"After him I saw mighty Herakles,
but it was his phantom only, for he is feasting ever with the
immortal gods, and has lovely Hebe to wife, who is daughter of Zeus
and Hera. The ghosts were screaming round him like scared birds
flying in all directions. He looked black as night with his bare bow
in his hands and his arrow on the string, glaring around as though
ever on the point of taking aim. About his breast there was a
wondrous golden belt adorned in the most marvelous fashion with
bears, wild boars, and lions with gleaming eyes; there was also war,
battle, and death. The man who made that belt, do what he might,
would never be able to make another like it. Herakles knew me at once
when he saw me, and spoke piteously, saying, ‘My poor Odysseus,
noble son of Laertes, are you too leading the same sorry kind of life
that I did when I was above ground? I was son of Zeus, but I went
through an infinity of suffering, for I became bondsman to one who
was far beneath me - a lowly man who set me all manner of labors
[athloi]. He once sent me here to fetch the hell-hound
- for he did not think he could find any athlos harder for me
than this, but I got the hound out of Hades and brought him to him,
for Hermes and Athena helped me.’
"On this Herakles went down again
into the house of Hades, but I stayed where I was in case some other
of the mighty dead should come to me. And I should have seen still
other of them that are gone before, whom I would fain have seen -
Theseus and Peirithoos glorious children of the gods, but so many
thousands of ghosts came round me and uttered such appalling cries,
that I was panic stricken lest Persephone should send up from the
house of Hades the head of that awful monster Gorgon. On this I
hastened back to my ship and ordered my men to go on board at once
and loose the hawsers; so they embarked and took their places,
whereon the ship went down the stream of the river Okeanos. We had to
row at first, but presently a fair wind sprang up.
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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