ACT · V

ACT · VThe same: ULYSSES and TELEMACHUS.ULYSSES.Looknot thus sad, my son; the day hath dawnedWhich ere it close shall see this house and meRestored; for though the event seem perilous,The goddess’ oath is sure. Look not thus sad.Arouse resolve, and brace intention upWith thoughts to whet thy courage.TELEMACHUS.See, dear father,All things as thou hast ordered have I done,And whatsoever more thou bidst me do2240I shall be glad and ready: fear me not;Nor doubt my courage, if my heart is foolishIn asking one thing of thee.Ul.Speak, my son.Tel.I am sad for thee, father, that thy returnMust be in battle, when thou shouldst have comeIn peace and merriment: and for my motherI grieve, that when her sorrow’s cause is fled,Her joy must break so sternly: and for these hallsI mourn, that they must know the din of arms,And bear the stain of life-blood. But not least2250For these rash men I am sorry, who I knowIn part deserve to die, and yet not all:Being for the most of common parts, no ruderNor worse than others are: while to the worstForgiveness of their wrongs would be, methinks,Nobler revenge, and as a punishmentHeavier than death.Ul.What wouldst thou now, my son?Tel.Reveal thyself, and bid them at the wordDepart in shame. If then they should not fly,There were no help for it: fight.Ul.The manliest heartsAre gentle; and thy speech, son, would convince2261My heart of malice, were my heart my guide:But as thou without question me obeyest,So I the goddess, in whose hands my lifeTill now hath lain.Tel.And will there be no mercyShown to thy servants, who have failed in trust?Ul.Such justice only as shall separateThe false from the innocent. If I should swerveEven in desire from what the goddess bade,She may desert me. Already hath my pity2270Strained my obedience: yestereve I gaveWarning to fly to Lord Amphinomus;For which if I be blamed, what is our risk?At the hands of these wretches my death; or elseReturn denied me to my proper self,Condemned to live unrecognizable,A withered, age-stricken beggar, full of scorn.Tel.Already I love thee, even as now thou art.Ul.O son, this shame stifles me. Where’s Eumæus?I incline to tell him.2279Tel.And there is one besidesWhom we may trust, the neatherd. When time cameTo close the gate, I thought to take them with me.Ul.Ay, do so, son; and order with them thus.When none of all the lords can string the bow,I will call for it: let Eumæus bring it:’Twill rouse disorder; should thy mother tarry,Make that excuse to bid her to her chamber.When once she is gone, I shoot.Tel.With them we are four.Ul.Where be our arms?Tel.They are hid beneath the stairs.Ul.Keep we this side the hall, so shall our foesThe sooner seek the door.2290Tel.Hush! see, they come!Enter Eurymachus, Antinous, Ctesippus(others following).EURYMACHUS.Good-morrow, prince!Tel.Good-morrow, lords.Eur.I pritheeWhat mean those axes planted in the court?They mock my judgment.ANTINOUS.Now I have wagered, prince,They are set to root: the bronze is out of date;They shall be grafted in the spring with iron.Tel.The pleasantry is happier than the wager.This being Apollo’s feast-day, ’tis proposedTo do him honour with some archery:The axes are for mark.CTESIPPUS.Here’s something new:2300What is’t?Eur.The walls, the walls. They are bare of arms.Why are they taken down?Tel.Moving the axes,’Twas found the arms, which in their place had hungUntouched for twenty years, were much decayedAnd perished by the smoke: they are set aside,Where they can be o’erlooked and cleansed from rust.Enter Amphinomus, the rest after him.AMPHINOMUS(and others).Good-day.Tel.Good day.Amph.What are these axes, prince,Set in the court?Tel.Since all will need to know,Let me tell all. It being Apollo’s feast,The queen, my mother, has decreed a trial2310Of shooting in his honour; and the axesYe ask of, are the mark. She gives the prize:The which, with the conditions of the contest,She shall herself proclaim. Until she comes,Sit ye in peace.Ctes.Tell us what prize, I pray.Tel.Beseech you, await.Eur.Be seated, lords, be seated!Wooers(sitting). Can you explain? I am in the darkHow axes are an arrow’s mark?——The arrows, sir, are shot point blankThrough the axes’ heads set up in rank.2320—And that is such a juggling feat,That when you do it you cannot see’t.Ant.Give us some wine. Ho, fellows!Tel.Bear the wineTo lord Antinous.Ctes.Plague him, whoe’er he be,That put this ox-bone in my seat. Old scoundrel,(To Ul.) I think ’twas thou: if not, I owe thee favours:Here goes a present to thee.[Throws.Tel.Now, Ctesippus,Missing thine aim thou madest a better throwThan was thy purpose. For by heaven I swear,That hadst thou hit the stranger, at this moment2330My spear were in thy body, and the goldThy father saveth for thy wedding-day,He should have spent upon thy funeral.Know henceforth all of you, what insolenceMay look to meet from me. I have been a child,And so ye have treated me; I am now a man,Grant it or learn it. (To Ul.) Old man, take thy seat.Wooers.Now if Ulysses ne’er came back,We not for that a lord should lack:So doth this son of his inherit2340His masterful and haughty spirit.Amph.Silence acknowledgeth a true rebuke.There is nought to answer, lords: treat we this strangerWith due respect. But to TelemachusOne word I speak in kindness. While hope wasUlysses might return, he did but wellDiscouraging our courtship of his mother;But now, when hope is gone and all agreeHe never can return, the prince should joinTo urge the queen that she delay no more,But wed the best man here: which were far better2351Both for himself and for his father’s honour,Than all this waste and rancour in his halls.Tel.Nay, now by Zeus, and by my father’s griefs,In no wise do I stay my mother’s marriage.Rather I urge her marry whom she will.But while she wills not, that one word of mineBe breathed to drive her forth, the gods forbid.To her speak, not to me. Lo you, she is here.Wooers.The queen! silence! the queen!Enter Penelope(with bow).Maids follow.PENELOPE.My noble suitors, hear me. The prince, my son,2361Hath told you of the purpose of my coming:Howe’er that be, attend. Ye have now long timeBesieged this widowed house, and day by dayEating and drinking without end, abusedThe absence of its lord; and ever in allYe have still proclaimed one object, me to wooAnd wed. Till now I have barred consent: to-dayI yield me to your urgence to declareWhom I will choose: but since not willingly2370I wed, I set my fortune with the godsTo guide and govern. Here is Ulysses’ bow:With this contest, I pray you, among yourselves,And I will be the prize. Yes, his am IWho strings most easily this bow, and shootsThe truest arrow through the axes’ heads.He is my husband and with him to dayWill I leave this fair house so dearly loved.Eumæus, take the bow. Offer it nowIn turn to all: and let all try in turn;I will sit here and watch.EUMÆUS.2380O honoured mistress,What wilt thou do?NEATHERD.Alas, my tears run down:I never thought to have seen this day.Ant.Now, hinds,Obey. Why weep ye, fools? Your lady needsEncouragement, not pity. Swift obey,Or take your tears without, and leave the bowTo us for whom the prize is;—a prize, my lords,Not lightly to be taken; for none I thinkWill bend it as Ulysses did: none hereIs like the man, as I remember him2390Long years ago, when I was but a lad.Tel.Stay; are all here? This trial being for all,Chance shall exclude none from it. In the houseAre ye full numbers?Eur.Lords, let all sit down,Each in his place.Tel.Eumæus, go without,And see that all be gathered in the court.[Exit Eumæus.Wooers.The queen doth well.—’Tis just and plain,All share the chance.—It goes for noughtTo have boasted favour. They that broughtThe costliest gifts have spent in vain.—Now we may laugh, sirs.—Some that sought2400To overawe our equal claimAre answered well.—I ever thoughtShe was a wise and honest dame.[They sit.Eur.The places all are filled: none lacketh here.Eum.(returning). All are assembled, prince, within the court.Tel.Come forth in turn then, and assay the bow.I think Zeus robs me of my wits.—I laugh:’Tis true I laugh.—Ye understand, my lords,My wise and honoured mother hath declared2410That she will wed a stranger, and go forthAnd leave this house:—and I laugh and am glad!Come then, I say; seeing this is the prize,A lady without rival in the land;What say I? Not in all the Achæan lands,In sacred Pylos, Argos, or Mycenæ,Or elsewhere. But ye know this, and indeedWhy should I praise my mother? Come, I call you;Come forth, assay the bow. Who cometh first?Why, now I see I am a fool; myself,2420Why not myself? If I should string it best,And easiest, and shoot truest at the mark,Then I reserve the prize: my lady motherWill never quit these halls. Yes, and I thinkI have some phantom of my father’s strength.—Eur.Nay, prince, this was not bargained.Ant.Let him try.Tel.It bends, it yields; but what you say is just;’Tis not for me. Ye be the mighty men:I hand it you.Eur.Rise each in turn,As the wine circles. First is Sir Leiodes,The soothsayer.LEIODES.Give it me.2430Eum.Sir, mayst thou fail.Leiod.Curse on thy tongue. I asked not thy goodwill.Tel.(aside to Eum.). I need thy aid without: thou and the neatherdFollow me thro’ the postern: let none see you.Some wooers rise from their seats. Tel., Eum., and neatherd go out by the postern doorR.Leiod.I cannot bend it: ’tis a deadly bow.Ay, if I ever have spoken sooth, to-dayMy spirit is true. This is no marrying bow.’Twill prove our shame and death. Another take it.I have done with it. We have all along been fooled;Now more than ever. But if any yet2440Hope for the lady, let him try the bow,And then go woo another.Ant.Think not, sir,Because thy hands are white and delicate,There be no men of sinew.Eur.Peace, my lords!A suitor.’Tis stiff and dry with age. Bring me some oil:If it be rubbed therewith and warmed the while,’Twill ease it mightily.Ant.Ay, do ye so.[They take it to the fire.Chorus—Wooers(inter se).What was it, friend, I heard thee say?—Seest thou the arms, that in the hallWere wont to hang, are gone to-day?—Ay, so they be, sir, one and all.—2450Mark you this dust beneath the wall?—Well, sir, what of it?—hark, ’tis saidThat, as Eumæus took last nightThe axes from their rank o’erhead,He saw a strange and fearful sight;For all the arms, which never yetHad been disturbed where they were setBy good Ulysses years ago,Crumbled before his eyes; and lo!2460Spear, helm, and shield, without a sound,Fell down in dust upon the ground.—That was an omen.—True, and weThe accomplishment to-day shall see.—Ulysses’ reign is past and fled:—Ay, and his spirit here hath beenTo do this thing, knowing the queenShould to another man be wed.The suitor(2nd competitor). I cannot bend it.3rd.Go to, sir, give it me.Thou heldst it wrongly,—but thus.—24692nd.Ay, teach me, shew me!3rd.Ah! ah! ah! Nay, indeed it yieldeth not.What is it made of? Were’t of Indian hornI must have broke it. Bah! I have wrenched my back!Eur.Sirs, ’tis my turn. Ye do us little honour.’Tis warm to the hand, and well hath drunk the oil.Now be I first to string it.Wooers.See!See he will do it if any can.—He is the best, and so ’twill be.—He standeth firm: it yieldeth now.—Well done! Eurymachus will win.—2480See how his striving body strains!—Fixed like the image of a manIn stone he stands.—Now for it!-The veinsStand out upon his darkening brow.—It slowly yields.—He doth it—Nay,It slippeth back.—He giveth in.—He hath failed, he putteth it away.Eur.My friends, I am hurt both for myself and all.And were there but this woman in the world,To miss her could but vex me as it doth.2490But others be there, and my grief is other.For that we came in strength so far behindThe great Ulysses, that we could not stringHis bow, will ring our shame in ears unborn.Ant.That will not be, Eurymachus,—and thou know’st it.This is Apollo’s feast, and on such dayWho should presume in archery? Sit down;And let the bow and other gear abide.Meanwhile pour out libations to the god,And make a sacrifice. To-morrow morn,2500Be he appeased, we may with his good favourFind better fortune.Eur.’Tis well spoke, my lords.Consent ye all?Wooers.Ay, ay.Eur.Then be it so.What saith our honoured lady?Pen.Well, my lords,’Tis an untoward ending. Shall I thinkYe will not, or ye cannot?Eur.Be contentTo wait but till to-morrow, we beseech thee.—Bring round the wine.Tel.(who has entered unperceived with Eum. andneatherd).Ho! men, take round the wine.Eum.Will they not need it?Ant.Thou impertinent swineherd,Go to thy pigs.Eum.Ay, ay, my lord.Ul.Hear me,2510Ye warriors, wooers of Ulysses’ queen,And you, Antinous and EurymachusIn chief! ’Tis well ye urge to stay the contest,And pour libations, that the archer godTo-morrow may grant strength to whom he will.But first give me the bow, that I may gaugeMy strength with yours, to see if yet remainsSome muscle lithe of what once clothed my limbs,Or if ’tis withered all with age and want.Wooers.Ho! ho! The beggar thinks that he2520Shall win the fair Penelope.Ant.Thou wretched fool, thou hast even less wit than hairs:Art not content in our high companyTo sit at ease, and have thy share, and hearOur talk, and see our pleasure ’gainst our will?The unwonted wine dilates what brains thou hast,To make thee think thou canst contend with us.Pen.Antinous, I forbid this disrespectBefore me of my guest: and by my lifeThou dost him wrong. To me he seems as tall2530And strongly built as thou; he boasts to beNo less well born:—I grant him place and speech.Thinkest thou if he string Ulysses’ bowThat I should wed him?—Nay, nor he thinks that.Fret not yourselves, beseech you, with such fears.Eur.Far be the thought, O wise Penelope:And since he hath nought to gain, let him not try it:Lest if he string it, men should say hereafter,Naming our names,The great bow of Ulysses2539These could not handle, but a beggar strung it.Pen.Look ye to future times for fair renown?That hath been forfeit long. Stick not at this.Give him the bow; he too shall have his prize.A king’s son is he: ay, and like a kingFrom this house shall he issue clad and armedFrom head to foot, as are the best of you.I say, give him the bow.Tel.Mother, the bow is mine:To give it or withhold it is my right,And mine alone, which none can gainsay here.And choose I now to give it to this beggar,2550’Tis his to bear away for good and all.And what I will, that shall I do. To meTherefore leave this dispute: to-day the trial,Thou seest, is closed. Retire thou to thy chamber,And there at loom and distaff set thy maids their tasks.But this, which looks not like to be a lady’s matter,Is mine, for mine is lordship in this house.Pen.Well, son, then I shall go. Follow me, maids.[Exit Pen. and maids.Chor.Wooers.What hath come o’er the prince? and whyBids he his royal mother hence:2560Pushing his haughty speech so highIn strange, undutiful offence?Ul.Bring me the bow that I may try my skill.Wooers(to Eumæus). Stay! man, stay!—Whither wilt thou go,Bearing the great resistless bow?Stay. We will slay thee if thou dare!—Forbear! Forbear!—Tel.Standest thou! servest thou so many masters?On man, and give it him: say thee nay who dares.Wooers.Ha! ha! he knows not what to do:2570Now he will go, and now he stands.—Go, give it in the beggar’s hands.—Ay, let him have it and welcome too.—And thee, old man, may Fortune bless,As thou therewith shalt find success.Eum.(giving to Ul.). Master, O master!...Ul.(aside).Silence.—Now may ApolloGrant me but half the strength that once was mine,And ye shall see if I can bend a bow.Wooers.By heaven, the beggar hath an eye.—He holds it as he knew the trick.—2580Perchance he hath the like laid byAt home.—Or ’tis his thought to tryTo fashion such another stick.—He bends it at his will.—’Tis done!—’Tis done!—He hath strung it.—See ’tis done.Ul.Behold, prince, if I have not been wrongly scorned.Give me the arrows. Now they have seen my strength,These lords belike would have me prove my skill.Wooers.Now will he shoot? The villains bringThe arrows.—Ay, he taketh one,2590To set it on the string.Ul.Now is the irresoluble contest o’er:Though what remains to do be not child’s play.But I will hit a mark ye little think of.Apollo aid me![Shoots Antinous.Wooers.Ah! Ah! Beware, beware!Ant.(falling back). Ah!Wooers. Oh, madman! madman! Seize him!Eur.Man, what dost thou?Amph.What hast thou done? Thou’st slain a man.Ctes.O villain!Wooers.He’s dead. Antinous is slain.Other wooers(appearing at door).The lord Antinous is slain.Eur.Foolhardy wretch, this murder is thy death.2601Whether unwittingly, or wittingly,It matters not: thou hast slain the noblest princeOf the isle; and swiftly shall he be avenged.Ul.(leaping up to where Penelope had sat. Tel., Eum.,and neatherd join him). Dogs! ye that said I never should returnFrom Trojan soil: ye that would waste my house,And woo my wife while yet I was alive:Nor feared the gods in heav’n, nor shame of men:Now are the bonds of death made fast upon you.I am Ulysses.Wooers.Ah, think you!—think you!Others without.See! see!Eur.Stay, sir, awhile!2610Wooers.Fly! fly!—’Tis he!’Tis he, fly! See the prince, and thereHis two men—Speak, sir! speak him fair—Eur.Stay, sir, awhile, I pray thee. If thou indeedArt he, the good Ulysses safe returned,As by thy deeds and words thou makest to be,Thou wilt hear reason, as thy speech is just.’Tis true ill hath been done thee in house and field:But he lies dead, who was the chief in blame;We may rejoice, for he brought all about,2620Antinous, less eager for the marriageOr dower, than in ambitious hope, now quenched,That he should reign in Ithaca:—to which endHe would have killed the prince. But, he being dead,Spare thou thy folk, sir, spare thine own; and weFor all wrong done thee will repay in full,Each one in answer for waste hitherto,Bringing the worth of twenty oxen, ay,And bronze and iron in plenty, till thy heartBe well appeased, that now is justly stirred.Ul.O nay: not though thou gavest me all thy wealth,2631What now thou hast, or after shouldst inherit,Could that be thine atonement; nor the likeOf each for each, that I should stay my handsFrom slaying here the wooers of my wife.This choice ye have, to fight or fly; but flyingOr fighting I shall slay you with these arrows.Wooers(without). ’Tis he: he shooteth: fly.Wooers(within). Wrath of the gods, ’tis he.To arms!—Nay, fly.—O fly—[Many begin to escape.Ul.I am come late indeed, but in good time.2641Amph.Out, sirs, haste thro’ the doors:To-morrow it may beHe may be appeased; now fly.Avoid his anger now.[They fly.Eur.Fight. We shall overwhelm them. Follow me!Ctes.Fly while we may, I say.[Exit.Eur.Who is with me?Eum.Come, lord Eurymachus; and I will kill thee,Even as a pig.Eur.Death to thee, hind. Now charge!Some wooers.Charge all together. Down!2649Tel.Now, robbers, die.Eur.Ah! ah! I am slain.[Falls dead.The others.Fly, fly, fly, fly.[Exeunt.Tel.They are caught.[Cries without.Ul.While I stand here and shoot, fetch forth the arms.[Shoots.Wooers(without). To the gate; to the gate. Ulysses is returned.Fly, fly! Throw wide the gate. The gate, the gate!Eum.Master, ’tis thou indeed: and I not know thee!Ul.Serve me but now, as when thou knew’st me not.[Shoots. Cries.Tel.See here thy shield, my father, and the spears.Ul.Now forth with me and fear not, for the goddessIs with us. We will stand upon the threshold,And from that vantage fight. Be we hard pressed,2660Retire within, and bar the door. Now forth![Exeunt Ul., Tel., Eum., and neatherd in fighting order. The doors close behind them.Re-enter Penelope and maids.Maids(entering down the stairs).They are gone: they are gone without. The hall is still.Pen.Hark! hark! They fight without. Telemachus,Telemachus, my son! Ah! evil day!The bow, the bow. And corpses in the hall.1st Maid.Woe, woe: see ’tis the lord Eurymachus,Slain by a spear.2nd Maid.Another by the wall.Beauteous Antinous. Alas, alas!Pen.Hark how they shout. Alas, my son, my son!They slay him in the court. His haughty spirit2670Proudly rebuking them hath done it. I hearHis speech that taunts them still.2nd Maid.Shall I look forth?1st.Ay, to the door and spy—Softly one wingDraw back and spy between. (Here the door is opened by Maid 2.) Ah me, the noise,And din of arms.2nd.Lady, the prince is safe.Pen.What seest thou? tell me.2nd.O, but see thyselfThe deadly fight.Pen.I dare not look upon it.Who fights ’gainst whom?2nd.The beggar on the stairDeals death around, and by him stand the prince,The neatherd, and Eumæus. Ah! he is struck!Nay, nay. They keep all off with spear and shield.[Cries without.Pen.Alas, the shrieks of death. I faint, ho! help me.Lead me to the chair.[Sits down.1st.They may burst in: beseech thee,2681Back to thy chamber!Pen.Nay, if my son be safe.Watch there, and tell me.—Is he yet unhurt?2nd.They spring upon the beggar and the prince,And as they spring, they are slain.—They lie in heaps.Pen.Alas! what cries! Say, is the prince still safe?2nd.He shieldeth himself well, and striketh surely.His foes fall dead before him. Ah! now what see I?Who cometh? Lo! a dazzling helm, a spear2690Of silver or electron; sharp and swiftThe piercings. How they fall. Ha, shields are raisedIn vain. I am blinded, or the beggar-manHath waxed in strength. He is changed, he is young. O strange!He is all in golden armour. These are gods,That slay the wooers. (Runs to Pen.) O lady, forgive me!’Tis Ares’ self. I saw his crispèd beard:I saw beneath his helm his curling locks.None will escape. O lady, save me, save me.[Kneels.Maids all.Let them not slay us. Lady! lady! forgive us!2699Pen.Why kneelest thou to me? Fools, why to me?I have nothing to forgive you. There is no wrong’Twixt me and you: Or if the gods should punish,Can I protect?Maids.Forgive us, queen, forgive us!Pen.I see ye are dazed—no wonder.—The thing is trueYe say. The gods are come. I know it: I spakeWith one myself unweeting: and he badeConfront those robbers with the bow of death.That hath provoked our fate. Ah, cursèd dayThe Greeks set forth for Troy. Accurst was Helen,2710Accurst was Menelaus, AgamemnonAccurst, who o’er us drew a net of ill:Whence since is no escape, no not for one.Not Ilion burned, not Greece made bare of men,Not ten years’ war, nor to their widowed homesThe barred return of heroes could sufficeTo fill the cup of evil, which the gods,Dooming one deed of all the deeds of men,The folly of one woman and one man,Have heaped upon us. Now the unending slaughterFalls on this house. Was joy, or woe, my crime?To have had, or lost the best of all the Greeks?2722My patience, watching twenty years, or nowTo have yielded but a little? O ye high gods,Smite all ill-doers; ay, smite me with death,Triumphant Ares, if within my body,My lord being dead, there is either hope or loveThat may be callèd life. I would not live,I have no cause to live: but O my son—Spare him!2nd Maid.O lady, ’tis not him, but usAres will slay.Pen.Look, look again.27302nd.I fear.’Tis now more dread than ever. The cries have ceased.Pen.Hush, hark—ay, all is still. Look forth, I say.Re-enter Tel., Eum., and neatherd.My son, my son, thou livest.Tel.Thou art here! thou knowest?Pen.What means this fight? what hath been done?Tel.Thou knowest not?The robbers are all slain.Pen.All slain!Tel.My fatherIs here.Pen.Son, son!Tel.He hath returned—’Tis true—And in his vengeance slain them all.Pen.What say’st thou?Tel.Mother, believe: our sorrow is o’er. ’Tis he,The man disguised, who spake with thee last night:But now himself.2740Eum.O lady, ’tis the master,Just as he was.Tel.The tidings hath o’ercome her.Stand from before her.Re-enter Ulysses, as himself.Ul.Now o’er my threshold step I as myself,None will gainsay my coming. Ah here, my son!Tel.She learned her joy too quickly. As I spakeShe fell back swooning.Ul.Watch by her awhile.(To Eum. and neatherd.) Drag ye these bodies forth, and hide the blood;That there be nought to shock her wakening sense.And all ye maids begone. I know to winnowGood wheat from chaff: and what I spake to youShall be to-day accomplished. (Exeunt Maids.) Ha, what see I?2751Beneath yon skins a coward skulks—one more—Traitor, come forth!Phem.(appearing from under skins). O my good lord and master,Have pity upon me.Ul.(to Eum.). Take him to the court,And slay him there.Phem.Master, have pity on me:I am but a minstrel, and have done no wrong.Tel.Father, I plead for him: ’tis Phemius.Spare him.Ul.Well, be thou spared;—the only one—And live to tell the tale. See, ’tis thy trade.Go from the hall.[Exeunt Phemius and neatherd.2760(To Tel.) Now all is ready, son:Doth she not wake?Tel.Ay, now I think she awakes.Ul.Stand thou in sight. Now, dearest wife, awake!Wife, wife, awake! That word and in my voiceShould call thee from the grave. Dost thou not hear?Pen.Who spake?Ul.I speak to thee again.Pen.Thy hand.Ul.I hold thee, and thou me. ’Tis I. I kiss thee.Pen.’Tis thou. Let it be waking life, or death,Or dream, I see thee.—Ul.Truest and bravest heart, our patient years2770Are crowned with joy.Pen.O love, thou comest in time.Athena appears on the threshold.ATHENA.My work is done. But ere I leave the hauntsOf sorrowing and rejoicing men, I lookTo bless my work. O wise son of Laertes,Thou hast thy house and wife and self restored.Murder, strife, robbery, the wrongs I hate,Revellings and insolence are now avenged.Yet not less am I foe to faithlessness,Breaches of trust and of those modest laws,Which guard high thoughts and heavenly purity.Thy wicked servants slay; which done, make soon2781Purification of thy house defiled:And not forget the oracle, which saidThat thou shouldst find one journey more to make;This thy atonement: and since justice holdsThe crown for good deeds, as the sword for ill,Grudge not this only absence: thy good servantThou wouldst reward; he is a prince; restore himUnto his kingdom: ’tis the will of Zeus.He that hath servèd well hath earned to reign.2790Son of Laertes, wilt thou do this thing?Ul.Yea, goddess, I will do it. Thy will is mine.Eum.(kneeling). Most honoured of all masters!Ath.Then FARE YE WELL.

The same: ULYSSES and TELEMACHUS.ULYSSES.Looknot thus sad, my son; the day hath dawnedWhich ere it close shall see this house and meRestored; for though the event seem perilous,The goddess’ oath is sure. Look not thus sad.Arouse resolve, and brace intention upWith thoughts to whet thy courage.TELEMACHUS.See, dear father,All things as thou hast ordered have I done,And whatsoever more thou bidst me do2240I shall be glad and ready: fear me not;Nor doubt my courage, if my heart is foolishIn asking one thing of thee.Ul.Speak, my son.Tel.I am sad for thee, father, that thy returnMust be in battle, when thou shouldst have comeIn peace and merriment: and for my motherI grieve, that when her sorrow’s cause is fled,Her joy must break so sternly: and for these hallsI mourn, that they must know the din of arms,And bear the stain of life-blood. But not least2250For these rash men I am sorry, who I knowIn part deserve to die, and yet not all:Being for the most of common parts, no ruderNor worse than others are: while to the worstForgiveness of their wrongs would be, methinks,Nobler revenge, and as a punishmentHeavier than death.Ul.What wouldst thou now, my son?Tel.Reveal thyself, and bid them at the wordDepart in shame. If then they should not fly,There were no help for it: fight.Ul.The manliest heartsAre gentle; and thy speech, son, would convince2261My heart of malice, were my heart my guide:But as thou without question me obeyest,So I the goddess, in whose hands my lifeTill now hath lain.Tel.And will there be no mercyShown to thy servants, who have failed in trust?Ul.Such justice only as shall separateThe false from the innocent. If I should swerveEven in desire from what the goddess bade,She may desert me. Already hath my pity2270Strained my obedience: yestereve I gaveWarning to fly to Lord Amphinomus;For which if I be blamed, what is our risk?At the hands of these wretches my death; or elseReturn denied me to my proper self,Condemned to live unrecognizable,A withered, age-stricken beggar, full of scorn.Tel.Already I love thee, even as now thou art.Ul.O son, this shame stifles me. Where’s Eumæus?I incline to tell him.2279Tel.And there is one besidesWhom we may trust, the neatherd. When time cameTo close the gate, I thought to take them with me.Ul.Ay, do so, son; and order with them thus.When none of all the lords can string the bow,I will call for it: let Eumæus bring it:’Twill rouse disorder; should thy mother tarry,Make that excuse to bid her to her chamber.When once she is gone, I shoot.Tel.With them we are four.Ul.Where be our arms?Tel.They are hid beneath the stairs.Ul.Keep we this side the hall, so shall our foesThe sooner seek the door.2290Tel.Hush! see, they come!Enter Eurymachus, Antinous, Ctesippus(others following).EURYMACHUS.Good-morrow, prince!Tel.Good-morrow, lords.Eur.I pritheeWhat mean those axes planted in the court?They mock my judgment.ANTINOUS.Now I have wagered, prince,They are set to root: the bronze is out of date;They shall be grafted in the spring with iron.Tel.The pleasantry is happier than the wager.This being Apollo’s feast-day, ’tis proposedTo do him honour with some archery:The axes are for mark.CTESIPPUS.Here’s something new:2300What is’t?Eur.The walls, the walls. They are bare of arms.Why are they taken down?Tel.Moving the axes,’Twas found the arms, which in their place had hungUntouched for twenty years, were much decayedAnd perished by the smoke: they are set aside,Where they can be o’erlooked and cleansed from rust.Enter Amphinomus, the rest after him.AMPHINOMUS(and others).Good-day.Tel.Good day.Amph.What are these axes, prince,Set in the court?Tel.Since all will need to know,Let me tell all. It being Apollo’s feast,The queen, my mother, has decreed a trial2310Of shooting in his honour; and the axesYe ask of, are the mark. She gives the prize:The which, with the conditions of the contest,She shall herself proclaim. Until she comes,Sit ye in peace.Ctes.Tell us what prize, I pray.Tel.Beseech you, await.Eur.Be seated, lords, be seated!Wooers(sitting). Can you explain? I am in the darkHow axes are an arrow’s mark?——The arrows, sir, are shot point blankThrough the axes’ heads set up in rank.2320—And that is such a juggling feat,That when you do it you cannot see’t.Ant.Give us some wine. Ho, fellows!Tel.Bear the wineTo lord Antinous.Ctes.Plague him, whoe’er he be,That put this ox-bone in my seat. Old scoundrel,(To Ul.) I think ’twas thou: if not, I owe thee favours:Here goes a present to thee.[Throws.Tel.Now, Ctesippus,Missing thine aim thou madest a better throwThan was thy purpose. For by heaven I swear,That hadst thou hit the stranger, at this moment2330My spear were in thy body, and the goldThy father saveth for thy wedding-day,He should have spent upon thy funeral.Know henceforth all of you, what insolenceMay look to meet from me. I have been a child,And so ye have treated me; I am now a man,Grant it or learn it. (To Ul.) Old man, take thy seat.Wooers.Now if Ulysses ne’er came back,We not for that a lord should lack:So doth this son of his inherit2340His masterful and haughty spirit.Amph.Silence acknowledgeth a true rebuke.There is nought to answer, lords: treat we this strangerWith due respect. But to TelemachusOne word I speak in kindness. While hope wasUlysses might return, he did but wellDiscouraging our courtship of his mother;But now, when hope is gone and all agreeHe never can return, the prince should joinTo urge the queen that she delay no more,But wed the best man here: which were far better2351Both for himself and for his father’s honour,Than all this waste and rancour in his halls.Tel.Nay, now by Zeus, and by my father’s griefs,In no wise do I stay my mother’s marriage.Rather I urge her marry whom she will.But while she wills not, that one word of mineBe breathed to drive her forth, the gods forbid.To her speak, not to me. Lo you, she is here.Wooers.The queen! silence! the queen!Enter Penelope(with bow).Maids follow.PENELOPE.My noble suitors, hear me. The prince, my son,2361Hath told you of the purpose of my coming:Howe’er that be, attend. Ye have now long timeBesieged this widowed house, and day by dayEating and drinking without end, abusedThe absence of its lord; and ever in allYe have still proclaimed one object, me to wooAnd wed. Till now I have barred consent: to-dayI yield me to your urgence to declareWhom I will choose: but since not willingly2370I wed, I set my fortune with the godsTo guide and govern. Here is Ulysses’ bow:With this contest, I pray you, among yourselves,And I will be the prize. Yes, his am IWho strings most easily this bow, and shootsThe truest arrow through the axes’ heads.He is my husband and with him to dayWill I leave this fair house so dearly loved.Eumæus, take the bow. Offer it nowIn turn to all: and let all try in turn;I will sit here and watch.EUMÆUS.2380O honoured mistress,What wilt thou do?NEATHERD.Alas, my tears run down:I never thought to have seen this day.Ant.Now, hinds,Obey. Why weep ye, fools? Your lady needsEncouragement, not pity. Swift obey,Or take your tears without, and leave the bowTo us for whom the prize is;—a prize, my lords,Not lightly to be taken; for none I thinkWill bend it as Ulysses did: none hereIs like the man, as I remember him2390Long years ago, when I was but a lad.Tel.Stay; are all here? This trial being for all,Chance shall exclude none from it. In the houseAre ye full numbers?Eur.Lords, let all sit down,Each in his place.Tel.Eumæus, go without,And see that all be gathered in the court.[Exit Eumæus.Wooers.The queen doth well.—’Tis just and plain,All share the chance.—It goes for noughtTo have boasted favour. They that broughtThe costliest gifts have spent in vain.—Now we may laugh, sirs.—Some that sought2400To overawe our equal claimAre answered well.—I ever thoughtShe was a wise and honest dame.[They sit.Eur.The places all are filled: none lacketh here.Eum.(returning). All are assembled, prince, within the court.Tel.Come forth in turn then, and assay the bow.I think Zeus robs me of my wits.—I laugh:’Tis true I laugh.—Ye understand, my lords,My wise and honoured mother hath declared2410That she will wed a stranger, and go forthAnd leave this house:—and I laugh and am glad!Come then, I say; seeing this is the prize,A lady without rival in the land;What say I? Not in all the Achæan lands,In sacred Pylos, Argos, or Mycenæ,Or elsewhere. But ye know this, and indeedWhy should I praise my mother? Come, I call you;Come forth, assay the bow. Who cometh first?Why, now I see I am a fool; myself,2420Why not myself? If I should string it best,And easiest, and shoot truest at the mark,Then I reserve the prize: my lady motherWill never quit these halls. Yes, and I thinkI have some phantom of my father’s strength.—Eur.Nay, prince, this was not bargained.Ant.Let him try.Tel.It bends, it yields; but what you say is just;’Tis not for me. Ye be the mighty men:I hand it you.Eur.Rise each in turn,As the wine circles. First is Sir Leiodes,The soothsayer.LEIODES.Give it me.2430Eum.Sir, mayst thou fail.Leiod.Curse on thy tongue. I asked not thy goodwill.Tel.(aside to Eum.). I need thy aid without: thou and the neatherdFollow me thro’ the postern: let none see you.Some wooers rise from their seats. Tel., Eum., and neatherd go out by the postern doorR.Leiod.I cannot bend it: ’tis a deadly bow.Ay, if I ever have spoken sooth, to-dayMy spirit is true. This is no marrying bow.’Twill prove our shame and death. Another take it.I have done with it. We have all along been fooled;Now more than ever. But if any yet2440Hope for the lady, let him try the bow,And then go woo another.Ant.Think not, sir,Because thy hands are white and delicate,There be no men of sinew.Eur.Peace, my lords!A suitor.’Tis stiff and dry with age. Bring me some oil:If it be rubbed therewith and warmed the while,’Twill ease it mightily.Ant.Ay, do ye so.[They take it to the fire.Chorus—Wooers(inter se).What was it, friend, I heard thee say?—Seest thou the arms, that in the hallWere wont to hang, are gone to-day?—Ay, so they be, sir, one and all.—2450Mark you this dust beneath the wall?—Well, sir, what of it?—hark, ’tis saidThat, as Eumæus took last nightThe axes from their rank o’erhead,He saw a strange and fearful sight;For all the arms, which never yetHad been disturbed where they were setBy good Ulysses years ago,Crumbled before his eyes; and lo!2460Spear, helm, and shield, without a sound,Fell down in dust upon the ground.—That was an omen.—True, and weThe accomplishment to-day shall see.—Ulysses’ reign is past and fled:—Ay, and his spirit here hath beenTo do this thing, knowing the queenShould to another man be wed.The suitor(2nd competitor). I cannot bend it.3rd.Go to, sir, give it me.Thou heldst it wrongly,—but thus.—24692nd.Ay, teach me, shew me!3rd.Ah! ah! ah! Nay, indeed it yieldeth not.What is it made of? Were’t of Indian hornI must have broke it. Bah! I have wrenched my back!Eur.Sirs, ’tis my turn. Ye do us little honour.’Tis warm to the hand, and well hath drunk the oil.Now be I first to string it.Wooers.See!See he will do it if any can.—He is the best, and so ’twill be.—He standeth firm: it yieldeth now.—Well done! Eurymachus will win.—2480See how his striving body strains!—Fixed like the image of a manIn stone he stands.—Now for it!-The veinsStand out upon his darkening brow.—It slowly yields.—He doth it—Nay,It slippeth back.—He giveth in.—He hath failed, he putteth it away.Eur.My friends, I am hurt both for myself and all.And were there but this woman in the world,To miss her could but vex me as it doth.2490But others be there, and my grief is other.For that we came in strength so far behindThe great Ulysses, that we could not stringHis bow, will ring our shame in ears unborn.Ant.That will not be, Eurymachus,—and thou know’st it.This is Apollo’s feast, and on such dayWho should presume in archery? Sit down;And let the bow and other gear abide.Meanwhile pour out libations to the god,And make a sacrifice. To-morrow morn,2500Be he appeased, we may with his good favourFind better fortune.Eur.’Tis well spoke, my lords.Consent ye all?Wooers.Ay, ay.Eur.Then be it so.What saith our honoured lady?Pen.Well, my lords,’Tis an untoward ending. Shall I thinkYe will not, or ye cannot?Eur.Be contentTo wait but till to-morrow, we beseech thee.—Bring round the wine.Tel.(who has entered unperceived with Eum. andneatherd).Ho! men, take round the wine.Eum.Will they not need it?Ant.Thou impertinent swineherd,Go to thy pigs.Eum.Ay, ay, my lord.Ul.Hear me,2510Ye warriors, wooers of Ulysses’ queen,And you, Antinous and EurymachusIn chief! ’Tis well ye urge to stay the contest,And pour libations, that the archer godTo-morrow may grant strength to whom he will.But first give me the bow, that I may gaugeMy strength with yours, to see if yet remainsSome muscle lithe of what once clothed my limbs,Or if ’tis withered all with age and want.Wooers.Ho! ho! The beggar thinks that he2520Shall win the fair Penelope.Ant.Thou wretched fool, thou hast even less wit than hairs:Art not content in our high companyTo sit at ease, and have thy share, and hearOur talk, and see our pleasure ’gainst our will?The unwonted wine dilates what brains thou hast,To make thee think thou canst contend with us.Pen.Antinous, I forbid this disrespectBefore me of my guest: and by my lifeThou dost him wrong. To me he seems as tall2530And strongly built as thou; he boasts to beNo less well born:—I grant him place and speech.Thinkest thou if he string Ulysses’ bowThat I should wed him?—Nay, nor he thinks that.Fret not yourselves, beseech you, with such fears.Eur.Far be the thought, O wise Penelope:And since he hath nought to gain, let him not try it:Lest if he string it, men should say hereafter,Naming our names,The great bow of Ulysses2539These could not handle, but a beggar strung it.Pen.Look ye to future times for fair renown?That hath been forfeit long. Stick not at this.Give him the bow; he too shall have his prize.A king’s son is he: ay, and like a kingFrom this house shall he issue clad and armedFrom head to foot, as are the best of you.I say, give him the bow.Tel.Mother, the bow is mine:To give it or withhold it is my right,And mine alone, which none can gainsay here.And choose I now to give it to this beggar,2550’Tis his to bear away for good and all.And what I will, that shall I do. To meTherefore leave this dispute: to-day the trial,Thou seest, is closed. Retire thou to thy chamber,And there at loom and distaff set thy maids their tasks.But this, which looks not like to be a lady’s matter,Is mine, for mine is lordship in this house.Pen.Well, son, then I shall go. Follow me, maids.[Exit Pen. and maids.Chor.Wooers.What hath come o’er the prince? and whyBids he his royal mother hence:2560Pushing his haughty speech so highIn strange, undutiful offence?Ul.Bring me the bow that I may try my skill.Wooers(to Eumæus). Stay! man, stay!—Whither wilt thou go,Bearing the great resistless bow?Stay. We will slay thee if thou dare!—Forbear! Forbear!—Tel.Standest thou! servest thou so many masters?On man, and give it him: say thee nay who dares.Wooers.Ha! ha! he knows not what to do:2570Now he will go, and now he stands.—Go, give it in the beggar’s hands.—Ay, let him have it and welcome too.—And thee, old man, may Fortune bless,As thou therewith shalt find success.Eum.(giving to Ul.). Master, O master!...Ul.(aside).Silence.—Now may ApolloGrant me but half the strength that once was mine,And ye shall see if I can bend a bow.Wooers.By heaven, the beggar hath an eye.—He holds it as he knew the trick.—2580Perchance he hath the like laid byAt home.—Or ’tis his thought to tryTo fashion such another stick.—He bends it at his will.—’Tis done!—’Tis done!—He hath strung it.—See ’tis done.Ul.Behold, prince, if I have not been wrongly scorned.Give me the arrows. Now they have seen my strength,These lords belike would have me prove my skill.Wooers.Now will he shoot? The villains bringThe arrows.—Ay, he taketh one,2590To set it on the string.Ul.Now is the irresoluble contest o’er:Though what remains to do be not child’s play.But I will hit a mark ye little think of.Apollo aid me![Shoots Antinous.Wooers.Ah! Ah! Beware, beware!Ant.(falling back). Ah!Wooers. Oh, madman! madman! Seize him!Eur.Man, what dost thou?Amph.What hast thou done? Thou’st slain a man.Ctes.O villain!Wooers.He’s dead. Antinous is slain.Other wooers(appearing at door).The lord Antinous is slain.Eur.Foolhardy wretch, this murder is thy death.2601Whether unwittingly, or wittingly,It matters not: thou hast slain the noblest princeOf the isle; and swiftly shall he be avenged.Ul.(leaping up to where Penelope had sat. Tel., Eum.,and neatherd join him). Dogs! ye that said I never should returnFrom Trojan soil: ye that would waste my house,And woo my wife while yet I was alive:Nor feared the gods in heav’n, nor shame of men:Now are the bonds of death made fast upon you.I am Ulysses.Wooers.Ah, think you!—think you!Others without.See! see!Eur.Stay, sir, awhile!2610Wooers.Fly! fly!—’Tis he!’Tis he, fly! See the prince, and thereHis two men—Speak, sir! speak him fair—Eur.Stay, sir, awhile, I pray thee. If thou indeedArt he, the good Ulysses safe returned,As by thy deeds and words thou makest to be,Thou wilt hear reason, as thy speech is just.’Tis true ill hath been done thee in house and field:But he lies dead, who was the chief in blame;We may rejoice, for he brought all about,2620Antinous, less eager for the marriageOr dower, than in ambitious hope, now quenched,That he should reign in Ithaca:—to which endHe would have killed the prince. But, he being dead,Spare thou thy folk, sir, spare thine own; and weFor all wrong done thee will repay in full,Each one in answer for waste hitherto,Bringing the worth of twenty oxen, ay,And bronze and iron in plenty, till thy heartBe well appeased, that now is justly stirred.Ul.O nay: not though thou gavest me all thy wealth,2631What now thou hast, or after shouldst inherit,Could that be thine atonement; nor the likeOf each for each, that I should stay my handsFrom slaying here the wooers of my wife.This choice ye have, to fight or fly; but flyingOr fighting I shall slay you with these arrows.Wooers(without). ’Tis he: he shooteth: fly.Wooers(within). Wrath of the gods, ’tis he.To arms!—Nay, fly.—O fly—[Many begin to escape.Ul.I am come late indeed, but in good time.2641Amph.Out, sirs, haste thro’ the doors:To-morrow it may beHe may be appeased; now fly.Avoid his anger now.[They fly.Eur.Fight. We shall overwhelm them. Follow me!Ctes.Fly while we may, I say.[Exit.Eur.Who is with me?Eum.Come, lord Eurymachus; and I will kill thee,Even as a pig.Eur.Death to thee, hind. Now charge!Some wooers.Charge all together. Down!2649Tel.Now, robbers, die.Eur.Ah! ah! I am slain.[Falls dead.The others.Fly, fly, fly, fly.[Exeunt.Tel.They are caught.[Cries without.Ul.While I stand here and shoot, fetch forth the arms.[Shoots.Wooers(without). To the gate; to the gate. Ulysses is returned.Fly, fly! Throw wide the gate. The gate, the gate!Eum.Master, ’tis thou indeed: and I not know thee!Ul.Serve me but now, as when thou knew’st me not.[Shoots. Cries.Tel.See here thy shield, my father, and the spears.Ul.Now forth with me and fear not, for the goddessIs with us. We will stand upon the threshold,And from that vantage fight. Be we hard pressed,2660Retire within, and bar the door. Now forth![Exeunt Ul., Tel., Eum., and neatherd in fighting order. The doors close behind them.Re-enter Penelope and maids.Maids(entering down the stairs).They are gone: they are gone without. The hall is still.Pen.Hark! hark! They fight without. Telemachus,Telemachus, my son! Ah! evil day!The bow, the bow. And corpses in the hall.1st Maid.Woe, woe: see ’tis the lord Eurymachus,Slain by a spear.2nd Maid.Another by the wall.Beauteous Antinous. Alas, alas!Pen.Hark how they shout. Alas, my son, my son!They slay him in the court. His haughty spirit2670Proudly rebuking them hath done it. I hearHis speech that taunts them still.2nd Maid.Shall I look forth?1st.Ay, to the door and spy—Softly one wingDraw back and spy between. (Here the door is opened by Maid 2.) Ah me, the noise,And din of arms.2nd.Lady, the prince is safe.Pen.What seest thou? tell me.2nd.O, but see thyselfThe deadly fight.Pen.I dare not look upon it.Who fights ’gainst whom?2nd.The beggar on the stairDeals death around, and by him stand the prince,The neatherd, and Eumæus. Ah! he is struck!Nay, nay. They keep all off with spear and shield.[Cries without.Pen.Alas, the shrieks of death. I faint, ho! help me.Lead me to the chair.[Sits down.1st.They may burst in: beseech thee,2681Back to thy chamber!Pen.Nay, if my son be safe.Watch there, and tell me.—Is he yet unhurt?2nd.They spring upon the beggar and the prince,And as they spring, they are slain.—They lie in heaps.Pen.Alas! what cries! Say, is the prince still safe?2nd.He shieldeth himself well, and striketh surely.His foes fall dead before him. Ah! now what see I?Who cometh? Lo! a dazzling helm, a spear2690Of silver or electron; sharp and swiftThe piercings. How they fall. Ha, shields are raisedIn vain. I am blinded, or the beggar-manHath waxed in strength. He is changed, he is young. O strange!He is all in golden armour. These are gods,That slay the wooers. (Runs to Pen.) O lady, forgive me!’Tis Ares’ self. I saw his crispèd beard:I saw beneath his helm his curling locks.None will escape. O lady, save me, save me.[Kneels.Maids all.Let them not slay us. Lady! lady! forgive us!2699Pen.Why kneelest thou to me? Fools, why to me?I have nothing to forgive you. There is no wrong’Twixt me and you: Or if the gods should punish,Can I protect?Maids.Forgive us, queen, forgive us!Pen.I see ye are dazed—no wonder.—The thing is trueYe say. The gods are come. I know it: I spakeWith one myself unweeting: and he badeConfront those robbers with the bow of death.That hath provoked our fate. Ah, cursèd dayThe Greeks set forth for Troy. Accurst was Helen,2710Accurst was Menelaus, AgamemnonAccurst, who o’er us drew a net of ill:Whence since is no escape, no not for one.Not Ilion burned, not Greece made bare of men,Not ten years’ war, nor to their widowed homesThe barred return of heroes could sufficeTo fill the cup of evil, which the gods,Dooming one deed of all the deeds of men,The folly of one woman and one man,Have heaped upon us. Now the unending slaughterFalls on this house. Was joy, or woe, my crime?To have had, or lost the best of all the Greeks?2722My patience, watching twenty years, or nowTo have yielded but a little? O ye high gods,Smite all ill-doers; ay, smite me with death,Triumphant Ares, if within my body,My lord being dead, there is either hope or loveThat may be callèd life. I would not live,I have no cause to live: but O my son—Spare him!2nd Maid.O lady, ’tis not him, but usAres will slay.Pen.Look, look again.27302nd.I fear.’Tis now more dread than ever. The cries have ceased.Pen.Hush, hark—ay, all is still. Look forth, I say.Re-enter Tel., Eum., and neatherd.My son, my son, thou livest.Tel.Thou art here! thou knowest?Pen.What means this fight? what hath been done?Tel.Thou knowest not?The robbers are all slain.Pen.All slain!Tel.My fatherIs here.Pen.Son, son!Tel.He hath returned—’Tis true—And in his vengeance slain them all.Pen.What say’st thou?Tel.Mother, believe: our sorrow is o’er. ’Tis he,The man disguised, who spake with thee last night:But now himself.2740Eum.O lady, ’tis the master,Just as he was.Tel.The tidings hath o’ercome her.Stand from before her.Re-enter Ulysses, as himself.Ul.Now o’er my threshold step I as myself,None will gainsay my coming. Ah here, my son!Tel.She learned her joy too quickly. As I spakeShe fell back swooning.Ul.Watch by her awhile.(To Eum. and neatherd.) Drag ye these bodies forth, and hide the blood;That there be nought to shock her wakening sense.And all ye maids begone. I know to winnowGood wheat from chaff: and what I spake to youShall be to-day accomplished. (Exeunt Maids.) Ha, what see I?2751Beneath yon skins a coward skulks—one more—Traitor, come forth!Phem.(appearing from under skins). O my good lord and master,Have pity upon me.Ul.(to Eum.). Take him to the court,And slay him there.Phem.Master, have pity on me:I am but a minstrel, and have done no wrong.Tel.Father, I plead for him: ’tis Phemius.Spare him.Ul.Well, be thou spared;—the only one—And live to tell the tale. See, ’tis thy trade.Go from the hall.[Exeunt Phemius and neatherd.2760(To Tel.) Now all is ready, son:Doth she not wake?Tel.Ay, now I think she awakes.Ul.Stand thou in sight. Now, dearest wife, awake!Wife, wife, awake! That word and in my voiceShould call thee from the grave. Dost thou not hear?Pen.Who spake?Ul.I speak to thee again.Pen.Thy hand.Ul.I hold thee, and thou me. ’Tis I. I kiss thee.Pen.’Tis thou. Let it be waking life, or death,Or dream, I see thee.—Ul.Truest and bravest heart, our patient years2770Are crowned with joy.Pen.O love, thou comest in time.Athena appears on the threshold.ATHENA.My work is done. But ere I leave the hauntsOf sorrowing and rejoicing men, I lookTo bless my work. O wise son of Laertes,Thou hast thy house and wife and self restored.Murder, strife, robbery, the wrongs I hate,Revellings and insolence are now avenged.Yet not less am I foe to faithlessness,Breaches of trust and of those modest laws,Which guard high thoughts and heavenly purity.Thy wicked servants slay; which done, make soon2781Purification of thy house defiled:And not forget the oracle, which saidThat thou shouldst find one journey more to make;This thy atonement: and since justice holdsThe crown for good deeds, as the sword for ill,Grudge not this only absence: thy good servantThou wouldst reward; he is a prince; restore himUnto his kingdom: ’tis the will of Zeus.He that hath servèd well hath earned to reign.2790Son of Laertes, wilt thou do this thing?Ul.Yea, goddess, I will do it. Thy will is mine.Eum.(kneeling). Most honoured of all masters!Ath.Then FARE YE WELL.

The same: ULYSSES and TELEMACHUS.

ULYSSES.

Looknot thus sad, my son; the day hath dawnedWhich ere it close shall see this house and meRestored; for though the event seem perilous,The goddess’ oath is sure. Look not thus sad.Arouse resolve, and brace intention upWith thoughts to whet thy courage.

Looknot thus sad, my son; the day hath dawned

Which ere it close shall see this house and me

Restored; for though the event seem perilous,

The goddess’ oath is sure. Look not thus sad.

Arouse resolve, and brace intention up

With thoughts to whet thy courage.

TELEMACHUS.

See, dear father,All things as thou hast ordered have I done,And whatsoever more thou bidst me do2240I shall be glad and ready: fear me not;Nor doubt my courage, if my heart is foolishIn asking one thing of thee.

See, dear father,

All things as thou hast ordered have I done,

And whatsoever more thou bidst me do

I shall be glad and ready: fear me not;

Nor doubt my courage, if my heart is foolish

In asking one thing of thee.

Ul.Speak, my son.

Tel.I am sad for thee, father, that thy returnMust be in battle, when thou shouldst have comeIn peace and merriment: and for my motherI grieve, that when her sorrow’s cause is fled,Her joy must break so sternly: and for these hallsI mourn, that they must know the din of arms,And bear the stain of life-blood. But not least2250For these rash men I am sorry, who I knowIn part deserve to die, and yet not all:Being for the most of common parts, no ruderNor worse than others are: while to the worstForgiveness of their wrongs would be, methinks,Nobler revenge, and as a punishmentHeavier than death.

Tel.I am sad for thee, father, that thy return

Must be in battle, when thou shouldst have come

In peace and merriment: and for my mother

I grieve, that when her sorrow’s cause is fled,

Her joy must break so sternly: and for these halls

I mourn, that they must know the din of arms,

And bear the stain of life-blood. But not least

For these rash men I am sorry, who I know

In part deserve to die, and yet not all:

Being for the most of common parts, no ruder

Nor worse than others are: while to the worst

Forgiveness of their wrongs would be, methinks,

Nobler revenge, and as a punishment

Heavier than death.

Ul.What wouldst thou now, my son?

Tel.Reveal thyself, and bid them at the wordDepart in shame. If then they should not fly,There were no help for it: fight.

Tel.Reveal thyself, and bid them at the word

Depart in shame. If then they should not fly,

There were no help for it: fight.

Ul.The manliest heartsAre gentle; and thy speech, son, would convince2261My heart of malice, were my heart my guide:But as thou without question me obeyest,So I the goddess, in whose hands my lifeTill now hath lain.

Ul.The manliest hearts

Are gentle; and thy speech, son, would convince

My heart of malice, were my heart my guide:

But as thou without question me obeyest,

So I the goddess, in whose hands my life

Till now hath lain.

Tel.And will there be no mercyShown to thy servants, who have failed in trust?

Tel.And will there be no mercy

Shown to thy servants, who have failed in trust?

Ul.Such justice only as shall separateThe false from the innocent. If I should swerveEven in desire from what the goddess bade,She may desert me. Already hath my pity2270Strained my obedience: yestereve I gaveWarning to fly to Lord Amphinomus;For which if I be blamed, what is our risk?At the hands of these wretches my death; or elseReturn denied me to my proper self,Condemned to live unrecognizable,A withered, age-stricken beggar, full of scorn.

Ul.Such justice only as shall separate

The false from the innocent. If I should swerve

Even in desire from what the goddess bade,

She may desert me. Already hath my pity

Strained my obedience: yestereve I gave

Warning to fly to Lord Amphinomus;

For which if I be blamed, what is our risk?

At the hands of these wretches my death; or else

Return denied me to my proper self,

Condemned to live unrecognizable,

A withered, age-stricken beggar, full of scorn.

Tel.Already I love thee, even as now thou art.

Ul.O son, this shame stifles me. Where’s Eumæus?I incline to tell him.

Ul.O son, this shame stifles me. Where’s Eumæus?

I incline to tell him.

2279Tel.And there is one besidesWhom we may trust, the neatherd. When time cameTo close the gate, I thought to take them with me.

Tel.And there is one besides

Whom we may trust, the neatherd. When time came

To close the gate, I thought to take them with me.

Ul.Ay, do so, son; and order with them thus.When none of all the lords can string the bow,I will call for it: let Eumæus bring it:’Twill rouse disorder; should thy mother tarry,Make that excuse to bid her to her chamber.When once she is gone, I shoot.

Ul.Ay, do so, son; and order with them thus.

When none of all the lords can string the bow,

I will call for it: let Eumæus bring it:

’Twill rouse disorder; should thy mother tarry,

Make that excuse to bid her to her chamber.

When once she is gone, I shoot.

Tel.With them we are four.

Ul.Where be our arms?

Tel.They are hid beneath the stairs.

Ul.Keep we this side the hall, so shall our foesThe sooner seek the door.

Ul.Keep we this side the hall, so shall our foes

The sooner seek the door.

2290Tel.Hush! see, they come!

Tel.Hush! see, they come!

Enter Eurymachus, Antinous, Ctesippus(others following).

EURYMACHUS.

Good-morrow, prince!

Tel.Good-morrow, lords.

Eur.I pritheeWhat mean those axes planted in the court?They mock my judgment.

Eur.I prithee

What mean those axes planted in the court?

They mock my judgment.

ANTINOUS.

Now I have wagered, prince,They are set to root: the bronze is out of date;They shall be grafted in the spring with iron.

Now I have wagered, prince,

They are set to root: the bronze is out of date;

They shall be grafted in the spring with iron.

Tel.The pleasantry is happier than the wager.This being Apollo’s feast-day, ’tis proposedTo do him honour with some archery:The axes are for mark.

Tel.The pleasantry is happier than the wager.

This being Apollo’s feast-day, ’tis proposed

To do him honour with some archery:

The axes are for mark.

CTESIPPUS.

Here’s something new:2300What is’t?

Here’s something new:

What is’t?

Eur.The walls, the walls. They are bare of arms.Why are they taken down?

Eur.The walls, the walls. They are bare of arms.

Why are they taken down?

Tel.Moving the axes,’Twas found the arms, which in their place had hungUntouched for twenty years, were much decayedAnd perished by the smoke: they are set aside,Where they can be o’erlooked and cleansed from rust.

Tel.Moving the axes,

’Twas found the arms, which in their place had hung

Untouched for twenty years, were much decayed

And perished by the smoke: they are set aside,

Where they can be o’erlooked and cleansed from rust.

Enter Amphinomus, the rest after him.

AMPHINOMUS(and others).

Good-day.

Tel.Good day.

Amph.What are these axes, prince,Set in the court?

Amph.What are these axes, prince,

Set in the court?

Tel.Since all will need to know,Let me tell all. It being Apollo’s feast,The queen, my mother, has decreed a trial2310Of shooting in his honour; and the axesYe ask of, are the mark. She gives the prize:The which, with the conditions of the contest,She shall herself proclaim. Until she comes,Sit ye in peace.

Tel.Since all will need to know,

Let me tell all. It being Apollo’s feast,

The queen, my mother, has decreed a trial

Of shooting in his honour; and the axes

Ye ask of, are the mark. She gives the prize:

The which, with the conditions of the contest,

She shall herself proclaim. Until she comes,

Sit ye in peace.

Ctes.Tell us what prize, I pray.

Tel.Beseech you, await.

Eur.Be seated, lords, be seated!

Wooers(sitting). Can you explain? I am in the darkHow axes are an arrow’s mark?——The arrows, sir, are shot point blankThrough the axes’ heads set up in rank.2320—And that is such a juggling feat,That when you do it you cannot see’t.

Wooers(sitting). Can you explain? I am in the dark

How axes are an arrow’s mark?—

—The arrows, sir, are shot point blank

Through the axes’ heads set up in rank.

—And that is such a juggling feat,

That when you do it you cannot see’t.

Ant.Give us some wine. Ho, fellows!

Tel.Bear the wineTo lord Antinous.

Tel.Bear the wine

To lord Antinous.

Ctes.Plague him, whoe’er he be,That put this ox-bone in my seat. Old scoundrel,(To Ul.) I think ’twas thou: if not, I owe thee favours:Here goes a present to thee.[Throws.

Ctes.Plague him, whoe’er he be,

That put this ox-bone in my seat. Old scoundrel,

(To Ul.) I think ’twas thou: if not, I owe thee favours:

Here goes a present to thee.[Throws.

Tel.Now, Ctesippus,Missing thine aim thou madest a better throwThan was thy purpose. For by heaven I swear,That hadst thou hit the stranger, at this moment2330My spear were in thy body, and the goldThy father saveth for thy wedding-day,He should have spent upon thy funeral.Know henceforth all of you, what insolenceMay look to meet from me. I have been a child,And so ye have treated me; I am now a man,Grant it or learn it. (To Ul.) Old man, take thy seat.

Tel.Now, Ctesippus,

Missing thine aim thou madest a better throw

Than was thy purpose. For by heaven I swear,

That hadst thou hit the stranger, at this moment

My spear were in thy body, and the gold

Thy father saveth for thy wedding-day,

He should have spent upon thy funeral.

Know henceforth all of you, what insolence

May look to meet from me. I have been a child,

And so ye have treated me; I am now a man,

Grant it or learn it. (To Ul.) Old man, take thy seat.

Wooers.Now if Ulysses ne’er came back,We not for that a lord should lack:So doth this son of his inherit2340His masterful and haughty spirit.

Wooers.Now if Ulysses ne’er came back,

We not for that a lord should lack:

So doth this son of his inherit

His masterful and haughty spirit.

Amph.Silence acknowledgeth a true rebuke.There is nought to answer, lords: treat we this strangerWith due respect. But to TelemachusOne word I speak in kindness. While hope wasUlysses might return, he did but wellDiscouraging our courtship of his mother;But now, when hope is gone and all agreeHe never can return, the prince should joinTo urge the queen that she delay no more,But wed the best man here: which were far better2351Both for himself and for his father’s honour,Than all this waste and rancour in his halls.

Amph.Silence acknowledgeth a true rebuke.

There is nought to answer, lords: treat we this stranger

With due respect. But to Telemachus

One word I speak in kindness. While hope was

Ulysses might return, he did but well

Discouraging our courtship of his mother;

But now, when hope is gone and all agree

He never can return, the prince should join

To urge the queen that she delay no more,

But wed the best man here: which were far better

Both for himself and for his father’s honour,

Than all this waste and rancour in his halls.

Tel.Nay, now by Zeus, and by my father’s griefs,In no wise do I stay my mother’s marriage.Rather I urge her marry whom she will.But while she wills not, that one word of mineBe breathed to drive her forth, the gods forbid.To her speak, not to me. Lo you, she is here.

Tel.Nay, now by Zeus, and by my father’s griefs,

In no wise do I stay my mother’s marriage.

Rather I urge her marry whom she will.

But while she wills not, that one word of mine

Be breathed to drive her forth, the gods forbid.

To her speak, not to me. Lo you, she is here.

Wooers.The queen! silence! the queen!

Enter Penelope(with bow).Maids follow.

PENELOPE.

My noble suitors, hear me. The prince, my son,2361Hath told you of the purpose of my coming:Howe’er that be, attend. Ye have now long timeBesieged this widowed house, and day by dayEating and drinking without end, abusedThe absence of its lord; and ever in allYe have still proclaimed one object, me to wooAnd wed. Till now I have barred consent: to-dayI yield me to your urgence to declareWhom I will choose: but since not willingly2370I wed, I set my fortune with the godsTo guide and govern. Here is Ulysses’ bow:With this contest, I pray you, among yourselves,And I will be the prize. Yes, his am IWho strings most easily this bow, and shootsThe truest arrow through the axes’ heads.He is my husband and with him to dayWill I leave this fair house so dearly loved.Eumæus, take the bow. Offer it nowIn turn to all: and let all try in turn;I will sit here and watch.

My noble suitors, hear me. The prince, my son,

Hath told you of the purpose of my coming:

Howe’er that be, attend. Ye have now long time

Besieged this widowed house, and day by day

Eating and drinking without end, abused

The absence of its lord; and ever in all

Ye have still proclaimed one object, me to woo

And wed. Till now I have barred consent: to-day

I yield me to your urgence to declare

Whom I will choose: but since not willingly

I wed, I set my fortune with the gods

To guide and govern. Here is Ulysses’ bow:

With this contest, I pray you, among yourselves,

And I will be the prize. Yes, his am I

Who strings most easily this bow, and shoots

The truest arrow through the axes’ heads.

He is my husband and with him to day

Will I leave this fair house so dearly loved.

Eumæus, take the bow. Offer it now

In turn to all: and let all try in turn;

I will sit here and watch.

EUMÆUS.

2380O honoured mistress,What wilt thou do?

O honoured mistress,

What wilt thou do?

NEATHERD.

Alas, my tears run down:I never thought to have seen this day.

Alas, my tears run down:

I never thought to have seen this day.

Ant.Now, hinds,Obey. Why weep ye, fools? Your lady needsEncouragement, not pity. Swift obey,Or take your tears without, and leave the bowTo us for whom the prize is;—a prize, my lords,Not lightly to be taken; for none I thinkWill bend it as Ulysses did: none hereIs like the man, as I remember him2390Long years ago, when I was but a lad.

Ant.Now, hinds,

Obey. Why weep ye, fools? Your lady needs

Encouragement, not pity. Swift obey,

Or take your tears without, and leave the bow

To us for whom the prize is;—a prize, my lords,

Not lightly to be taken; for none I think

Will bend it as Ulysses did: none here

Is like the man, as I remember him

Long years ago, when I was but a lad.

Tel.Stay; are all here? This trial being for all,Chance shall exclude none from it. In the houseAre ye full numbers?

Tel.Stay; are all here? This trial being for all,

Chance shall exclude none from it. In the house

Are ye full numbers?

Eur.Lords, let all sit down,Each in his place.

Eur.Lords, let all sit down,

Each in his place.

Tel.Eumæus, go without,And see that all be gathered in the court.

Tel.Eumæus, go without,

And see that all be gathered in the court.

[Exit Eumæus.

Wooers.The queen doth well.—’Tis just and plain,All share the chance.—It goes for noughtTo have boasted favour. They that broughtThe costliest gifts have spent in vain.—Now we may laugh, sirs.—Some that sought2400To overawe our equal claimAre answered well.—I ever thoughtShe was a wise and honest dame.[They sit.

Wooers.The queen doth well.—’Tis just and plain,

All share the chance.—It goes for nought

To have boasted favour. They that brought

The costliest gifts have spent in vain.—

Now we may laugh, sirs.—Some that sought2400

To overawe our equal claim

Are answered well.—I ever thought

She was a wise and honest dame.[They sit.

Eur.The places all are filled: none lacketh here.

Eum.(returning). All are assembled, prince, within the court.

Tel.Come forth in turn then, and assay the bow.I think Zeus robs me of my wits.—I laugh:’Tis true I laugh.—Ye understand, my lords,My wise and honoured mother hath declared2410That she will wed a stranger, and go forthAnd leave this house:—and I laugh and am glad!Come then, I say; seeing this is the prize,A lady without rival in the land;What say I? Not in all the Achæan lands,In sacred Pylos, Argos, or Mycenæ,Or elsewhere. But ye know this, and indeedWhy should I praise my mother? Come, I call you;Come forth, assay the bow. Who cometh first?Why, now I see I am a fool; myself,2420Why not myself? If I should string it best,And easiest, and shoot truest at the mark,Then I reserve the prize: my lady motherWill never quit these halls. Yes, and I thinkI have some phantom of my father’s strength.—

Tel.Come forth in turn then, and assay the bow.

I think Zeus robs me of my wits.—I laugh:

’Tis true I laugh.—Ye understand, my lords,

My wise and honoured mother hath declared

That she will wed a stranger, and go forth

And leave this house:—and I laugh and am glad!

Come then, I say; seeing this is the prize,

A lady without rival in the land;

What say I? Not in all the Achæan lands,

In sacred Pylos, Argos, or Mycenæ,

Or elsewhere. But ye know this, and indeed

Why should I praise my mother? Come, I call you;

Come forth, assay the bow. Who cometh first?

Why, now I see I am a fool; myself,

Why not myself? If I should string it best,

And easiest, and shoot truest at the mark,

Then I reserve the prize: my lady mother

Will never quit these halls. Yes, and I think

I have some phantom of my father’s strength.—

Eur.Nay, prince, this was not bargained.

Ant.Let him try.

Tel.It bends, it yields; but what you say is just;’Tis not for me. Ye be the mighty men:I hand it you.

Tel.It bends, it yields; but what you say is just;

’Tis not for me. Ye be the mighty men:

I hand it you.

Eur.Rise each in turn,As the wine circles. First is Sir Leiodes,The soothsayer.

Eur.Rise each in turn,

As the wine circles. First is Sir Leiodes,

The soothsayer.

LEIODES.

Give it me.

2430Eum.Sir, mayst thou fail.

Eum.Sir, mayst thou fail.

Leiod.Curse on thy tongue. I asked not thy goodwill.

Tel.(aside to Eum.). I need thy aid without: thou and the neatherdFollow me thro’ the postern: let none see you.

Tel.(aside to Eum.). I need thy aid without: thou and the neatherd

Follow me thro’ the postern: let none see you.

Some wooers rise from their seats. Tel., Eum., and neatherd go out by the postern doorR.

Leiod.I cannot bend it: ’tis a deadly bow.Ay, if I ever have spoken sooth, to-dayMy spirit is true. This is no marrying bow.’Twill prove our shame and death. Another take it.I have done with it. We have all along been fooled;Now more than ever. But if any yet2440Hope for the lady, let him try the bow,And then go woo another.

Leiod.I cannot bend it: ’tis a deadly bow.

Ay, if I ever have spoken sooth, to-day

My spirit is true. This is no marrying bow.

’Twill prove our shame and death. Another take it.

I have done with it. We have all along been fooled;

Now more than ever. But if any yet

Hope for the lady, let him try the bow,

And then go woo another.

Ant.Think not, sir,Because thy hands are white and delicate,There be no men of sinew.

Ant.Think not, sir,

Because thy hands are white and delicate,

There be no men of sinew.

Eur.Peace, my lords!

A suitor.’Tis stiff and dry with age. Bring me some oil:If it be rubbed therewith and warmed the while,’Twill ease it mightily.

A suitor.’Tis stiff and dry with age. Bring me some oil:

If it be rubbed therewith and warmed the while,

’Twill ease it mightily.

Ant.Ay, do ye so.

[They take it to the fire.

Chorus—Wooers(inter se).

What was it, friend, I heard thee say?—Seest thou the arms, that in the hallWere wont to hang, are gone to-day?—Ay, so they be, sir, one and all.—2450Mark you this dust beneath the wall?—Well, sir, what of it?—hark, ’tis saidThat, as Eumæus took last nightThe axes from their rank o’erhead,He saw a strange and fearful sight;For all the arms, which never yetHad been disturbed where they were setBy good Ulysses years ago,Crumbled before his eyes; and lo!2460Spear, helm, and shield, without a sound,Fell down in dust upon the ground.—That was an omen.—True, and weThe accomplishment to-day shall see.—Ulysses’ reign is past and fled:—Ay, and his spirit here hath beenTo do this thing, knowing the queenShould to another man be wed.

What was it, friend, I heard thee say?—

Seest thou the arms, that in the hall

Were wont to hang, are gone to-day?—

Ay, so they be, sir, one and all.—2450

Mark you this dust beneath the wall?—

Well, sir, what of it?—hark, ’tis said

That, as Eumæus took last night

The axes from their rank o’erhead,

He saw a strange and fearful sight;

For all the arms, which never yet

Had been disturbed where they were set

By good Ulysses years ago,

Crumbled before his eyes; and lo!

Spear, helm, and shield, without a sound,

Fell down in dust upon the ground.—

That was an omen.—True, and we

The accomplishment to-day shall see.—

Ulysses’ reign is past and fled:—

Ay, and his spirit here hath been

To do this thing, knowing the queen

Should to another man be wed.

The suitor(2nd competitor). I cannot bend it.

3rd.Go to, sir, give it me.Thou heldst it wrongly,—but thus.—2469

3rd.Go to, sir, give it me.

Thou heldst it wrongly,—but thus.—2469

2nd.Ay, teach me, shew me!

3rd.Ah! ah! ah! Nay, indeed it yieldeth not.What is it made of? Were’t of Indian hornI must have broke it. Bah! I have wrenched my back!

3rd.Ah! ah! ah! Nay, indeed it yieldeth not.

What is it made of? Were’t of Indian horn

I must have broke it. Bah! I have wrenched my back!

Eur.Sirs, ’tis my turn. Ye do us little honour.’Tis warm to the hand, and well hath drunk the oil.Now be I first to string it.

Eur.Sirs, ’tis my turn. Ye do us little honour.

’Tis warm to the hand, and well hath drunk the oil.

Now be I first to string it.

Wooers.See!See he will do it if any can.—He is the best, and so ’twill be.—He standeth firm: it yieldeth now.—Well done! Eurymachus will win.—2480See how his striving body strains!—Fixed like the image of a manIn stone he stands.—Now for it!-The veinsStand out upon his darkening brow.—It slowly yields.—He doth it—Nay,It slippeth back.—He giveth in.—He hath failed, he putteth it away.

Wooers.See!

See he will do it if any can.—

He is the best, and so ’twill be.—

He standeth firm: it yieldeth now.—

Well done! Eurymachus will win.—

See how his striving body strains!—

Fixed like the image of a man

In stone he stands.—Now for it!-The veins

Stand out upon his darkening brow.—

It slowly yields.—He doth it—Nay,

It slippeth back.—He giveth in.—

He hath failed, he putteth it away.

Eur.My friends, I am hurt both for myself and all.And were there but this woman in the world,To miss her could but vex me as it doth.2490But others be there, and my grief is other.For that we came in strength so far behindThe great Ulysses, that we could not stringHis bow, will ring our shame in ears unborn.

Eur.My friends, I am hurt both for myself and all.

And were there but this woman in the world,

To miss her could but vex me as it doth.

But others be there, and my grief is other.

For that we came in strength so far behind

The great Ulysses, that we could not string

His bow, will ring our shame in ears unborn.

Ant.That will not be, Eurymachus,—and thou know’st it.This is Apollo’s feast, and on such dayWho should presume in archery? Sit down;And let the bow and other gear abide.Meanwhile pour out libations to the god,And make a sacrifice. To-morrow morn,2500Be he appeased, we may with his good favourFind better fortune.

Ant.That will not be, Eurymachus,—and thou know’st it.

This is Apollo’s feast, and on such day

Who should presume in archery? Sit down;

And let the bow and other gear abide.

Meanwhile pour out libations to the god,

And make a sacrifice. To-morrow morn,

Be he appeased, we may with his good favour

Find better fortune.

Eur.’Tis well spoke, my lords.Consent ye all?

Eur.’Tis well spoke, my lords.

Consent ye all?

Wooers.Ay, ay.

Eur.Then be it so.What saith our honoured lady?

Eur.Then be it so.

What saith our honoured lady?

Pen.Well, my lords,’Tis an untoward ending. Shall I thinkYe will not, or ye cannot?

Pen.Well, my lords,

’Tis an untoward ending. Shall I think

Ye will not, or ye cannot?

Eur.Be contentTo wait but till to-morrow, we beseech thee.—Bring round the wine.

Eur.Be content

To wait but till to-morrow, we beseech thee.—

Bring round the wine.

Tel.(who has entered unperceived with Eum. andneatherd).Ho! men, take round the wine.

Tel.(who has entered unperceived with Eum. and

neatherd).Ho! men, take round the wine.

Eum.Will they not need it?

Ant.Thou impertinent swineherd,Go to thy pigs.

Ant.Thou impertinent swineherd,

Go to thy pigs.

Eum.Ay, ay, my lord.

Ul.Hear me,2510Ye warriors, wooers of Ulysses’ queen,And you, Antinous and EurymachusIn chief! ’Tis well ye urge to stay the contest,And pour libations, that the archer godTo-morrow may grant strength to whom he will.But first give me the bow, that I may gaugeMy strength with yours, to see if yet remainsSome muscle lithe of what once clothed my limbs,Or if ’tis withered all with age and want.

Ul.Hear me,

Ye warriors, wooers of Ulysses’ queen,

And you, Antinous and Eurymachus

In chief! ’Tis well ye urge to stay the contest,

And pour libations, that the archer god

To-morrow may grant strength to whom he will.

But first give me the bow, that I may gauge

My strength with yours, to see if yet remains

Some muscle lithe of what once clothed my limbs,

Or if ’tis withered all with age and want.

Wooers.Ho! ho! The beggar thinks that he2520Shall win the fair Penelope.

Wooers.Ho! ho! The beggar thinks that he

Shall win the fair Penelope.

Ant.Thou wretched fool, thou hast even less wit than hairs:Art not content in our high companyTo sit at ease, and have thy share, and hearOur talk, and see our pleasure ’gainst our will?The unwonted wine dilates what brains thou hast,To make thee think thou canst contend with us.

Ant.Thou wretched fool, thou hast even less wit than hairs:

Art not content in our high company

To sit at ease, and have thy share, and hear

Our talk, and see our pleasure ’gainst our will?

The unwonted wine dilates what brains thou hast,

To make thee think thou canst contend with us.

Pen.Antinous, I forbid this disrespectBefore me of my guest: and by my lifeThou dost him wrong. To me he seems as tall2530And strongly built as thou; he boasts to beNo less well born:—I grant him place and speech.Thinkest thou if he string Ulysses’ bowThat I should wed him?—Nay, nor he thinks that.Fret not yourselves, beseech you, with such fears.

Pen.Antinous, I forbid this disrespect

Before me of my guest: and by my life

Thou dost him wrong. To me he seems as tall

And strongly built as thou; he boasts to be

No less well born:—I grant him place and speech.

Thinkest thou if he string Ulysses’ bow

That I should wed him?—Nay, nor he thinks that.

Fret not yourselves, beseech you, with such fears.

Eur.Far be the thought, O wise Penelope:And since he hath nought to gain, let him not try it:Lest if he string it, men should say hereafter,Naming our names,The great bow of Ulysses2539These could not handle, but a beggar strung it.

Eur.Far be the thought, O wise Penelope:

And since he hath nought to gain, let him not try it:

Lest if he string it, men should say hereafter,

Naming our names,The great bow of Ulysses

These could not handle, but a beggar strung it.

Pen.Look ye to future times for fair renown?That hath been forfeit long. Stick not at this.Give him the bow; he too shall have his prize.A king’s son is he: ay, and like a kingFrom this house shall he issue clad and armedFrom head to foot, as are the best of you.I say, give him the bow.

Pen.Look ye to future times for fair renown?

That hath been forfeit long. Stick not at this.

Give him the bow; he too shall have his prize.

A king’s son is he: ay, and like a king

From this house shall he issue clad and armed

From head to foot, as are the best of you.

I say, give him the bow.

Tel.Mother, the bow is mine:To give it or withhold it is my right,And mine alone, which none can gainsay here.And choose I now to give it to this beggar,2550’Tis his to bear away for good and all.And what I will, that shall I do. To meTherefore leave this dispute: to-day the trial,Thou seest, is closed. Retire thou to thy chamber,And there at loom and distaff set thy maids their tasks.But this, which looks not like to be a lady’s matter,Is mine, for mine is lordship in this house.

Tel.Mother, the bow is mine:

To give it or withhold it is my right,

And mine alone, which none can gainsay here.

And choose I now to give it to this beggar,

’Tis his to bear away for good and all.

And what I will, that shall I do. To me

Therefore leave this dispute: to-day the trial,

Thou seest, is closed. Retire thou to thy chamber,

And there at loom and distaff set thy maids their tasks.

But this, which looks not like to be a lady’s matter,

Is mine, for mine is lordship in this house.

Pen.Well, son, then I shall go. Follow me, maids.

[Exit Pen. and maids.

Chor.Wooers.What hath come o’er the prince? and whyBids he his royal mother hence:2560Pushing his haughty speech so highIn strange, undutiful offence?

Chor.Wooers.What hath come o’er the prince? and why

Bids he his royal mother hence:

Pushing his haughty speech so high

In strange, undutiful offence?

Ul.Bring me the bow that I may try my skill.

Wooers(to Eumæus). Stay! man, stay!—Whither wilt thou go,Bearing the great resistless bow?Stay. We will slay thee if thou dare!—Forbear! Forbear!—

Wooers(to Eumæus). Stay! man, stay!—Whither wilt thou go,

Bearing the great resistless bow?

Stay. We will slay thee if thou dare!—

Forbear! Forbear!—

Tel.Standest thou! servest thou so many masters?On man, and give it him: say thee nay who dares.

Tel.Standest thou! servest thou so many masters?

On man, and give it him: say thee nay who dares.

Wooers.Ha! ha! he knows not what to do:2570Now he will go, and now he stands.—Go, give it in the beggar’s hands.—Ay, let him have it and welcome too.—And thee, old man, may Fortune bless,As thou therewith shalt find success.

Wooers.Ha! ha! he knows not what to do:

Now he will go, and now he stands.—

Go, give it in the beggar’s hands.—

Ay, let him have it and welcome too.—

And thee, old man, may Fortune bless,

As thou therewith shalt find success.

Eum.(giving to Ul.). Master, O master!...

Ul.(aside).Silence.—Now may ApolloGrant me but half the strength that once was mine,And ye shall see if I can bend a bow.

Ul.(aside).Silence.—Now may Apollo

Grant me but half the strength that once was mine,

And ye shall see if I can bend a bow.

Wooers.By heaven, the beggar hath an eye.—He holds it as he knew the trick.—2580Perchance he hath the like laid byAt home.—Or ’tis his thought to tryTo fashion such another stick.—He bends it at his will.—’Tis done!—’Tis done!—He hath strung it.—See ’tis done.

Wooers.By heaven, the beggar hath an eye.—

He holds it as he knew the trick.—

Perchance he hath the like laid by

At home.—Or ’tis his thought to try

To fashion such another stick.—

He bends it at his will.—’Tis done!—

’Tis done!—He hath strung it.—See ’tis done.

Ul.Behold, prince, if I have not been wrongly scorned.Give me the arrows. Now they have seen my strength,These lords belike would have me prove my skill.

Ul.Behold, prince, if I have not been wrongly scorned.

Give me the arrows. Now they have seen my strength,

These lords belike would have me prove my skill.

Wooers.Now will he shoot? The villains bringThe arrows.—Ay, he taketh one,2590To set it on the string.

Wooers.Now will he shoot? The villains bring

The arrows.—Ay, he taketh one,

To set it on the string.

Ul.Now is the irresoluble contest o’er:Though what remains to do be not child’s play.But I will hit a mark ye little think of.Apollo aid me![Shoots Antinous.

Ul.Now is the irresoluble contest o’er:

Though what remains to do be not child’s play.

But I will hit a mark ye little think of.

Apollo aid me![Shoots Antinous.

Wooers.Ah! Ah! Beware, beware!

Ant.(falling back). Ah!

Wooers. Oh, madman! madman! Seize him!

Eur.Man, what dost thou?

Amph.What hast thou done? Thou’st slain a man.

Ctes.O villain!

Wooers.He’s dead. Antinous is slain.

Other wooers(appearing at door).The lord Antinous is slain.

Eur.Foolhardy wretch, this murder is thy death.2601Whether unwittingly, or wittingly,It matters not: thou hast slain the noblest princeOf the isle; and swiftly shall he be avenged.

Eur.Foolhardy wretch, this murder is thy death.

Whether unwittingly, or wittingly,

It matters not: thou hast slain the noblest prince

Of the isle; and swiftly shall he be avenged.

Ul.(leaping up to where Penelope had sat. Tel., Eum.,and neatherd join him). Dogs! ye that said I never should returnFrom Trojan soil: ye that would waste my house,And woo my wife while yet I was alive:Nor feared the gods in heav’n, nor shame of men:Now are the bonds of death made fast upon you.I am Ulysses.

Ul.(leaping up to where Penelope had sat. Tel., Eum.,

and neatherd join him). Dogs! ye that said I never should return

From Trojan soil: ye that would waste my house,

And woo my wife while yet I was alive:

Nor feared the gods in heav’n, nor shame of men:

Now are the bonds of death made fast upon you.

I am Ulysses.

Wooers.Ah, think you!—think you!

Others without.See! see!

Eur.Stay, sir, awhile!

2610Wooers.Fly! fly!—’Tis he!’Tis he, fly! See the prince, and thereHis two men—Speak, sir! speak him fair—

Wooers.Fly! fly!—’Tis he!

’Tis he, fly! See the prince, and there

His two men—Speak, sir! speak him fair—

Eur.Stay, sir, awhile, I pray thee. If thou indeedArt he, the good Ulysses safe returned,As by thy deeds and words thou makest to be,Thou wilt hear reason, as thy speech is just.’Tis true ill hath been done thee in house and field:But he lies dead, who was the chief in blame;We may rejoice, for he brought all about,2620Antinous, less eager for the marriageOr dower, than in ambitious hope, now quenched,That he should reign in Ithaca:—to which endHe would have killed the prince. But, he being dead,Spare thou thy folk, sir, spare thine own; and weFor all wrong done thee will repay in full,Each one in answer for waste hitherto,Bringing the worth of twenty oxen, ay,And bronze and iron in plenty, till thy heartBe well appeased, that now is justly stirred.

Eur.Stay, sir, awhile, I pray thee. If thou indeed

Art he, the good Ulysses safe returned,

As by thy deeds and words thou makest to be,

Thou wilt hear reason, as thy speech is just.

’Tis true ill hath been done thee in house and field:

But he lies dead, who was the chief in blame;

We may rejoice, for he brought all about,

Antinous, less eager for the marriage

Or dower, than in ambitious hope, now quenched,

That he should reign in Ithaca:—to which end

He would have killed the prince. But, he being dead,

Spare thou thy folk, sir, spare thine own; and we

For all wrong done thee will repay in full,

Each one in answer for waste hitherto,

Bringing the worth of twenty oxen, ay,

And bronze and iron in plenty, till thy heart

Be well appeased, that now is justly stirred.

Ul.O nay: not though thou gavest me all thy wealth,2631What now thou hast, or after shouldst inherit,Could that be thine atonement; nor the likeOf each for each, that I should stay my handsFrom slaying here the wooers of my wife.This choice ye have, to fight or fly; but flyingOr fighting I shall slay you with these arrows.

Ul.O nay: not though thou gavest me all thy wealth,

What now thou hast, or after shouldst inherit,

Could that be thine atonement; nor the like

Of each for each, that I should stay my hands

From slaying here the wooers of my wife.

This choice ye have, to fight or fly; but flying

Or fighting I shall slay you with these arrows.

Wooers(without). ’Tis he: he shooteth: fly.

Wooers(within). Wrath of the gods, ’tis he.To arms!—Nay, fly.—O fly—

Wooers(within). Wrath of the gods, ’tis he.

To arms!—Nay, fly.—O fly—

[Many begin to escape.

Ul.I am come late indeed, but in good time.

2641Amph.Out, sirs, haste thro’ the doors:To-morrow it may beHe may be appeased; now fly.Avoid his anger now.[They fly.

Amph.Out, sirs, haste thro’ the doors:

To-morrow it may be

He may be appeased; now fly.

Avoid his anger now.[They fly.

Eur.Fight. We shall overwhelm them. Follow me!

Ctes.Fly while we may, I say.[Exit.

Eur.Who is with me?

Eum.Come, lord Eurymachus; and I will kill thee,Even as a pig.

Eum.Come, lord Eurymachus; and I will kill thee,

Even as a pig.

Eur.Death to thee, hind. Now charge!

Some wooers.Charge all together. Down!

2649Tel.Now, robbers, die.

Tel.Now, robbers, die.

Eur.Ah! ah! I am slain.[Falls dead.

The others.Fly, fly, fly, fly.[Exeunt.

Tel.They are caught.

[Cries without.

Ul.While I stand here and shoot, fetch forth the arms.[Shoots.

Wooers(without). To the gate; to the gate. Ulysses is returned.Fly, fly! Throw wide the gate. The gate, the gate!

Wooers(without). To the gate; to the gate. Ulysses is returned.

Fly, fly! Throw wide the gate. The gate, the gate!

Eum.Master, ’tis thou indeed: and I not know thee!

Ul.Serve me but now, as when thou knew’st me not.[Shoots. Cries.

Tel.See here thy shield, my father, and the spears.

Ul.Now forth with me and fear not, for the goddessIs with us. We will stand upon the threshold,And from that vantage fight. Be we hard pressed,2660Retire within, and bar the door. Now forth!

Ul.Now forth with me and fear not, for the goddess

Is with us. We will stand upon the threshold,

And from that vantage fight. Be we hard pressed,

Retire within, and bar the door. Now forth!

[Exeunt Ul., Tel., Eum., and neatherd in fighting order. The doors close behind them.Re-enter Penelope and maids.

[Exeunt Ul., Tel., Eum., and neatherd in fighting order. The doors close behind them.

Re-enter Penelope and maids.

Maids(entering down the stairs).They are gone: they are gone without. The hall is still.

Maids(entering down the stairs).

They are gone: they are gone without. The hall is still.

Pen.Hark! hark! They fight without. Telemachus,Telemachus, my son! Ah! evil day!The bow, the bow. And corpses in the hall.

Pen.Hark! hark! They fight without. Telemachus,

Telemachus, my son! Ah! evil day!

The bow, the bow. And corpses in the hall.

1st Maid.Woe, woe: see ’tis the lord Eurymachus,Slain by a spear.

1st Maid.Woe, woe: see ’tis the lord Eurymachus,

Slain by a spear.

2nd Maid.Another by the wall.Beauteous Antinous. Alas, alas!

2nd Maid.Another by the wall.

Beauteous Antinous. Alas, alas!

Pen.Hark how they shout. Alas, my son, my son!They slay him in the court. His haughty spirit2670Proudly rebuking them hath done it. I hearHis speech that taunts them still.

Pen.Hark how they shout. Alas, my son, my son!

They slay him in the court. His haughty spirit

Proudly rebuking them hath done it. I hear

His speech that taunts them still.

2nd Maid.Shall I look forth?

1st.Ay, to the door and spy—Softly one wingDraw back and spy between. (Here the door is opened by Maid 2.) Ah me, the noise,And din of arms.

1st.Ay, to the door and spy—Softly one wing

Draw back and spy between. (Here the door is opened by Maid 2.) Ah me, the noise,

And din of arms.

2nd.Lady, the prince is safe.

Pen.What seest thou? tell me.

2nd.O, but see thyselfThe deadly fight.

2nd.O, but see thyself

The deadly fight.

Pen.I dare not look upon it.Who fights ’gainst whom?

Pen.I dare not look upon it.

Who fights ’gainst whom?

2nd.The beggar on the stairDeals death around, and by him stand the prince,The neatherd, and Eumæus. Ah! he is struck!Nay, nay. They keep all off with spear and shield.

2nd.The beggar on the stair

Deals death around, and by him stand the prince,

The neatherd, and Eumæus. Ah! he is struck!

Nay, nay. They keep all off with spear and shield.

[Cries without.

Pen.Alas, the shrieks of death. I faint, ho! help me.Lead me to the chair.[Sits down.

Pen.Alas, the shrieks of death. I faint, ho! help me.

Lead me to the chair.[Sits down.

1st.They may burst in: beseech thee,2681Back to thy chamber!

1st.They may burst in: beseech thee,

Back to thy chamber!

Pen.Nay, if my son be safe.Watch there, and tell me.—Is he yet unhurt?

Pen.Nay, if my son be safe.

Watch there, and tell me.—Is he yet unhurt?

2nd.They spring upon the beggar and the prince,And as they spring, they are slain.—They lie in heaps.

2nd.They spring upon the beggar and the prince,

And as they spring, they are slain.—They lie in heaps.

Pen.Alas! what cries! Say, is the prince still safe?

2nd.He shieldeth himself well, and striketh surely.His foes fall dead before him. Ah! now what see I?Who cometh? Lo! a dazzling helm, a spear2690Of silver or electron; sharp and swiftThe piercings. How they fall. Ha, shields are raisedIn vain. I am blinded, or the beggar-manHath waxed in strength. He is changed, he is young. O strange!He is all in golden armour. These are gods,That slay the wooers. (Runs to Pen.) O lady, forgive me!’Tis Ares’ self. I saw his crispèd beard:I saw beneath his helm his curling locks.None will escape. O lady, save me, save me.[Kneels.

2nd.He shieldeth himself well, and striketh surely.

His foes fall dead before him. Ah! now what see I?

Who cometh? Lo! a dazzling helm, a spear

Of silver or electron; sharp and swift

The piercings. How they fall. Ha, shields are raised

In vain. I am blinded, or the beggar-man

Hath waxed in strength. He is changed, he is young. O strange!

He is all in golden armour. These are gods,

That slay the wooers. (Runs to Pen.) O lady, forgive me!

’Tis Ares’ self. I saw his crispèd beard:

I saw beneath his helm his curling locks.

None will escape. O lady, save me, save me.[Kneels.

Maids all.Let them not slay us. Lady! lady! forgive us!2699

Pen.Why kneelest thou to me? Fools, why to me?I have nothing to forgive you. There is no wrong’Twixt me and you: Or if the gods should punish,Can I protect?

Pen.Why kneelest thou to me? Fools, why to me?

I have nothing to forgive you. There is no wrong

’Twixt me and you: Or if the gods should punish,

Can I protect?

Maids.Forgive us, queen, forgive us!

Pen.I see ye are dazed—no wonder.—The thing is trueYe say. The gods are come. I know it: I spakeWith one myself unweeting: and he badeConfront those robbers with the bow of death.That hath provoked our fate. Ah, cursèd dayThe Greeks set forth for Troy. Accurst was Helen,2710Accurst was Menelaus, AgamemnonAccurst, who o’er us drew a net of ill:Whence since is no escape, no not for one.Not Ilion burned, not Greece made bare of men,Not ten years’ war, nor to their widowed homesThe barred return of heroes could sufficeTo fill the cup of evil, which the gods,Dooming one deed of all the deeds of men,The folly of one woman and one man,Have heaped upon us. Now the unending slaughterFalls on this house. Was joy, or woe, my crime?To have had, or lost the best of all the Greeks?2722My patience, watching twenty years, or nowTo have yielded but a little? O ye high gods,Smite all ill-doers; ay, smite me with death,Triumphant Ares, if within my body,My lord being dead, there is either hope or loveThat may be callèd life. I would not live,I have no cause to live: but O my son—Spare him!

Pen.I see ye are dazed—no wonder.—The thing is true

Ye say. The gods are come. I know it: I spake

With one myself unweeting: and he bade

Confront those robbers with the bow of death.

That hath provoked our fate. Ah, cursèd day

The Greeks set forth for Troy. Accurst was Helen,

Accurst was Menelaus, Agamemnon

Accurst, who o’er us drew a net of ill:

Whence since is no escape, no not for one.

Not Ilion burned, not Greece made bare of men,

Not ten years’ war, nor to their widowed homes

The barred return of heroes could suffice

To fill the cup of evil, which the gods,

Dooming one deed of all the deeds of men,

The folly of one woman and one man,

Have heaped upon us. Now the unending slaughter

Falls on this house. Was joy, or woe, my crime?

To have had, or lost the best of all the Greeks?

My patience, watching twenty years, or now

To have yielded but a little? O ye high gods,

Smite all ill-doers; ay, smite me with death,

Triumphant Ares, if within my body,

My lord being dead, there is either hope or love

That may be callèd life. I would not live,

I have no cause to live: but O my son—

Spare him!

2nd Maid.O lady, ’tis not him, but usAres will slay.

2nd Maid.O lady, ’tis not him, but us

Ares will slay.

Pen.Look, look again.

27302nd.I fear.’Tis now more dread than ever. The cries have ceased.

2nd.I fear.

’Tis now more dread than ever. The cries have ceased.

Pen.Hush, hark—ay, all is still. Look forth, I say.

Re-enter Tel., Eum., and neatherd.

My son, my son, thou livest.

Tel.Thou art here! thou knowest?

Pen.What means this fight? what hath been done?

Tel.Thou knowest not?The robbers are all slain.

Tel.Thou knowest not?

The robbers are all slain.

Pen.All slain!

Tel.My fatherIs here.

Tel.My father

Is here.

Pen.Son, son!

Tel.He hath returned—’Tis true—And in his vengeance slain them all.

Tel.He hath returned—’Tis true—

And in his vengeance slain them all.

Pen.What say’st thou?

Tel.Mother, believe: our sorrow is o’er. ’Tis he,The man disguised, who spake with thee last night:But now himself.

Tel.Mother, believe: our sorrow is o’er. ’Tis he,

The man disguised, who spake with thee last night:

But now himself.

2740Eum.O lady, ’tis the master,Just as he was.

Eum.O lady, ’tis the master,

Just as he was.

Tel.The tidings hath o’ercome her.Stand from before her.

Tel.The tidings hath o’ercome her.

Stand from before her.

Re-enter Ulysses, as himself.

Ul.Now o’er my threshold step I as myself,None will gainsay my coming. Ah here, my son!

Ul.Now o’er my threshold step I as myself,

None will gainsay my coming. Ah here, my son!

Tel.She learned her joy too quickly. As I spakeShe fell back swooning.

Tel.She learned her joy too quickly. As I spake

She fell back swooning.

Ul.Watch by her awhile.(To Eum. and neatherd.) Drag ye these bodies forth, and hide the blood;That there be nought to shock her wakening sense.And all ye maids begone. I know to winnowGood wheat from chaff: and what I spake to youShall be to-day accomplished. (Exeunt Maids.) Ha, what see I?2751Beneath yon skins a coward skulks—one more—Traitor, come forth!

Ul.Watch by her awhile.

(To Eum. and neatherd.) Drag ye these bodies forth, and hide the blood;

That there be nought to shock her wakening sense.

And all ye maids begone. I know to winnow

Good wheat from chaff: and what I spake to you

Shall be to-day accomplished. (Exeunt Maids.) Ha, what see I?2751

Beneath yon skins a coward skulks—one more—

Traitor, come forth!

Phem.(appearing from under skins). O my good lord and master,Have pity upon me.

Phem.(appearing from under skins). O my good lord and master,

Have pity upon me.

Ul.(to Eum.). Take him to the court,And slay him there.

Ul.(to Eum.). Take him to the court,

And slay him there.

Phem.Master, have pity on me:I am but a minstrel, and have done no wrong.

Phem.Master, have pity on me:

I am but a minstrel, and have done no wrong.

Tel.Father, I plead for him: ’tis Phemius.Spare him.

Tel.Father, I plead for him: ’tis Phemius.

Spare him.

Ul.Well, be thou spared;—the only one—And live to tell the tale. See, ’tis thy trade.Go from the hall.[Exeunt Phemius and neatherd.2760(To Tel.) Now all is ready, son:Doth she not wake?

Ul.Well, be thou spared;—the only one—

And live to tell the tale. See, ’tis thy trade.

Go from the hall.[Exeunt Phemius and neatherd.

(To Tel.) Now all is ready, son:

Doth she not wake?

Tel.Ay, now I think she awakes.

Ul.Stand thou in sight. Now, dearest wife, awake!Wife, wife, awake! That word and in my voiceShould call thee from the grave. Dost thou not hear?

Ul.Stand thou in sight. Now, dearest wife, awake!

Wife, wife, awake! That word and in my voice

Should call thee from the grave. Dost thou not hear?

Pen.Who spake?

Ul.I speak to thee again.

Pen.Thy hand.

Ul.I hold thee, and thou me. ’Tis I. I kiss thee.

Pen.’Tis thou. Let it be waking life, or death,Or dream, I see thee.—

Pen.’Tis thou. Let it be waking life, or death,

Or dream, I see thee.—

Ul.Truest and bravest heart, our patient years2770Are crowned with joy.

Ul.Truest and bravest heart, our patient years

Are crowned with joy.

Pen.O love, thou comest in time.

Athena appears on the threshold.

ATHENA.

My work is done. But ere I leave the hauntsOf sorrowing and rejoicing men, I lookTo bless my work. O wise son of Laertes,Thou hast thy house and wife and self restored.Murder, strife, robbery, the wrongs I hate,Revellings and insolence are now avenged.Yet not less am I foe to faithlessness,Breaches of trust and of those modest laws,Which guard high thoughts and heavenly purity.Thy wicked servants slay; which done, make soon2781Purification of thy house defiled:And not forget the oracle, which saidThat thou shouldst find one journey more to make;This thy atonement: and since justice holdsThe crown for good deeds, as the sword for ill,Grudge not this only absence: thy good servantThou wouldst reward; he is a prince; restore himUnto his kingdom: ’tis the will of Zeus.He that hath servèd well hath earned to reign.2790Son of Laertes, wilt thou do this thing?

My work is done. But ere I leave the haunts

Of sorrowing and rejoicing men, I look

To bless my work. O wise son of Laertes,

Thou hast thy house and wife and self restored.

Murder, strife, robbery, the wrongs I hate,

Revellings and insolence are now avenged.

Yet not less am I foe to faithlessness,

Breaches of trust and of those modest laws,

Which guard high thoughts and heavenly purity.

Thy wicked servants slay; which done, make soon

Purification of thy house defiled:

And not forget the oracle, which said

That thou shouldst find one journey more to make;

This thy atonement: and since justice holds

The crown for good deeds, as the sword for ill,

Grudge not this only absence: thy good servant

Thou wouldst reward; he is a prince; restore him

Unto his kingdom: ’tis the will of Zeus.

He that hath servèd well hath earned to reign.

Son of Laertes, wilt thou do this thing?

Ul.Yea, goddess, I will do it. Thy will is mine.

Eum.(kneeling). Most honoured of all masters!

Ath.Then FARE YE WELL.

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