Part 21 (1/2)

Old friend! that boon thou wilt ne'er earn from me; Ulysses comes no more. But thou thy wine Drink quietly, and let us find, at length, Some other theme; recall not this again To my remembrance, for my soul is grieved Oft as reminded of my honour'd Lord.

Let the oath rest, and let Ulysses come 210 Ev'n as myself, and as Penelope, And as his ancient father, and his son G.o.dlike Telemachus, all wish he may.

Ay--there I feel again--nor cease to mourn His son Telemachus; who, when the G.o.ds Had giv'n him growth like a young plant, and I Well hoped that nought inferior he should prove In person or in mind to his own sire, Hath lost, through influence human or divine, I know not how, his sober intellect, 220 And after tidings of his sire is gone To far-famed Pylus; his return, meantime, In ambush hidden the proud suitors wait, That the whole house may perish of renown'd Arcesias, named in Ithaca no more.

But whether he have fallen or 'scaped, let him Rest also, whom Saturnian Jove protect!

But come, my ancient guest! now let me learn Thy own afflictions; answer me in truth.

Who, and whence art thou? in what city born? 230 Where dwell thy parents; in what kind of s.h.i.+p Cam'st thou? the mariners, why brought they thee To Ithaca? and of what land are they?

For, that on foot thou found'st us not, is sure.

Him answer'd, then, Ulysses, ever-wise.

I will with truth resolve thee; and if here Within thy cottage sitting, we had wine And food for many a day, and business none But to regale at ease while others toiled, I could exhaust the year complete, my woes 240 Rehearsing, nor, at last, rehea.r.s.e entire My sorrows by the will of heav'n sustained.

I boast me sprung from ancestry renown'd In s.p.a.cious Crete; son of a wealthy sire, Who other sons train'd num'rous in his house, Born of his wedded wife; but he begat Me on his purchased concubine, whom yet Dear as his other sons in wedlock born Castor Hylacides esteem'd and lov'd, For him I boast my father. Him in Crete, 250 While yet he liv'd, all reverenc'd as a G.o.d, So rich, so prosp'rous, and so blest was he With sons of highest praise. But death, the doom Of all, him bore to Pluto's drear abode, And his ill.u.s.trious sons among themselves Portion'd his goods by lot; to me, indeed, They gave a dwelling, and but little more, Yet, for my virtuous qualities, I won A wealthy bride, for I was neither vain Nor base, forlorn as thou perceiv'st me now. 260 But thou canst guess, I judge, viewing the straw What once was in the ear. Ah! I have borne Much tribulation; heap'd and heavy woes.

Courage and phalanx-breaking might had I From Mars and Pallas; at what time I drew, (Planning some dread exploit) an ambush forth Of our most valiant Chiefs, no boding fears Of death seized _me_, but foremost far of all I sprang to fight, and pierced the flying foe.

Such was I once in arms. But household toils 270 Sustain'd for children's sake, and carking cares T' enrich a family, were not for me.

My pleasures were the gallant bark, the din Of battle, the smooth spear and glitt'ring shaft, Objects of dread to others, but which me The G.o.ds disposed to love and to enjoy.

Thus diff'rent minds are diff'rently amused; For ere Achaia's fleet had sailed to Troy, Nine times was I commander of an host Embark'd against a foreign foe, and found 280 In all those enterprizes great success.

From the whole booty, first, what pleased me most Chusing, and sharing also much by lot I rapidly grew rich, and had thenceforth Among the Cretans rev'rence and respect.

But when loud-thund'ring Jove that voyage dire Ordain'd, which loos'd the knees of many a Greek, Then, to Idomeneus and me they gave The charge of all their fleet, which how to avoid We found not, so importunate the cry 290 Of the whole host impell'd us to the task.

There fought we nine long years, and in the tenth (Priam's proud city pillag'd) steer'd again Our galleys homeward, which the G.o.ds dispersed.

Then was it that deep-planning Jove devised For me much evil. One short month, no more, I gave to joys domestic, in my wife Happy, and in my babes, and in my wealth, When the desire seiz'd me with sev'ral s.h.i.+ps Well-rigg'd, and furnish'd all with gallant crews, 300 To sail for aegypt; nine I fitted forth, To which stout mariners a.s.sembled fast.

Six days the chosen partners of my voyage Feasted, to whom I num'rous victims gave For sacrifice, and for their own regale.

Embarking on the sev'nth from s.p.a.cious Crete, Before a clear breeze prosp'rous from the North We glided easily along, as down A river's stream; nor one of all my s.h.i.+ps Damage incurr'd, but healthy and at ease 310 We sat, while gales well-managed urged us on.

The fifth day thence, smooth-flowing Nile we reach'd, And safe I moor'd in the aegyptian stream.

Then, charging all my mariners to keep Strict watch for preservation of the s.h.i.+ps, I order'd spies into the hill-tops; but they Under the impulse of a spirit rash And hot for quarrel, the well-cultur'd fields Pillaged of the aegyptians, captive led Their wives and little ones, and slew the men. 320 Soon was the city alarm'd, and at the cry Down came the citizens, by dawn of day, With horse and foot, and with the gleam of arms Filling the plain. Then Jove with panic dread Struck all my people; none found courage more To stand, for mischiefs swarm'd on ev'ry side.

There, num'rous by the glittering spear we fell Slaughter'd, while others they conducted thence Alive to servitude. But Jove himself My bosom with this thought inspired, (I would 330 That, dying, I had first fulfill'd my fate In aegypt, for new woes were yet to come!) Loosing my brazen casque, and slipping off My buckler, there I left them on the field, Then cast my spear away, and seeking, next, The chariot of the sov'reign, clasp'd his knees, And kiss'd them. He, by my submission moved, Deliver'd me, and to his chariot-seat Raising, convey'd me weeping to his home.

With many an ashen spear his warriors sought 340 To slay me, (for they now grew fiery wroth) But he, through fear of hospitable Jove, Chief punisher of wrong, saved me alive.

Sev'n years I there abode, and much ama.s.s'd Among the aegyptians, gifted by them all; But, in the eighth revolving year, arrived A shrewd Phnician, in all fraud adept, Hungry, and who had num'rous harm'd before, By whom I also was cajoled, and lured T' attend him to Phnicia, where his house 350 And his possessions lay; there I abode A year complete his inmate; but (the days And months accomplish'd of the rolling year, And the new seasons ent'ring on their course) To Lybia then, on board his bark, by wiles He won me with him, partner of the freight Profess'd, but destin'd secretly to sale, That he might profit largely by my price.

Not unsuspicious, yet constrain'd to go, With this man I embark'd. A cloudless gale 360 Propitious blowing from the North, our s.h.i.+p Ran right before it through the middle sea, In the offing over Crete; but adverse Jove Destruction plann'd for them and death the while.

For, Crete now left afar, and other land Appearing none, but sky alone and sea, Right o'er the hollow bark Saturnian Jove A cloud caerulean hung, dark'ning the Deep.

Then, thund'ring oft, he hurl'd into the bark His bolts; she smitten by the fires of Jove, 370 Quaked all her length; with sulphur fill'd she reek'd, And, o'er her sides precipitated, plunged Like gulls the crew, forbidden by that stroke Of wrath divine to hope their country more.

But Jove himself, when I had cast away All hope of life, conducted to my arms The strong tall mast, that I might yet escape.

Around that beam I clung, driving before The stormy blast. Nine days complete I drove, And, on the tenth dark night, the rolling flood 380 Immense convey'd me to Thesprotia's sh.o.r.e.

There me the Hero Phidon, gen'rous King Of the Thesprotians, freely entertained; For his own son discov'ring me with toil Exhausted and with cold, raised me, and thence Led me humanely to his father's house, Who cherish'd me, and gave me fresh attire.

There heard I of Ulysses, whom himself Had entertain'd, he said, on his return To his own land; he shew'd me also gold, 390 Bra.s.s, and bright steel elab'rate, whatsoe'er Ulysses had ama.s.s'd, a store to feed A less ill.u.s.trious family than his To the tenth generation, so immense His treasures in the royal palace lay.

Himself, he said, was to Dodona gone, There, from the tow'ring oaks of Jove to ask Counsel divine, if openly to land (After long absence) in his opulent realm Of Ithaca, be best, or in disguise. 400 To me the monarch swore, in his own hall Pouring libation, that the s.h.i.+p was launch'd, And the crew ready for his conduct home.

But me he first dismiss'd, for, as it chanced, A s.h.i.+p lay there of the Thesprotians, bound To green Dulichium's isle. He bade the crew Bear me to King Acastus with all speed; But them far other thoughts pleased more, and thoughts Of harm to me, that I might yet be plunged In deeper gulphs of woe than I had known. 410 For, when the billow-cleaving bark had left The land remote, framing, combined, a plot Against my liberty, they stripp'd my vest And mantle, and this tatter'd raiment foul Gave me instead, which thy own eyes behold.

At even-tide reaching the cultur'd coast Of Ithaca, they left me bound on board With tackle of the bark, and quitting s.h.i.+p Themselves, made hasty supper on the sh.o.r.e.

But me, meantime, the G.o.ds easily loos'd 420 By their own pow'r, when, with wrapper vile Around my brows, sliding into the sea At the s.h.i.+p's stern, I lay'd me on the flood.

With both hands oaring thence my course, I swam Till past all ken of theirs; then landing where Thick covert of luxuriant trees I mark'd, Close couchant down I lay; they mutt'ring loud, Paced to and fro, but deeming farther search Unprofitable, soon embark'd again.

Thus baffling all their search with ease, the G.o.ds 430 Conceal'd and led me thence to the abode Of a wise man, dooming me still to live.

To whom, Eumaeus, thou didst thus reply, Alas! my most compa.s.sionable guest!

Thou hast much moved me by this tale minute Of thy sad wand'rings and thy num'rous woes.

But, speaking of Ulysses, thou hast pa.s.s'd All credence; I at least can give thee none.

Why, n.o.ble as thou art, should'st thou invent Palpable falsehoods? as for the return 440 Of my regretted Lord, myself I know That had he not been hated by the G.o.ds Unanimous, he had in battle died At Troy, or (that long doubtful war, at last, Concluded,) in his people's arms at home.

Then universal Greece had raised his tomb, And he had even for his son atchiev'd Immortal glory; but alas! by beaks Of harpies torn, unseemly sight, he lies.

Here is my home the while; I never seek 450 The city, unless summon'd by discrete Penelope to listen to the news Brought by some stranger, whencesoe'er arrived.

Then, all, alike inquisitive, attend, Both who regret the absence of our King, And who rejoice gratuitous to gorge His property; but as for me, no joy Find I in list'ning after such reports, Since an aetolian cozen'd me, who found (After long wand'ring over various lands 460 A fugitive for blood) my lone retreat.

Him warm I welcom'd, and with open arms Receiv'd, who bold affirm'd that he had seen My master with Idomeneus at Crete His s.h.i.+ps refitting shatter'd by a storm, And that in summer with his G.o.dlike band He would return, bringing great riches home, Or else in autumn. And thou ancient guest Forlorn! since thee the G.o.ds have hither led, Seek not to gratify me with untruths 470 And to deceive me, since for no such cause I shall respect or love thee, but alone By pity influenced, and the fear of Jove.

To whom Ulysses, ever-wise, replied.