Then Piraeus, spearsman renowned, answered him saying:
’Telemachus, why, even if thou shouldest tarry
here long, yet will I entertain this man, and he shall
have no lack of stranger’s cheer.’
Therewith he went on board, and bade his men themselves
to mount and loose the hawsers. And quickly they
embarked and sat upon the benches. And Telemachus
bound his goodly sandals beneath his feet, and seized
a mighty spear, shod with sharp bronze, from the deck
of the ship and his men loosed the hawsers. So
they thrust off and sailed to the city, as Telemachus
bade them, the dear son of divine Odysseus. But
swiftly his feet bore him on his forward way, till
he came to the court, where were his swine out of
number; and among them the good swineherd slept, a
man loyal to his lords.
Telemachus sends Eumaeus to the city to
tell his mother of
his return. And how, in the meantime,
Odysseus discovers
himself to his son.
Now these twain, Odysseus and the goodly swineherd,
within the hut had kindled a fire, and were making
ready breakfast at the dawn, and had sent forth the
herdsmen with the droves of swine. And round
Telemachus the hounds, that love to bark, fawned and
barked not, as he drew nigh. And goodly Odysseus
took note of the fawning of the dogs, and the noise
of footsteps fell upon his ears. Then straight
he spake to Eumaeus winged words:
’Eumaeus, verily some friend or some other of
thy familiars will soon be here, for the dogs do not
bark but fawn around, and I catch the sound of footsteps.’
While the word was yet on his lips, his own dear son
stood at the entering in of the gate. Then the
swineherd sprang up in amazement, and out of his hands
fell the vessels wherewith he was busied in mingling
the dark wine. And he came over against his master
and kissed his head and both his beautiful eyes and
both his hands, and he let a great tear fall.
And even as a loving father welcomes his son that
has come in the tenth year from a far country, his
only son and well-beloved, for whose sake he has had
great sorrow and travail, even so did the goodly swineherd
fall upon the neck of godlike Telemachus, and kiss
him all over as one escaped from death, and he wept
aloud and spake to him winged words:
’Thou art come, Telemachus, a sweet light in
the dark; methought I should see thee never again,
after thou hadst gone in thy ship to Pylos. Nay
now enter, dear child, that my heart may be glad at
the sight of thee in mine house, who hast newly come
from afar. For thou dost not often visit the
field and the herdsmen, but abidest in the town; so
it seems has thy good pleasure been, to look on the
ruinous throng of the wooers.’
Then wise Telemachus answered him, saying: ’So
be it, father, as thou sayest; and for thy sake am
I come hither to see thee with mine eyes, and to hear
from thy lips whether my mother yet abides in the
halls or another has already wedded her, and the couch
of Odysseus, perchance, lies in lack of bedding and
deep in foul spider-webs.’
