the wine, that, having poured Part to the gods, we may lay down the bow, And with the morning let Melanthius come— The goatherd—bringing with him from the flock The choicest goats, that we may burn the thighs, An offering to the god of archery, Apollo. Then will we again essay The bow, and bring the contest to an
So spake Antinoüs, and they all approved. Then heralds came, and on the suitors’ hands Poured water; youths filled up the cups with wine, Beginning at the right, and gave to each His share; and when they all had poured a part, And each had drunk, the shrewd Ulysses thus With artful speech bespake the suitor-train:—
“Hearken, ye suitors of the illustrious queen, To what my heart is prompting me to say; But chiefly to Eurymachus I make My suit, and to Antinoüs, who so well Hath counselled to lay by the bow and trust The gods. Tomorrow Phoebus will bestow The needed strength on whomsoe’er he will; But let me take that polished bow, and try Among you, whether still the power that dwelt In these once pliant limbs abides in them, Or whether happily it has passed from me Amid my wanderings and a life of want.”
He spake, and all were vehemently moved With anger, for they feared that he would bend The bow, and thus Antinoüs, railing, spake:—
“Thou worthless vagabond, without a spark Of reason, art thou not content to sit And banquet with the proudest, where no part Of all the feast escapes thee, hearing all That we are saying, which no other man, Stranger and beggar, is allowed to hear! This good wine makes thee foolish, as wine oft Makes those who swallow it too greedily, And drink not with due stint. It maddened once Eurytion, the famed Centaur, in