ACT · III

ACT · IIIHall in house of Ulysses: [as described, in note]. EURYMACHUS, AMPHINOMUS, CTESIPPUS, PHEMIUS, and many suitors. Noise and brawling. Remains of feast.EURYMACHUS.Peace! Will none hear? Silence! O peace, I say.Will ye not hearken? (Some abatement.)AMPHINOMUS.Friends, give ear awhile,And hearken to Eurymachus.CTESIPPUS.For one,I am not of his party.A SUITOR.880Nay, nor I,Let him command his own.Eur.Princes and lords!Have ye not chosen me to rule your feasts?I claim no more precedence; I would urgeNought but your honour, which ye go to shameBy such disordered brawling.Ctes.O, we know thee.’Tis nought Penelope should deem we lieUnder thy thumb!A suitor.Ay, or what matters elseHow these old beams may shake?Ctes.What hast thou done?Amph.My lords, ye do forget yourselves.Ctes.O, nay.890Why went not Lord Eurymachus himselfTo seize Telemachus? Doth he not bideFor the main chance? Will he not watch the play,The while Antinous is furthered forth?And—O, we know—when Lord AntinousReturns, and saithThe thing ye wish is done;Telemachus is dead, and he who nowWinneth the widow winneth house and landsAnd kingship; then the rich EurymachusWill raise his hands and weep,The very thing900I would have stayed. Alas! the needinessAnd avarice of some!Amph.Why, good Ctesippus,Seek not a quarrel.Ctes.Nay, but is’t not so?Amph.’Twill never be. The just and equal godsHave yet respect unto Ulysses’ house.And were’t their will Telemachus should die,He that went forth to slay him is the manWhose heart they turned to do it. For me, I say,I willed it not, and think ’twill never be.Ctes.Thou’rt but a craven!Eur.Get ye to your seats:910Pass we the bowl in peace, and while we drinkLet Phemius soothe our rivalries with song.But one can win the prize, and whose ’twill beLies in the lap of Zeus. Fair play and peace!Amph.And shame not this good house. Lack we a lord,This courtesy is due unto ourselves.Ctes.When brave Antinous returns, I say,We shall grow warm again.Eur.Peace for the bard!PHEMIUS.1.Follow my song that leads,Ye wooers all, and come920To praise the flock, that feedsUpon the grassy meadsOf fair Dulichium:Where Acheloüs laves with rippling sweetThe low fields red with wheat.2.For thee, I praise, Amphinomus, thou prince,Shepherd of sunset pastures; and I tellAgain what once befellNisus, thy sire, long since:To fruitful Lacedæmon when he came,930With lords that made resortFrom Calydon’s high court,And western isles, at call of Helen’s fame,Wooing the hand of Leda’s heavenly daughter:But soon such jealousy and deadly gallInflamed the suitors all,That then and there the fated slaughterOf Danaans had begun,Had not grave Tyndareus, her mortal sire,To quench the kindling fire,940Called on Laertes’ son.3.“Wisest of men, Ulysses, tell me true,If skill or grace to keep the peace may beAmong the lawless princes, here that sueFor Helen’s hand; if ever as of oldMy house from curse of bloodshed may go free,Do thou the rede unfold.”Straight answered him the wise Ulysses then,“O son of Thestius, ’tis in my mind,That thou these lawless men950By firmest oath shouldst bindTo honour him, and give him all their aid,Whose suit shall favour find,And honour from the maid;1a.“Whoever it may beWho in fair Helen’s eyeHis favour first may see;And thus shall they agree.”Whereto did all comply;And gave to Tyndareus their banded troth,960And singly took this oath:1b.“To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Who winneth Helen fair,And from all wrong whate’erShield him, whoe’er he be.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lapOf Zeus, what haps let hap.”2a.So goodly Menelaus, whom erelongFair Helen chose of all the lords of Greece,970His bride led home in peace;And no man did him wrong.Then Tyndareus to good Icarius spake,“Since now by one man’s witOur house is saved, ’tis fitThat thou this day be friendly for my sake,So at our hands he go not unrewarded:Give him thy daughter, fair Penelope,If so it pleaseth thee.”Who to this brother then the boon accorded:980And thus the wooers’ strifeUlysses by good counsel quelled, and wonOf Thestius’ other son,Penelope for wife.3a.But when in time fair Helen’s virtue failed,He with the suitors bounden to befriendWronged Menelaus, against Ilion sailed,And joined his arms, pledged by that oath with them;Till Priam’s broad-wayed city in the endFell by his stratagem.989But long being not returned, and passed for dead,There gathered suitors in his house to wooHis fair wife in his stead;And strife among them grew.Nor is his arm more lacked to guard his walls,Than his good counsel trueTo keep peace in his halls.1c.Which counsel I reclaim,Remembered for your use,Ye wooers, even the sameWhich saved from blood and shame1000The house of Tyndareus.So now unto my song your chorus bear,As Helen’s suitors sware.Chor.1d.To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Nor do him hurt whate’er,Whoever wins the fairAnd wise Penelope.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lap1010Of Zeus; what haps let hap.Amph.I thank thee for my father, Phemius.Eur.Thy tale is twice a tale told at this time.Ctes.I’ll hold it, that an oath sung out of tuneBinds not the singer.Enter Herald.HERALD.Tidings, my lords.Eur.Speak forth.Her.Be it known the prince Telemachus is come.[Suitors rise and murmur.Eur.Shame on you. Silence. Sir, we are much rejoicedTo learn the prince’s safety. When arrived he?Her.He landed yestereve. We brought the shipThis morn in harbour.Eur.Where disbarked the prince?Her.Northward by Ægilips.1020Eur.Is’t known?Her.My lord,I speed to tell it.[Exit.Eur.Friends, if this be true,We are baffled.Ctes.False, ’tis false.Eur.And nought remainsBut man a galley, that shall bear the tidingsTo Lord Antinous and his men, who elseWill lie out watching for him in the straits.Amph.Yet even that pains is spared us. Looking forthI see two ships in harbour side by side,And not far off a company of men,I take to be Antinous and his band.Ctes.How so?1030Amph.See then.Ctes.O, true: they are at the gate.How hath it happed?Amph.Prophesy, sir, and tell usWhether some god forewarned Telemachus,Or if they gave him chase and could not catch him.Enter Antinous and his men.WOOERS.Hail, Lord Antinous!Eur.How went it with thee?ANTINOUS.Where is the prince?Amph.Why, where’s the prince? he saith.Where is the prince?Eur.How missed you him?Ant.Curst luck!All day our scouts kept up unbroken guardAlong the windy headlands, and at nightNone slept ashore, but cruising to and fro,1040We watched the narrow channels until dawn,Lying in wait to take him when he came.And lo! he is here, hath run by into port,And beached his ship upon the royal stade,Before we knew it. Curst luck! Have ye seen him?Eur.Nay, for he landed by the northern shore,And sent his ship about: a god hath warned him.Ant.God or no god, plant we before he comesAn ambush in the hills, and slay him there:For once he reach the town alive, be sure1050He is the huntsman then and we the game.Ay, he hath wit eno’ ere he come hitherTo babble of our plot, and ’fore the folkWill, with his pretty face and cunning tearsAnd speeches of his mother, stir them upTo rise against us. Look, sirs, while he livesWe can do nothing, but if we should kill him,His lands and goods are ours: we may divideThe wealth and let who will possess the widow.That is my counsel, lords: but if ye suffer1060This baby to return, then this I say—Make we at once our gifts,—myself I count itNo satisfaction,—but that one of usShould win at least the dame and such few chattelsAs may go with her, is the only creditWe have to look for.Ctes.What is that to us?Ant.What say ye, lords?Amph.Why, ’tis a pretty plan.We came to woo the dame; but since ’tis clearAll cannot have her, in the general interestChange we our purpose, saith he, kill the son,1070And make division. Well! What say ye, lords?Ctes.Hark not to him: he hath a specialty.Amph.Imbrue ye not your hands in innocent blood,Nor touch Telemachus: for ’tis a thingAbhorred of Zeus to meddle with a lifeOf royal strain. There be the oracles;Consult ye them: and if TelemachusMust die and ’tis decreed, I shall be lastOf men to oppose it: otherwise I standAgainst Antinous, ay, sword to sword:1080Whose insolence, I say, the gods alreadyHave baulked and will not suffer.Eur.Spoken well,Amphinomus; yet hast thou shewn no wayTo avoid the mischief that must fall on us,If now Telemachus return alive.Enter from the gallery above, Penelope.Suitors.The queen, the queen!PENELOPE.Ye shameless men, and thou most shamed of all,Antinous—nay, never think I know notBecause I hold aloof; or that I hear notBecause ye see me not. I know you all,1090And none is there among you who more wrongsThe hospitality ye all constrain,Than that Antinous:—doth he rememberHow once his sire Eupeithes to this houseFled from the people, when they would have slain himFor joining in the Taphian piracies’Gainst the Thesprotians, who were then our friendsAnd good allies as now; but my UlyssesTook him, and by great favour won his life?And now his son against our noble son1100Plotteth to kill him: is all due regardFor sacred ties ’twixt house and house so lost?That ye too here, who sit in idlenessTo waste the substance of my absent lord,Hark to such insolent and bloody malice,The while ye sue me for my hand? Pretence!I say: ye are constant lovers, but ’tis wineAnd meat ye love, and me ye only wrong.Eur.And us thou wrongest, wise Penelope,Deeming thy son hath not such friends among us,1110As make his coming hither and his goingAnd converse with us safe. If one had daredTo plot his death, this spear, that now is bright,Were red to-day with blood: for me too, lady,Hath good Ulysses in the days gone bySet on his knee, and to my boyish lipsTendered the wine-cup: wherefore is his sonDear to my soul, and from no man that movesWithin my reach, need he fear death or harm.Ctes.(aside). Hark to him now!Ant.(to Pen.).We all are bounden, lady,1120To serve thy house; and I above the restHave shewn my zeal, sailing my galley forthTo meet thy son with honour, and in safetyTo escort him home.Pen.Standing but late aboveI overheard your council; look, I bid youDepart, lest on a sudden ye encounterHim whom ye willed to slay. The gods have brought himIn safety home: he will be here; so yeGo to your lodges, nor to-morrow mornCome as your wont, unless ye bring in hand1130Each of you, for a pledge of truth and peace,Some gift of price. Strange suitors are ye, lyingHere at my charges, feasting day by day,Nor ever make such offerings as a womanMust look for where she is loved or wooed: begone.My son hath passed the town. I have a messageHe will be here. (Voices without.) Ay, now, before ye goHe is come. I hear him.Enter Telemachus, spear in hand at back; the wooers throng round him as he presses forward.Eur.Welcome, noble prince.Amph.All hail, Telemachus!Ant.The gods be praised.Chor.Hail, noble offspring of a noble sire!—1140Most gracious son of a most gracious lady!—Dear to our eyes as is the light of morn—Welcome as softest rain to new-sown fields—Ctes.(aside). Or like a frost in spring.TELEMACHUS.My lords and friends,I thank you all. (To Pen.) See me returned, dear mother.Pen.Welcome, my son. I knew that thou wert come:’Tis good. (Aside to Telem.) I had now discharged these lords: I pray theeRid us their company.Tel.My friends, I fearMy entrance, just as ye were stood to go,Delays your going: feel not such constraint,1150Beseech you. We may look to meet again,If I mistake not.Ant.(aside to wooers). See how haughtilyHe bears himself.Ctes.(aside). Yield not an inch: abide!Eur.My lords, let all depart.Amph.(to Pen.).Lady, farewell,To-morrow I will offer at thy feetThe best I have.All.And I, and I.Pen.Farewell.Tel.Farewell, my lords.Ant.Would I might stay to see the melting joyOf this most happy meeting.Pen.Go thy way.If ever grace spake false, ’twas on thy tongue,1160Falsest Antinous.Suitors(going). Farewell, Farewell.[They are heard singing without.To keep good peace we swear, etc.]Tel.My dearest mother.Pen.O, my noble son,’Tis joy to kiss thee. Do I see thee safe?But O, thou hast tarried long! And was it kindTo make thy journey hence without a word?If thou couldst but have seen my pain, the dayI found thee gone, thy pity had surely madeThy duty, and held thee back. But now to see thee,And as thou earnest those rude men abashed,—O, I was proud!Tel.Thou canst not more rejoiceThan I.1170Pen.I wonder not they were abashed;Thou hast a freer step, a manlier bearing:I am much to blame keeping thee here at home,Away from fellowship of noble spirits.Whom hast thou seen?Tel.Why that were long to tell.Pen.I saw thy ship sail in, and then there cameEumæus, saying how thou wert with him,And wouldst not come: then came thy messenger,That thou wert in the town, and on thy way.How was it?Tel.See, I am just escaped with life:1180Spare questioning. First let the gods be served:Go bid thy maidens, ere the night close in,Prepare a worthy sacrifice to Zeus;Ay, such a sacrifice, as to this dayThis house has never seen.Pen.’Tis very meet.Yet why this urgence? there hath something passedThou keepest back. Is’t possible, my boy,That in the southern courts some lady’s eyesHave drawn thee to vow hecatombs?Tel.Nay, mother.Pen.I should be glad. What is it then hath changed thee?Tel.How am I changed?1190Pen.Thou art aloof and strange.Tel.It ever dulled my kinder spirits to viewThese robbers in my father’s hall.Pen.Alas!What could I do, my son, and thou away?Here is no change, nor ever any tidings.I have neither power nor reason on my side:I cannot say My lord is yet alive,Wherefore depart, ye wrong me; nor as littleMy lord is dead, I will requite your honour,And choose the worthiest. O, where’er thou hast been,1200If aught thou hast learned of any certainty,Speak now, whate’er it be, fear not to tell:Tell of thy sire, my son, though ’tis his death!Tel.Now heaven forbid that word.Pen.Alas, Telemachus;What is our hope? Or if thou know of any,Why art thou reticent of it?Tel.Hearken, mother:If thou wilt hear me, I will tell my story,As time allows, stripped of all circumstance.First sailed I then to Pylos, where I foundNestor, who lovingly my stay entreated,1210And held me as his son, but, when he learnedMy quest, and nothing knew of my dear father,Would have me go, and with a royal escortConveyed me to the court of Menelaus:There I saw Argive Helen.—But Menelaus, when I told my taleBrake out in anger, and I think few wordsWould draw him hither with his dukes to sweepOur house of its dishonour; but in fineThus much he said, that still Ulysses lived,1220But with the nymph Calypso in her isleBy subtle sleights withheld; in whom it layThat he was not returned, and might not yet;But there abode. Then, since he knew no more,I sped me home, and should have sped to death,Had not divine Athenè sent a dreamTo warn me of the ambush, with the windTo bring me round the isle: wherefore I bid theePerform the sacrifice, lest for such favourWe seem ungrateful.Pen.Didst thou never ask1230Of Menelaus, how he came to knowThy father’s fate?Tel.It was the wizard Proteus,Whom strangely he entamed and all his art,When he lay windbound in the isle of Pharos;Who told him, for he held him fast for allHis magic shifts and slippery changefulness,Becoming first a bearded lion, thereafterA snake, a leopard, and a bristly boar;And then as running water seemed he, orA tall and flowering tree ...Pen.My son, my son,1240These are mere tales. When was this said to have been?Tel.’Twas scarce two years.Pen.Ah, and so long!Tel.’Tis tidingsBoth sure and good, mother; and yet ’tis noughtTo what remains. The thing I sought abroadHas come to me at home: but if I tell thee,Thou in thine inmost heart store it,—no wordEven to Eumæus, tho’ ’twas in his hut,—Where as I crossed the isle I turned aside,—I found an aged man, his beggar guest:Whom, for Eumæus warned me he was full1250Of tales of Troy, I held of no accountWhen first he spoke, but soon I learnt he knew.He was himself at Troy, and, as he saith,Hath lately seen my father, who is free,And bent on swift return.Pen.Is this thy news?Tel.Is’t not then news?Pen.Nay, nay, thou art deceived.An idle tale Eumæus would not hear:A rogue he warned thee of, and not the firstThat thus hath lied.Tel.There hath been none like him.Pen.Their tale is still the same, and spiced to matchAny credulity.1260Tel.I would not haveThy mind less wary, nor bespeak thy credit.To-morrow I will bring him here, and then,He being our guest, thyself mayst question him.And be thou not persuaded, I will lookNo longer for my father’s wished return;Nor after lend an ear to any man,But hold him as our enemy, who saithUlysses lives.Pen.In hoping and despairingThou art too quick, my son; and past occasionsHave taught thee nought. Come, tell me of thyself,1271And of thy journey. Tell me too of Helen,Is she still beautiful? and doth she liveForgiven of Menelaus and beloved?Tel.In good time, mother, shalt thou hear all this,And more. Consider now how best to proveThis beggar, when I bring him.Pen.If need were’Twere easy.—Yet, how should Eumæus err?Hath he not means to sift the false from true?Could such a guest as this thou deemest dwellWith him unknown?1280Tel.Thou shalt thyself enquire.Weigh well what proof to use, but now no longerDelay the sacrifice my safety calls.[Going.Pen.My son!Tel.Adieu, I go into the town.Pen.Why wilt thou go?Tel.First I must make reportTo good Noëmon of his ship returned;Then to pay off my crew.Pen.Ah, prithee son,Have care: the robbers have a plot to kill thee:They now may lie in wait. ’Tis early dusk.Tel.I fear them not.1289Pen.Indeed I know their minds.Tel.The goddess will withhold their impious hands.Pen.What goddess trustest thou to aid thee so?Tel.Why who but she that hath preserved my sire?Pen.Alas! Then take Eumæus with thee, son.Tel.I need him not. Farewell.Pen.Then if thou goest,Farewell. But do not tarry.Tel.Bid prepareMy chamber; for at night I shall return.[Exit.Pen.The gods protect thee.—Would the gods, that made himSo handsome, loving, noble, brave, and good,Had given him wisdom; for without that gift,1300Grace bears no fruit. ’Tis plain to all, my sonHath not the truth of his advertisement:He wears the semblance only, such as luresAnd flatters the deceiver. If I am vexed,’Tis with myself: I looked for better thingsAnd suffer in rebuff. That Menelaus,The delicate, self-seeking Menelaus,Should leave his easeful home to avenge a friend,And that friend dead: and then the wizard tales,Calypso and Proteus, and whatever else,1310And worst of all this ancient beggar-man,Who hath a tale better than all the tales!Alas, alas! my son, thou wilt have needOf much good care. ’Twas ill I did not sendEumæus with him. Now till he return,Patience—and when he is returned, againPatience—’tis so: patience was made for me;And one by one my deprecative daysBring nought, but as they flee, still cry to-morrow.ACT · IV

Hall in house of Ulysses: [as described, in note]. EURYMACHUS, AMPHINOMUS, CTESIPPUS, PHEMIUS, and many suitors. Noise and brawling. Remains of feast.EURYMACHUS.Peace! Will none hear? Silence! O peace, I say.Will ye not hearken? (Some abatement.)AMPHINOMUS.Friends, give ear awhile,And hearken to Eurymachus.CTESIPPUS.For one,I am not of his party.A SUITOR.880Nay, nor I,Let him command his own.Eur.Princes and lords!Have ye not chosen me to rule your feasts?I claim no more precedence; I would urgeNought but your honour, which ye go to shameBy such disordered brawling.Ctes.O, we know thee.’Tis nought Penelope should deem we lieUnder thy thumb!A suitor.Ay, or what matters elseHow these old beams may shake?Ctes.What hast thou done?Amph.My lords, ye do forget yourselves.Ctes.O, nay.890Why went not Lord Eurymachus himselfTo seize Telemachus? Doth he not bideFor the main chance? Will he not watch the play,The while Antinous is furthered forth?And—O, we know—when Lord AntinousReturns, and saithThe thing ye wish is done;Telemachus is dead, and he who nowWinneth the widow winneth house and landsAnd kingship; then the rich EurymachusWill raise his hands and weep,The very thing900I would have stayed. Alas! the needinessAnd avarice of some!Amph.Why, good Ctesippus,Seek not a quarrel.Ctes.Nay, but is’t not so?Amph.’Twill never be. The just and equal godsHave yet respect unto Ulysses’ house.And were’t their will Telemachus should die,He that went forth to slay him is the manWhose heart they turned to do it. For me, I say,I willed it not, and think ’twill never be.Ctes.Thou’rt but a craven!Eur.Get ye to your seats:910Pass we the bowl in peace, and while we drinkLet Phemius soothe our rivalries with song.But one can win the prize, and whose ’twill beLies in the lap of Zeus. Fair play and peace!Amph.And shame not this good house. Lack we a lord,This courtesy is due unto ourselves.Ctes.When brave Antinous returns, I say,We shall grow warm again.Eur.Peace for the bard!PHEMIUS.1.Follow my song that leads,Ye wooers all, and come920To praise the flock, that feedsUpon the grassy meadsOf fair Dulichium:Where Acheloüs laves with rippling sweetThe low fields red with wheat.2.For thee, I praise, Amphinomus, thou prince,Shepherd of sunset pastures; and I tellAgain what once befellNisus, thy sire, long since:To fruitful Lacedæmon when he came,930With lords that made resortFrom Calydon’s high court,And western isles, at call of Helen’s fame,Wooing the hand of Leda’s heavenly daughter:But soon such jealousy and deadly gallInflamed the suitors all,That then and there the fated slaughterOf Danaans had begun,Had not grave Tyndareus, her mortal sire,To quench the kindling fire,940Called on Laertes’ son.3.“Wisest of men, Ulysses, tell me true,If skill or grace to keep the peace may beAmong the lawless princes, here that sueFor Helen’s hand; if ever as of oldMy house from curse of bloodshed may go free,Do thou the rede unfold.”Straight answered him the wise Ulysses then,“O son of Thestius, ’tis in my mind,That thou these lawless men950By firmest oath shouldst bindTo honour him, and give him all their aid,Whose suit shall favour find,And honour from the maid;1a.“Whoever it may beWho in fair Helen’s eyeHis favour first may see;And thus shall they agree.”Whereto did all comply;And gave to Tyndareus their banded troth,960And singly took this oath:1b.“To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Who winneth Helen fair,And from all wrong whate’erShield him, whoe’er he be.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lapOf Zeus, what haps let hap.”2a.So goodly Menelaus, whom erelongFair Helen chose of all the lords of Greece,970His bride led home in peace;And no man did him wrong.Then Tyndareus to good Icarius spake,“Since now by one man’s witOur house is saved, ’tis fitThat thou this day be friendly for my sake,So at our hands he go not unrewarded:Give him thy daughter, fair Penelope,If so it pleaseth thee.”Who to this brother then the boon accorded:980And thus the wooers’ strifeUlysses by good counsel quelled, and wonOf Thestius’ other son,Penelope for wife.3a.But when in time fair Helen’s virtue failed,He with the suitors bounden to befriendWronged Menelaus, against Ilion sailed,And joined his arms, pledged by that oath with them;Till Priam’s broad-wayed city in the endFell by his stratagem.989But long being not returned, and passed for dead,There gathered suitors in his house to wooHis fair wife in his stead;And strife among them grew.Nor is his arm more lacked to guard his walls,Than his good counsel trueTo keep peace in his halls.1c.Which counsel I reclaim,Remembered for your use,Ye wooers, even the sameWhich saved from blood and shame1000The house of Tyndareus.So now unto my song your chorus bear,As Helen’s suitors sware.Chor.1d.To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Nor do him hurt whate’er,Whoever wins the fairAnd wise Penelope.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lap1010Of Zeus; what haps let hap.Amph.I thank thee for my father, Phemius.Eur.Thy tale is twice a tale told at this time.Ctes.I’ll hold it, that an oath sung out of tuneBinds not the singer.Enter Herald.HERALD.Tidings, my lords.Eur.Speak forth.Her.Be it known the prince Telemachus is come.[Suitors rise and murmur.Eur.Shame on you. Silence. Sir, we are much rejoicedTo learn the prince’s safety. When arrived he?Her.He landed yestereve. We brought the shipThis morn in harbour.Eur.Where disbarked the prince?Her.Northward by Ægilips.1020Eur.Is’t known?Her.My lord,I speed to tell it.[Exit.Eur.Friends, if this be true,We are baffled.Ctes.False, ’tis false.Eur.And nought remainsBut man a galley, that shall bear the tidingsTo Lord Antinous and his men, who elseWill lie out watching for him in the straits.Amph.Yet even that pains is spared us. Looking forthI see two ships in harbour side by side,And not far off a company of men,I take to be Antinous and his band.Ctes.How so?1030Amph.See then.Ctes.O, true: they are at the gate.How hath it happed?Amph.Prophesy, sir, and tell usWhether some god forewarned Telemachus,Or if they gave him chase and could not catch him.Enter Antinous and his men.WOOERS.Hail, Lord Antinous!Eur.How went it with thee?ANTINOUS.Where is the prince?Amph.Why, where’s the prince? he saith.Where is the prince?Eur.How missed you him?Ant.Curst luck!All day our scouts kept up unbroken guardAlong the windy headlands, and at nightNone slept ashore, but cruising to and fro,1040We watched the narrow channels until dawn,Lying in wait to take him when he came.And lo! he is here, hath run by into port,And beached his ship upon the royal stade,Before we knew it. Curst luck! Have ye seen him?Eur.Nay, for he landed by the northern shore,And sent his ship about: a god hath warned him.Ant.God or no god, plant we before he comesAn ambush in the hills, and slay him there:For once he reach the town alive, be sure1050He is the huntsman then and we the game.Ay, he hath wit eno’ ere he come hitherTo babble of our plot, and ’fore the folkWill, with his pretty face and cunning tearsAnd speeches of his mother, stir them upTo rise against us. Look, sirs, while he livesWe can do nothing, but if we should kill him,His lands and goods are ours: we may divideThe wealth and let who will possess the widow.That is my counsel, lords: but if ye suffer1060This baby to return, then this I say—Make we at once our gifts,—myself I count itNo satisfaction,—but that one of usShould win at least the dame and such few chattelsAs may go with her, is the only creditWe have to look for.Ctes.What is that to us?Ant.What say ye, lords?Amph.Why, ’tis a pretty plan.We came to woo the dame; but since ’tis clearAll cannot have her, in the general interestChange we our purpose, saith he, kill the son,1070And make division. Well! What say ye, lords?Ctes.Hark not to him: he hath a specialty.Amph.Imbrue ye not your hands in innocent blood,Nor touch Telemachus: for ’tis a thingAbhorred of Zeus to meddle with a lifeOf royal strain. There be the oracles;Consult ye them: and if TelemachusMust die and ’tis decreed, I shall be lastOf men to oppose it: otherwise I standAgainst Antinous, ay, sword to sword:1080Whose insolence, I say, the gods alreadyHave baulked and will not suffer.Eur.Spoken well,Amphinomus; yet hast thou shewn no wayTo avoid the mischief that must fall on us,If now Telemachus return alive.Enter from the gallery above, Penelope.Suitors.The queen, the queen!PENELOPE.Ye shameless men, and thou most shamed of all,Antinous—nay, never think I know notBecause I hold aloof; or that I hear notBecause ye see me not. I know you all,1090And none is there among you who more wrongsThe hospitality ye all constrain,Than that Antinous:—doth he rememberHow once his sire Eupeithes to this houseFled from the people, when they would have slain himFor joining in the Taphian piracies’Gainst the Thesprotians, who were then our friendsAnd good allies as now; but my UlyssesTook him, and by great favour won his life?And now his son against our noble son1100Plotteth to kill him: is all due regardFor sacred ties ’twixt house and house so lost?That ye too here, who sit in idlenessTo waste the substance of my absent lord,Hark to such insolent and bloody malice,The while ye sue me for my hand? Pretence!I say: ye are constant lovers, but ’tis wineAnd meat ye love, and me ye only wrong.Eur.And us thou wrongest, wise Penelope,Deeming thy son hath not such friends among us,1110As make his coming hither and his goingAnd converse with us safe. If one had daredTo plot his death, this spear, that now is bright,Were red to-day with blood: for me too, lady,Hath good Ulysses in the days gone bySet on his knee, and to my boyish lipsTendered the wine-cup: wherefore is his sonDear to my soul, and from no man that movesWithin my reach, need he fear death or harm.Ctes.(aside). Hark to him now!Ant.(to Pen.).We all are bounden, lady,1120To serve thy house; and I above the restHave shewn my zeal, sailing my galley forthTo meet thy son with honour, and in safetyTo escort him home.Pen.Standing but late aboveI overheard your council; look, I bid youDepart, lest on a sudden ye encounterHim whom ye willed to slay. The gods have brought himIn safety home: he will be here; so yeGo to your lodges, nor to-morrow mornCome as your wont, unless ye bring in hand1130Each of you, for a pledge of truth and peace,Some gift of price. Strange suitors are ye, lyingHere at my charges, feasting day by day,Nor ever make such offerings as a womanMust look for where she is loved or wooed: begone.My son hath passed the town. I have a messageHe will be here. (Voices without.) Ay, now, before ye goHe is come. I hear him.Enter Telemachus, spear in hand at back; the wooers throng round him as he presses forward.Eur.Welcome, noble prince.Amph.All hail, Telemachus!Ant.The gods be praised.Chor.Hail, noble offspring of a noble sire!—1140Most gracious son of a most gracious lady!—Dear to our eyes as is the light of morn—Welcome as softest rain to new-sown fields—Ctes.(aside). Or like a frost in spring.TELEMACHUS.My lords and friends,I thank you all. (To Pen.) See me returned, dear mother.Pen.Welcome, my son. I knew that thou wert come:’Tis good. (Aside to Telem.) I had now discharged these lords: I pray theeRid us their company.Tel.My friends, I fearMy entrance, just as ye were stood to go,Delays your going: feel not such constraint,1150Beseech you. We may look to meet again,If I mistake not.Ant.(aside to wooers). See how haughtilyHe bears himself.Ctes.(aside). Yield not an inch: abide!Eur.My lords, let all depart.Amph.(to Pen.).Lady, farewell,To-morrow I will offer at thy feetThe best I have.All.And I, and I.Pen.Farewell.Tel.Farewell, my lords.Ant.Would I might stay to see the melting joyOf this most happy meeting.Pen.Go thy way.If ever grace spake false, ’twas on thy tongue,1160Falsest Antinous.Suitors(going). Farewell, Farewell.[They are heard singing without.To keep good peace we swear, etc.]Tel.My dearest mother.Pen.O, my noble son,’Tis joy to kiss thee. Do I see thee safe?But O, thou hast tarried long! And was it kindTo make thy journey hence without a word?If thou couldst but have seen my pain, the dayI found thee gone, thy pity had surely madeThy duty, and held thee back. But now to see thee,And as thou earnest those rude men abashed,—O, I was proud!Tel.Thou canst not more rejoiceThan I.1170Pen.I wonder not they were abashed;Thou hast a freer step, a manlier bearing:I am much to blame keeping thee here at home,Away from fellowship of noble spirits.Whom hast thou seen?Tel.Why that were long to tell.Pen.I saw thy ship sail in, and then there cameEumæus, saying how thou wert with him,And wouldst not come: then came thy messenger,That thou wert in the town, and on thy way.How was it?Tel.See, I am just escaped with life:1180Spare questioning. First let the gods be served:Go bid thy maidens, ere the night close in,Prepare a worthy sacrifice to Zeus;Ay, such a sacrifice, as to this dayThis house has never seen.Pen.’Tis very meet.Yet why this urgence? there hath something passedThou keepest back. Is’t possible, my boy,That in the southern courts some lady’s eyesHave drawn thee to vow hecatombs?Tel.Nay, mother.Pen.I should be glad. What is it then hath changed thee?Tel.How am I changed?1190Pen.Thou art aloof and strange.Tel.It ever dulled my kinder spirits to viewThese robbers in my father’s hall.Pen.Alas!What could I do, my son, and thou away?Here is no change, nor ever any tidings.I have neither power nor reason on my side:I cannot say My lord is yet alive,Wherefore depart, ye wrong me; nor as littleMy lord is dead, I will requite your honour,And choose the worthiest. O, where’er thou hast been,1200If aught thou hast learned of any certainty,Speak now, whate’er it be, fear not to tell:Tell of thy sire, my son, though ’tis his death!Tel.Now heaven forbid that word.Pen.Alas, Telemachus;What is our hope? Or if thou know of any,Why art thou reticent of it?Tel.Hearken, mother:If thou wilt hear me, I will tell my story,As time allows, stripped of all circumstance.First sailed I then to Pylos, where I foundNestor, who lovingly my stay entreated,1210And held me as his son, but, when he learnedMy quest, and nothing knew of my dear father,Would have me go, and with a royal escortConveyed me to the court of Menelaus:There I saw Argive Helen.—But Menelaus, when I told my taleBrake out in anger, and I think few wordsWould draw him hither with his dukes to sweepOur house of its dishonour; but in fineThus much he said, that still Ulysses lived,1220But with the nymph Calypso in her isleBy subtle sleights withheld; in whom it layThat he was not returned, and might not yet;But there abode. Then, since he knew no more,I sped me home, and should have sped to death,Had not divine Athenè sent a dreamTo warn me of the ambush, with the windTo bring me round the isle: wherefore I bid theePerform the sacrifice, lest for such favourWe seem ungrateful.Pen.Didst thou never ask1230Of Menelaus, how he came to knowThy father’s fate?Tel.It was the wizard Proteus,Whom strangely he entamed and all his art,When he lay windbound in the isle of Pharos;Who told him, for he held him fast for allHis magic shifts and slippery changefulness,Becoming first a bearded lion, thereafterA snake, a leopard, and a bristly boar;And then as running water seemed he, orA tall and flowering tree ...Pen.My son, my son,1240These are mere tales. When was this said to have been?Tel.’Twas scarce two years.Pen.Ah, and so long!Tel.’Tis tidingsBoth sure and good, mother; and yet ’tis noughtTo what remains. The thing I sought abroadHas come to me at home: but if I tell thee,Thou in thine inmost heart store it,—no wordEven to Eumæus, tho’ ’twas in his hut,—Where as I crossed the isle I turned aside,—I found an aged man, his beggar guest:Whom, for Eumæus warned me he was full1250Of tales of Troy, I held of no accountWhen first he spoke, but soon I learnt he knew.He was himself at Troy, and, as he saith,Hath lately seen my father, who is free,And bent on swift return.Pen.Is this thy news?Tel.Is’t not then news?Pen.Nay, nay, thou art deceived.An idle tale Eumæus would not hear:A rogue he warned thee of, and not the firstThat thus hath lied.Tel.There hath been none like him.Pen.Their tale is still the same, and spiced to matchAny credulity.1260Tel.I would not haveThy mind less wary, nor bespeak thy credit.To-morrow I will bring him here, and then,He being our guest, thyself mayst question him.And be thou not persuaded, I will lookNo longer for my father’s wished return;Nor after lend an ear to any man,But hold him as our enemy, who saithUlysses lives.Pen.In hoping and despairingThou art too quick, my son; and past occasionsHave taught thee nought. Come, tell me of thyself,1271And of thy journey. Tell me too of Helen,Is she still beautiful? and doth she liveForgiven of Menelaus and beloved?Tel.In good time, mother, shalt thou hear all this,And more. Consider now how best to proveThis beggar, when I bring him.Pen.If need were’Twere easy.—Yet, how should Eumæus err?Hath he not means to sift the false from true?Could such a guest as this thou deemest dwellWith him unknown?1280Tel.Thou shalt thyself enquire.Weigh well what proof to use, but now no longerDelay the sacrifice my safety calls.[Going.Pen.My son!Tel.Adieu, I go into the town.Pen.Why wilt thou go?Tel.First I must make reportTo good Noëmon of his ship returned;Then to pay off my crew.Pen.Ah, prithee son,Have care: the robbers have a plot to kill thee:They now may lie in wait. ’Tis early dusk.Tel.I fear them not.1289Pen.Indeed I know their minds.Tel.The goddess will withhold their impious hands.Pen.What goddess trustest thou to aid thee so?Tel.Why who but she that hath preserved my sire?Pen.Alas! Then take Eumæus with thee, son.Tel.I need him not. Farewell.Pen.Then if thou goest,Farewell. But do not tarry.Tel.Bid prepareMy chamber; for at night I shall return.[Exit.Pen.The gods protect thee.—Would the gods, that made himSo handsome, loving, noble, brave, and good,Had given him wisdom; for without that gift,1300Grace bears no fruit. ’Tis plain to all, my sonHath not the truth of his advertisement:He wears the semblance only, such as luresAnd flatters the deceiver. If I am vexed,’Tis with myself: I looked for better thingsAnd suffer in rebuff. That Menelaus,The delicate, self-seeking Menelaus,Should leave his easeful home to avenge a friend,And that friend dead: and then the wizard tales,Calypso and Proteus, and whatever else,1310And worst of all this ancient beggar-man,Who hath a tale better than all the tales!Alas, alas! my son, thou wilt have needOf much good care. ’Twas ill I did not sendEumæus with him. Now till he return,Patience—and when he is returned, againPatience—’tis so: patience was made for me;And one by one my deprecative daysBring nought, but as they flee, still cry to-morrow.

Hall in house of Ulysses: [as described, in note]. EURYMACHUS, AMPHINOMUS, CTESIPPUS, PHEMIUS, and many suitors. Noise and brawling. Remains of feast.

EURYMACHUS.

Peace! Will none hear? Silence! O peace, I say.Will ye not hearken? (Some abatement.)

Peace! Will none hear? Silence! O peace, I say.

Will ye not hearken? (Some abatement.)

AMPHINOMUS.

Friends, give ear awhile,And hearken to Eurymachus.

Friends, give ear awhile,

And hearken to Eurymachus.

CTESIPPUS.

For one,I am not of his party.

For one,

I am not of his party.

A SUITOR.

880Nay, nor I,Let him command his own.

Nay, nor I,

Let him command his own.

Eur.Princes and lords!Have ye not chosen me to rule your feasts?I claim no more precedence; I would urgeNought but your honour, which ye go to shameBy such disordered brawling.

Eur.Princes and lords!

Have ye not chosen me to rule your feasts?

I claim no more precedence; I would urge

Nought but your honour, which ye go to shame

By such disordered brawling.

Ctes.O, we know thee.’Tis nought Penelope should deem we lieUnder thy thumb!

Ctes.O, we know thee.

’Tis nought Penelope should deem we lie

Under thy thumb!

A suitor.Ay, or what matters elseHow these old beams may shake?

A suitor.Ay, or what matters else

How these old beams may shake?

Ctes.What hast thou done?

Amph.My lords, ye do forget yourselves.

Ctes.O, nay.890Why went not Lord Eurymachus himselfTo seize Telemachus? Doth he not bideFor the main chance? Will he not watch the play,The while Antinous is furthered forth?And—O, we know—when Lord AntinousReturns, and saithThe thing ye wish is done;Telemachus is dead, and he who nowWinneth the widow winneth house and landsAnd kingship; then the rich EurymachusWill raise his hands and weep,The very thing900I would have stayed. Alas! the needinessAnd avarice of some!

Ctes.O, nay.

Why went not Lord Eurymachus himself

To seize Telemachus? Doth he not bide

For the main chance? Will he not watch the play,

The while Antinous is furthered forth?

And—O, we know—when Lord Antinous

Returns, and saithThe thing ye wish is done;

Telemachus is dead, and he who now

Winneth the widow winneth house and lands

And kingship; then the rich Eurymachus

Will raise his hands and weep,The very thing

I would have stayed. Alas! the neediness

And avarice of some!

Amph.Why, good Ctesippus,Seek not a quarrel.

Amph.Why, good Ctesippus,

Seek not a quarrel.

Ctes.Nay, but is’t not so?

Amph.’Twill never be. The just and equal godsHave yet respect unto Ulysses’ house.And were’t their will Telemachus should die,He that went forth to slay him is the manWhose heart they turned to do it. For me, I say,I willed it not, and think ’twill never be.

Amph.’Twill never be. The just and equal gods

Have yet respect unto Ulysses’ house.

And were’t their will Telemachus should die,

He that went forth to slay him is the man

Whose heart they turned to do it. For me, I say,

I willed it not, and think ’twill never be.

Ctes.Thou’rt but a craven!

Eur.Get ye to your seats:910Pass we the bowl in peace, and while we drinkLet Phemius soothe our rivalries with song.But one can win the prize, and whose ’twill beLies in the lap of Zeus. Fair play and peace!

Eur.Get ye to your seats:

Pass we the bowl in peace, and while we drink

Let Phemius soothe our rivalries with song.

But one can win the prize, and whose ’twill be

Lies in the lap of Zeus. Fair play and peace!

Amph.And shame not this good house. Lack we a lord,This courtesy is due unto ourselves.

Amph.And shame not this good house. Lack we a lord,

This courtesy is due unto ourselves.

Ctes.When brave Antinous returns, I say,We shall grow warm again.

Ctes.When brave Antinous returns, I say,

We shall grow warm again.

Eur.Peace for the bard!

PHEMIUS.

Follow my song that leads,Ye wooers all, and come920To praise the flock, that feedsUpon the grassy meadsOf fair Dulichium:Where Acheloüs laves with rippling sweetThe low fields red with wheat.

Follow my song that leads,

Ye wooers all, and come

To praise the flock, that feeds

Upon the grassy meads

Of fair Dulichium:

Where Acheloüs laves with rippling sweet

The low fields red with wheat.

For thee, I praise, Amphinomus, thou prince,Shepherd of sunset pastures; and I tellAgain what once befellNisus, thy sire, long since:To fruitful Lacedæmon when he came,930With lords that made resortFrom Calydon’s high court,And western isles, at call of Helen’s fame,Wooing the hand of Leda’s heavenly daughter:But soon such jealousy and deadly gallInflamed the suitors all,That then and there the fated slaughterOf Danaans had begun,Had not grave Tyndareus, her mortal sire,To quench the kindling fire,940Called on Laertes’ son.

For thee, I praise, Amphinomus, thou prince,

Shepherd of sunset pastures; and I tell

Again what once befell

Nisus, thy sire, long since:

To fruitful Lacedæmon when he came,

With lords that made resort

From Calydon’s high court,

And western isles, at call of Helen’s fame,

Wooing the hand of Leda’s heavenly daughter:

But soon such jealousy and deadly gall

Inflamed the suitors all,

That then and there the fated slaughter

Of Danaans had begun,

Had not grave Tyndareus, her mortal sire,

To quench the kindling fire,

Called on Laertes’ son.

“Wisest of men, Ulysses, tell me true,If skill or grace to keep the peace may beAmong the lawless princes, here that sueFor Helen’s hand; if ever as of oldMy house from curse of bloodshed may go free,Do thou the rede unfold.”Straight answered him the wise Ulysses then,“O son of Thestius, ’tis in my mind,That thou these lawless men950By firmest oath shouldst bindTo honour him, and give him all their aid,Whose suit shall favour find,And honour from the maid;

“Wisest of men, Ulysses, tell me true,

If skill or grace to keep the peace may be

Among the lawless princes, here that sue

For Helen’s hand; if ever as of old

My house from curse of bloodshed may go free,

Do thou the rede unfold.”

Straight answered him the wise Ulysses then,

“O son of Thestius, ’tis in my mind,

That thou these lawless men

By firmest oath shouldst bind

To honour him, and give him all their aid,

Whose suit shall favour find,

And honour from the maid;

1a.

“Whoever it may beWho in fair Helen’s eyeHis favour first may see;And thus shall they agree.”Whereto did all comply;And gave to Tyndareus their banded troth,960And singly took this oath:

“Whoever it may be

Who in fair Helen’s eye

His favour first may see;

And thus shall they agree.”

Whereto did all comply;

And gave to Tyndareus their banded troth,

And singly took this oath:

1b.

“To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Who winneth Helen fair,And from all wrong whate’erShield him, whoe’er he be.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lapOf Zeus, what haps let hap.”

“To keep good peace we swear,

And let that man go free,

Who winneth Helen fair,

And from all wrong whate’er

Shield him, whoe’er he be.

Good or ill fortune lieth in the lap

Of Zeus, what haps let hap.”

2a.

So goodly Menelaus, whom erelongFair Helen chose of all the lords of Greece,970His bride led home in peace;And no man did him wrong.Then Tyndareus to good Icarius spake,“Since now by one man’s witOur house is saved, ’tis fitThat thou this day be friendly for my sake,So at our hands he go not unrewarded:Give him thy daughter, fair Penelope,If so it pleaseth thee.”Who to this brother then the boon accorded:980And thus the wooers’ strifeUlysses by good counsel quelled, and wonOf Thestius’ other son,Penelope for wife.

So goodly Menelaus, whom erelong

Fair Helen chose of all the lords of Greece,

His bride led home in peace;

And no man did him wrong.

Then Tyndareus to good Icarius spake,

“Since now by one man’s wit

Our house is saved, ’tis fit

That thou this day be friendly for my sake,

So at our hands he go not unrewarded:

Give him thy daughter, fair Penelope,

If so it pleaseth thee.”

Who to this brother then the boon accorded:

And thus the wooers’ strife

Ulysses by good counsel quelled, and won

Of Thestius’ other son,

Penelope for wife.

3a.

But when in time fair Helen’s virtue failed,He with the suitors bounden to befriendWronged Menelaus, against Ilion sailed,And joined his arms, pledged by that oath with them;Till Priam’s broad-wayed city in the endFell by his stratagem.989But long being not returned, and passed for dead,There gathered suitors in his house to wooHis fair wife in his stead;And strife among them grew.Nor is his arm more lacked to guard his walls,Than his good counsel trueTo keep peace in his halls.

But when in time fair Helen’s virtue failed,

He with the suitors bounden to befriend

Wronged Menelaus, against Ilion sailed,

And joined his arms, pledged by that oath with them;

Till Priam’s broad-wayed city in the end

Fell by his stratagem.989

But long being not returned, and passed for dead,

There gathered suitors in his house to woo

His fair wife in his stead;

And strife among them grew.

Nor is his arm more lacked to guard his walls,

Than his good counsel true

To keep peace in his halls.

1c.

Which counsel I reclaim,Remembered for your use,Ye wooers, even the sameWhich saved from blood and shame1000The house of Tyndareus.So now unto my song your chorus bear,As Helen’s suitors sware.

Which counsel I reclaim,

Remembered for your use,

Ye wooers, even the same

Which saved from blood and shame1000

The house of Tyndareus.

So now unto my song your chorus bear,

As Helen’s suitors sware.

Chor.1d.

To keep good peace we swear,And let that man go free,Nor do him hurt whate’er,Whoever wins the fairAnd wise Penelope.Good or ill fortune lieth in the lap1010Of Zeus; what haps let hap.

To keep good peace we swear,

And let that man go free,

Nor do him hurt whate’er,

Whoever wins the fair

And wise Penelope.

Good or ill fortune lieth in the lap

Of Zeus; what haps let hap.

Amph.I thank thee for my father, Phemius.

Eur.Thy tale is twice a tale told at this time.

Ctes.I’ll hold it, that an oath sung out of tuneBinds not the singer.

Ctes.I’ll hold it, that an oath sung out of tune

Binds not the singer.

Enter Herald.

HERALD.

Tidings, my lords.

Eur.Speak forth.

Her.Be it known the prince Telemachus is come.

[Suitors rise and murmur.

Eur.Shame on you. Silence. Sir, we are much rejoicedTo learn the prince’s safety. When arrived he?

Eur.Shame on you. Silence. Sir, we are much rejoiced

To learn the prince’s safety. When arrived he?

Her.He landed yestereve. We brought the shipThis morn in harbour.

Her.He landed yestereve. We brought the ship

This morn in harbour.

Eur.Where disbarked the prince?

Her.Northward by Ægilips.1020

Eur.Is’t known?

Her.My lord,I speed to tell it.[Exit.

Her.My lord,

I speed to tell it.[Exit.

Eur.Friends, if this be true,We are baffled.

Eur.Friends, if this be true,

We are baffled.

Ctes.False, ’tis false.

Eur.And nought remainsBut man a galley, that shall bear the tidingsTo Lord Antinous and his men, who elseWill lie out watching for him in the straits.

Eur.And nought remains

But man a galley, that shall bear the tidings

To Lord Antinous and his men, who else

Will lie out watching for him in the straits.

Amph.Yet even that pains is spared us. Looking forthI see two ships in harbour side by side,And not far off a company of men,I take to be Antinous and his band.

Amph.Yet even that pains is spared us. Looking forth

I see two ships in harbour side by side,

And not far off a company of men,

I take to be Antinous and his band.

Ctes.How so?1030

Amph.See then.

Ctes.O, true: they are at the gate.How hath it happed?

Ctes.O, true: they are at the gate.

How hath it happed?

Amph.Prophesy, sir, and tell usWhether some god forewarned Telemachus,Or if they gave him chase and could not catch him.

Amph.Prophesy, sir, and tell us

Whether some god forewarned Telemachus,

Or if they gave him chase and could not catch him.

Enter Antinous and his men.

WOOERS.

Hail, Lord Antinous!

Eur.How went it with thee?

ANTINOUS.

Where is the prince?

Amph.Why, where’s the prince? he saith.Where is the prince?

Amph.Why, where’s the prince? he saith.

Where is the prince?

Eur.How missed you him?

Ant.Curst luck!All day our scouts kept up unbroken guardAlong the windy headlands, and at nightNone slept ashore, but cruising to and fro,1040We watched the narrow channels until dawn,Lying in wait to take him when he came.And lo! he is here, hath run by into port,And beached his ship upon the royal stade,Before we knew it. Curst luck! Have ye seen him?

Ant.Curst luck!

All day our scouts kept up unbroken guard

Along the windy headlands, and at night

None slept ashore, but cruising to and fro,

We watched the narrow channels until dawn,

Lying in wait to take him when he came.

And lo! he is here, hath run by into port,

And beached his ship upon the royal stade,

Before we knew it. Curst luck! Have ye seen him?

Eur.Nay, for he landed by the northern shore,And sent his ship about: a god hath warned him.

Eur.Nay, for he landed by the northern shore,

And sent his ship about: a god hath warned him.

Ant.God or no god, plant we before he comesAn ambush in the hills, and slay him there:For once he reach the town alive, be sure1050He is the huntsman then and we the game.Ay, he hath wit eno’ ere he come hitherTo babble of our plot, and ’fore the folkWill, with his pretty face and cunning tearsAnd speeches of his mother, stir them upTo rise against us. Look, sirs, while he livesWe can do nothing, but if we should kill him,His lands and goods are ours: we may divideThe wealth and let who will possess the widow.That is my counsel, lords: but if ye suffer1060This baby to return, then this I say—Make we at once our gifts,—myself I count itNo satisfaction,—but that one of usShould win at least the dame and such few chattelsAs may go with her, is the only creditWe have to look for.

Ant.God or no god, plant we before he comes

An ambush in the hills, and slay him there:

For once he reach the town alive, be sure

He is the huntsman then and we the game.

Ay, he hath wit eno’ ere he come hither

To babble of our plot, and ’fore the folk

Will, with his pretty face and cunning tears

And speeches of his mother, stir them up

To rise against us. Look, sirs, while he lives

We can do nothing, but if we should kill him,

His lands and goods are ours: we may divide

The wealth and let who will possess the widow.

That is my counsel, lords: but if ye suffer

This baby to return, then this I say—

Make we at once our gifts,—myself I count it

No satisfaction,—but that one of us

Should win at least the dame and such few chattels

As may go with her, is the only credit

We have to look for.

Ctes.What is that to us?

Ant.What say ye, lords?

Amph.Why, ’tis a pretty plan.We came to woo the dame; but since ’tis clearAll cannot have her, in the general interestChange we our purpose, saith he, kill the son,1070And make division. Well! What say ye, lords?

Amph.Why, ’tis a pretty plan.

We came to woo the dame; but since ’tis clear

All cannot have her, in the general interest

Change we our purpose, saith he, kill the son,

And make division. Well! What say ye, lords?

Ctes.Hark not to him: he hath a specialty.

Amph.Imbrue ye not your hands in innocent blood,Nor touch Telemachus: for ’tis a thingAbhorred of Zeus to meddle with a lifeOf royal strain. There be the oracles;Consult ye them: and if TelemachusMust die and ’tis decreed, I shall be lastOf men to oppose it: otherwise I standAgainst Antinous, ay, sword to sword:1080Whose insolence, I say, the gods alreadyHave baulked and will not suffer.

Amph.Imbrue ye not your hands in innocent blood,

Nor touch Telemachus: for ’tis a thing

Abhorred of Zeus to meddle with a life

Of royal strain. There be the oracles;

Consult ye them: and if Telemachus

Must die and ’tis decreed, I shall be last

Of men to oppose it: otherwise I stand

Against Antinous, ay, sword to sword:

Whose insolence, I say, the gods already

Have baulked and will not suffer.

Eur.Spoken well,Amphinomus; yet hast thou shewn no wayTo avoid the mischief that must fall on us,If now Telemachus return alive.

Eur.Spoken well,

Amphinomus; yet hast thou shewn no way

To avoid the mischief that must fall on us,

If now Telemachus return alive.

Enter from the gallery above, Penelope.

Suitors.The queen, the queen!

PENELOPE.

Ye shameless men, and thou most shamed of all,Antinous—nay, never think I know notBecause I hold aloof; or that I hear notBecause ye see me not. I know you all,1090And none is there among you who more wrongsThe hospitality ye all constrain,Than that Antinous:—doth he rememberHow once his sire Eupeithes to this houseFled from the people, when they would have slain himFor joining in the Taphian piracies’Gainst the Thesprotians, who were then our friendsAnd good allies as now; but my UlyssesTook him, and by great favour won his life?And now his son against our noble son1100Plotteth to kill him: is all due regardFor sacred ties ’twixt house and house so lost?That ye too here, who sit in idlenessTo waste the substance of my absent lord,Hark to such insolent and bloody malice,The while ye sue me for my hand? Pretence!I say: ye are constant lovers, but ’tis wineAnd meat ye love, and me ye only wrong.

Ye shameless men, and thou most shamed of all,

Antinous—nay, never think I know not

Because I hold aloof; or that I hear not

Because ye see me not. I know you all,

And none is there among you who more wrongs

The hospitality ye all constrain,

Than that Antinous:—doth he remember

How once his sire Eupeithes to this house

Fled from the people, when they would have slain him

For joining in the Taphian piracies

’Gainst the Thesprotians, who were then our friends

And good allies as now; but my Ulysses

Took him, and by great favour won his life?

And now his son against our noble son

Plotteth to kill him: is all due regard

For sacred ties ’twixt house and house so lost?

That ye too here, who sit in idleness

To waste the substance of my absent lord,

Hark to such insolent and bloody malice,

The while ye sue me for my hand? Pretence!

I say: ye are constant lovers, but ’tis wine

And meat ye love, and me ye only wrong.

Eur.And us thou wrongest, wise Penelope,Deeming thy son hath not such friends among us,1110As make his coming hither and his goingAnd converse with us safe. If one had daredTo plot his death, this spear, that now is bright,Were red to-day with blood: for me too, lady,Hath good Ulysses in the days gone bySet on his knee, and to my boyish lipsTendered the wine-cup: wherefore is his sonDear to my soul, and from no man that movesWithin my reach, need he fear death or harm.

Eur.And us thou wrongest, wise Penelope,

Deeming thy son hath not such friends among us,

As make his coming hither and his going

And converse with us safe. If one had dared

To plot his death, this spear, that now is bright,

Were red to-day with blood: for me too, lady,

Hath good Ulysses in the days gone by

Set on his knee, and to my boyish lips

Tendered the wine-cup: wherefore is his son

Dear to my soul, and from no man that moves

Within my reach, need he fear death or harm.

Ctes.(aside). Hark to him now!

Ant.(to Pen.).We all are bounden, lady,1120To serve thy house; and I above the restHave shewn my zeal, sailing my galley forthTo meet thy son with honour, and in safetyTo escort him home.

Ant.(to Pen.).We all are bounden, lady,

To serve thy house; and I above the rest

Have shewn my zeal, sailing my galley forth

To meet thy son with honour, and in safety

To escort him home.

Pen.Standing but late aboveI overheard your council; look, I bid youDepart, lest on a sudden ye encounterHim whom ye willed to slay. The gods have brought himIn safety home: he will be here; so yeGo to your lodges, nor to-morrow mornCome as your wont, unless ye bring in hand1130Each of you, for a pledge of truth and peace,Some gift of price. Strange suitors are ye, lyingHere at my charges, feasting day by day,Nor ever make such offerings as a womanMust look for where she is loved or wooed: begone.My son hath passed the town. I have a messageHe will be here. (Voices without.) Ay, now, before ye goHe is come. I hear him.

Pen.Standing but late above

I overheard your council; look, I bid you

Depart, lest on a sudden ye encounter

Him whom ye willed to slay. The gods have brought him

In safety home: he will be here; so ye

Go to your lodges, nor to-morrow morn

Come as your wont, unless ye bring in hand

Each of you, for a pledge of truth and peace,

Some gift of price. Strange suitors are ye, lying

Here at my charges, feasting day by day,

Nor ever make such offerings as a woman

Must look for where she is loved or wooed: begone.

My son hath passed the town. I have a message

He will be here. (Voices without.) Ay, now, before ye go

He is come. I hear him.

Enter Telemachus, spear in hand at back; the wooers throng round him as he presses forward.

Eur.Welcome, noble prince.

Amph.All hail, Telemachus!

Ant.The gods be praised.

Chor.Hail, noble offspring of a noble sire!—1140Most gracious son of a most gracious lady!—Dear to our eyes as is the light of morn—Welcome as softest rain to new-sown fields—

Chor.Hail, noble offspring of a noble sire!—

Most gracious son of a most gracious lady!—

Dear to our eyes as is the light of morn—

Welcome as softest rain to new-sown fields—

Ctes.(aside). Or like a frost in spring.

TELEMACHUS.

My lords and friends,I thank you all. (To Pen.) See me returned, dear mother.

My lords and friends,

I thank you all. (To Pen.) See me returned, dear mother.

Pen.Welcome, my son. I knew that thou wert come:’Tis good. (Aside to Telem.) I had now discharged these lords: I pray theeRid us their company.

Pen.Welcome, my son. I knew that thou wert come:

’Tis good. (Aside to Telem.) I had now discharged these lords: I pray thee

Rid us their company.

Tel.My friends, I fearMy entrance, just as ye were stood to go,Delays your going: feel not such constraint,1150Beseech you. We may look to meet again,If I mistake not.

Tel.My friends, I fear

My entrance, just as ye were stood to go,

Delays your going: feel not such constraint,

Beseech you. We may look to meet again,

If I mistake not.

Ant.(aside to wooers). See how haughtilyHe bears himself.

Ant.(aside to wooers). See how haughtily

He bears himself.

Ctes.(aside). Yield not an inch: abide!

Eur.My lords, let all depart.

Amph.(to Pen.).Lady, farewell,To-morrow I will offer at thy feetThe best I have.

Amph.(to Pen.).Lady, farewell,

To-morrow I will offer at thy feet

The best I have.

All.And I, and I.

Pen.Farewell.

Tel.Farewell, my lords.

Ant.Would I might stay to see the melting joyOf this most happy meeting.

Ant.Would I might stay to see the melting joy

Of this most happy meeting.

Pen.Go thy way.If ever grace spake false, ’twas on thy tongue,1160Falsest Antinous.

Pen.Go thy way.

If ever grace spake false, ’twas on thy tongue,

Falsest Antinous.

Suitors(going). Farewell, Farewell.

[They are heard singing without.To keep good peace we swear, etc.]

Tel.My dearest mother.

Pen.O, my noble son,’Tis joy to kiss thee. Do I see thee safe?But O, thou hast tarried long! And was it kindTo make thy journey hence without a word?If thou couldst but have seen my pain, the dayI found thee gone, thy pity had surely madeThy duty, and held thee back. But now to see thee,And as thou earnest those rude men abashed,—O, I was proud!

Pen.O, my noble son,

’Tis joy to kiss thee. Do I see thee safe?

But O, thou hast tarried long! And was it kind

To make thy journey hence without a word?

If thou couldst but have seen my pain, the day

I found thee gone, thy pity had surely made

Thy duty, and held thee back. But now to see thee,

And as thou earnest those rude men abashed,—

O, I was proud!

Tel.Thou canst not more rejoiceThan I.

Tel.Thou canst not more rejoice

Than I.

1170Pen.I wonder not they were abashed;Thou hast a freer step, a manlier bearing:I am much to blame keeping thee here at home,Away from fellowship of noble spirits.Whom hast thou seen?

Pen.I wonder not they were abashed;

Thou hast a freer step, a manlier bearing:

I am much to blame keeping thee here at home,

Away from fellowship of noble spirits.

Whom hast thou seen?

Tel.Why that were long to tell.

Pen.I saw thy ship sail in, and then there cameEumæus, saying how thou wert with him,And wouldst not come: then came thy messenger,That thou wert in the town, and on thy way.How was it?

Pen.I saw thy ship sail in, and then there came

Eumæus, saying how thou wert with him,

And wouldst not come: then came thy messenger,

That thou wert in the town, and on thy way.

How was it?

Tel.See, I am just escaped with life:1180Spare questioning. First let the gods be served:Go bid thy maidens, ere the night close in,Prepare a worthy sacrifice to Zeus;Ay, such a sacrifice, as to this dayThis house has never seen.

Tel.See, I am just escaped with life:

Spare questioning. First let the gods be served:

Go bid thy maidens, ere the night close in,

Prepare a worthy sacrifice to Zeus;

Ay, such a sacrifice, as to this day

This house has never seen.

Pen.’Tis very meet.Yet why this urgence? there hath something passedThou keepest back. Is’t possible, my boy,That in the southern courts some lady’s eyesHave drawn thee to vow hecatombs?

Pen.’Tis very meet.

Yet why this urgence? there hath something passed

Thou keepest back. Is’t possible, my boy,

That in the southern courts some lady’s eyes

Have drawn thee to vow hecatombs?

Tel.Nay, mother.

Pen.I should be glad. What is it then hath changed thee?

Tel.How am I changed?1190

Pen.Thou art aloof and strange.

Tel.It ever dulled my kinder spirits to viewThese robbers in my father’s hall.

Tel.It ever dulled my kinder spirits to view

These robbers in my father’s hall.

Pen.Alas!What could I do, my son, and thou away?Here is no change, nor ever any tidings.I have neither power nor reason on my side:I cannot say My lord is yet alive,Wherefore depart, ye wrong me; nor as littleMy lord is dead, I will requite your honour,And choose the worthiest. O, where’er thou hast been,1200If aught thou hast learned of any certainty,Speak now, whate’er it be, fear not to tell:Tell of thy sire, my son, though ’tis his death!

Pen.Alas!

What could I do, my son, and thou away?

Here is no change, nor ever any tidings.

I have neither power nor reason on my side:

I cannot say My lord is yet alive,

Wherefore depart, ye wrong me; nor as little

My lord is dead, I will requite your honour,

And choose the worthiest. O, where’er thou hast been,

If aught thou hast learned of any certainty,

Speak now, whate’er it be, fear not to tell:

Tell of thy sire, my son, though ’tis his death!

Tel.Now heaven forbid that word.

Pen.Alas, Telemachus;What is our hope? Or if thou know of any,Why art thou reticent of it?

Pen.Alas, Telemachus;

What is our hope? Or if thou know of any,

Why art thou reticent of it?

Tel.Hearken, mother:If thou wilt hear me, I will tell my story,As time allows, stripped of all circumstance.First sailed I then to Pylos, where I foundNestor, who lovingly my stay entreated,1210And held me as his son, but, when he learnedMy quest, and nothing knew of my dear father,Would have me go, and with a royal escortConveyed me to the court of Menelaus:There I saw Argive Helen.—But Menelaus, when I told my taleBrake out in anger, and I think few wordsWould draw him hither with his dukes to sweepOur house of its dishonour; but in fineThus much he said, that still Ulysses lived,1220But with the nymph Calypso in her isleBy subtle sleights withheld; in whom it layThat he was not returned, and might not yet;But there abode. Then, since he knew no more,I sped me home, and should have sped to death,Had not divine Athenè sent a dreamTo warn me of the ambush, with the windTo bring me round the isle: wherefore I bid theePerform the sacrifice, lest for such favourWe seem ungrateful.

Tel.Hearken, mother:

If thou wilt hear me, I will tell my story,

As time allows, stripped of all circumstance.

First sailed I then to Pylos, where I found

Nestor, who lovingly my stay entreated,

And held me as his son, but, when he learned

My quest, and nothing knew of my dear father,

Would have me go, and with a royal escort

Conveyed me to the court of Menelaus:

There I saw Argive Helen.—

But Menelaus, when I told my tale

Brake out in anger, and I think few words

Would draw him hither with his dukes to sweep

Our house of its dishonour; but in fine

Thus much he said, that still Ulysses lived,

But with the nymph Calypso in her isle

By subtle sleights withheld; in whom it lay

That he was not returned, and might not yet;

But there abode. Then, since he knew no more,

I sped me home, and should have sped to death,

Had not divine Athenè sent a dream

To warn me of the ambush, with the wind

To bring me round the isle: wherefore I bid thee

Perform the sacrifice, lest for such favour

We seem ungrateful.

Pen.Didst thou never ask1230Of Menelaus, how he came to knowThy father’s fate?

Pen.Didst thou never ask

Of Menelaus, how he came to know

Thy father’s fate?

Tel.It was the wizard Proteus,Whom strangely he entamed and all his art,When he lay windbound in the isle of Pharos;Who told him, for he held him fast for allHis magic shifts and slippery changefulness,Becoming first a bearded lion, thereafterA snake, a leopard, and a bristly boar;And then as running water seemed he, orA tall and flowering tree ...

Tel.It was the wizard Proteus,

Whom strangely he entamed and all his art,

When he lay windbound in the isle of Pharos;

Who told him, for he held him fast for all

His magic shifts and slippery changefulness,

Becoming first a bearded lion, thereafter

A snake, a leopard, and a bristly boar;

And then as running water seemed he, or

A tall and flowering tree ...

Pen.My son, my son,1240These are mere tales. When was this said to have been?

Pen.My son, my son,

These are mere tales. When was this said to have been?

Tel.’Twas scarce two years.

Pen.Ah, and so long!

Tel.’Tis tidingsBoth sure and good, mother; and yet ’tis noughtTo what remains. The thing I sought abroadHas come to me at home: but if I tell thee,Thou in thine inmost heart store it,—no wordEven to Eumæus, tho’ ’twas in his hut,—Where as I crossed the isle I turned aside,—I found an aged man, his beggar guest:Whom, for Eumæus warned me he was full1250Of tales of Troy, I held of no accountWhen first he spoke, but soon I learnt he knew.He was himself at Troy, and, as he saith,Hath lately seen my father, who is free,And bent on swift return.

Tel.’Tis tidings

Both sure and good, mother; and yet ’tis nought

To what remains. The thing I sought abroad

Has come to me at home: but if I tell thee,

Thou in thine inmost heart store it,—no word

Even to Eumæus, tho’ ’twas in his hut,

—Where as I crossed the isle I turned aside,—

I found an aged man, his beggar guest:

Whom, for Eumæus warned me he was full

Of tales of Troy, I held of no account

When first he spoke, but soon I learnt he knew.

He was himself at Troy, and, as he saith,

Hath lately seen my father, who is free,

And bent on swift return.

Pen.Is this thy news?

Tel.Is’t not then news?

Pen.Nay, nay, thou art deceived.An idle tale Eumæus would not hear:A rogue he warned thee of, and not the firstThat thus hath lied.

Pen.Nay, nay, thou art deceived.

An idle tale Eumæus would not hear:

A rogue he warned thee of, and not the first

That thus hath lied.

Tel.There hath been none like him.

Pen.Their tale is still the same, and spiced to matchAny credulity.

Pen.Their tale is still the same, and spiced to match

Any credulity.

1260Tel.I would not haveThy mind less wary, nor bespeak thy credit.To-morrow I will bring him here, and then,He being our guest, thyself mayst question him.And be thou not persuaded, I will lookNo longer for my father’s wished return;Nor after lend an ear to any man,But hold him as our enemy, who saithUlysses lives.

Tel.I would not have

Thy mind less wary, nor bespeak thy credit.

To-morrow I will bring him here, and then,

He being our guest, thyself mayst question him.

And be thou not persuaded, I will look

No longer for my father’s wished return;

Nor after lend an ear to any man,

But hold him as our enemy, who saith

Ulysses lives.

Pen.In hoping and despairingThou art too quick, my son; and past occasionsHave taught thee nought. Come, tell me of thyself,1271And of thy journey. Tell me too of Helen,Is she still beautiful? and doth she liveForgiven of Menelaus and beloved?

Pen.In hoping and despairing

Thou art too quick, my son; and past occasions

Have taught thee nought. Come, tell me of thyself,

And of thy journey. Tell me too of Helen,

Is she still beautiful? and doth she live

Forgiven of Menelaus and beloved?

Tel.In good time, mother, shalt thou hear all this,And more. Consider now how best to proveThis beggar, when I bring him.

Tel.In good time, mother, shalt thou hear all this,

And more. Consider now how best to prove

This beggar, when I bring him.

Pen.If need were’Twere easy.—Yet, how should Eumæus err?Hath he not means to sift the false from true?Could such a guest as this thou deemest dwellWith him unknown?

Pen.If need were

’Twere easy.—Yet, how should Eumæus err?

Hath he not means to sift the false from true?

Could such a guest as this thou deemest dwell

With him unknown?

1280Tel.Thou shalt thyself enquire.Weigh well what proof to use, but now no longerDelay the sacrifice my safety calls.[Going.

Tel.Thou shalt thyself enquire.

Weigh well what proof to use, but now no longer

Delay the sacrifice my safety calls.[Going.

Pen.My son!

Tel.Adieu, I go into the town.

Pen.Why wilt thou go?

Tel.First I must make reportTo good Noëmon of his ship returned;Then to pay off my crew.

Tel.First I must make report

To good Noëmon of his ship returned;

Then to pay off my crew.

Pen.Ah, prithee son,Have care: the robbers have a plot to kill thee:They now may lie in wait. ’Tis early dusk.

Pen.Ah, prithee son,

Have care: the robbers have a plot to kill thee:

They now may lie in wait. ’Tis early dusk.

Tel.I fear them not.1289

Pen.Indeed I know their minds.

Tel.The goddess will withhold their impious hands.

Pen.What goddess trustest thou to aid thee so?

Tel.Why who but she that hath preserved my sire?

Pen.Alas! Then take Eumæus with thee, son.

Tel.I need him not. Farewell.

Pen.Then if thou goest,Farewell. But do not tarry.

Pen.Then if thou goest,

Farewell. But do not tarry.

Tel.Bid prepareMy chamber; for at night I shall return.[Exit.

Tel.Bid prepare

My chamber; for at night I shall return.[Exit.

Pen.The gods protect thee.—Would the gods, that made himSo handsome, loving, noble, brave, and good,Had given him wisdom; for without that gift,1300Grace bears no fruit. ’Tis plain to all, my sonHath not the truth of his advertisement:He wears the semblance only, such as luresAnd flatters the deceiver. If I am vexed,’Tis with myself: I looked for better thingsAnd suffer in rebuff. That Menelaus,The delicate, self-seeking Menelaus,Should leave his easeful home to avenge a friend,And that friend dead: and then the wizard tales,Calypso and Proteus, and whatever else,1310And worst of all this ancient beggar-man,Who hath a tale better than all the tales!Alas, alas! my son, thou wilt have needOf much good care. ’Twas ill I did not sendEumæus with him. Now till he return,Patience—and when he is returned, againPatience—’tis so: patience was made for me;And one by one my deprecative daysBring nought, but as they flee, still cry to-morrow.

Pen.The gods protect thee.—Would the gods, that made him

So handsome, loving, noble, brave, and good,

Had given him wisdom; for without that gift,

Grace bears no fruit. ’Tis plain to all, my son

Hath not the truth of his advertisement:

He wears the semblance only, such as lures

And flatters the deceiver. If I am vexed,

’Tis with myself: I looked for better things

And suffer in rebuff. That Menelaus,

The delicate, self-seeking Menelaus,

Should leave his easeful home to avenge a friend,

And that friend dead: and then the wizard tales,

Calypso and Proteus, and whatever else,

And worst of all this ancient beggar-man,

Who hath a tale better than all the tales!

Alas, alas! my son, thou wilt have need

Of much good care. ’Twas ill I did not send

Eumæus with him. Now till he return,

Patience—and when he is returned, again

Patience—’tis so: patience was made for me;

And one by one my deprecative days

Bring nought, but as they flee, still cry to-morrow.

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