Odysseus Tests Eumaeus

35Meantime Odysseus and the swineherd sat
At meat within the lodge; the other men
Were at the board, and when the calls of thirst
And hunger ceased, Odysseus spoke to try
The swineherd, whether he were bent to show
Yet further kindness, and entreat his stay,
Or whether he would send him to the town.

36“Eumaeus, hearken you, and all the rest.
Tomorrow it is my wish to go to town,
That I may beg, and be no charge to you
And your companions. Give me your advice,
And send a trusty guide to show the way.
There will I roam the streets, for so I must,
And haply someone there will give a cup
Of wine and cake of meal. And when I find
The house of great Odysseus, I will tell
The sage Penelope the news I bring.
Nay, I would even go among the crew
Of arrogant suitors, who perhaps might give
A meal, for there is plenty at their feasts,
And I would do whatever they require.
For let me tell you, and do you give heed,
There lives no man who can contend with me
In menial tasks —to keep alive a fire
With fuel, cleave dry wood, and carve and roast
The meat and pour the wine —whatever is done
By poor men waiting on the better sort.”

37And you, Eumasus, keeper of the swine,
Did answer in displeasure: “Woe is me!
How could your bosom harbor such a thought?
O stranger! you must surely be resolved
To perish if your purpose be to go
Among the suitor crew, whose insolence
And riot reach the iron vault of heaven.
Not such attendants minister to them
As you are, but fair youths arrayed in cloaks
And tunics, with sleek heads and smooth of face.
These wait at polished tables heavily
Loaded with bread and flesh and wine. Stay you
Content among us, sure that no one here
Is wearied by your presence, neither I
Nor any of my fellows. When he comes,
The dear son of Odysseus will provide
For you the garments you do need —a cloak
And tunic —and will send you where you will.”

38Odysseus, the great sufferer, answered thus:
“I pray that you may be as dear to Zeus,
The great All-Father, as you are to me,
Since through your kindness I enjoy a pause
Amid my weary wanderings. There is naught
Worse than a wandering life. Unseemly cares
A hungry stomach brings to homeless men;
Hardship and grief are theirs. But since you will
That I remain and wait for your young lord,
Speak to me of the mother of your chief
Odysseus, and his father, whom he left
Just on the threshold of old age, if yet
They live, and still may look upon the sun;
Or have they died, and passed to Hades’ realm?”