her chamber o’er the hall The daughter of Icarius, the sage queen Penelope, had heard the heavenly strain, And knew its theme. Down by the lofty stairs She came, but not alone; there followed her Two maidens. When the glorious lady reached The threshold of the strong-built hall, where sat The suitors, holding up a delicate veil Before her face, and with a gush of tears, The queen bespake the sacred minstrel thus:—
“Phemius! thou knowest many a pleasing theme— The deeds of gods and heroes, such as bards Are wont to celebrate. Take then thy place And sing of one of these, and let the guests In silence drink the wine; but cease this strain; It is too sad; it cuts me to the heart, And wakes a sorrow without bounds—such grief I bear for him, my lord, of whom I think Continually; whose glory is abroad Through Hellas and through Argos, everywhere.”
And then Telemachus, the prudent, spake:— “Why, O my mother! canst thou not endure That thus the well-graced poet should delight His hearers with a theme to which his mind Is inly moved? The bards deserve no blame; Jove is the cause, for he at will inspires The lay that each must sing. Reprove not, then, The minstrel who relates the unhappy fate Of the Greek warriors. All men most applaud The song that has the newest theme; and thou— Strengthen thy heart to hear it. Keep in mind That not alone Ulysses is cut off From his return, but that with him at Troy Have many others perished. Now withdraw Into thy chamber; ply thy household tasks, The loom, the spindle; bid thy maidens speed Their work. To say what words beseem a feast Belongs to man, and most to me; for here Within these walls the authority is mine.”
The matron, wondering at his words, withdrew To her own place, but in her heart laid up Her son’s wise sayings. When she now had reached, With her attendant maids, the upper rooms, She mourned Ulysses, her beloved spouse, And wept, till blue-eyed Pallas closed her lids In gentle slumbers. Noisily, meanwhile, The suitors revelled in the shadowy halls; And thus Telemachus, the prudent, spake:—