The Odyssey

firmly in its place, they filled their cups

With wine, and to the ever-living gods

Poured out libations, most of all to one,

Jove’s blue-eyed daughter. Thus through all that night

And all the ensuing morn they held their way.



Book III
Interview of Telemachus with Nestor

Arrival of Telemachus, with Pallas in the shape of Mentor, at Pylos⁠—His interview with Nestor⁠—Nestor’s narrative of his return from Troy⁠—History of the death of Agamemnon and the revenge of Orestes⁠—Departure of Pallas to heaven⁠—Telemachus sent by Nestor with his son Peisistratus to Menelaus at Sparta.

Now from the fair broad bosom of the sea

Into the brazen vault of heaven the sun

Rose shining for the immortals and for men

Upon the foodful earth. The voyagers

Arrived at Pylos, nobly built, the town

Of Neleus. There, upon the ocean-side,

They found the people offering coal-black steers

To dark-haired Neptune. On nine seats they sat,

Five hundred on each seat; nine steers were slain

For each five hundred there. While they performed

The rite, and, tasting first the entrails, burned

The thighs to ocean’s god, the Ithacans

Touched land, and, lifting up the good ship’s sail,

Furled it and moored the keel, and then stepped out

Upon the shore. Forth from the galley came

Telemachus, the goddess guiding him,

And thus to him the blue-eyed Pallas said:⁠—
“Telemachus, there now is no excuse,

Not even the least, for shamefaced backwardness.

Thou hast come hither o’er the deep to ask

For tidings of thy father⁠—what far land

Conceals him, what the fate that he has met.

Go then at once to Nestor, the renowned

In horsemanship, and we shall see what plan

He hath in mind for thee. Entreat him there

That frankly he declare it. He will speak

No word of falsehood; he is truly wise.”
And thus discreet Telemachus replied:⁠—

“O Mentor, how shall I approach the chief,

And with what salutation? Little skill

Have I in courtly phrase, and shame becomes

A youth in questioning an aged man.”
Pallas, the blue-eyed goddess, spake again:⁠—

“In part thy mind will prompt thy speech; in part

A god will put the words into thy mouth⁠—

For well I deem that thou wert neither born

Nor trained without the favor of the gods.”
Thus having said, the blue-eyed Pallas moved

With hasty pace before, and in her steps

He followed close, until they reached the seats

Of those assembled Pylians. Nestor there

Sat with his sons, while his companions stood

Around him and prepared the feast, and some

Roasted the flesh at fires, and some transfixed

The parts with spits. As they beheld the approach

Of strangers they advanced, and took their hands,

And bade them sit. Peisistratus, a son

Of Nestor, came the first of all, and took

A hand of each, and placed them at the feast

On the soft hides that o’er the ocean sand

Were spread beside his brother Thrasymedes

And his own father; brought for their repast

Parts of the entrails, poured for them the wine

Into a golden goblet, held it forth

In his right hand, and with these words bespake

Pallas, the child of aegis-bearing Jove:⁠—
“Pray, stranger, to King Neptune. Ye have chanced

Upon his feast in coming to our coast.

And after thy libation poured, and prayer

Made to the god, give over to thy friend

The goblet of choice wine that he may make

Libation also; he, I question not,

Prays to the gods; we all have need of them.

A younger man is he than thou, and seems

In age to be my equal; therefore I

Will give the golden goblet first to thee.”
He spake, and in the hands of Pallas placed

The goblet of choice wine. Well pleased was she

With one so just and so discreet⁠—well pleased

That first to her he reached the cup of gold,

And thus she prayed to Neptune fervently:⁠—
“Hear, Neptune, thou who dost embrace the earth,

And of thy grace disdain not to bestow

These blessings on thy suppliants. First of all

Vouchsafe to Nestor and his sons increase

Of glory; on the Pylian people next

Bestow, for this most sumptuous hecatomb,

Large recompense; and, lastly, grant to us⁠—

Telemachus and me⁠—a safe return

To our own country with the end attained

Which brought us hither in our gallant barque.”
Thus did she pray, while she fulfilled the prayer;

And then she handed to Telemachus

The fair round goblet, and in words like hers

The dear son of Ulysses prayed. Meanwhile

The Pylians, having roasted well the flesh

And drawn it from the spits, distributing

To each his portion, held high festival.

And when the calls of hunger and of thirst

Were silenced, Nestor, the Gerenian knight,

Began discourse, and thus bespake his guests:⁠—
“The fitting time is come to ask our guests

Who they may be, since now their feast is o’er.

Say then, O strangers, who ye are, and whence

Ye come along the pathway of the deep.

Have ye an errand here, or do ye roam

The seas at large, like pirates, braving death,

And visiting with ravage foreign states?”
And then discreet Telemachus replied

Boldly⁠—for Pallas strengthened in that hour

His heart that he might confidently ask

News of his absent father, and so win

A worthy fame among the sons of men:⁠—
“O Nestor, son of Neleus, pride of Greece!

Thou bid’st us tell thee whence we came, and I

Will faithfully declare it. We are come

From Ithaca, beneath the Neritus,

And private, and not general, is the cause

Of which I am to speak. I came to ask

Concerning my great father, the large-souled

And nobly-born Ulysses, who ’tis said

With thee, his friend in arms, laid waste the town

Of Ilium. We have heard where all the rest

Who warred against the Trojans were cut off,

And died sad deaths; his fate alone the son

Of Saturn hath not chosen to reveal⁠—

Whether he fell on land by hostile hands,

Or while at sea was whelmed beneath the waves

Of Amphitritè. Wherefore to thy knees

I come, to ask that thou⁠—if so thou wilt⁠—

Relate the manner of his mournful death,

As thou didst see it with thine eyes, or else

As thou from other wanderers hast heard

Its history; for she who brought him forth

Bore him to be unhappy. Think thou not

To soften aught, through tenderness to me,

In thy recital, but in faithful words

Tell me the whole, whatever thou hast seen.

And I conjure thee, that if, in his life,

My father, great Ulysses, ever gave

Promise of word or deed for thee, and kept

His promise, in the realm of Troy, where ye

Achaians bore such hardships, that thou now

Remember it