Homer Translated by Robert Fitzgerald

CHARACTERS Alcinous (al sin' o as)—king of the Phaea-cians, to whom Odysseus tells his story

Odysseus (8 dis a es)—king of Ithaca

Calypso (ka lip' so)—sea goddess who loved Odysseus

Circe (set' se)—enchantress who helped Odysseus

Zeus (zoos)—king of the gods

Apollo (a par 8)—god of music, poetry, and medicine

Agamemnon (ag' a mem' nan)—king and leader of Greek forces

Poseidon (p8 sr den)—god of sea and earth-quakes

Athena (a the ne)—goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare

Polyphemus (par a fe mes)—the Cyclops who imprisoned Odysseus

Laertes (la tit" tez)—Odysseus' father

Cronus (kro nes)—Titan ruler of the uni-verse; father of Zeus

Perimedes (per a me cez)—member of Odysseus' crew

Eurylochus (yo—o rir a kes)—another member of the crew

Tiresias (ti re se es)—blind prophet who ad-vised Odysseus

Persephone (par sof a ne)—wife of Hades

Telemachus (ta lam a kes)—Odysseus and Penelope's son

Sirens (sr ranz)—creatures whose songs lure sailors to their deaths

Scylla (sir e)—sea monster of gray rock

Charybdis (ka rib' dis)—enormous and dan-gerous whirlpool

Lampetia (lam 0' she)—nymph

Hermes (hur mez)—herald and messenger of the gods

Eumaeus (yob me es)—old swineherd and friend of Odysseus

Antinous (an tin' ö es)—leader among the suitors

EuiynOme (y88 tin" a me)—housekeeper for Penelope

Penelope (pa ner a pe)—Odysseus' wife

Eurymachus (yob rr me kes)—suitor

Arnphinomus (am fin' a mes)—suitor

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Part 1

The Adventures

of Odysseus

In the opening verses. Homer addresses the muse of epic poetry. He asks her help in telling the tale of Odysseus.

Sing in me, Muse,' and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold

5 on the proud height of Troy. 2 He saw the townlands and

learned the minds of many distant men, and weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.

1. Muse (mycT152): Any one of the nine goddesses of the arts, literature, and the sciences.

2. Troy (trot): City in northwest Asia Minor, site of the Trojan War.

Build Vocabulary plundered (ohm" dard) v.: Took goods by force from; looted

860 ♦ The Epic

to But not by will nor valor could he save them, for their own recklessness destroyed them all—children and fools, they killed and feasted on the cattle of Lord Helios, 3 the Sun, and he who moves all day through heaven

15 took from their eyes the dawn of their return.

3. Helios (NY is as'): Sun god.

Of these adventures, Muse, daughter of Zeus, 4 4. Zeus (arcs): King of

tell us in our time, lift the great song again. the gods.

862 ♦ The Epic

• Reading Strategy

Why do the opening lines of Odysseus sound more natural when you ignore the line breaks?

S. Laertes (Id er tez) 6. guile (gil)

Craftiness; cunning. 7. Ithaca (ith' a ke):

island off the west coast of Greece.

8. Calypso Ike lip' sb)

9. Circe (se( SO) of Aeaea (e a 2)

10. Ilium (ii e em): Troy.

11. Cicones (si nez)

Sailing from Troy

Ten years after the Trojan War, Odysseus departs from the goddess Calypso's island. He arrives in Phaeacia, ruled by Alcinous. Alcinous offers a ship to Odysseus and asks him to tell of his adventures.

"I am Laertes' 5 son, Odysseus.

Men formidable for guile in peace and war: hold me

20 this fame has gone abroad to the sky's rim.

My home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithaca? under Mount Neion's wind-blown,robe of leaves, in sight of other islands—Dulichium, Same, wooded Zacynthus—Ithaca

25 being most lofty in that coastal sea and northwest, while the rest lie east and south. A rocky isle, but good for a boy's training; I shall not see on earth a place more dear, though I have been detained long by Calypso, 9 30 loveliest among goddesses, who held me in her smooth caves, to be her heart's delight, as Circe of Aeaea, 9 the enchantress, desired me, and detained me in her hall. But in my heart I never gave consent.

35 Where shall a man find sweetness to surpass his own home and his parents? In far lands he shall not, though he find a house of gold.

What of my sailing, then, from Troy?

What of of rough adventure, weathered under Zeusth?

ose years 40 The wind that carried west from Mural°

brought me to Ismarus, on the far shore, a strongpoint on the coast of Clcones. 11 I stormed that place and killed the men who fought. Plunder we took, and we enslaved the women,

45 to make division, equal shares to all— but on the spot I told them: 'Back, and quickly!

Note: In his translation of the Odyssey, Fitzgerald spelled Greek names in a way that sug-gests the sound and flavor of the original Greek. In the excerpts included here, more familiar spellings have been used. Where, for example, Fitzgerald wrote "Kirke," "Kyklops." and "Seirenes," you will here find "Circe," "Cyclops," and "Sirens."

The Odyssey, Part 1, Sailing from Troy ♦ 863

12. mutinous (mytttir an 90 as) adj.: Rebellious.

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100

13. Achaeans (e ke enz):

Greeks; here, Odysseus' men.

I might have made it safely home, that time, but as I came round Malea the current took me out to sea, and from the north

85 a fresh gale drove me on, past Cythera. Nine days I drifted on the teeming sea before dangerous high winds. Upon the tenth we came to the coastline of the Lotus-Eaters, who live upon that flower. We landed there

Out to sea again!' My men were mutinous, 12 fools, on stores of wine. Sheep after sheep

they butchered by the surf, and shambling cattle, 50 feasting,—while fugitives went inland, running

to call to arms the main force of Cicones. This was an army trained to fight on horseback or, where the ground required, on foot. They came with dawn over that terrain like the leaves

55 and blades of spring. So doom appeared to us, dark word of Zeus for us, our evil days. My men stood up and made a fight of it—backed on the ships, with lances kept in play, from bright morning through the blaze of noon

60 holding our beach, although so far outnumbered; but when the sun passed toward unyoking time, then the Achaeans, 13 one by one, gave way. Six benches were left empty in every ship that evening when we pulled away from death.

65 And this new grief we bore with us to sea: our precious lives we had, but not our friends. No ship made sail next day until some shipmate had raised a cry, three times, for each poor ghost unfleshed by the Cicones on that field.

The Lotus-Eaters 70 Now Zeus the lord of cloud roused in the north

a storm against the ships, and driving veils of squall moved down like night on land and sea. The bows went plunging at the gust; sails cracked and lashed out strips in the big wind.

75 We saw death in that fury, dropped the yards, unshipped the oars, and pulled for the nearest lee: 14 then two long days and nights we lay offshore worn out and sick at heart, tasting our grief, until a third Dawn came with ringlets shining.

80 Then we put up our masts, hauled sail, and rested, letting the steersmen and the breeze take over.

I gus

• Re sic

14. lee (16") n.: Area shel- ad;

tered from the wind. Ti -

se!

Pe

at

ad

1. 2.

+Build Vocabulary 3.

squall (skw81) n.: Brief, violent storm 4.

864 ♦ The Eoic

■,,

so to take on water. All ships companies mustered alongside for the midday meal. Then I sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained. They fell in, soon enough, with Lotus-Eaters. 95 who showed no will to do us harm, only offering the sweet Lotus to our friends— but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotus, never cared to report, nor to return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on

too that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. I drove them, all three walling, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: 'All hands aboard; come, clear the beach and no one taste 105 the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home.' Filing in to their places by the rowlocks my oarsmen dipped their long oars in the surf, and we moved out again on our seafaring.

Guide for Responding • Literature, ua,Your Reader's Response What is your first impres-sion of Odysseus? Which of his qualities do you admire?

Thematic Focus Identify the conflicts repre-sented by each of Odysseus' foes and explain how a person might work out these conflicts. Questions for Research Troy was a great city at the time of the Trojan War, but what is its status in more recent times? Generate research questions about Troy in modern times.

Check Your Comprehension I. Who is narrating these adventures? 2. Describe the events on Ismarus. 3. What keeps Odysseus from reaching home? 4. What happens to the men who eat the Lotus?

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Lotus-Eaters ♦ 865

♦ Literary Focus What characteristics of a hero and leader does Odysseus show in the episode with the Lotus Eaters?

♦ Critical Thinking INTERPRET I. What were Odysseus' feelings when he was held

captive by Calypso and Circe? [Interpret] 2. The third dawn after the storm is described as coming ''with ringlets shining:' What impression of the dawn does this image give you? [Analyze] 3. What does the episode with the Lotus-Eaters suggest about the kinds of problems Odysseus has with his men? [Infer]

EVALUATE 4. What lessons can be learned from the defeat of

Odysseus and his men at Ismarus? [Assess] APPLY 5. What impression do you have of the differences

between the world of the Odyssey and today's world? [Synthesize]

150 The Cyclops In the next land we found were Cyclopes.' s

110 giants. louts, without a law to bless them. In ignorance leaving the fruitage of the earth in mystery

to the immortal gods, they neither plow nor sow by hand, nor till the ground. though

grain— wild wheat and barley—grows untended, and 115 wine grapes, in clusters, ripen in heaven's rains. Cyclopes have no muster and no meeting, no consultation or old tribal ways, but each one dwells in his own mountain cave dealing out rough justice to wife and child,

120 indifferent to what the others do. . . .

As we rowed on, and nearer to the mainland, at one end of the bay, we saw a cavern yawning above the water, screened with laurel, and many rams and goats about the place

125 inside a sheepfold—made from slabs of stone earthfast between tall trunks of pine and rugged .

towering oak trees. A prod1g10u616 man

slept in this cave alone, and took his flocks to graze afield—remote from all companions,

130 knowing none but savage ways, a brute so huge, he seemed no man at all of those who eat good wheaten bread; but he seemed rather a shaggy mountain reared in solitude. We beached there, and I told the crew

135 to stand by and keep watch over the ship: as for myself I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead. I had a goatskin full of that sweet liquor that Euanthes' son, Maron, had given me. He kept Apollo's"

140 holy grove at Ismarus; for kindness we showed him there, and showed his wife and child, he gave me seven shining golden talents's perfectly formed, a solid silver winebowl, and then this liquor—twelve two-handled jars

145 of brandy, pure and fiery. Not a slave in Maron's household knew this drink; only he, his wife and the storeroom mistress knew; and they would put one cupful—ruby-colored honey—smooth—in twenty more of water,

16. Cyclopes (si kl6 pdz) n.: Plural form of Cyclops (sr kldps), a race of giants with one eye In the middle of the towhead.

• Literature- awl Nu, 14•

The description of the Cyclopes reveals what the ancient Greeks regarded as the benefits of civi-lization. What in your opinion are the ben-efits of civilization?

16. prodigious (pro dli' es) adl.: Enormous.

17. Apollo (a par 6): God of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine.

16. talents: Units of money in ancient Greece.

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866 ♦ The Fnir

al LL5- ird blimmireiti AV

sfl la lei RI Elig Itgi pi 150 but str I the sweet scent hovered like a fume

over the winebowl. No man turned away when cups of this came round.

MPAti,4,

19. victuals (vit' els) n.: Food or other provision.

20. kids (kids) n.: Young goats.

21. whey (hwa) n.: Thin, watery part of milk sepa-rated from the thicker curds.

22. boughs (bouz) n.: Tree branches.

190

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Cyclops ♦ 867

A wineskin full I brought along, and victualsI 2 in a bag, for in my bones I knew some towering brute

155 would be upon us soon—all outward power, a wild man, ignorant of civility.

We climbed, then, briskly to the cave. But Cyclops had gone afield, to pasture his fat sheep, so we looked round at everything inside:

160 a drying rack that sagged with cheeses, pens crowded with lambs and kids, 20 each in its class• firstlings apart from middlings, and the 'dewdrops,' or newborn lambkins penned apart from both. And vessels full of whey2 I were brimming there-

1s5 bowls of earthenware and pails for milking. My men came pressing round me, pleading:

Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw open all the pens, and make a run for it? We'll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say

170 put out again on good salt water!'

how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer—no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends. We lit a fire, burnt an offering,

175 and took some cheese to eat: then sat in silence around the embers, waiting. When he came he had a load of dry boughs 22 on his shoulder to stoke his fire at suppertime. He dumped it with a great crash into that hollow cave,

180 and we all scattered fast to the far wall. Then over the broad cavern floor he ushered the ewes he meant to milk. He left his rams and he-goats In the yard outside, and swung high overhead a slab of solid rock

185 to close the cave. Two dozen four-wheeled wagons, with heaving wagon teams, could not have stirred the tonnage of that rock from where he wedged it over the doorsill. Next he took his seat and milked his bleating ewes. A practiced job he made of it, giving each ewe her sodding;

__—

thickened his milk, then, into curds and whey, sieved out the curds to drip in withy 25 baskets,

and poured the whey to stand in bowls cooling until he drank it for his supper.

195 When all these chores were done, he poked the fire, heaping on brushwood. In the glare he saw us.

'Strangers,' he said, 'who are you? And where from? What brings you here by seaways—a fair traffic? Or are you wandering rogues, who cast your lives

200 like dice, and ravage other folk by sea?'

We felt a pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man. But all the same I spoke up in reply:

We are from Troy, Achaeans, blown off course

205 by shifting gales on the Great South Sea; homeward bound, but taking routes and ways uncommon; so the will of Zeus would have it. We served under Agamemnon, 24 son of Atreus—

the whole world knows what city 210 he laid waste, what armies he destroyed.

It was our luck to come here; here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give—as custom is to honor strangers. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care

215 for the gods' courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest.'

He answered this

from his brute chest, unmoved:

'You are a ninny, or else you come from the other end of nowhere, telling me, mind the gods! We Cyclopes

220 care not a whistle for your thundering Zeus or all the gods in bliss; we have more force by far. I would not let you go for fear of Zeus— you or your friends—unless I had a whim 25 to. Tell me, where was it, now, you left your ship— •

225 around the point, or down the shore, I wonder?'

He thought he'd find out, but I saw through this, and answered with a ready lie:

868 • The Epic

Ah,

23. withy (with' 0) adj.: Tough, flexible twigs.

235

24

24. Agamemnon (ag e mem nan): King who led the Greek army during the Trojan War.

♦ Literary Focus

An epic hero like Odysseus served as a role model for ancient Greeks. What can be learned about conduct and respect for the gods from Odysseus' speech?

25 •

26

Build Vocabulary dispatched (dis pachl) v.:

Finished quickly •

25. whim (hwim) n.: Sud-den thought or wish to do something.

2C

do

31. felled green and left to season: Chopped down and exposed to the weather to age the wood. 32. lugger (lug' or) n.: Small sailing vessel.

28. cap (kap) a quiver (kM," ar): Close a case holding arrows. 29. din (din) n.: Loud, continuous noise; uproar. 30. Athena (a the' na): Goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare.

♦ Reading Strategy Read lines 244-250 In complete

sentences, ignoring

the line breaks. How

does doing so help

your understanding

of the passage?

27. brace (bras) n.: Pair.

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Cyclops ♦ 869

'My ship? Poseidon26 Lord, who sets the earth a-tremble, broke it up on the rocks at your land's end.

230 A wind from seaward served him, drove us there. We are survivors, these good men and I.'

Neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies

235 to beat their brains out, spattering the floor. Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion—everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones. We cried aloud, lifting our hands to Zeus,

245 powerless, looking on at this, appalled; but Cyclops went on filling up his belly with manflesh and great gulps of whey, then lay down like a mast among his sheep. My heart beat high now at the chance of action,

245 and drawing the sharp sword from my hip I went along his flank to stab him where the midriff holds the liver. I had touched the spot when sudden fear stayed me: if I killed him we perished there as well, for we could never

250 move his ponderous doorway slab aside. So we were left to groan and wait for morning.

When the young Dawn with fingertips of rose lit up the world, the Cyclops built a fire and milked his handsome ewes, all in due order,

255 putting the sucklings to the mothers. Then, his chores being all dispatched, he caught another brace" of men to make his breakfast, and whisked away his great door slab to let his sheep go through—but he, behind,

260 reset the stone as one would cap a quiver. 28 There was a din29 of whistling as the Cyclops

rounded his flock to higher ground, then stillness. And now I pondered how to hurt him worst, if but Athena39 granted what I prayed for.

265 Here are the means I thought would serve my turn:

a club, or staff, lay there along the fold— an olive tree, felled green and left to season 31

for Cyclops' hand. And it was like a mast a lugger32 of twenty oars, broad in the beam-

270 a deep-sea-going c an—might carry: so long, so big around, it seemed. Now I chopped out a six foot section of this pole and set it down before my men, who scraped it; and when they had it smooth. I hewed again

275 to make a stake with pointed end. I held this in the fire's heart and turned it, toughening it, then hid it, well back in the cavern, under one of the dung piles in profusion there. Now came the time to toss for it: who ventured

280 along with me? whose hand could bear to thrust and grind that spike in Cyclops' eye, when mild sleep had mastered him? As luck would have it,

the men I would have chosen won the toss—four strong men, and I made five as captain.

285 At evening came the shepherd with his flock, his woolly flock. The rams as well this lime, entered the cave: by some sheepherding whim—or a god's bidding—none were left outside. He hefted his great boulder into place

290 and sat him down to milk the bleating ewes in proper order, put the lambs to suck, and swiftly ran through all his evening chores. Then he caught two more men and feasted on them. My moment was at hand, and I went forward

295 holding an ivy bowl of my dark drink, looking up, saying:

'Cyclops, try some wine.

Here's liquor to wash down your scraps of men. Taste it, and see the kind of drink we carried under our planks. I meant it for an offering

300 if you would help us home. But you are mad. unbearable, a bloody monster! After this, will any other traveler come to see you?'

He seized and drained the bowl, and it went down so fiery and smooth he called for more:

305 'Give me another, thank you kindly. Tell me, how are you called? I'll make a gift will please you. Even Cyclopes know the wine grapes grow out of grassland and loam in heaven's rain, but here's a bit of nectar and ambrosial' 33

310 Three bowls I brought him, and he poured them

down. I saw the fuddle and flush come over him.

26. Poseidon (p6 sr don): God of the sea and of earth-quakes.

♦ Literary Focus What heroic qualities

does Odysseus

reveal as he plots

against the Cyclops?

33. nectar (nek' ter) and ambrosia (am bra" zha): Drink and food of the gods. .

R70 ♦ ThP Rnfr

Some heard him; and they came by divers 35 ways

to clump around outside and call:

35. divers (di verz) adj.: Several; various.

39C

And he said: "Nohbdy's my meat, then, after I eat his friends. Others come first. There's a noble gift, now.'

Even as he spoke, he reeled and tumbled backward, 32o his great head lolling to one side; and sleep

took him like any creature. Drunk, hiccuping, he dribbled streams of liquor and bits of men.

Now, by the gods, I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again,

325 and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up; no quitting now. The pike of olive, green though it had been. reddened and glowed as if about to catch. I drew it from the coals and my four fellows

330 gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lefted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and leaned on It turning it as a shipwright turns a drill

335 in planking, having men below to swing the two-handled strap that spins it in the groove. So with our brand we bored 34 that great eye socket while blood ran out around the red-hot bar. Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball

340 hissed broiling, and the roots popped.

34. bored (bard) v.: Made a hole in.

In a smithy one sees a white-hot axhead or an adze plunged and wrung in a cold tub, screeching steam—the way they make soft iron hale and hard—: Just so that eyeball hissed around the spike.

345 The Cyclops bellowed and the rock roared round him, and we fell back in fear. Clawing his face he tugged the bloody spike out of his eye, threw it away, and his wild hands went groping; then he set up a howl for Cyclopes

350 who lived in caves on windy peaks nearby.

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Cyclops ♦ 871

— ............ ... ...... . ...

315

then I sang out in cordial tones:

'Cyclops you ask my honorable name? Remember

,

the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy.'

♦ Reading Strategy

How would you write Odysseus' sly lie in regular prose?

mE71 ri Hp;

nd is

Pods.

'What ails you,

Polyphemus?36 Why do you cry so sore in the starry night? You will not let us sleep.

355 Sure no man's driving off your flock? No man has tricked you, ruined you?'

Out of the cave

the mammoth Polyphemus roared in answer: 'Nohbdy, Nohbdy's tricked me, Nohbdy's ruined mel' To this rough shout they made a sage 37 reply:

360 'Ah well, if nobody has played you foul there in your lonely bed, we are no use in pain given by great Zeus. Let it be your father, Poseidon Lord, to whom you pray.'

So saying

they trailed away. And I was filled with laughter

365 to see how like a charm the name deceived them. Now Cyclops, wheezing as the pain came on him, fumbled to wrench away the great doorstone and squatted in the breach with arms thrown wide for any silly beast or man who bolted-

370 hoping somehow I might be such a fool. But I kept thinking how to win the game: death sat there huge; how could we slip away? I drew on all my wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man will for dear life,

375 until a trick came—and it pleased me well. The Cyclops' rams were handsome, fat, with heavy fleeces, a dark violet.

Three abreast

I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre's bed

380 then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left and right. So three sheep could convey each man. I took the woolliest ram, the choicest of the flock, and hung myself under his kinky belly,

385 pulled up tight, with fingers twisted deep in sheepskin ringlets for an iron grip. So, breathing hard, we waited until morning.

When Dawn spread out her fingertips of rose the rams began to stir, moving for pasture,

872 ♦ The Epic

38. Polyphemus (par ate' mas)

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400

37. sage (sal adj.: Wise.

405

410

415

'42C;

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451

♦ Build Vocabulary mammoth (mam' eth) adj.: Enormous

•

ELI [al LL5 ro_

38. pectoral (pek" tar el) adj.: Located on the chest.

39. carrion (kar" 6 en) rogue (rog): Repulsive scoundrel.

♦ Literary Focus An epic hero is

larger than life but

usually also has

some human failings.

What human weak-

ness does Odysseus' behavior reveal?

♦ Literature. andYear .1.4e.

When they are angry or boasting,

people sometimes say things that they later regret. How do Odysseus' words

relate to your own observations of a person "having a

big mouth"?

40. weird (wird) n.: Fate or

destiny. 41. Telemus (tel a mas) 42. Eurymus (yffl5 rim as)

39 and peals of bleating echoed round the pens where dams with udders full called for a milking. Blinded, and sick with pain from his head wound, the master stroked each ram, then let it pass. but my men riding on the pectora138 fleece

395 the giant's blind hands blundering never found. Last of them all my ram, the leader, Caine, weighted by wool and me with my meditations. The Cyclops patted him, and then he said:

'Sweet cousin ram, why lag behind the rest 400 in the night cave? You never linger so,

but graze before them all, and go afar to crop sweet grass, and take your -stately way leading along the streams, until at evening you run to be the first one in the fold.

405 Why, now, so far behind? Can you be grieving over your Master's eye? That carrion rogue 39

and his accurst companions burnt it out when he had conquered all my wits with wine. Nohbdy will not get out alive, I swear.

410 Oh, had you brain and voice to tell where he may be now, dodging all my fury! Bashed by this hand and bashed on this rock wall his brains would strew the floor, and I should have rest from the outrage Nohbdy worked upon me.'

415 He sent us into the open, then Close by, I dropped and rolled clear of the ram's belly, going this way and that to untie the men. With many glances back, we rounded up his fat, stiff-legged sheep to take aboard,

'420 and drove them down to where the good ship lay. We saw, as we came near, our fellows' faces shining; then we saw them turn to grief tallying those who had not fled from death. I hushed them, jerking head and eyebrows up,

425 and in a low voice told them: 'Load this herd; move fast, and put the ship's head toward the breakers.'

They all pitched in at loading, then embarked and struck their oars into the sea. Far out, as far offshore as shouted words would carry,

430 I sent a few back to the adversary: '0 Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a cave man's hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you,

• , •

you damned cannibal? Eater of guests

435 under your roof) Zeus and the gods have paid your

The blind thing in his doubled fury broke a hilltop in his hands and heaved it after us. Ahead of our black prow it struck and sank whelmed in a spurning geyser, a giant wave

440 that washed the ship stern foremost back to shore. I got the longest boathook out and stood fending us off, with furious nods to all to put their backs into a racing stroke— row, row, or perish. So the long oars bent

445 kicking the foam sternward, making head until we drew away, and twice as far. Now when I cupped my hands I heard the crew in low voices protesting:

'Godsake, Captain) Why bait the beast again? Let him alone)'

450 That tidal wave he made on the first throw all but beached us.'

'All but stove us in!' 'Give him our bearing with your trumpeting, he'll get the range and lob a boulder.'

'Aye He'll smash our timbers and our heads together)'

455 I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled:

'Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye:

aso Laertes' son, whose home's on Ithaca!'

At this he gave a mighty sob and rumbled:

'Now comes the weirdo upon me, spoken of old. A wizard, grand and wondrous, lived here—Telemus. 4I

a son of Eurymus•42 great length of days

465 he had in wizardry among the Cyclopes, and these things he foretold for time to come: my great eye lost, and at Odysseus' hands. Always I had in mind some giant, armed

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Cyclops ♦ 873 1 1

874 ♦ The Epic

.4 Critical Viewing Odysseus and his surviving men

escape in their ship as the

blinded Cyclops

hurls boulders

and curses. What

events provoke

this scene? (Analyze)

The god of earthquake could not heal you there!'

At this he stretched his hands out in the darkness toward the sky of stars, and prayed Poseidon:

'0 hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, 455 if I am thine indeed, and thou art father:

grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes' son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again

450 among his family in his father land, far be that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.'

In these words he prayed, and the god heard him. 495 Now he laid hands upon a bigger stone

and wheeled around, titanic for the cast, to let it fly in the black-prowed vessel's track. But it fell short, just aft the steering oar, and whelming seas rose giant above the stone

500 to bear us onward toward the island.

520

525

in giant force, would come against me here. 470 But this, but you—small, pitiful and twiggy—

you put me down with wine, you blinded me. Come back, Odysseus, and I'll treat you well, praying the god of earthquake 43 to befriend you—his son I am, for he by his avowal

475 fathered me, and, if he will, he may heal me of this black wound—he and no other of all the happy gods or mortal men.'

Few words I shouted in reply to him:

If I could take your life I would and take 480

your time away, and hurl you down to hell!

There

as we ran in we saw the squadron waiting, the trim ships drawn up side by side, and all our troubled friends who waited, looking seaward. We beached her, grinding keel in the soft sand,

505 and waded in, ourselves, on the sandy beach. Then we unloaded all of Cyclops' flock to make division, share and share alike. Only my fighters voted that my ram, the prize of all, should go to me. I slew him

510 by the seaside and burnt his long thighbones to Zeus beyond the stormcloud, Cronus'" son, who rules the world. But Zeus disdained my

offering: destruction for my ships he had in store and death for those who sailed them, my

companions. 515 Now all day long until the sun went down

we made our feast on mutton and sweet wine, till after sunset in the gathering dark we went to sleep above the wash of ripples.

When the young Dawn with fingertips of rose

♦ Literary Focus

What admirable qualities does Odysseus show in what he does with the stolen sheep?

44. Cronus (krei nes): Titan who was ruler of the universe until he was over-thrown by his son Zeus.

411■ Build Vocabulary

titanic (ti tan" ik) adj.: Of

great size or strength

s)

43. god of earthquake: Poseidon.

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Cyclops ♦ 875

530

,f47 • Tim

Critical Viewing What can you infer about ancient Greek beliefs about death

and the afterlife from the

text and this illustration? [Infer]

ne

520 touched the world, I roused the men, gave orders to man the ships, cast off the mooring lines: and filing in to sit beside the rowlocks oarsmen in line dipped oars in the gray sea. So we moved out, sad in the vast offing," 525 having our precious lives, but not our friends.

The Land of the Dead

Odysseus and his men sail to Aeolia, 46 where Aeolus, winds, sends Odysseus on his way with a gift: a sack king of the

containing all the winds except the favorable west wind. W re near

a storm that dri- home, Odysseus' men open the sack, letting ashen they a

ves them back to Aeolia. Aeolus casts them out, having decided that they are detested by the gods. They sail seven days and

ar-rive in the land of the Laestrygonians, 47 a race of cannibals. These creatures destroy all of Odysseus' ships except the one he is sail-ing in. Odysseus and his reduced crew escape and reach Aeaea, the island ruled by the sorceress goddess Circe. She transforms ha ti

of the men into swine. Protected by a magic herb, Odysseus demand's that Circe change his men back into human form. Before Odysseus departs from the island a year later; Circe informs him that in order to reach home he mustjourney to the land of the dead, Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias.

We bore down on the ship at the sea's edge and launched her on the salt immortal sea, stepping our mast and spar in the black ship; embarked the ram and ewe and went aboard 530 in tears, with bitter and sore dread upon us. But now a breeze came up for us astern--a canvas-bellying land breeze, hale shipmate sent by the singing nymph with sunbright hair:48 so we

made fast the braces, took our thwarts, 535 and let the wind and steersman work the ship with

the full sail spread all day above our coursing,

till sun dipped, and all the upon the fathomless unresting sea.

ways grew dark

aa,

48. singing nymph .. . hair. Circe.

By night our ship ran onward toward the Ocean's bourn, 540 the

realm and region of the Men of Winter, hidden in mist and cloud. Never the flaming eye of Helios lights on those men at morning, when he climbs the sky of stars,

The Odyssey, Part I, The Land of the Dead ♦ 877 . . .

45. offing (of eir)) Distant part of the sea visible from the shore.

46. Aeolia (5 li a)

47. Laestrygonians (les tri go ni anz)

nor in descending earthward out of heaven; 545 ruinous night being rove over those wretches.

We made the land, put ram and ewe ashore, and took our way along the Ocean stream to find the place foretold for us by Circe. There Perimedes and Eulylochus, 48

550 pinioned50 the sacred beasts. With my drawn blade I spaded up the votive 51 pit, and poured libations52 round it to the unnumbered dead: sweet milk and honey, then sweet wine, and last clear water; and I scattered barley down.

555 Then I addressed the blurred and breathless dead, vowing to slaughter my best heifer for them before she calved, at home in Ithaca, and burn the choice bits on the altar fire: as for Tireslas, I swore to sacrifice

5so a black lamb, handsomest of all our flock. Thus to assuage the nations of the dead I pledged these rites, then slashed the lamb and

ewe, letting their black blood stream into the wellpit.

• Build Vocabulary assuage (a swan v.: Calm; pacify

49. Perimedes (per a me d6z) and Eurylochus (yao fir a kas) 50. pinioned (pin" yand) Confined or shackled. 51. votive (vat iv) adj.: Done in fulfilment of a vow or pledge. 52. libations Ili ba sham) 6.: Wine or other liquids poured upon the ground as a sacrifice.

878 ♦ The Epic

Heap up the mound there, and implant upon it the oar I pulled in life with my companions.'

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Land of the Dead ♦ 879

58. Autolycus tar I kus)

59. Thebes (theln)

♦ Reading Strategy Rephrase in ordinary

language the verses

about Odysseus

putting his sword

away. How can

verses

senten ces?r eea sdh er tsa

helpei n gOdysseyFyoo muer s i n

60. kine (kin) n.: Cattle.

FC11 1E31

Luf FE3-

I I

13_1

Now the souls gathered, stirring out of Erebus, 53 565 brides and young men, and men grown old in pain,

and tender girls whose hearts were new to grief; many were there, too, torn by brazen lanceheads, battle-slain, bearing still their bloody gear. From every side they came and sought the pit

570 with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. But presently I gave command to my officers to flay those sheep the bronze cut down, and make burnt offerings of flesh to the gods below— to sovereign Death, to pale Persephone. 54

575 Meanwhile I crouched with my drawn sword to keep the surging phantoms from the bloody pit till I should know the presence of Tireslas. 55

One shade came first—Elpenor, of our company, who lay unburied still on the wide earth

ssci as we had left him—dead in Circe's hall. untouched, unmoumed, when other cares compelled us. Now when I saw him there I wept for pity and called out to him:

'How is this, Elpenor, how could you journey to the western gloom

585 swifter afoot than I in the black lugger?' He sighed, and answered:

'Son of great Laertes, Odysseus, master mariner and soldier, bad luck shadowed me. and no kindly power; ignoble death I drank with so much wine.

seo I slept on Circe's roof, then could not see the long steep backward ladder, coming down, and fell that height. My neckbone, buckled under, snapped, and my spirit found this well of dark. Now hear the grace I pray for, in the name

595 of those back in the world, not here—your wife and father, he who gave you bread In childhood, and your own child, your only son, Telemachus, 56

long ago left at home.

When you make sail and put these lodgings of dim Death behind,

sou you will moor ship, I know, upon Aeaea Island; there, 0 my lord, remember Inc. I pray, do not abandon me unwept, unburied, to tempt the gods' wrath, while you sail for home; but fire my corpse, and all the gear I had,

605 and build a cairn57 for me above the breakers— an unknown sailor's mark for men to come.

53. Erebus (er" a bas): Dark region under the earth through which the dead pass before entering the realm of Hades.

♦ Literary Focus How is Odysseus'

courage revealed

even as he admits

to being "sick with fear"?

54. Persephone (per se a ne): Wife of Hades. 55. Tireslas (ti re" si as)

56. Telemachus (to lem" a Ices)

57. cairn (kern) n.: Conical heap of stones built as a monument.

'Unhappy spirit,

610 I promise you the barrow and the burial.'

So we conversed, and grimly, at a distance,

with my long sword between, guarding the blood,

while the faint image of the lad spoke on. Now came the soul of Anticlea, dead,

615 my mother, daughter of Autolycus, 58 dead now, though living still when I took ship for holy Troy. Seeing this ghost I grieved, but held her off, through pang on pang of tears, till I should know the presence of Tiresias.

620 Soon from the dark that prince of Thebes 59 came

forward bearing a golden staff; and he addressed me:

'Son of Laertes and the gods of old, Odysseus, master of landways and seaways, why leave the blazing sun, 0 man of woe,

625 to see the cold dead and the joyless region? Stand clear, put up your sword; let me but taste the blood, I shall speak true.'

At this I stepped aside, and in the scabbard let my long sword ring home to the pommel silver,

830 as he bent down to the somber blood. Then spoke the prince of those with gift of speech:

'Great captain,

a fair wind and the honey lights of home are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead; the god who thunders on the land prepares it,

635 not to be shaken from your track, implacable, in rancor for the son whose eye you blinded. One narrow strait may take you through his blows: denial of yourself, restraint of shipmates. When you make landfall on Thrinacia first

640 and quit the violet sea, dark on the land you'll find the grazing herds of Helios by whom all things are seen, all speech is known. Avoid these kine, 69 hold fast to your intent. and hard seafaring brings you all to Ithaca.

645 But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction

He ceased, and I replied: 65C

65.

880 • The Eric

for ship and crew. Though you survive alone, bereft of all companions, lost for years. under strange sail shall you come home, to find your own house filled with trouble: insolent men

650 eating your livestock as they court your lady. Aye, you shall make those men atone in blood! But after you have dealt out death—in open combat or by stealth—to all the suitors, go overland on foot. and take an oar,

655 until one day you come where men have lived with meat unsalted, never known the sea, nor seen seagoing ships, with crimson bows and oars that fledge light hulls for dipping flight. The spot will soon be plain to you, and I

660 can tell you how: some passerby will say, 'What winnowing fan is that upon your shoulder? Halt, and implant your smooth oar in the turf and make fair sacrifice to Lord Poseidon: a rain, a bull, a great buck boar: turn back.

665 and carry out pure hecatombsen at home to all wide heaven's lords, the undying gods, to each in order. Then a seaborne death soft as this hand of mist will come upon you when you are wearied out with rich old age,

670 your country folk in blessed peace around you. And all this shall be Just as I foretell.'

The Sirens

Odysseus returns to Circe's island. The goddess reveals his

course to him and gives advice on how to avoid the dangers

he will face: the Sirens, who lure sailors to their destruction;

the Wandering Rocks, sea rocks that destroy even birds in

flight; the perils of the sea monster Scylla and, nearby, the

whirlpool Chandbdis;e2 and the cattle of the sun god, which

Tiresias has warned Odysseus not to harm.

62. Charybdis (ka rib' clis)

* Build Vocabulary bereft (hi raft) adj.: Deprived

61. hecatombs (heft' tam) n.: Large-scale sacrifices: often the slaugh-ter of 100 cattle at one time.

As Circe spoke, Dawn mounted her golden throne,

and on the first rays Circe left me, taking

her way like a great goddess up the island.

675 I made straight for the ship, roused up the men to get aboard and cast off at the stern. They scrambled to their places by the rowlocks and all in line dipped oars in the gray sea. But soon an offshore breeze blew to our liking-

680 a canvas-bellying breeze, a lusty shipmate sent by the singing nymph with sunbright hair. So we made fast the braces, and we rested, letting the wind and steersman work the ship.

The crew being now silent before me, I

685 addressed them, sore at heart:

Guide for Responding ♦ .1.4teratitre • 44141YOur Life Reader's Response What do you think of Odysseus' plan for escaping from Polyphemus?

Thematic Focus What are some constructive ways of working out conflicts with powerful or unreasonable opponents?

Check Your Comprehension

I. What does Odysseus do to blind Polyphemus? 2. How do Odysseus and his companions ulti-

mately escape from the Cyclops? 3. What does Tiresias foretell?

♦ Critical Thinking INTERPRET I. What does the encounter with Maron tell you

about ancient Greek attitudes toward hospital-ity? [Interpret]

2. What "laws" of behavior and attitude does Polyphemus violate? Explain. [Infer]

EVALUATE 3. (a)What survival qualities does Odysseus exhibit

in his conflict with Polyphemus? (b) What char-

acter trait does Odysseus display In "The Land

of the Dead" that he did not reveal in his adven-ture with the Cyclops? [Assess]

'Dear friends,

more than one man, or two, should know those

things Circe foresaw for us and shared with me,

so let one tell her forecast: then we die

with our eyes open. if we are going to die, sso or know what death we baffle if we can. Sirens

weaving a haunting song over the sea we are to shun, she said, and their green shore all sweet with clover; yet she urged that I alone should listen to their song Therefore

695 you are to tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, and ill shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me.'

♦ Literary Focus What does

Odysseus reveal about his character

by sharing informa-

tion with his men?

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Land of the Dead ♦ 881

I rather dwelt on this part of the forecast,

700 while our good ship made time, bound outward

down the wind for the strange island of Sirens.

Then all at once the wind fell, and a calm

882 ♦ The Epic

amidships, back to the mast, lashed to the mast,

715 and took themselves again to rowing. Soon, as we came smartly within hailing distance, the two Sirens, noting our fast ship off their point, made ready, and they sang:

This way, oh turn your bows,

720 Achaea's glory, As all the world allows—

Moor and be merry,

760

755

A Critical Viewing The beautiful sorceress Circe both helps and hinders Odysseus on his long journey home. What can you tell

about Circe's character from this illustration? [Deduce]

Sweet coupled airs we sing. No lonely seafarer

725 Holds clear of entering Ow green mirror.

Pleased by each purling note Like honey twining

From her throat and my throat,

730 Who lies a-pining?

Sea rovers here takejoy Voyaging onward,

As from our song of Tray Graybeard and rower-boy

735 Goeth more learned.

All feats on that great field In the long warfare,

Dark days the bright gods waled, Wounds you bore there,

• Literature, and Your

Do you think the

Sirens' song is the

same for every lis-

tener? What might

the Sirens sing to a

real or fictional per-

son you know?

came over all the sea, as though some power lulled the swell.

The crew were on their feet 705 briskly, to furl the sail, and stow it; then

each in place, they poised the smooth oar blades and sent the white foam scudding by. I carved a massive cake of beeswax into bits and rolled them in my hands until they softened-

710 no long task, for a burning heat came down from Helios, lord of high noon. Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears. They tied me up, then, plumb

740 Argos' old soldiery° On Troy beach teeming.

Charmed out of time we see. No life on earth can be

Hid from our dreaming.

63. Argos' old soldiery: Soldiers from Argos, a city In ancient Greece.

745 The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say 'Untie mel' to the crew, jerking my brows; but they bent steady to the oars. Then Perimedes got to his feet, he and Eurylochus,

760 and passed more line about, to hold me still. So all rowed on, until the Sirens dropped under the sea rim, and their singing dwindled away.

The Odyssey, Part 1, The Sirens • 883 * Build Vocabulary

ardor (ar der) n.: Passion; enthusiasm

884 • The Epic

My rested on their oars now peeling off faithful company

755 the wax that I had laid thick on their ears:

then set me free.

Scylla and Charybdis

But scarcely faded in blue air than I saw smoke had that island

and white water, with sound of waves in tumult— a sound the men heard, and it terrified them.

760 Oars flew from their hands; the blades went knocking

wild alongside till the ship lost way,

with no oar blades to drive her through the water.

Well, I walked up and down from bow to stern, trying to put heart into them, standing over

765 every oarsman, saying gently,

'Friends have we never been in danger before this?

,

More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits

770 to find a way out for us?

to roll for cover under the decking. Circe's bidding against arms had slipped my mind, so I tied on my cuirass 66 and took up two heavy spears, then made my way along

790 to the foredeck—thinking to see her first from there, the monster of the gray rock, harboring torment for my friends. I strained my eyes upon the cliffside veiled in cloud, but nowhere could I catch sight of her.

66. cuirass (kwl ras') n.:

825 Armor for the upper body.

And all this time, 795 in travai1, 67 sobbing, gaining on the current,

we rowed into the strait—Scylla to port and on our starboard beam Charybdis, 68 dire gorge69 of the salt-sea tide. By heaven! when she vomited, all the sea was like a cauldron

Boo seething over intense fire, when the mixture suddenly heaves and rises.

The shot spume soared to the landside heights, and fell like rain.

Now by hook or crook this peril too shall be

I say

something that we remember.

We must obey the orders as I give themHeads up, lads!.

775 Get the oar shafts in your hands, and lay back hard on your benches; hit these breaking seas. Zeus help us pull away before we founder. You at the tiller, listen, and take in all that I say—the rudders are your duty;

760 keep her out of the combers and the smoke:64 steer for that headland; watch the drift, or we fetch up in the smother, and you drown us.'

That was all, and it brought them round to action. But as I sent them on toward Scylla, 65 I told them nothing, as they could do nothing.

65. Scylla (sir a) 785

They would have dropped their oars again, in panic,

The Odyssey, Part 1, Scylla and Charybdis ♦ 885

But when she swallowed the sea water down we saw the funnel of the maelstrom, 70 heard

805 the rock bellowing all around, and dark sand raged on the bottom far below. My men all blanched against the gloom, our eyes were fixed upon that yawning mouth in fear of being devoured.

Then Scylla made her strike, 810 whisking six of my best men from the ship.

I happened to glance aft at ship and oarsmen and caught sight of their arms and legs, dangling high overhead. Voices came down to me in anguish, calling my name for the last time.

815 A man surfcasting on a point of rock for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod to drop the sinker and the bait far out, will hook a fish and rip it from the surface to dangle wriggling through the air:

so these 620 were borne aloft in spasms toward the cliff.

She ate them as they shrieked there, in her den, in the dire grapple, reaching still for me-

• Reading Strategy

How would you rewrite Odysseus' pep talk in paragraph form without poetic line, breaks?

64. the combers (kom" ars) and the smoke: The large waves that break on the beach and the ocean spray.

886 ♦ The Epic

67. travail (tray n.: Very hard work. 83C

68. Charybdis (ka rib' clis)

69. gorge (gad) n.: Hungry, consuming mouth.

83;

70. maelstrom (mai' strew) n.: Large, violent

841

whirlpool.

and deathly pity ran me through at that sight—far the worst I ever suffered,

825 questing the passes of the strange sea.

We rowed on. The Rocks were now behind; Charybdis, too, and Scylla dropped astern. .

The Odyssey, Part 1, Cattle of the Sun God ♦ 887

ht.

♦ Literary Focus The characteristics of an epic hero reflect the values of his or her culture. What does this passage tell you about ancient Greek values?

The Cattle of the Sun God In the small hours of the third watch, when stars that shone out in the first dusk of evening

830 had gone down to their setting, a giant wind blew from heaven, and clouds driven by Zeus shrouded land and sea in a night of storm; so, Just as Dawn with fingertips of rose touched the windy world, we dragged our ship

835 to cover in a grotto, a sea cave where nymphs had chairs of rock and sanded floors. I mustered all the crew and said:

'Old shipmates, Our stores are in the ship's hold, food and drink; the cattle here are not for our provision,

840 or we pay dearly for it.

Fierce the god is who cherishes these heifers and these sheep: Helios; and no man avoids his eye.'

To this my fighters nodded. Yes. But now we had a month of onshore gales, blowing

845 day in, day out—south winds, or south by east. As long as bread and good red wine remained to keep the men up, and appease their craving, they would not touch the cattle. But in the end, when all the barley in the ship was gone,

850 hunger drove them to scour the wild shore with angling hooks, for fishes and seafowl, whatever fell into their hands; and lean days wore their bellies thin.

The storms continued. So one day I withdrew to the interior

855 to pray the gods in solitude, for hope that one might show me some way of salvation. Slipping away, I struck across the island

to a sheltered spot, out of the driving gale. I washed my hands there, and made supplication

860 to the gods who own Olympus, 21 all the gods— but they, for answer, only closed my eyes under slow drops of sleep.

Now on the shore Eurylochus

made his insidious plea:

'Comrades; he said, You've gone through everything; listen to what I say.

865 All deaths are hateful to us. mortal wretches, but famine is the most pitiful, the worst end that a man can come to.

Will you fight it?

Come, we'll cut out the noblest of these cattle for sacrifice to the gods who own the sky:

870 and once at home, in the old country of Ithaca, if ever that day comes— we'll build a costly temple and adorn it with every beauty for the Lord of Noon. 72

But if he flares up over his heifers lost, 875 wishing our ship destroyed, and if the gods

make cause with him, why, then I say: Better open your lungs to a big sea once for all than waste to skin and bones on a lonely islandl'

Thus Eurylochus: and they murmered 'Ayer 880 trooping away at once to round up heifers.

Now, that day tranquil cattle with broad brows were gazing near, and soon the men drew up around their chosen beasts in ceremony. They plucked the leaves that shone on a tall oak-

885 having no barley meal—to strew the victims, performed the prayers and ritual, knifed the kine and flayed each carcass, cutting thighbones free to wrap in double folds of fat. These offerings, with strips of meat, were laid upon the fire.

890 Then, as they had no wine, they made libation with clear spring water, broiling the entrails first; and when the bones were burnt and tripes shared, they spitted the carved meat.

Just then my slumber left me in a rush, my eyes opened,

895 and I went down the seaward path. No sooner had I caught sight of our black hull, than savory

71. Olympus (0 Ilrn pee): Mount Olympus, home of the gods. 90!:

72. Lord of Noon: Hellos.

* Build Vocabulary Insidious (in old' 5 es) adj.: Characterized by craftiness and betrayal

888 • The Epic

odors of burnt fat eddied around me; grief took hold of me, and I cried aloud:

'0 Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, 900 you made me sleep away this day of mischief!

0 cruel drowsing, in the evil hour! Here they sat, and a great work they contrived.' 73

Lampetiam in her long gown meanwhile had borne swift word to the Overlord of Noon:

• Literature, NutYour 1,01.

How do these eerie

occurrences create a sense of anticipation

in you as you read?

73. contrived (ken tried) v.: Thought up; devised.

74. Lampetla (lam pa' the): A nymph.

905 They have killed your kine.'

And the Lord Helios burst into angry speech amid the immortals:

'0 Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, punish Odysseus' men! So overweening, now they have killed my peaceful kine, my joy

910 at morning when I climbed the sky of stars, and evening, when I bore westward from heaven. Restitution or penalty they shall pay— and pay in full—or I go down forever to light the dead men in the underworld.'

915 Then Zeus who drives the stormcloud made reply:

'Peace, Helios: shine on among the gods, shine over mortals In the fields of grain. Let me throw down one white-hot bolt, and make splinters of their ship in the winedark sea.'

920 —Calypso later told me of this exchange as she declared that Hermes" had told her. Well, when I reached the sea cave and the ship, I faced each man, and had it out; but where could any remedy be found? There was none.

925 The silken beeves76 of Hellos were dead. The gods, moreover, made queer signs appear: cowhides began to crawl, and beef, both raw and roasted, lowed like kine upon the spits. Now six full days my gallant crew could feast

sao upon the prime beef they had marked for slaughter from Helios' herd; and Zeus, the son of Cronus, added one fine morning.

the island coastline faded, and no land showed anywhere, but only sea and heaven, when Zeus Cronion piled a thunderhead above the ship, while gloom spread on the ocean.

sso We held our course, but briefly. Then the squall struck whining from the west, with gale force, breaking both forestays, and the mast came toppling aft along the ship's length, so the running rigging showered into the bilge.

77. petrels (pet" relz): Small, dark sea birds.

I clambered

75. Hermes (her" mez): The herald and messenger of the gods.

76. beeves (bevz) n.: Plural of beet.

fore and aft my hulk until a comber split her, keel from ribs, and the big timber floated free; the mast, too, broke away. A backstay floated dangling from it, stout

sso rawhide rope, and I used this for lashing mast and keel together. These I straddled, riding the frightful storm. .

All the gales had ceased, blown out, and with an offshore breeze we launched again, stepping the mast and sail,

935 to make for the open sea. Astern of us

78. Scylla (sir e)

The Odyssey, Part 1, Cattle of the Sun God ♦ 889 79. hole (bon n.: Tree

trunk.

Nor had I yet

seen the worst of it: for now the west wind dropped, and a southeast gale came on—one more

965 twist of the knife—taking me north again, straight for Charybdis. All that night I drifted, and in the sunrise, sure enough, I lay off Scyllan mountain and Charybdis deep. There, as the whirlpool drank the tide, a billow

970 tossed me, and I sprang for the great fig tree, catching on like a bat under a bough. Nowhere had I to stand, no way of climbing, the root and bole" being far below, and far above my head the branches and their leaves,

975 massed, overshadowing Charybdis pool.

890 ♦ The Epic

On the afterdeck

945 the mast had hit the steersman a slant blow bashing the skull in. knocking him override, as the brave soul fled the body, like a diver. With crack on crack of thunder, Zeus let fly a bolt against the ship, a direct hit,

950 so that she bucked, in reeking fumes of sulphur, and all the men were flung into the sea. They came up 'round the wreck, bobbing awhile like petrelsy on the waves.

No more seafaring homeward for these, no sweet day of return;

955 the god had turned his face from them.

wif3N1 101 E-1,11

[g- -0]

Aeoholdond--,

Man

ITHACAA Sparta "cap. ,

/ Mem Td.unar

THRINACIA (Conte of the Soo God) craw

CRETE OGYGIA Meditmairean Sea (calypso)

Real and imaginary Places in the Odyssey

A Critical Viewing The entrance to the Land of the Dead is believed

to be the Strait of Gibraltar. Why might the ancient Greeks have considered this location frightening? (Analyze)

Beyorl,td Z, a--e4,-(a-uye, Geography Connection

Tracing Odysseus' Route Odysseus' jour-ney carries him to real places, such as Troy and

Sparta, as well as to fictitious places, such as Aeolia

and Aeaea. In modern times, historians and explor-ers have tried to retrace the epic journey of

Odysseus to determine the actual locations of the

places with fictional names and thus to determine

Odysseus' exact route.What follows Is just one of

many theories of the actual route of Odysseus:

From Troy in present-day Turkey, Odysseus pro-

ceeded briefly northward and then southwestward

on the Aegean Sea, passing between the Greek

lands of Peloponnesus and Crete.Then, sailing

westward on the Mediterranean Sea, Odysseus

traveled near Sicily, where he found the Cyclops

and where nearby islands were homes to the Lotus

Eaters, the Sirens, and Aeolus, among others. After

circling Sicily clockwise, Odysseus sailed northeast-

ward and finally reached the Ionian Islands of Greece and his home, Ithaca. Activity Journeys or pilgrimages are common themes in epic literature around the world.

Research an epic traveler from another culture,

and draw a map tracing his or her journey.

The Odyssey, Part 1, Cattle of the Sun God ♦ 891

But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. R. And ahl how long, with what desire, I waited! till, at the twilight hour, when one who hears

to

980 and judges pleas in the marketplace all day between contentious men, goes home to supper, the long poles at last reared from the sea.

Now I let go with hands and feet, plunging straight into the foam beside the timbers,

985 pulled astride, and rowed hard with my hands to pass by Scylla. Never could I have passed her had not the Father of gods and men. 80 this time, 80. Father . men:

kept me from her eyes. Once through the strait, Zeus.

nine days I drifted in the open sea 990 before I made shore, buoyed up by the gods,

upon Ogygiaal Isle. The dangerous nymph

81. Ogygia (0 Iir I e).

Calypso lives and sings there, in her beauty, and she received me, loved me.

But why tell the same tale that I told last night in hall

995 to you and to your lady? Those adventures made a long evening, and I do not hold with tiresome repetition of a story."

Guide for Responding

• Litera.ture, aiukYour

Reader's Response In your opinion, when does

Odysseus act most heroically? Explain.

Thematic Focus What personal qualities are

seful when It comes to working out problems and

reaching goals?

Check Your Comprehension

I . (a) What does Tiresias foretell? (b)What direc-

tions and warnings does he give?

2. What does Odysseus do to protect his men

from the Sirens?

3. How does Eurylochus persuade Odysseus' men

to slaughter and eat Helios' cattle?

4. What is Zeus' response to Helios' demand for

revenge?

892 ♦ The Epic

♦ Critical Thinking INTERPRET

I. Compare and contrast the peril of the Sirens

and the peril of the Lotus-Eaters. [Compare

and Contrast] 2. Why do you think Odysseus chooses to sail to-

ward Scylla rather than Charybdis? [Analyze] 3. In these adventures, how does Odysseus show

himself to be an effective leader? [Draw Conclusions]

EVALUATE

4. Is Odysseus right to keep his decision to sail to-

ward Scylla a secret from his men? Give reasons

for your opinion. [Make a Judgment] COMPARE LITERARY WORKS

5. How do the form and tone of the Sirens' song

(p.884) differ from the rest of the Odyssey? [Distinguish]

1

nide for Reading • Review and Anticipate

In Part I of the Odyssey, Odysseus and his companions face many

perils on their voyage from Troy to Ithaca, including the hypnotic

Lotus, a man-eating Cyclops, the Sirens, and the monsters Scylla and

Charybdis. Odysseus journeys to the Land of the Dead to consult the

prophet Tiresias and learns of still more challenges to come.Although

warned by the prophet to leave the cattle of the sun god Helios

alone, Odysseus' men fail to heed this advice and are killed when a

lightning bolt hurled by the god Zeus destroys their ship.

The events you will read about in Part 2 of the Odyssey take place

in Ithaca, Odysseus' homeland and the goal of all his travels. Predict

what you think will happen when Odysseus arrives home.

• Literary Focus

EPIC SIMILE An epic simile, sometimes called a Homeric simile, is an elaborate

comparison that may extend for a number of lines. Epic similes may

use the words, like or as, just as, or so to make the comparison. In lines

268-271, Odysseus uses an epic simile to describe the fallen tree from

which he will create the weapon to blind the Cyclops.

And it was like a mast

a lugger of twenty oars, brood in the beam—

a deep-sea-going craft—might carry:

so long, so big around, it seemed.

*Reading Strategy I SUMMARIZE

You can better understand

what is going on in an epic like

the Odyssey—or in any other

work of literature with a com-

plicated plot—if you first

summarize the events.

When you summarize, you

retell the plot briefly in your

own words. Ideally, your sum-

mary should tell not only what

happened but why it hap-

pened.To assist you in summa-

rizing Part 2 of the Odyssey,

you may find it helpful to jot

down some notes about im-

portant events and their

causes as you read.

• Build Vocabulary

LATIN WORD ROOTS: - equi- A disguised Odysseus, speaking to his wife Pene-

lope, tells her that her good name is like the honor

of a just king "who rules in equity:' The word equity

means "fairness" or "justice" and

contains the Latin word root -equi-,

which means "same" or "equal:'

Thus, a king who rules in equity

treats all his subjects the same.

WORD BANK Preview these words from the

selection.

♦ Build Grammar Skills

PARTICIPIAL PHRASES A participle is a verb form that is used as an ad-

jective to modify a noun or pronoun. A particip-

ial phrase is a phrase that consists of a participle

and the words that work with it.The entire par-

ticipial phrase then serves as an adjective to mod-

ify a noun or pronoun. Here are some examples of

participial phrases from the Odyssey.

past participle

This was an army trained to fight on horseback ...

present participle

So, breathing hard, we waited until morning.

dissemble

lithe

incredulity

bemusing

glowering

equity

maudlin

contempt

Guide for Respondin g (continued)

♦ Reading Strategy

READ IN SENTENCES

Read the words of an epic in complete sen-

tences, without worrying about line breaks. I. Copy Odysseus' description of preparing to meet

the Sirens on pp. 883-884 from the second part

of line 704 through the first part of line 713 as a

single paragraph. Read your paragraph aloud.

2. Rewrite the paragraph in your own words.

♦ Literary Focus

THE EPIC HERO

The epic hero—the central character of an

epic—possesses qualities superior to those of most

people yet remains recognizably human.

I. (a) How is Odysseus different from ordinary

men? (b) How is he similar to ordinary men?

2. Do you admire Odysseus? Explain.

♦ Build Vocabulary

USING WORDS FROM MYTHS

The words that follow come from mythology.

Use one word to complete each sentence.

a. museum b. odyssey c. Titanic d. siren

I. Because the enormous ocean liner was thought

to be unsinkable, it was named the ? . 2. The treasures from ancient Troy were housed in

a ? .

3. The archaeologist's study of ancient ruins took

her on an ? across Turkey and Greece. 4. Unlike its mythical namesake, a modern ?

makes an unpleasant warning sound.

USING THE WORD BANK: Antonyms Match each word with its opposite.

I. dispatch a. restore to its owner 2. bereft b. finish slowly 3. plunder c. joyfully acquiring 4. squall d. tiny 5. mammoth e. small and weak

6. assuage f. calm, sunny weather 7. insidious g. honest 8. titanic h. aggravate 9. ardor i. lack of interest

♦ Build Grammar Skills

RESTRICTIVE AND NONRESTRICTIVE APPOSITIVES

Appositives add information about the nouns and

pronouns in a sentence.A restrictive appositive is essential to the meaning of the sentence and is

not set off by commas.A nonrestrictive apposi-tive or appositive phrase provides nonessential in-

formation and is set off with commas.

Practice In your notebook, identify the appositives

in these phrases from the Odyssey and tell whether each is restrictive or nonrestrictive.

I. Of these adventures, Muse, daughter of Zeus, tell

us in our time, lift the great song again.

2. Sweet cousin ram, why lag behind the rest in the

night cave?

3. We Cyclopes care not a whistle for your thun-

dering Zeus ...

4.... grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see

his home: Laertes' son, I mean, who kept his hall

on Ithaca.

5.... a burning heat came down from Helios, lord

of high noon.

Idea Bank

Writing I. Letter Imagine that you are a sailor aboard

Odysseus' ship.Write a letter home, telling your

family about your adventures.

2. Comparison-and-Contrast Essay Write an

essay in which you explore the concept of the

hero. In your essay, compare and contrast

Odysseus with other heroes, real or imaginary.

Speaking, Listening, and Viewing 3. Play-by-Play Broadcast Select an exciting,

action-filled incident from Part I of the Odyssey. Using the text and your imagination, describe the

action as it unfolds.When you have worked out

all the details, perform your broadcast for an au-

dience. [Performing Arts Link; Career Link]

The Odyssey, Part I ♦ 893

894 ♦ The Epic

Homer

Translated by Robert Fitzgerald

I

Ei ra

I

1. Eumaeus (yo—o me- es)

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Return of Odysseus ♦ 895

Part 2

The Return of Odysseus

"Twenty years gone, and I am back again" 0; Odysseus has finished telling his story to the Phaeacians. The next day, young Phaeacian noblemen conduct him home by ship. He arrives in Ithaca after an absence of twenty years. The god-dess Athena appears and informs him of the situation at home. Numerous suitors, believing Odysseus to be dead, have been con- tinually seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope, in marriage, while overrunning Odysseus' palace and enjoying themselves at Penelope's expense. Moreover, they are plotting to murder Odysseus' son, Telemachus, before he can inherit his father's lands. Telemachus, who, like Penelope, still hopes for his father's return, has Journeyed to Pylos and Sparta to learn what he can about his father's fate. Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar and directs him to the but of Eumaeus,' his old and faithful swineherd While Odysseus and Eumaeus are eating breakfast, Telemachus arrives. Athena then appears to Odysseus.

.... From the air she walked, taking the form of a tall woman, handsome and clever at her craft, and stood

moo beyond the gate in plain sight of Odysseus, unseen, though, by Telemachus, unguessed, for not to everyone will gods appear.

Odysseus noticed her: so did the dogs, who cowered whimpering away from her. She only

1005 nodded, signing to him with her brows, a sign he recognized. Crossing the yard, he passed out through the gate in the stockade to face the goddess. There she said to him:

"Son of Laertes and the gods of old, 1010 Odysseus, master of 'endways and seaways,

dissemble to your son no longer now. The time has come: tell him how you together will bring doom on the suitors in the town. I shall not be far distant then, for I

1015 myself desire battle."

Saying no more, she tipped her golden wand upon the man, making his cloak pure white, and the knit tunic fresh around him. Lithe and young she made him, ruddy with sun, his jawline clean, the beard

1020 no longer gray upon his chin. And she withdrew when she had done.

Then Lord Odysseus reappeared—and his son was thunderstruck. Fear in his eyes, he looked down and away as though it were a god, and whispered:

"Stranger, 1025 you are no longer what you were just nowt

Your cloak is new; even your skin) You are one of the gods who rule the sweep of heaven! Be kind to us, we'll make you fair oblation2 and gifts of hammered gold. Have mercy on tie"

1030 The noble and enduring man replied:

"No god. Why take me for a god? No, no. I am that father whom your boyhood lacked and suffered pain for lack of. I am he."

Held back too long, the tears ran down his cheeks 1035 as he embraced his son.

Only Telemachus,

uncomprehending, wild with incredulity, cried out:

2. oblation (5 b15" shen) n.: Offering to a god.

Build Vocabulary

dissemble (dl sem bet) v.: Conceal with false appearances; disguise

lithe (lith) adj.: Supple;

limber

Incredulity (In' kre do—o' le te) n.: Inability to believe

896 ♦ The Eptc

• Critical Viewing What can you tell about Eumaeus from

this illustration? [Infer]

'This is not princely, to be swept away by wonder at your father's presence. No other Odysseus will ever come, for he and I are one, the same; his bitter

1050 fortune and his wanderings are mine. Twenty years gone, and I am back again on my own island.

As for my change of skin, that is a charm Athena, Hope of Soldiers, uses as she will; she has the knack

1055 to make me seem a beggar man sometimes and sometimes young, with finer clothes about me. It is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low."

05

09

When he had spoken, down he sat. Then, throwing

1060 his arms around this marvel of a father Telemachus began to weep. Salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men, and cries burst from both as keen and fluttering as those of the great taloned hawk,

1065 whose nestlings farmers take before they fly. So helplessly they cried, pouring out tears, and might have gone on weeping so till sundown, had not Telemachus said:

"Dear father? Tell me what kind of vessel put you here ashore

1070 on Ithaca? Your sailors, who were they? I doubt you made it, walking on the seal"

0

♦ Literary Focus What is being corn-pared in the epic simile in lines

1063 -1065?

11

Then said Odysseus, who had borne the barren sea:

"Only plain truth shall I tell you, child. Great seafarers, the Phaeacians, gave me passage

1075 as they give other wanderers. By night over the open ocean, while I slept, they brought me in their cutters set me down on Ithaca, with gifts of bronze and gold and stores of woven things. By the gods' will

logo these lie all hidden in a cave. I came to this wild place, directed by Athena, so that we might lay plans to kill our enemies. Count up the suitors for me, let me know what men at arms are there, how many men.

898 ♦ The Epic

3. cutter (hut en n.: Small, swift ship or boat.

11

You cannot be my father Odysseus? Meddling spirits conceived this trick to twist the knife in mel

1040 No man of woman born could work these wonders by his own craft, unless a god came into it with ease to turn him young or old at will. I swear you were in rags and old, and here you stand like one of the immortals?"

1045 Odysseus brought his ranging mind to bear and said:

• Literature,

and Your .1.1e.

How does

Telemachus' reac-tion to his father compare with your own reaction to friends or relatives you haven't seen for a long time?

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Return of Odysseus ♦ 897

111:01111 FE]

1085 I must put all my mind to it, to see if we two by ourselves can take them on or if we should look round for help."

1E-1 tlka

Telemachus replied:

"0 Father, all my life your fame as a fighting man has echoed in my ears —

1090 your skill with weapons and the tricks of war— but what you speak of is a staggering thing, beyond imagining, for me. How can two men do battle with a houseful in their primer' For I must tell you this is no affair

loos of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them. You shall see, here and now. The number from Dulichium alone is fifty-two, picked men, with armorers, a half dozen: twenty-four came from Same,

1100 twenty from Zacynthus; our own island accounts for twelve, high-ranked, and their retainers, Medan the crier, and the Master Harper, besides a pair of handymen at feasts. If we go in against all these

1105 I fear we pay in salt blood for your vengeance. You must think hard if you would conjure up the fighting strength to take us through."

Odysseus who had endured the long war and the sea answered:

"III tell you now. Lilo Suppose Athena's arm is over us, and Zeus

her father's, must I rack my brains for more?"

Clearheaded Telemachus looked hard and said:

"Those two are great defenders, no one doubts It, but throned in the serene clouds overhead;

1115 other affairs of men and gods they have to rule over."

And the hero answered: "Before long they will stand to right and left of us in combat, in the shouting, when the test comes—our nerve against the suitors' in my hall.

1120 Here is your part: at break of day tomorrow

4. In their prime: In the best or most vigorous stage of their lives.

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Return of Odysseus ♦ 899

k!,

home with you, go mingle with our princes. The swineherd later on will take me down the port-side trail—a beggar, by my looks, hangdog and old. If they make fun of me

1125 in my own courtyard, let your ribs cage up your springing heart, no matter what I suffer, no matter if they pull me by the heels or practice shots at me, to drive me out. Look on, hold down your anger. You may even

1130 plead with them, by heaven! in gentle terms to quit their horseplay—not that they will heed you, rash as they are, facing their day of wrath. Now fix the next step in your mind.

Athena,

counseling me, will give me word, and I 1135 shall signal to you, nodding: at that point

round up all armor, lances, gear of war left in our hall, and stow the lot away back in the vaulted storeroom. When the suitors miss those arms and question you, be soft

1140 in what you say: answer

'I thought I'd move them out of the smoke. They seemed no longer those bright arms Odysseus left us years ago when he went off to Troy. Here where the fire's hot breath came, they had grown black and drear.

1145 One better reason, too, I had from Zeus: suppose a brawl starts up when you are drunk, you might be crazed and bloody one another, and that would stain your feast, your courtship. Tempered

iron can magnetize a man.' Say that

1150 But put aside two broadswords and two spears for our own use, two oxhide shields nearby when we go into action. Pallas Athena and Zeus All-Provident will see you through, bemusing our young friends.

Now one thing more.

1155 If son of mine you are and blood of mine, let no one hear Odysseus is about. Neither Laertes, nor the swineherd here, nor any slave, nor even Penelope. But you and I alone must learn how far

1160 the women are corrupted; we should know

11E

11 E

♦ Reading Strategy

Summarize the events of Odysseus' reunion with Telemachus.

900 ♦ The Epic

While he spoke an old hound, lying near, pricked up his ears

1165 and lifted up his muzzle. This was Argus, trained as a puppy by Odysseus, but never taken on a hunt before his master sailed for Troy. The young men, afterward, hunted wild goats with him, and hare, and deer,

1170 but he had grown old in his master's absence. Treated as rubbish now, he lay at last upon a mass of dung before the gates—manure of mules and cows, piled there until fteldhands could spread it on the king's estate.

1175 Abandoned there, and half destroyed with flies, old Argus lay.

But when he knew he heard Odysseus' voice nearby, he did his best to wag his tail, nose down, with flattened ears, having no strength to move nearer his master.

1180 And the man looked away, wiping a salt tear from his cheek; but he hid this from Eumaeus. Then he said:

"I marvel that they leave this hound to lie here on the dung pile;

1185 he would have been a fine dog, from the look of him, though I can't say as to his power and speed when he was young. You find the same good build in house dogs, table dogs landowners keep all for style."

And you replied, Eumaeus: 1190 "A hunter owned him—but the man is dead

in some far place. If this old hound could show the form he had when Lord Odysseus left him, going to Troy, you'd see him swift and strong.

• Build Vocabulary bemusing (bl myff zit)) adj.: Stupefying or muddling

The Odyssey, Part 2, Argus ♦ 901

how to locate good men among our hands, the loyal and respectful, and the shirkers 5

who take you lightly, as alone and young."

Argus

5. shirkers (shirk" erz) n.: People who get out of doing or leave undone something that needs to be done.

• Literatura anal Your 1.4e.

Pet owners will sometimes contend that animals are

more perceptive than people. How

does the story of Argus support this contention?

He never shrank from any savage thing 1195 he'd brought to bay in the deep woods; on the scent

no other dog kept up with him. Now misery has him in leash. His owner died abroad, and here the women slaves will take no care of him. You know how servants are: without a master

1200 they have no will to labor, or excel. For Zeus who views the wide world takes away half the manhood of a man, that day he goes into captivity and slavery."

Eumaeus crossed the court and went straight forward 1206 into the megaron6 among the suitors:

but death and darkness in that instant closed the eyes of Argus, who had seen his master, Odysseus, after twenty years.

The Suitors

Still disguised as a beggar Odysseus enters his home.

He is confronted by the haughty? suitor Antlnous. 8

But here Antinous broke in, shouting:

"Godl

1210 What evil wind blew in this pest? Get over,

stand in the passage! Nudge my table, will you? Egyptian whips are sweet to what you'll come to here, you nosing rat, making your pitch to everyone!

1215 These men have bread to throw away on you because it is not theirs. Who cares? Who spares another's food, when he has more than plenty?"

With guile Odysseus drew away, then said: "A pity that you have more looks than heart.

1220 You'd grudge a pinch of salt from your own larder to your own handyman. You sit here, fat on others' meats and cannot bring yourself to rummage out a crust of bread for mer

Then anger made Antinous' heart beat hard, 1225 and, glowering under his brows, he answered:

Odysseus heads for town with Eumaeus. Outside the palace, Odysseus' old dog, Argus, is lying at rest as his long-absent master approaches.

8. megaron ling a rbn) n.: Great, central hall of the house, usually containing a center hearth.

7. haughty (Mr 81 ad).: Arrogant.

8. Antinous (an tin 6 es)

• Build Vocabulary

glowering (glaw er it)) adj ..: Staring with sullen anger; scowling

902 ♦ The Epic

01 :0:11-41,

r2Ing ig pd Lcif -0_1

Penelope

1265 on the higher level of her room had heard the blow, and knew who gave it. Now she murmured:

"Would god you could be hit yourself, Antinous-hit by Apollo's bowshotl"

And Eurynome, 11

her housekeeper, put in:

"He and no other?

1270 if all we pray for came to pass, not one would live till dawn!"

Her gentle mistress said:

"Oh, Nan, they are a bad lot: they intend ruin for all of us: but Antinous appears a blacker-hearted hound than any.

1275 Here is a poor man come, a wanderer, driven by want to beg his bread, and everyone in hall gave bits, to cram his bag—only Antinous threw a stool, and banged his shoulder!"

So she described it, sitting in her chamber

1260 among her maids—while her true lord was eating. Then she called in the forester and said:

"Go to that man on my behalf, Eumaeus, and send him here, so I can greet and question him. Abroad in the great world, he may have heard

1285 rumors about Odysseus—may have known himl"

Penelope

In the evening. Penelope questions the old beggar about himseEf.

Telemachus,

after the blow his father bore, sat still without a tear, though his heart felt the blow. Slowly he shook his head from side to side, containing murderous thoughts.

12'

11. Eurynomer (y(50 fin'

em

"Nowl You think you'll shuffle off and get away after that impudence? 8 Oh, no you don't!"

The stool he let fly hit the man's right shoulder on the packed muscle under the shoulder blade-

1230 like solid rock, for all the effect one saw. Odysseus only shook his head, containing thoughts of bloody work, as he walked on, then sat, and dropped his loaded bag again upon the door sill. Facing the whole crowd

1235 he said, and eyed them all:

"One word only, my lords, and suitors of the famous queen. One thing I have to say. There is no pain, no burden for the heart when blows come to a man, and he defending

1240 his own cattle—his own cows and lambs. Here It was otherwise. Antinous hit me for being driven on by hunger— how many bitter seas men cross for hunger! If beggars interest the gods, if there are Furiesl°

1245 pent in the dark to avenge a poor man's wrong, then may Antinous meet his death before his wedding day!"

Then said Eupeithes' son, Antinous:

"Enough. Eat and be quiet where you are, or shamble elsewhere, unless you want these lads to stop your mouth

1250 pulling you by the heels, or hands and feet, over the whole floor, till your back is peeled!"

But now the rest were mortified, and someone spoke from the crowd of young bucks to rebuke him: "A poor show, that—hitting this famished tramp-

1255 bad business, if he happened to be a god. You know they go in foreign guise, the gods do, looking like strangers, turning up In towns and settlements to keep an eye on manners, good or bad."

But at this notion 1260 Antinous only shrugged.

9. Impudence (Im' py00 dens) n.: Quality of being shamelessly bold; disre-spectful.

10. Furies (iyobr" ez): Three terrible spirits who punish those whose crimes have not been avenged.

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Suitors ♦ 903

"Friend, let me ask you first of all: who are you, where do you come from, of what nation

904 • The Enic

-Ef 1 r ro- g 151 CE1 I

Li 1 [El I

CJ

15 I rE

1101 INN and parents were you born'?"

And he replied: "My lady, never a man in the wide world

1290 should have a fault to find with you. Your name has gone out under heaven like the sweet honor of some god-fearing king, who rules in equity over the strong: his black lands bear both wheat and barley, fruit trees laden bright,

1295 new lambs at lambing time—and the deep sea gives great hauls of fish by his good strategy, so that his folk fare well.

0 my dear lady, this being so, let it suffice to ask me of other matters—not my blood, my homeland.

1300 Do not enforce me to recall my pain. My heart is sore; but I must not be found sitting in tears here. in another's house: it is not well forever to be grieving. One of the maids might say—or you might think-

1305 I had got maudlin over cups of wine."

And Penelope replied:

"Stranger, my looks, my face, my carriage, 12 were soon lost or faded when the Achaeans crossed the sea to Troy, Odysseus my lord among the rest.

1310 If he returned, if he were here to care for me, I might be happily renowned! But grief instead heaven sent me—years of pain. Sons of the noblest families on the islands, Dulichium, Same, wooded Zacynthus, 13

1315 with native Ithacan are here to court me, against my wish; and they consume this house. Can I give proper heed to guest or suppliant or herald on the realm's affairs?

How could I? wasted with longing for Odysseus, while here

132o they press for marriage. Ruses 14 served my turn

to draw the time out—first a close-grained web I had the happy thought to set up weaving on my big loom in hall. I said, that day: 'Young men—my suitors, now my lord is dead,

♦ Literary Focus Identify the epic simile In Odysseus' response to Pene-lope's question.

12. carriage (kat' ipn.: Posture.

13. Zacynthus (za sin" thus)

14. Ruses (ro—oz' oz) n.: Tricks.

* Build Vocabulary equity (ek' wit 9) /1.: Fair-ness; impartiality; justice

maudlin (mad' lin) adj.: Tearfully or foolishly sentimental

The Odyssey, Part 2, Penelope ♦ 905

LP:47W 41 Ir

1325 let me finish my weaving before I marry, or else my thread will have been spun in vain. It is a shroud I weave for Lord Laertes when cold Death comes to lay him on his bier. The country wives would hold me in dishonor

1330 if he, with all his fortune, lay unshrouded.' I reached their hearts that way, and they agreed. So every day I wove on the great loom, but every night by torchlight I unwove it; and so for three years I deceived the Achaeans.

1335 But when the seasons brought a fourth year on. as long months waned, and the long days were spent, through impudent folly In the slinking maids they caught me—clamored up to me at night; I had no choice then but to finish it.

1340 And now, as matters stand at last. I have no strength left to evade a marriage, cannot find any further way; my parents urge it upon me. and my son will not stand by while they eat up his property. '

1345 He comprehends it, being a man full-grown, able to oversee the kind of house Zeus would endow with honor.

But you too

confide in me, tell me your ancestry. You were not born of mythic oak or stone."

Penelope again asks the beggar to tell about himself. He

makes up a tale in which Odysseus is mentioned and

declares that Penelope's husband will soon be home.

1350 "You see, then, he Is alive and well, and headed homeward now, no more to be abroad far from his island, his dear wife and son. Here is my sworn word for it. Witness this, god of the zenith, noblest of the gods, 15

1355 and Lord Odysseus' hearthfire, now before me: I swear these things shall turn out as I say. Between this present dark and one day's ebb, after the wane, before the crescent moon, Odysseus will come."

♦ Reading Strategy

Summarize what Penelope tells the disguised Odysseus. How has she demon-strated her loyalty to her husband?

15. god of the zenith, noblest of the gods: Zeus.

906 ♦ The Epic

PI § INN 11 The Challenge

•^^

Pressed by the suitors to choose a husband from among them, Penelope says she will marry whoever can string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through twelve wchandle sockets. The suitors try and jail. Still in disguise. Odysseus asks for a turn and gets it.

. . . And Odysseus took his time, 1360 turning the bow, tapping it, every inch,

for borings that termites might have made while the master of the weapon was abroad. The suitors were now watching him, and some jested among themselves:

"A bow lover!"

1365 "Dealer In old bowsl"

"Maybe he has one like it at homer'

"Or has an itch to make one for himself."

"See how he handles it, the sly old bumard!"

And one disdainful suitor added this:

1335

13E

"May his fortune grow an inch for every inch he bends it!"

1370 But the man skilled in all ways of contending, satisfied by the great bow's look and heft, like a musician, like a harper, when with quiet hand upon his instrument he draws between his thumb and forefinger

1375 a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow. Then slid his right hand down the cord and plucked it, so the taut gut vibrating hummed and sang a swallow's note.

In the hushed hall it smote the suitors 1380 and all their faces changed. Then Zeus thundered

overhead, one loud crack for a sign. And Odysseus laughed within him that the son of crooked-minded Cronus had flung that omen down.

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Challenge ♦ 907

908 ♦ The Epic

A Critical Viewing The winner of the archery contest wit win Penelope's hand in

marriage. How does the artist capture the tension in this scene? [Interpret]

The Odyssey, Part 2, The Challenge ♦ 909

• ••

- • ;;'7,7; -

I

LE I

d E

He picked one ready arrow from his table 1385 where it lay bare: the rest were waiting still in the quiver for the young men's turn to come. He nocked 16 it, let it rest across the handgrip, and drew the string and grooved butt of the arrow, aiming from where he sat upon the stool.

Now 1390 arrow from twanging bow clean as a whistle flashed through every socket ring, and grazed not one, to thud with heavy brazen head beyond.

Then quietly Odysseus said:

16. necked: Set an arrow against the bowstring.

"Telemachus, the stranger you welcomed in your hall has not disgraced you. 1395 I did not miss neither did I take all day stringing the bow. My hand and eye are sound, not so contemptible as the young men say. The hour has come to cook their lordships' mutton—supper by daylight. Other amusements later, 1400 with song and harping that adorn a feast."

He dropped his eyes and nodded, and the prince Telemachus, true son of King Odysseus, belted his sword on, clapped hand to his spear, and with a clink and glitter of keen bronze 1405 stood by his chair, in the forefront near his father.

1. How do Odysseus and Telemachus plan to han-dle Penelope's unwanted suitors?

2. What is Argus? What was he like in his youth? 3. Describe Antinous' treatment of Odysseus. 4. Describe the trick Penelope used to delay choosing a husband from among the suitors.

Guide for • Literature, andY our 4 Reader's Response How would you react if you were in Telemachus' or Penelope's place? Thematic Focus How should Odysseus work to solve the problems caused by his long absence?

Check Your Comprehension

Responding ♦ Critical Thinking INTERPRET I. Compare Odysseus! emotions with Telemachus' when they are reunited. [Compare and Contrast] 2. Is Argus' death just when Odysseus returns a co-incidence? Explain. [Analyze]

3. What impression of Penelope.do you get from her conversation with the disguised Odysseus? [Interpret] APPLY 4. Why do you think Odysseus chooses not to re-veal his identity to his wife? [Speculate]

Odysseus' Revenge Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest" fighter of the islands leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand. He poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver and spoke to the crowd:

"So much for that. Your clean-cut game is over. 1410 Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before.

if I can make this shot. Help me, Apollo." He drew to his fist the cruel head of an arrow for Antinous just as the young man leaned to lift his beautiful drinking cup, embossed, two-handled, golden: the cup was in his fingers:

1415 the wine was even at his lips: and did he dream of death? How could he? In that revelry 18 amid his throng of friends who would imagine a single foe—though a strong foe indeed— could dare to bring death's pain on him and darkness on his eyes? Odysseus' arrow hit him under the chin

1420 and punched up to the feathers through his throat. Backward and down he went, letting the winecup fall from his shocked hand. Like pipes his nostrils jetted crimson runnels, a river of mortal red, and one last kick upset his table

1425 knocking the bread and meat to soak in dusty blood. Now as they craned to see their champion where he lay the suitors jostled in uproar down the hall, everyone on his feet. Wildly they turned and scanned the walls in the long room for arms; but not a shield,

1430 not a good ashen spear was there for a man to take and throw. All they could do was yell in outrage at Odysseus: "Foul! to shoot at a manl That was your last shot!" "Your own throat will be slit for thisl"

"Our finest lad is down! You killed the best on Ithaca."

"Buzzards will tear your eyes out!" 1435 For they imagined as they wished—that it was a wild shot, an unintended killing—fools, not to comprehend

they were already in the grip of death. But glaring under his brows Odysseus answered:

"You yellow dogs, you thought I'd never make it 1440 home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder.

... You dared bid for my wife while I was still alive. Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide heaven, contempt for what men say of you hereafter. Your last hour has come. You die in blood."

17. wiliest (wit" a ast) adj.: Most tricky.

18. revelry (rev" at re) n.: Boisterous festivity.

*Reading Strategy Summarize Odysseus' interactions with the suitors to this point. Why does he catch them by surprise? What do you think will happen next?

Build Vocabulary contempt (ken tempt) n.: Actions or attitude of a person toward someone or something he or she considers low or worthless

910 ♦ The Epic

11;

19. Eurymachus (yoo d" ma kas)

• Literature and.Your .Life

What other "last stands" from movies and televi-sion shows are brought to mind by Eurymachus' brave but hollow words?

The Odyssey, Part 2, Odysseus' Revenge ♦ 911

1445 As they all took this in, sickly green fear pulled at their entrails, and their eyes flickered looking for some hatch or hideaway from death. Eurymachus ,9 alone could'speak. He said:

"If you are Odysseus of Ithaca come back, 1450 all that you say these men have done is true.

Rash actions, many here, more in the countryside. But here he lies, the man who caused them all. Antinous was the ringleader, he whipped us on to do these things. He cared less for a marriage

1455 than for the power Cronion has denied him as king of Ithaca. For that he tried to trap your son and would have killed him. He is dead now and has his portion. Spare your own people. As for ourselves, we'll make

1460 restitution of wine and meat consumed, and add, each one, a tithe of twenty oxen with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your heart. Meanwhile we cannot blame you for your anger."

Odysseus glowered under his black brows 1465 and said:

"Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand. There will be killing till the score is paid. You forced yourselves upon this house. Fight your way out,

1470 or run for it, if you think you'll escape death. I doubt one man of you skins by." They felt their knees fall, and their hearts—but heard Eurymachus for the last time rallying them.

"Friends," he said, "the man is implacable. 1475 Now that he's got his hands on bow and quiver

he'll shoot from the big doorstone there until he kills us to the last man.

Fight, I say, let's remember the joy of it. Swords outl Hold up your tables to deflect his arrows.

1480 After me, everyone: rush him where he stands If we can budge into from the door, if we can pass into the town, we'll call out men to chase him. This fellow with his bow will shoot no more."

He drew his own sword as he spoke, a broadsword of fine bronze,

1485 honed like a razor on either edge. Then crying hoarse and loud he hurled himself at Odysseus. But the kingly man let fly an arrow at that instant, and the quivering feathered butt sprang to the nipple of his breast as the barb stuck in his liver. The bright broadsword clanged down. He lurched and fell aside,

1490 pitching across his table. His cup, his bread and meat, were spilt and scattered far and wide, and his head slammed

on the ground. Revulsion, anguish in his heart, with both feet kicking out, he downed his chair, while the shrouding wave of mist closed on

his eyes.

Amphinomus now came running at Odysseus,

1495 broadsword naked in his hand. He thought to make the great soldier give way at the door. But with a spear throw from behind Telemachus hit him between the shoulders, and the lancehead drove clear through his chest. He left his feet and fell

1500 forward, thudding, forehead against the ground. Telemachus swerved around him, leaving the long dark spear planted in Amphinomus. If he paused to yank it out someone might jump him from behind or cut him down with a

sword at the moment he bent over. So he ran—ran from the tables

1505 to his father's side and halted, panting, saying:

"Father let me bring you a shield and spear, a pair of spears, a helmet. I can arm on the run myself; I'll give outfits to Eumaeus and this cowherd.

1510 Better to have equipment."

Said Odysseus:

"Run then, while I hold them off with arrows as long as the arrows last. When all are gone if I'm alone they can dislodge me."

Quick

upon his father's word Telemachus 1515 ran to the room where spears and armor lay.

He caught up four light shields, four pairs of spears, four helms of war high-plumed with flowing manes, and ran back, loaded down, to his father's side. He was the first to pull a helmet on

1520 and slide his bare arm in a buckler strap. The servants armed themselves, and all three took their stand beside the master of battle.

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912 ♦ The Epic

k, ♦ Literary Focus How does the epic simile In lines 1535-1539 help you to Picture the scene in your imagination?

15

While he had arrows he aimed and shot, and every shot brought down one of his huddling enemies.

1525 But when all barbs had flown from the bowman's fist, he leaned his bow in the bright entryway beside the door, and armed: a four-ply shield hard on his shoulder, and a crested helm, horsetailed, nodding stormy upon his head,

1530 then took his tough and bronze-shod spears. . .

0 Aided by Athena, Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus, and another faithful herdsman kill all the suitors.

e

1535 Think of a catch that fishermen haul in to a half-moon bay in a fine-meshed net from the whitecaps of the sea: how all are poured out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea. twitching their cold lives away in Helios' fiery air: so lay the suitors heaped on one another.

Penelope's Test

Penelope tests Odysseus to prove that he really is her husband.

.4 Critical Viewing Do you

think the fight against the

suitors was a "fair fight"?

Why or why not? [Make a Judgment; Support]

And Odysseus looked around him, narrow eyed. for any others who had lain hidden while death's black fury passed.

In blood and dust he saw that crowd all fallen, many and many slain.

The Odyssey, Part 2, Odysseus' Revenge ♦ 913

1540 Greathearted Odysseus. home at last, was being bathed now by Eurynome and rubbed with golden oil, and clothed again in a fresh tunic and a cloak. Athena lent him beauty, head to foot. She made him

1545 taller, and massive, too, with crisping hair in curls like petals of wild hyacinth but all red-golden. Think of gold infused on silver by a craftsman, whose fine art Hephaestus20 taught him, or Athena: one

1550 whose work moves to delight: just so she lavished beauty over Odysseus' head and shoulders. He sat then in the same chair by the pillar, facing his silent wife, and said:

"Strange woman, the immortals of Olympus made you hard.

1555 harder than any. Who else in the world would keep aloof as you do from her husband if he returned to her from years of trouble. cast on his own land in the twentieth year?

Nurse, make up a bed for me to sleep on. 1560 Her heart is iron In her breast."

Penelope spoke to Odysseus now. She said:

"Strange man, if man you are . This is no pride on my part nor scorn for you—not even wonder, merely. I know so well how you—how he—appeared

1565 boarding the ship for Troy. But all the same

Make up his bed for him, Eurycleia. Place it outside the bedchamber my lord

15

20. Hephaestus (hi (es' las): God of tire and the forge and of metalworking.

914 ♦ The Epic

1/ Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo in the epic film Star Wars.

U 1 ral built with his own hands. Pile the big bed with fleeces rugs, and sheets of purest linen."

1570 With this she tried him to the breaking point. and he turned on her in a flash raging: "Woman, by heaven you've stung me now! Who dared to move my bed? No builder had the skill for that—unless

1575 a god came down to turn the trick. No mortal in his best days could budge it with a crowbar. There is our pact and pledge, our secret sign, built into that bed—my handiwork and no one else's!

An old trunk of olive 1580 grew like a pillar on the building plot,

and I laid out our bedroom round that tree, lined up the stone walls, built the walls and roof, gave it a doorway and smooth-fitting doors. Then I lopped off the silvery leaves and branches,

1585 hewed and shaped that stump from the roots up into a bedpost, drilled it, let it serve as model for the rest. I planed them all, Inlaid them all with silver, gold and ivory, and stretched a bed between—a pliant web

1590 of oxhide thongs dyed crimson.

There's our sign! I know no more. Could someone else's hand have sawn that trunk and dragged the frame away?"

Their secret! as she heard it told, her knees grew tremulous and weak, her heart failed her.

1595 With eyes brimming tears she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, and kissed him. murmuring:

"Do not rage at me, Odysseus! No one ever matched your caution! Think what difficulty the gods gave: they denied us

1800 life together in our prime and flowering years, kept us from crossing into age together. Forgive me, don't be angry. I could not welcome you with love on sight! I armed myself long ago against the frauds of men,

1605 impostors who might come—and all those many whose underhanded ways bring evil onl .. But here and now, what sign could be so clear

13e,yolut tr,t&ratuire, Media Connection

Modern-Day Epics In film, the term epic applies to a movie of great scope and spectacle that fea-tures a heroic character who takes part In thrilling adventures. Lavish sets, enormous casts, and spectacu-lar action—such as the parting of the Red Sea in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments—are hallmarks

of epic films.The advent of the wide screen in the 1950's ushered in a number of epics whose panoramic action was ideal for the new giant screens.Among those epics were Ben Hur (1959), El Cid (1961), Cleopatra (1963), and Zulu (1964). More recent epic films include Roots (1977), a chronicle of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century black life from enslavement to Reconstruction after the Civil War; Star Wars (1977), a depiction of adventures in a distant galaxy; and Raiders of the Lost Ark (198 I ), a film featuring the hair-raising adventures of Indiana Jones.What epic movies have you seen? What qualifies them to be called epic films?

as this of our own bed? No other man has ever laid eyes on it

only my own slave, Actoris, that my father sent with me as a gift—she kept our door. You make my stiff heart know that I am yours."

Now from his breast into his eyes the ache of longing mounted, and he wept at last,

1815 his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms, longed for as the sunwarmed earth is longed for by a swimmer spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidon's blows, gale winds and tons of sea. Few men can keep alive through a big surf

1620 to crawl, clotted with brine, on kindly beaches in joy, in joy, knowing the abyssal behind• and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband, her white arms round him pressed as though forever.

916 ♦ The Epic

• LiteratureasaYourt

Reader's Response Do you think Odysseus' re-venge is justified? Why or why not?

Thematic Focus How do you think the problem of the suitors should have been handled?

Questions for Research Generate research questions to learn about epic heroes in the literature of other cultures.

The Ending 41/p

•?/ Odysseus is reunited with his father. Athena commands that

peace prevail between Odysseus and the relatives of the slain

suitors. Odysseus has regained his family and his kingdom. €.741

Guide for Responding

I. What is the suitors' reaction when Odysseus, still in disguise, takes up the bow?

2. Describe the immediate reaction of the suitors to the killing of Antinous.

3. How does Odysseus get revenge on the suitors?

4. What is Penelope's test, and how does Odysseus pass it?

Check Your Comprehension

♦ Reading Strategy Summarize Pene-lope's test and Odysseus' reaction to what she says.

21. abyss (e his) n.: Ocean depths.

The Odyssey, Part 2, Penelope's Test ♦ 915

9.

•

The Odyssey. Part 2 ♦ 917

Guide for Responding (continued)

♦ Critical Thinking INTERPRET

I. What does Odysseus mean in "The Challenge"

when he says,"The hour has come to cook their

lordships' mutton—/supper by daylight"?

[Interpret] 2. What are Odysseus' reasons for slaying all the

suitors? [Analyze] 3. Since Odysseus has abandoned his disguise, why

does Penelope still need to test him? [Infer] 4. Describe the mood of the scene at the end of

"Penelope's Test:' Is it altogether happy or does it

include some sadness? Explain. [Support]

EVALUATE 5. Does Odysseus' success in the contest show

that he is a skilled archer or merely that he has a

god on his side? Support your answer. [Assess]

APPLY 6. Compare justice at the hands of Odysseus with

justice in a modern society. [Distinguish]

♦ Reading Strategy SUMMARIZE

Summarizing what you have read is a good

way to check your understanding. It is also a useful

skill when you need to demonstrate your knowl-

edge on a test or when you want to share what you

have learned with a friend.

I. List the main events in Part 2 in order.

2. For each event you listed, tell what caused it and

what was the result of it.

3. Retell Part 2 of the Odyssey in a summary that

explains why events occurred as they did.

♦ Literary Focus EPIC SIMILE

An epic simile is a long, elaborate comparison

between two dissimilar actions or objects. Many

epic similes compare familiar objects and events

with imaginative occurrences.

Identify three epic similes from Part 2 of the

Odyssey and tell what two dissimilar objects or ac-

tions each one compares.

♦ Build Vocabulary USING THE LATIN WORD ROOT -equi-

Keeping in mind that the Latin word root -equi-

means "equal:' complete each sentence with one of these words.

a. equinox b. equivalent

I . Two nickels are ? to a dime. 2. At the the day and the night are of the

same duration.

USING THE WORD BANK: Synonyms

Write the letter of the word or phrase that is the best synonym of the first word.

I. dissemble: (a) lie, (b) take apart, (c) disguise

2. lithe: (a) limber, (b) thin, (c) agile

3. incredulity: (a) disbelief, (b) naivete, (c) anger

4. bemusing: (a) muddling, (b) entertaining,

(c) allowing

5. glowering: (a) shining, (b) scowling, (c) laughing

6. equity: (a) fairness, (b) horses, (c) calmness

7. maudlin: (a) boring, (b) tired, (c) sentimental

8. contempt: (a) scorn, (b) pity, (c) pavillion

+ Build Grammar Skills PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

A participial phrase is a phrase that contains a

participle and serves as an adjective to modify a

noun or pronoun.

Practice Copy each excerpt below from Part 2 of

the Odyssey in your notebook. Underline the par-

ticipial phrase, identify the participle as past or

present, and draw an arrow from the participial

phrase to the noun or pronoun it modifies.

I. Crossing the yard, he passed out through the

gate in the stockade to face the goddess.

2. Held back too long, the tears ran down his

cheeks as he embraced his son.

3. Athena, counseling me, will give me word, and I

shall signal to you, nodding ...

4. Then anger made Antinous' heart beat hard, and,

glowering under his brows, he answered ...

Drs

tors? sseus