Now when the child of morning,
rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, Telemakhos rose and dressed himself. He
bound his sandals on to his comely feet, girded his sword about his
shoulder, and left his room looking like an immortal god. He at once
sent the criers round to call the people in assembly, so they called
them and the people gathered thereon; then, when they were got
together, he went to the place of assembly spear in hand - not alone,
for his two hounds went with him. Athena endowed him with a presence
of such divine comeliness [kharis] that all marveled
at him as he went by, and when he took his place in his
father's seat even the oldest councilors made way for
him.
Aigyptios, a man bent double with
age, and of infinite experience, was the first to speak His son
Antiphos had gone with Odysseus to Ilion, land of noble steeds, but
the savage Cyclops had killed him when they were all shut up in the
cave, and had cooked his last dinner for him. He had three sons left,
of whom two still worked on their father's land, while the
third, Eurynomos, was one of the suitors; nevertheless their father
could not get over the loss of Antiphos, and was still weeping for
him when he began his speech.
"Men of Ithaca," he said, "hear my
words. From the day Odysseus left us there has been no meeting of our
councilors until now; who then can it be, whether old or young, that
finds it so necessary to convene us? Has he got wind of some host
approaching, and does he wish to warn us, or would he speak upon some
other matter of public moment? I am sure he is an excellent person,
and I hope Zeus will grant him his heart's desire."
Telemakhos took this speech as of
good omen and rose at once, for he was bursting with what he had to
say. He stood in the middle of the assembly and the good herald
Pisenor brought him his staff. Then, turning to Aigyptios, "Sir,"
said he, "it is I, as you will shortly learn, who have convened you,
for it is I who am the most aggrieved. I have not got wind of any
host approaching about which I would warn you, nor is there any
matter of public moment on which I would speak. My grievance is
purely personal, and turns on two great misfortunes which have fallen
upon my house. The first of these is the loss of my excellent father,
who was chief among all you here present, and was like a father to
every one of you; the second is much more serious, and ere long will
be the utter ruin of my estate. The sons of all the chief men among
you are pestering my mother to marry them against her will. They are
afraid to go to her father Ikarios, asking him to choose the one he
likes best, and to provide marriage gifts for his daughter, but day
by day they keep hanging about my father's house, sacrificing
our oxen, sheep, and fat goats for their banquets, and never giving
so much as a thought to the quantity of wine they drink. No estate
can stand such recklessness; we have now no Odysseus to ward off harm
from our doors, and I cannot hold my own against them. I shall never
all my days be as good a man as he was, still I would indeed defend
myself if I had power to do so, for I cannot stand such treatment any
longer; my house is being disgraced and ruined. Have respect,
therefore, to your own consciences and to public opinion. Fear, too,
the wrath [mênis] of the gods, lest they should
be displeased and turn upon you. I pray you by Zeus and Themis, who
is the beginning and the end of councils, [do not] hold back,
my friends, and leave me singlehanded - unless it be that my brave
father Odysseus did some wrong to the Achaeans which you would now
avenge on me, by aiding and abetting these suitors. Moreover, if I am
to be eaten out of house and home at all, I had rather you did the
eating yourselves, for I could then take action against you to some
purpose, and serve you with notices from house to house till I got
paid in full, whereas now I have no remedy."
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