Part 3 (1/2)

Oh Nestor, Neleus' son, glory of Greece!

Thou askest whence we are. I tell thee whence. 100 From Ithaca, by the umbrageous woods Of Neritus o'erhung, by private need, Not public, urged, we come. My errand is To seek intelligence of the renown'd Ulysses; of my n.o.ble father, prais'd For dauntless courage, whom report proclaims Conqueror, with thine aid, of sacred Troy.

We have already learn'd where other Chiefs Who fought at Ilium, died; but Jove conceals Even the death of my ill.u.s.trious Sire 110 In dull obscurity; for none hath heard Or confident can answer, where he dy'd; Whether he on the continent hath fall'n By hostile hands, or by the waves o'erwhelm'd Of Amphitrite, welters in the Deep.

For this cause, at thy knees suppliant, I beg That thou would'st tell me his disast'rous end, If either thou beheld'st that dread event Thyself, or from some wanderer of the Greeks Hast heard it: for my father at his birth 120 Was, sure, predestin'd to no common woes.

Neither through pity, or o'erstrain'd respect Flatter me, but explicit all relate Which thou hast witness'd. If my n.o.ble Sire E'er gratified thee by performance just Of word or deed at Ilium, where ye fell So num'rous slain in fight, oh, recollect Now his fidelity, and tell me true.

Then Nestor thus Gerenian Hero old.

Young friend! since thou remind'st me, speaking thus, 130 Of all the woes which indefatigable We sons of the Achaians there sustain'd, Both those which wand'ring on the Deep we bore Wherever by Achilles led in quest Of booty, and the many woes beside Which under royal Priam's s.p.a.cious walls We suffer'd, know, that there our bravest fell.

There warlike Ajax lies, there Peleus' son; There, too, Patroclus, like the G.o.ds themselves In council, and my son beloved there, 140 Brave, virtuous, swift of foot, and bold in fight, Antilochus. Nor are these sorrows all; What tongue of mortal man could all relate?

Should'st thou, abiding here, five years employ Or six, enquiring of the woes endured By the Achaians, ere thou should'st have learn'd The whole, thou would'st depart, tir'd of the tale.

For we, nine years, stratagems of all kinds Devised against them, and Saturnian Jove Scarce crown'd the difficult attempt at last. 150 There, no compet.i.tor in wiles well-plann'd Ulysses found, so far were all surpa.s.s'd In shrewd invention by thy n.o.ble Sire, If thou indeed art his, as sure thou art, Whose sight breeds wonder in me, and thy speech His speech resembles more than might be deem'd Within the scope of years so green as thine.

There, never in opinion, or in voice Ill.u.s.trious Ulysses and myself Divided were, but, one in heart, contrived 160 As best we might, the benefit of all.

But after Priam's lofty city sack'd, And the departure of the Greeks on board Their barks, and when the G.o.ds had scatter'd them, Then Jove imagin'd for the Argive host A sorrowful return; for neither just Were all, nor prudent, therefore many found A fate disast'rous through the vengeful ire Of Jove-born Pallas, who between the sons Of Atreus sharp contention interposed. 170 They both, irregularly, and against Just order, summoning by night the Greeks To council, of whom many came with wine Oppress'd, promulgated the cause for which They had convened the people. Then it was That Menelaus bade the general host Their thoughts bend homeward o'er the sacred Deep, Which Agamemnon in no sort approved.

His counsel was to slay them yet at Troy, That so he might a.s.suage the dreadful wrath 180 Of Pallas, first, by sacrifice and pray'r.

Vain hope! he little thought how ill should speed That fond attempt, for, once provok'd, the G.o.ds Are not with ease conciliated again.

Thus stood the brothers, altercation hot Maintaining, till at length, uprose the Greeks With deaf'ning clamours, and with diff'ring minds.

We slept the night, but teeming with disgust Mutual, for Jove great woe prepar'd for all.

At dawn of day we drew our gallies down 190 Into the sea, and, hasty, put on board The spoils and female captives. Half the host, With Agamemnon, son of Atreus, stay'd Supreme commander, and, embarking, half Push'd forth. Swift course we made, for Neptune smooth'd The waves before us of the monstrous Deep.

At Tenedos arriv'd, we there perform'd Sacrifice to the G.o.ds, ardent to reach Our native land, but unpropitious Jove, Not yet designing our arrival there, 200 Involved us in dissension fierce again.

For all the crews, followers of the King, Thy n.o.ble Sire, to gratify our Chief, The son of Atreus, chose a diff'rent course, And steer'd their oary barks again to Troy.

But I, a.s.sured that evil from the G.o.ds Impended, gath'ring all my gallant fleet, Fled thence in haste, and warlike Diomede Exhorting his attendants, also fled.

At length, the Hero Menelaus join'd 210 Our fleets at Lesbos; there he found us held In deep deliberation on the length Of way before us, whether we should steer Above the craggy Chios to the isle Psyria, that island holding on our left, Or under Chios by the wind-swept heights Of Mimas. Then we ask'd from Jove a sign, And by a sign vouchsafed he bade us cut The wide sea to Euba sheer athwart, So soonest to escape the threat'ned harm. 220 Shrill sang the rising gale, and with swift prows Cleaving the fishy flood, we reach'd by night Geraestus, where arrived, we burn'd the thighs Of num'rous bulls to Neptune, who had safe Conducted us through all our perilous course.

The fleet of Diomede in safety moor'd On the fourth day at Argos, but myself Held on my course to Pylus, nor the wind One moment thwarted us, or died away, When Jove had once commanded it to blow. 230 Thus, uninform'd, I have arrived, my son!

Nor of the Greecians, who are saved have heard, Or who have perish'd; but what news soe'er I have obtain'd, since my return, with truth I will relate, nor aught conceal from thee.

The spear-famed Myrmidons, as rumour speaks, By Neoptolemus, ill.u.s.trious son Of brave Achilles led, have safe arrived; Safe, Philoctetes, also son renown'd Of Paeas; and Idomeneus at Crete 240 Hath landed all his followers who survive The b.l.o.o.d.y war, the waves have swallow'd none.

Ye have yourselves doubtless, although remote, Of Agamemnon heard, how he return'd, And how aegisthus cruelly contrived For him a b.l.o.o.d.y welcome, but himself Hath with his own life paid the murth'rous deed.

Good is it, therefore, if a son survive The slain, since Agamemnon's son hath well Avenged his father's death, slaying, himself, 250 aegisthus, foul a.s.sa.s.sin of his Sire.

Young friend! (for pleas'd thy vig'rous youth I view, And just proportion) be thou also bold, That thine like his may be a deathless name.

Then, prudent, him answer'd Telemachus.

Oh Nestor, Neleus' son, glory of Greece!

And righteous was that vengeance; _his_ renown Achaia's sons shall far and wide diffuse, To future times transmitting it in song.

Ah! would that such ability the G.o.ds 260 Would grant to me, that I, as well, the deeds Might punish of our suitors, whose excess Enormous, and whose bitter taunts I feel Continual, object of their subtle hate.

But not for me such happiness the G.o.ds Have twined into my thread; no, not for me Or for my father. Patience is our part.

To whom Gerenian Nestor thus replied.

Young friend! (since thou remind'st me of that theme) Fame here reports that num'rous suitors haunt 270 Thy palace for thy mother's sake, and there Much evil perpetrate in thy despight.

But say, endur'st thou willing their controul Imperious, or because the people, sway'd By some response oracular, incline Against thee? But who knows? the time may come When to his home restored, either alone, Or aided by the force of all the Greeks, Ulysses may avenge the wrong; at least, Should Pallas azure-eyed thee love, as erst 280 At Troy, the scene of our unnumber'd woes, She lov'd Ulysses (for I have not known The G.o.ds a.s.sisting so apparently A mortal man, as him Minerva there) Should Pallas view thee also with like love And kind solicitude, some few of those Should dream, perchance, of wedlock never more.

Then answer thus Telemachus return'd.

That word's accomplishment I cannot hope; It promises too much; the thought alone 290 O'erwhelms me; an event so fortunate Would, unexpected on my part, arrive, Although the G.o.ds themselves should purpose it.

But Pallas him answer'd caerulean-eyed.

Telemachus! what word was that which leap'd The iv'ry guard[7] that should have fenced it in?

A G.o.d, so willing, could with utmost ease Save any man, howe'er remote. Myself, I had much rather, many woes endured, Revisit home, at last, happy and safe, 300 Than, sooner coming, die in my own house, As Agamemnon perish'd by the arts Of base aegisthus and the subtle Queen.

Yet not the G.o.ds themselves can save from death All-levelling, the man whom most they love, When Fate ordains him once to his last sleep.

To whom Telemachus, discrete, replied.

Howe'er it interest us, let us leave This question, Mentor! He, I am a.s.sured, Returns no more, but hath already found 310 A sad, sad fate by the decree of heav'n.

But I would now interrogate again Nestor, and on a different theme, for him In human rights I judge, and laws expert, And in all knowledge beyond other men; For he hath govern'd, as report proclaims, Three generations; therefore in my eyes He wears the awful impress of a G.o.d.

Oh Nestor, son of Neleus, tell me true; What was the manner of Atrides' death, 320 Wide-ruling Agamemnon? Tell me where Was Menelaus? By what means contrived aegisthus to inflict the fatal blow, Slaying so much a n.o.bler than himself?

Had not the brother of the Monarch reach'd Achaian Argos yet, but, wand'ring still In other climes, his long absence gave aegisthus courage for that b.l.o.o.d.y deed?

Whom answer'd the Gerenian Chief renown'd.

My son! I will inform thee true; meantime 330 Thy own suspicions border on the fact.

Had Menelaus, Hero, amber hair'd, aegisthus found living at his return From Ilium, never on _his_ bones the Greeks Had heap'd a tomb, but dogs and rav'ning fowls Had torn him lying in the open field Far from the town, nor him had woman wept Of all in Greece, for he had foul transgress'd.

But we, in many an arduous task engaged, Lay before Ilium; he, the while, secure 340 Within the green retreats of Argos, found Occasion apt by flatt'ry to delude The spouse of Agamemnon; she, at first, (The royal Clytemnestra) firm refused The deed dishonourable (for she bore A virtuous mind, and at her side a bard Attended ever, whom the King, to Troy Departing, had appointed to the charge.) But when the G.o.ds had purposed to ensnare aegisthus, then dismissing far remote 350 The bard into a desart isle, he there Abandon'd him to rav'ning fowls a prey, And to his own home, willing as himself, Led Clytemnestra. Num'rous thighs he burn'd On all their hallow'd altars to the G.o.ds, And hung with tap'stry, images, and gold Their shrines, his great exploit past hope atchiev'd.

We (Menelaus and myself) had sailed From Troy together, but when we approach'd Sunium, headland of th' Athenian sh.o.r.e, 360 There Phbus, sudden, with his gentle shafts Slew Menelaus' pilot while he steer'd The volant bark, Phrontis, Onetor's son, A mariner past all expert, whom none In steerage match'd, what time the tempest roar'd.