p 5 Father and Son The kindly Phaeøciøns loød Odysseus with gifts and tuke him home, leøaing him fast øsleep on the shores of Ithacø. on their return jour- ney, Poseidon turns their ship into ø lump of stone for døring to øssist Odysseus. Following Athenø's instructions,-he ølso goes to Eumaeus,s hut. INhile the loyøl swineherd is inforrning Penelope of her son's retLffn, Helmeted Atheno. c. Athenø øppears to the disguised Odysseus. BC. Roman coPY of a to From the air original attributed she walked, taking the form of a tall woman, Alkamenes or Cresilas' Paris. handsome and clever at her craft, and stood beyond the gate in plain sight of Odysseus, 5 unseery thougb by Telemachus, unguessed, for not to everyone will gods appear." 1-6 From Odysseus noticed her; so did the dogs, "cr¿ft" includes the and to w]no her. She or others ç8,;y,p¿gf,whimperinq lyuyfrom only herself visible or invisiblq'. nodded, signing to him with her brows, " already made 0dYsseus 10 a sign he recognized. Crossing the yard, be an old beggar Now he passed out through the gate in the stockade herself visible to the same time, invisible to face the goddess. There she said to him: Télemachus. Journeys What has hoppened to Odysseus since he left Heliosb islond? Whot is happening now? crouch or shrink back, as in 872 UNIT 5 EPIC AND MYTH "Son of Laertes and the gods of old, Odysseus, master of land ways and sea ways, dissembleo 1,s, to your son no longer now 15 dissemble: pretend. The time has come: tell him how you together will bring doom on the suitors in the town. I shall not be far distant then, for I myself desire battle." 20 Saying no more, she tipped her golden wand upon the man, making his cloak pure white, and.the knit tunic fresh around him. Lithe and young she made him, ruddyo with sirn, his jawline clean, the beard 24 ruddy: tanned. zs no longer gray upon his chin. And she withdrew qhen she had done. Then Lord Odysseus reappeared-and his son was thunderstruck.o 28 thunderstruck astonished. The Fear in his eyes, he looked down and away word is carefully chosen for its 30 as though it were a god, and whispered: additional association with the works of one of the gods (Zeus). "Sttanger, 'you are no longer what you were just now! Your cioak is new; eveR your skin! you are one of the gods who rule the sweep of heaven! J5 Be kind to us, we'll make you fair oblationo 35 make you fair oblation: offer and gifts of hammered gold. Have mercy on us!,, you good sacrifices and proper worship. The noble and enduring man repiied: "No god. IAIhy take me for a god? No, no. I am that father whom your boyhood lacked 40 and suffered pain for lack of. I am he.,, Held back too long, the tears ran down his cheeks as he embraced his son. Only Telemachus, uncomprehending," wild 44 uncomprehendíng: not 45 with incredulityf cried out: understanding. 45 incredulíty: disbelief. "You cannot be my father Odysseus! Meddling spirits conceived this trick to twist the knife in melo 47-48 Meddling...me; No man of woman born could work these wonders Telemachus assumes that interfering gods (Meddling 50 by his owneraft, unless a god came spirits) thought up into it (conceíved) fhis astonishing with ease tg turn him young or old at wiil. transformation to intensíly his pain I swear yot{ were in rags anã old, (twist the knife) over his father3 long absence and possible death. Make Inferences About Theme Whot can the reoder infer obout the theme af Part J from these words of Odysseus? THE ODYSSEY, PART 3 875 and here you stand like one of the immortals!"o 53 the immortals: a common reference to the gods, who Odysseus brought his ranging mind to bearo never die. ss and said: 54 Odysseus... bear: Odysseus focuses his thoughts. "This is not princely, to be swept away by wonder atyour father's presence. No other Odysseus will ever come/ for he and I are one, the same; his bitter 60 fortune and his wanderings are mine. Twenty years gone, and I am back again on my own island As for my change of skin, that is a charm Athena, Hope of Soldiers,o 64 Hope of Soldiers: When she to be, Athena is a fierce uses as she she has the knack chooses 6s wiil; battle-goddess, defending to make me seem abeggar mân sometimes and favored Creels-from outside and sometimes young, with finer clothes about me. enemies. It is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low."o 68-69 lLis . low: lt is not difficult for the gods to make a To \rVhen he had spoken, down he sat. appear great or humble. Then, throwing his arms aror¡nd this marvel of a father Têlemachus began to weep. Salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men/ 75 and cries burst from both as keen and fluttering as those of the great taloned hawk, whose nestlings farmers take before they fly. So helplessly they cried, pouring out tears,. and might have gone on weeping so till sundown, 80 had not Telemachus said: "Dear father! Tell me what kind of vessel put you here ashore on lthaca? Your sailors, who were they? I doubt you made it, walking on the sea!" 85 Then said Odysseus, who had borne the barren sea:o 85 borne the barren sea: the hardshiPs of the sea' "Only plain f¡uth shall I tell you, child. Great seafarers, the Phaeacians, gave me passage as they give other wanderers. By night over the open ocean, while I slept, s0 they brought me in their cutteqo set me down 90 cutter: a single-masted on lthaca, with gifts ofbronze and gold and stores of woven things. By the gods' will Characterization Wy did Telemochus not believe his father at first? Whot are your impressians af Telemochus? EAã, IINIIT q FPiC- AND MYTH Odysseus, t¡tle page of "Homer: The Odyssey," 1 850-l 833. Francoís-Louis Schmíed. Color lithograph. Private collection. these lie all hidden in a cave. I came to this wild place, directed by Athena, ss so that we might lay plans to kill our enemies. Count up the suitors for me, let me know what men at arms are there, how many men. I must put allmy mind to it, to see if we fwo by ourselves can take them on 100 or if we should look round for help." The Beggar atthe Manor The next morning Telemøchus returns home ønd tells Penelope about his traaels but not øbout his father's homecoming. Odysseus, disguised øgøin as a beggar, ølso returns to his oran house. No one recognizes him excEt his føithful old dog, which lífts up its heød, wøgs its tøil, and dies. In the greøt høIl, Telemachus permits the "beggør" to øskfor food. The suítors giae him breød. ønd meøt, øs is the custom, but one of their leøders, ø møn nømed Antinous (an tin' õ as), is pørticulørly insultíng. ÍIe refuses to offer øny food, ønd rnhite Odysseus is tøllcing, he øngrily interrupts. But here Antinous broke in, shouting: "God! What evil wind blew in this pest? Get over, 5 stand in the passage! Nudge my tabIe, will you? Egyptian whips are sweet to what you'llcome to here, you nosingrat, Journeye In what sense is.Odytsseus's journey for from over? THE ODYSSEY, PART 3 875 making your pitch to everYone! These men have brea& to throw away on you 10 because it is not theirs. \AIho cares? \Âtrho sPareo another's food, when he has more than plenty?" With guile Odysseus drew awa!," then said: 12 With guile. away: Odysseus is slyly provoking Antinous. " A2IW that you have more looks than heart. You'd grudge a pinch of salt from your own larder 1s to your own handy man. You sit here, fat on others' meat, and cannot bring yourself to rummage out a crust of bread for rnel" Then anger made Antinous' heart beathatd, and, gloweringo under his brows, he answered: 19 glowering: scowling; looking at angrily. 20 "Nowl You think you'll shuffle off and get away after that iWy,fup;S*ç? Oh, no you dott't!" The stool he let {ly hit the man's right shoulder on the packed muscle under the shoulder blade- 2s like solid rock, for all the effect one saw. Odysseus only shook his head, containing thoughts of bloody work,o as he walked on, 26-27 containing thoughts of his loaded bag again bloody work keeping murderous theniat, and dropped thoughts under control. 0dYsseus upon the door sill. Facing the whole crowd imagines killing Antinous, but holds 30 he said, and eyed therr-r all: his temper. "One word only, my lords, and suitors of the famous queen' One thing I have to say. There is no pain, no burden for the heart 35 when blows come to a man, and he defending his own cattle-his own cows and lambs. Here it was otherwise. Antinous hit me for being driven on by hunger- how many bitter seas men cross for hunger! 40 If beggars interest the gods, if there are Furies pent in the dark to avenge a poor man's wrorr1, then may Antinous meet his death before his wedding day!"o 34-42 Ihereis.' .