetus, Its king, the foe of every living man." So talked the suitors, and the omen made Ulysses glad. Meantime Antino�s placed The mighty paunch before the victor, filled With blood and fat, and from the canister Amphinomus brought forth two loaves, and raised A golden cup and drank to him, and said:` "Hail, guest and father! happy be thy days Henceforth, though dark with many sorrows now!" Ulysses, the sagacious, answered thus: "Amphinomus, thou seemest most discreet, And such thy father is, of whom I hear A worshipful report, the good and rich Dulichian Nisus. Thou, as I am told, Art son to him, and thou art seemingly A man of pertinent speech. I therefore say To thee, and bid thee hear and mark me well, No being whom earth nourishes to breathe Her air and move upon her face is more The sport of circumstance than man. For while The gods give health, and he is strong of limb, He thinks no evil in the coming days Will overtake him. When the blessed gods Visit him with afflictions, these he bears Impatiently and with a fretful mind. Such is the mood of man, while yet he dwells On earth; it changes as the All-Father gives The sunshine or withholds it. I was once Deemed fortunate among my fellow-men, And many things that were unjust I did; For in my strength and in my father's power, And valor of my brothers, I had put My trust. Let no man, therefore, dare to be Unjust in aught, but tranquilly enjoy Whatever good the gods vouchsafe to give. Yet are these suitors guilty of foul wrong, Wasting the substance and dishonoring The wife of one who will not, as I deem, Remain long distant from his friends and home, But is already near. O, may some god Remove thee from this danger to thy home! Nor mayst thou meet him when he shall return To his own land. For when he comes once more Beneath this roof, and finds the suitors here, Not without bloodshed will their parting be." He spake, and, pouring out a part, he drank The wine, and gave the goblet to the prince, Who crossed the hall, and sorrowfully shook His head, for now already did his heart Forebode the coming evil. Not by this Did he escape his death. Minerva laid A snare for him, that he might fall beneath, The strong arm of Telemachus. He went And took the seat from which he lately rose. Then blue-eyed Pallas moved Penelope, Sage daughter of Icarius, to appear Before the suitors, that their base intent Might be more fully seen, and she might win More honor from her husband and her son. Wherefore she forced a laugh, and thus began:` "Eurynom�, I would at length appear, Though not till now, before the suitor-train, Detested as they are. I there would speak A word of timely warning to my son, And give him counsel not to trust himself Too much among the suitors, who are fair In speech, but mean him foully in their hearts." Eurynom�, the household matron, said: "Assuredly, my child, thou speakest well. Go now, and warn thy son, and keep back naught. First bathe, and, ere thou go, anoint thy cheeks, Nor show them stained with tears. It is not well To sorrow without end. For now thy son Is grown, and thou beholdest him at length What thou didst pray the gods, when he was born, That he might yet become, a bearded man." And then the sage Penelope rejoined: "Though anxious for my sake, persuade me not, Eurynom�, to bathe, nor to anoint My cheeks with oil. The gods inhabiting Olympus took away their comeliness When in his roomy ships my husband sailed; But bid Antinoe come, and call with her Hippodame�a, that they both may stand Beside me in the hall. I will not go Alone among the men, for very shame." She spake, the aged dame went forth to bear The message, and to bring the women back. While blue-eyed Pallas had yet other cares, She brought a balmy sleep, and shed it o'er The daughter of Icarius, as she lay Reclined upon her couch, her limbs relaxed In rest. The glorious goddess gave a dower Of heavenly graces, that the Achaian chiefs Might look on her amazed. She lighted up Her fair face with a beauty all divine, Such as the queenly Cytherea wears When in the mazes of the dance she joins The Graces. Then she made her to the sight Of loftier stature and of statelier size, And fairer than the ivory newly carved. This having done, the gracious power withdrew, While from the palace came the white-armed maids, And prattled as they came. The balmy sleep Forsook their mistress at the sound. She passed Her hands across her cheeks, and thus she spake:` " 'Twas a sweet sleep that, in my wretchedness, Wrapped me just now. Would that, this very hour, The chaste Diana by so soft a death Might end me, that my days might be no more Consumed in sorrow for a husband lost, Of peerless worth, the noblest of the Greeks." She spake, and from the royal bower went down, Yet not alone; two maidens went with her. And when that most august of womankind Drew near the suitors, at the door she stopped Of that magnificent hall, and o'er her cheeks Let fall the lustrous veil, while on each side A modest maiden stood. The suitors all Felt their knees tremble, and were sick with love, And all desired her. Then the queen bespake Telemachus, her well-beloved son:` "Telemachus, thy judgment is not firm, Nor dost thou think aright. While yet a boy Thy thought was wiser. Now that thou art grown, And on the verge of manhood, so that one Who comes from far and sees thy noble part And stature well may say thou art the son Of a most fortunate father, yet to think And judge discreetly thou art not as then, For what a deed is this which has been done Even here! Thou hast allowed a stranger guest To be assaulted rudely. How is this? If one who sits a guest beneath our roof Be outraged thus, be sure it brings to thee Great shame and rank dishonor among men." To this discreet Telemachus replied: "Mother, I cannot take it ill that thou Shouldst be offended. But of many things I have a clear discernment, and can weigh The good and bad. I was till now a child, Yet even now I cannot always see The wiser course. These men bewilder me, As, sitting side by side, they lay their plots Against me, and I have no helper here. When Irus and the stranger fought, the strife Had no such issue as the suitors wished. The stranger conquered. Would to Father Jove, To Pallas and Apollo, that the crew Of suitors here might sit with nodding heads Struck down upon the spot, within these halls Or in the courts, and all with powerless limbs, As Irus sits beside the gate and nods, Like one o'ercome with wine, nor can he stand Upon his feet, nor go to where he dwells, If home he has, so feeble are his limbs." So talked the twain awhile; then interposed Eurymachus, and thus bespake the queen:` "Sage daughter of Icarius! if all those Who in I�sian Argos have their homes Should once behold thee, a still larger crowd Of suitors would tomorrow come and feast Within thy halls, so much dost thou excel In mind and form and face all womankind." To this the sage Penelope replied: "Eurymachus, the immortals took away Such grace of form and face as once was mine, What time the sons of Argos sailed for Troy, And with them went Ulysses, my espoused. Should he return, and take again in charge My household, greater would my glory be, And prized more highly. I am wretched now, Such woes the gods have heaped upon my head. He, when he left his native island, grasped My right hand at the wrist, and said to me: 'Think not, dear wife, that all the well-armed Greeks Will come back safe from Troy. The Trojan men, They say, are brave in war, expert to cast The spear and wing the arrow, skilled to rein The rapid steeds by which the bloody strife Of battlefields is hurried to its close; And therefore whether God will bring me back, Or I shall fall in Troy, I cannot know. Take charge of all things here. I leave with thee My father and my mother in these halls. Be kind to them as now, nay, more than now, Since I shall not be here. When thou shalt see My son a bearded man, take to thyself A husband, whom thou wilt, and leave thy house.' Such were his words, and they have been fulfilled. The night will come in which I must endure This hateful marriage, wretched that I am, To whom the will of Jupiter forbids All consolation, and this bitter thought Weighs evermore upon my heart and soul. The custom was not thus in other times; When suitors wooed a noble wife, the child Of some rich house, contending for her smile, They came with beeves and fatling sheep to feast The damsel's friends, and gave munificent gifts, But wasted not the wealth that was not theirs." She spake, Ulysses was rejoiced to see That thus she sought to draw from each a gift, With fair and artful words. Yet were his thoughts Intent on other plans. Eupeithes' son, Antino�s, thus made answer to the queen:` "Sage daughter of Icarius, only deign To take the gifts which any of the Greeks Will bring`nor is it gracious to reject A present`yet be sure we go not hence, To our estates nor elsewhere, till thou make A bridegroom of the best Achaian here." So spake Antino�s. All approved his words, And each sent forth a herald for his gift. The herald of Antino�s brought to him A robe of many colors, beautiful And ample, with twelve golden clasps, which each Had its well-fitted eye. Eurymachus Received a golden necklace, richly wrought, And set with amber beads, that glowed as if With sunshine. To Eurydamas there came A pair of earrings, each a triple gem, Daintily fashioned and of exquisite grace. Two servants bore them. From Pisander's house` Son of the Prince Polyctor`there was brought A collar of rare beauty. Thus did each Bestow a different yet becoming gift. And then that most august of women went Back to the upper chambers with her maids, Who bore the sumptuous presents, while below The suitors turned them to the dance and song, Amused till evening came. Its darkness stole Over their pastime. Then they brought and placed Three hearths to light the palace, heaping them With wood, well dried and hard and newly cleft. With this they mingled flaming brands. The maids Of the great sufferer, Ulysses, fed The fire by turns. To them the hero spake:` "Ye maidens of a sovereign absent long, Withdraw to where your highborn mistress sits; There turn the spindle, seeking to amuse Her lonely hours; there comb with your own hands The fleece, and I will see that these have light. Even though they linger till the Morn is here In her bright car, they cannot overcome My patience. I am practised to endure." So spake he, and the maidens, as they heard, Cast at each other meaning looks, and laughed, And one Melantho, of the rosy cheeks, Railed at him impudently. She was born To Dolius, but Penelope had reared The damsel as a daughter of her own, And given her, for her pleasure, many things; Yet for the sorrows of Penelope Melantho little cared. Eurymachus Had made the girl his paramour. She spake, And chid Ulysses with unmannerly words:` "Outlandish wretch! thou must be one whose brain Is turned, since thou wilt neither go to sleep Within a smithy, nor in any place Of public shelter, but wilt stay and prate Among this company with no restraint Or reverence. Either wine has stolen away Thy senses, or thy natural mood, perchance, Prompts thee to chatter idly. Art thou proud Of conquering Irus, that poor vagabond? Beware lest someone of robuster arms Than Irus seize and thrust thee out of doors With a bruised head and face begrimed with blood." The sage Ulysses frowned on her and said: "Impudent one, Telemachus shall hear From me the saucy words which thou hast said, And he will come and hew thee limb from limb." He spake; the damsels, frightened at his words, Fled through the hall, and shook in every limb With terror, lest his threat should be fulfilled. He meantime stood beside the kindled hearths And fed the flames, and, looking on the crowd Of suitors, brooded in his secret heart O'er plans that would not fail to be fulfilled. But Pallas suffered not the suitors yet To cease from railing speeches, all the more To wound the spirit of Laertes' son. Eurymachus, the son of Polybus, Began to scoff at him, and thus he spake To wake the ready laughter of the rest:` "Hear me, ye suitors of the illustrious queen. I speak the thought that comes into my mind. Led by some god, no doubt, this man has come Into the palace; for the light we have Of torches seems to issue from the crown Of his bald pate, a head without a hair." So said Eurymachus, and then bespake Ulysses, the destroyer of walled towns:` "Stranger, if I accept thee, wilt thou serve Upon the distant parts of my estate? There shalt thou have fair wages, and shalt bring The stones in heaps together, and shalt plant Tall trees, and I will feed thee through the year, And give thee clothes, and sandals for thy feet. But thou art used, no doubt, to idle ways, And never dost thou work with willing hands, Bat dost prefer to roam the town and beg, Purveying for thy gluttonous appetite." Ulysses, the sagacious, answered thus:` "Eurymachus, if we were matched in work Against each other in the time of spring When days are long, and both were mowing grass, And I had a curved scythe in hand and thou Another, that we might keep up the strife Till nightfall, fasting, mid the abundant grass; Or if there were a yoke of steers to drive, The sturdiest of their kind, sleek, large, well fed, Of equal age, and equal strength to bear The labor, and both strong, and if the field Were of four acres, with a soil through which The plough could cleave its way`then shouldst thou see How evenly my furrow would be turned. Or should the son of Saturn send today War from abroad, and I had but a shield, Two spears, and, fitted to my brows, a helm Of brass, thou wouldst behold me pressing on Among the foremost warriors, and would see No cause to rail at my keen appetite. But arrogantly thou dost bear thyself, And pitilessly; thou in thine own eyes Art great and mighty, since thou dost consort With few, and those are not the best of men. Yet should Ulysses come to his own land, These gates that seem so wide would suddenly Become too narrow for thee in thy flight." He spake. Eurymachus grew yet more wroth, And frowned on him, and said in winged words:` "Wretch! I shall do thee mischief. Thou art bold, And babblest unabashed among us all. The wine, perhaps, is in thy foolish head, Or thou art always thus, and ever prone To prattle impudently. Art thou proud Of conquering Irus, that poor vagabond?" Thus having said, he brandished in the air A footstool; but Ulysses, to escape The anger of Eurymachus, sat down Before the knees of the Dulichian prince, Amphinomus. The footstool flew, and struck On the right arm the cupbearer. Down fell The beaker ringing; he who bore it lay Stretched in the dust. Then in those shadowy halls The suitors rose in tumult. One of them Looked at another by his side, and said:` "Would that this vagabond had met his death Ere he came hither. This confusion, then, Had never been. 'Tis for a beggar's sake We wrangle, and the feast will henceforth give No pleasure; we shall go from bad to worse." Then rose in majesty Telemachus, And said: "Ye are not in your senses sure, Unhappy men, who cannot eat and drink In peace. Some deity, no doubt, has moved Your minds to frenzy. Now, when each of you Has feasted well, let each withdraw to sleep, Just when he will. I drive no man away." He spake; the suitors heard, and bit their lips, And wondered at Telemachus, who spake So resolutely. Then Amphinomus, The son of Nisus Aretiades, Stood forth, harangued the suitor-crowd, and said:` "O friends! let no one here with carping words Seek to deny what is so justly said, Nor yet molest the stranger, nor do harm To any of the servants in the halls Of the great chief Ulysses. Now let him Who brings the guests their wine begin and fill The cups, that, pouring to the gods their part, We may withdraw to sleep. The stranger here Leave me within the palace, and in charge Of him to whom he came, Telemachus." He ended. All were pleased, and Mutlus then, Hero and herald from Dulichium's coast, And follower of the prince Amphinomus, Mingled a jar of wine, and went to each, Dispensing it. They to the blessed gods Poured first a part, and then they drank themselves The generous juice. And when the wine was poured, And they had drunk what each desired, they went Homeward to slumber, each in his abode.