Next he brought Dishes of roasted meats which yet remained, Part of the banquet of the day before, And heaped the canisters with bread, and mixed The rich wines in a wooden bowl. He sat Right opposite Ulysses. All put forth Their hands and shared the meats upon the board; And when the calls of thirst and hunger ceased, Thus to the swineherd said Telemachus:—
“Whence, father, is this stranger, and how brought By seamen to the coast of Ithaca? And who are they that brought him?—for I deem He came not over to our isle on foot.”
And thus, Eumaeus, thou didst make reply:
“True answer will I make to all. He claims To be a son of the broad isle of Crete, And says that in his wanderings he has passed Through many cities of the world, for so Some god ordained; and now, escaped by flight From a Thesprotian galley, he has sought A refuge in my lodge. Into thy hands I give him; deal thou with him as thou wilt. He is thy suppliant, and makes suit to thee.”
Then spake discreet Telemachus again: “Eumaeus, thou hast uttered words that pierce My heart with pain; for how can I receive A stranger at my house? I am a youth Who never yet has trusted in his arm To beat the offerer of an insult back. And in my mother’s mind the choice is yet Uncertain whether to remain with me The mistress of my household, keeping still Her constant reverence for her husband’s bed, And still obedient to the people’s voice, Or whether she shall follow as a bride Him of the Achaian suitors in my halls Who is accounted worthiest, and who brings The richest gifts. Now, as to