THE FIGHT WITH IRUS—ULYSSES WARNS AMPHINOMUS—PENELOPE GETS PRESENTS FROM THE SUITORS—THE BRAZIERS—ULYSSES REBUKES EURYMACHUS.
Now there came a common who used to go all over the city of Ithaca, and was as an and drunkard. This man had no in him, but he was a great to look at; his name, the one his mother gave him, was Arnaeus, but the men of the place called him Irus,148 he used to for any one who would send him. As soon as he came he to Ulysses, and to try and drive him out of his own house.
“Be off, old man,” he cried, “from the doorway, or you shall be out and heels. Do you not see that they are all me the wink, and wanting me to turn you out by force, only I do not like to do so? Get up then, and go of yourself, or we shall come to blows.”
Ulysses on him and said, “My friend, I do you no manner of harm; people give you a great deal, but I am not jealous. There is room in this for the pair of us, and you need not me that are not yours to give. You to be just such another as myself, but the gods will give us luck by and by. Do not, however, talk too much about or you will me, and old though I am, I shall your mouth and with blood. I shall have more peace tomorrow if I do, for you will not come to the house of Ulysses any more.”
Irus was very angry and answered, “You glutton, you on like an old fish-fag. I have a good mind to hands about you, and your teeth out of your like so many boar’s tusks. Get ready, therefore, and let these people here by and look on. You will be able to one who is so much than yourself.”
Thus did they one another on the in of the doorway,149 and when Antinous saw what was going on he laughed and said to the others, “This is the sport that you saw; yet sent anything like it into this house. The and Irus have and are going to fight, let us set them on to do so at once.”
The all came up laughing, and the two tramps. “Listen to me,” said Antinous, “there are some goats’ paunches at the fire, which we have with blood and fat, and set for supper; he who is and proves himself to be the man shall have his of the lot; he shall be free of our table and we will not allow any other about the house at all.”
The others all agreed, but Ulysses, to them off the scent, said, “Sirs, an old man like myself, out with suffering, cannot his own against a one; but my me on, though I know it can only end in my a drubbing. You must swear, that none of you will give me a to Irus and secure him the victory.”
They as he told them, and when they had their Telemachus put in a word and said, “Stranger, if you have a mind to settle with this fellow, you need not be of any one here. Whoever you will have to more than one. I am host, and the other chiefs, Antinous and Eurymachus, of them men of understanding, are of the same mind as I am.”
Every one assented, and Ulysses his old about his loins, thus his thighs, his and shoulders, and his arms; but Minerva came up to him and his still. The were measure astonished, and one would turn his neighbour saying, “The has such a out of his old that there will soon be nothing left of Irus.”
Irus to be very as he them, but the him by force, and him [into the open part of the court] in such a that his were all of a tremble. Antinous him and said, “You bully, you ought to have been at all if you are of such an old as this is. I say, therefore—and it shall surely be—if he you and proves himself the man, I shall pack you off on ship to the and send you to king Echetus, who kills every one that comes near him. He will cut off your nose and ears, and out your for the dogs to eat.”
This Irus still more, but they him into the middle of the court, and the two men their hands to fight. Then Ulysses he should let drive so hard at him as to make an end of him then and there, or he should give him a that should only him down; in the end he it best to give the for the Achaeans should to who he was. Then they to fight, and Irus Ulysses on the right shoulder; but Ulysses gave Irus a on the under the ear that in the of his skull, and the blood came out of his mouth; he in the dust, his teeth and kicking on the ground, but the up their hands and nearly died of laughter, as Ulysses of him by the and him into the as as the gate-house. There he him up against the and put his staff in his hands. “Sit here,” said he, “and keep the dogs and pigs off; you are a creature, and if you try to make king of the any more you shall still worse.”
Then he his dirty old wallet, all and over his with the by which it hung, and to upon the threshold; but the the cloisters, laughing and him, “May Jove, and all the other gods,” said they, “grant you you want for having put an end to the of this tramp. We will take him over to the presently, to king Echetus, who kills every one that comes near him.”
Ulysses this as of good omen, and Antinous set a great goat’s him with blood and fat. Amphinomus took two out of the bread-basket and them to him, him as he did so in a of wine. “Good luck to you,” he said, “father stranger, you are very off at present, but I you will have times by and by.”
To this Ulysses answered, “Amphinomus, you to be a man of good understanding, as you may well be, son you are. I have your father well spoken of; he is Nisus of Dulichium, a man and wealthy. They tell me you are his son, and you appear to be a person; listen, therefore, and take to what I am saying. Man is the of all that have their being upon earth. As long as him health and strength, he thinks that he shall come to no hereafter, and when the gods upon him, he it as he needs must, and makes the best of it; for God men their daily minds day by day. I know all about it, for I was a rich man once, and did much in the of my pride, and in the that my father and my would support me; therefore let a man God in all always, and take the good that may see fit to send him without glory. Consider the of what these are doing; see how they are the estate, and doing to the wife, of one who is to return some day, and that, too, not long hence. Nay, he will be here soon; may send you home that you may not meet with him in the day of his coming, for once he is here the and he will not part bloodlessly.”
With these he a drink-offering, and when he had he put the gold cup again into the hands of Amphinomus, who walked away and his head, for he evil. But so he did not destruction, for Minerva had him to by the hand of Telemachus. So he took his seat again at the place from which he had come.
Then Minerva put it into the mind of Penelope to herself to the suitors, that she might make them still more of her, and win still from her son and husband. So she a laugh and said, “Eurynome, I have my mind, and have a to myself to the although I them. I should like also to give my son a hint that he had not have anything more to do with them. They speak but they mischief.”
“My dear child,” answered Eurynome, “all that you have said is true, go and tell your son about it, but wash and your face. Do not go about with your all with tears; it is not right that you should so incessantly; for Telemachus, you always prayed that you might live to see with a beard, is already up.”
“I know, Eurynome,” Penelope, “that you well, but do not try and me to wash and to myself, for me of all my on the day my husband sailed; nevertheless, tell Autonoe and Hippodamia that I want them. They must be with me when I am in the cloister; I am not going among the men alone; it would not be proper for me to do so.”
On this the old woman150 out of the room to the go to their mistress. In the meantime Minerva her of another matter, and sent Penelope off into a sweet slumber; so she on her and her with sleep. Then the and over her that all the Achaeans might her. She her with the that Venus when she goes dancing with the Graces; she her and of a more figure, while as for her it was than ivory. When Minerva had done all this she away, the came in from the women’s room and Penelope with the of their talking.
“What an sleep I have been having,” said she, as she passed her hands over her face, “in of all my misery. I wish Diana would let me die so now at this very moment, that I might no longer waste in for the of my dear husband, who every of good quality and was the most man among the Achaeans.”
With these she came from her upper room, not alone but by two of her maidens, and when she the she by one of the bearing-posts supporting the of the cloister, a her face, and with a on either of her. As they her the were so and so of her, that each one prayed he might win her for his own fellow.
“Telemachus,” said she, her son, “I you are no longer so and well as you used to be. When you were you had a of propriety; now, however, that you are up, though a to look at you would take you for the son of a well to do father as as size and good looks go, your is by no means what it should be. What is all this that has been going on, and how came you to allow a to be so ill-treated? What would have if he had while a in our house? Surely this would have been very to you.”
“I am not surprised, my dear mother, at your displeasure,” Telemachus, “I all about it and know when are not as they should be, which I not do when I was younger; I cannot, however, with perfect at all times. First one and then another of these people here me out of my mind, and I have no one to by me. After all, however, this Irus and the did not turn out as the meant it to do, for the got the best of it. I wish Father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo would the of every one of these of yours, some the house and some out; and I wish they might all be as as Irus is over in the gate of the court. See how he his like a man; he has had such a that he cannot on his to his home, that may be, for he has no left in him.”
Thus did they converse. Eurymachus then came up and said, “Queen Penelope, of Icarius, if all the Achaeans in Iasian Argos see you at this moment, you would have still more in your house by tomorrow morning, for you are the most woman in the whole world as personal and of understanding.”
To this Penelope replied, “Eurymachus, me of all my of or when the Argives set sail for Troy and my dear husband with them. If he were to return and look after my affairs, I should be more and a presence to the world. As it is, I am with care, and with the which has fit to upon me. My husband it all, and when he was home he took my right in his hand—‘Wife,’ he said, ‘we shall not all of us come safe home from Troy, for the Trojans well with and spear. They are excellent also at from chariots, and nothing the issue of a sooner than this. I know not, therefore, will send me to you, or I may not over there at Troy. In the meantime do you look after here. Take of my father and mother as at present, and more so my absence, but when you see our son a beard, then you will, and this your present home.’ This is what he said and now it is all true. A night will come when I shall have to myself to a marriage which I detest, for Jove has taken from me all of happiness. This grief, moreover, me to the very heart. You are not me after the of my country. When men are a woman who they think will be a good wife to them and who is of birth, and when they are each trying to win her for himself, they and sheep to the friends of the lady, and they make her presents, of up other people’s property without paying for it.”
This was what she said, and Ulysses was when he her trying to presents out of the suitors, and them with which he she did not mean.
Then Antinous said, “Queen Penelope, of Icarius, take as many presents as you from any one who will give them to you; it is not well to a present; but we will not go about our from where we are, till you have married the best man among us he may be.”
The others what Antinous had said, and each one sent his to his present. Antinous’s man returned with a large and dress most embroidered. It had twelve of pure gold with which to it. Eurymachus her a of gold and that like sunlight. Eurydamas’s two men returned with some into three pendants which most beautifully; while king Pisander son of Polyctor gave her a necklace of the workmanship, and every one else her a present of some kind.
Then the queen to her room upstairs, and her the presents after her. Meanwhile the took to and dancing, and till came. They and sang till it dark; they then in three braziers151 to give light, and them up with very old and dry, and they from them, which the up turn and turn about. Then Ulysses said:
“Maids, of Ulysses who has so long been absent, go to the queen the house; with her and her, or spin, and wool. I will the light for all these people. They may till morning, but shall not me, for I can a great deal.”
The looked at one another and laughed, while Melantho to at him contemptuously. She was to Dolius, but had been up by Penelope, who used to give her toys to play with, and looked after her when she was a child; but in of all this she no for the of her mistress, and used to herself with Eurymachus, with she was in love.
“Poor wretch,” said she, “are you gone clean out of your mind? Go and sleep in some smithy, or place of public gossips, of here. Are you not of opening your mouth your betters—so many of them too? Has the been into your head, or do you always in this way? You to have your you the Irus; take that a man than he not come and you about the till he pack you out of the house.”
“Vixen,” Ulysses, at her, “I will go and tell Telemachus what you have been saying, and he will have you from limb.”
With these he the women, and they off into the of the house. They all over, for they he would do as he said. But Ulysses took his near the braziers, up and looking at the people—brooding the while on that should surely come to pass.
But Minerva would not let the for one moment their insolence, for she wanted Ulysses to more against them; she therefore set Eurymachus son of Polybus on to at him, which the others laugh. “Listen to me,” said he, “you of Queen Penelope, that I may speak as I am minded. It is not for nothing that this man has come to the house of Ulysses; I the light has not been from the torches, but from his own head—for his is all gone, every of it.”
Then to Ulysses he said, “Stranger, will you work as a servant, if I send you to the and see that you are well paid? Can you a fence, or plant trees? I will have you all the year round, and will you in shoes and clothing. Will you go, then? Not you; for you have got into ways, and do not want to work; you had your by going the country begging.”
“Eurymachus,” answered Ulysses, “if you and I were to work one against the other in early when the days are at their longest—give me a good scythe, and take another yourself, and let us see which will last the longer or the stronger, from till dark when the is about. Or if you will against me, let us each take a of oxen, well-mated and of great and endurance: turn me into a four field, and see you or I can drive the furrow. If, again, were to out this day, give me a shield, a of and a well upon my temples—you would me in the fray, and would your about my belly. You are and cruel, and think a great man you live in a little world, and that a one. If Ulysses comes to his own again, the doors of his house are wide, but you will them narrow when you try to through them.”
Eurymachus was at all this. He at him and cried, “You wretch, I will soon pay you out for to say such to me, and in public too. Has the been into your or do you always in this way? You to have your you the Irus.” With this he of a footstool, but Ulysses protection at the of Amphinomus of Dulichium, for he was afraid. The the on his right hand and him down: the man with a on his back, and his wine-jug to the ground. The in the were now in an uproar, and one would turn his neighbour, saying, “I wish the had gone else, luck to him, for all the trouble he us. We cannot permit such about a beggar; if such are to we shall have no more at our banquet.”
On this Telemachus came and said, “Sirs, are you mad? Can you not your meat and your decently? Some has you. I do not wish to drive any of you away, but you have had your suppers, and the sooner you all go home to the better.”
The their and at the of his speech; but Amphinomus the son of Nisus, who was son to Aretias, said, “Do not let us take offence; it is reasonable, so let us make no answer. Neither let us do to the to any of Ulysses’ servants. Let the go with the drink-offerings, that we may make them and go home to our rest. As for the stranger, let us Telemachus to with him, for it is to his house that he has come.”
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well, so Mulius of Dulichium, to Amphinomus, mixed them a bowl of and water and it to each of them man by man, they their drink-offerings to the gods: Then, when they had their drink-offerings and had each one as he was minded, they took their each of them to his own abode.
