Richmond Lattimore - The Odyssey, Book 24, Lines 205-364 lyrics

The others went from the city, and presently came to the country place of Laertes, handsomely cultivated. Laertes himself had reclaimed it, after he spent much labor upon it. There was his house, and all around the house ran a shelter, in which the slaves, who worked at his pleasure under compulsion, would take their meals, and sit, and pa** the night. There was also an old Sicilian woman there, who duly looked after the old man out on the estate, far away from the city. There Odysseus spoke a word to his son and his servants: 'Go now, all of you, inside the strong-fashioned building, and sacrifice the best of all the pigs for our dinner presently; but I myself will make trial of my father, to see whether he will know me and his eyes recognize me, or fail to know me, with all this time that has grown upon me.' So he spoke, and gave his thralls their weapons of warfare, and they went quickly on their way to the house; but Odysseus went closer to the abundant orchard, searching. He did not find either Dolios, as he came into the great orchard nor any of his thralls, nor his sons, for all these had run off to gather stones and make them into a wall retaining the orchard, and the old man had guided them on their errand. but he did find his father alone in the well-worked orchard ' spading out a plant, and he had a squalid tunic upon him, ' patched together and ugly, and on his legs he had oxhide gaiters fastened and patched together, to prevent scratching, and gloves on his hands because of the bushes, and he was wearing a cap of goatskin on his head, to increase his misery. Now when much-enduring great Odysseus observed him with great misery in his heart, and oppressed by old age, ' he stood underneath a towering pear tree and shed tears for him and deliberated then in his heart and his spirit whether to embrace his father and kiss him and tell him everything, how he was come again to his own dear country, or question him first about everything, and make trial of him. In the division of his heart this way seemed best to him, first to a trial of him and speak in words of mockery. With this in mind, noble Odysseus came straight up to him. He was digging around a plant with his head held downward and now his glorious son stood near, and spoke to him, saying: ‘Old sir, there is in you no lack of expertness in tending your orchard; everything is well cared for, and there is never a plant, neither fig tree nor yet grapevine nor olive nor pear tree nor leek bed uncared for in your garden. But I will also tell you this; do not take it as cause for anger. You yourself are ill cared for; together with dismal old age, which is yours, you are squalid and wear foul clothing upon you. It is not for your laziness that your lord does not take care of you, nor is your stature and beauty, as I see it, such as ought to belong to a slave. You look like a man who is royal and such a one as who, after he has bathed and eaten should sleep on a soft bed; for such is the right of the elders. But come now, tell me this and give me an accurate answer. What man's thrall are you? Whose orchard are you laboring? And tell me this and tell me truly, so that I may know whether this is really Ithaka I have come to, as that man told me just now as I encountered him on my way here: not a very sensible man, for he had no patience to tell me all or listen to what I said, when I asked him about my friend from abroad, whether he still lives and is somewhere here, or is dead now and down in the house of Hades. And I tell you this; listen to me and understand me. Once I entertained a man in my own dear country, when he came to our house, nor has any man been dearer to me, among all those who have come from afar to my palace. He announced that he was by birth a man of Ithaka, And said that his father was Laertes, son of Arkeisios, I took him into my own house and well entertained him with proper hospitality, since there was abundance in the house, and gave him presents of friendship, as was becoming. I gave him seven talents of well-wrought gold, and I gave him a mixing bowl made all of silver, with flowers wrought on it, and twelve mantles to be worn single, as many blankets, as many handsome cloaks, also the same number of tunics, and aside from these four comely women, whose sk** in handiwork was without fault; and he could choose the ones he wanted.' Then his father, shedding tears, said to him in answer: ‘Friend, this land that you have reached is the one you were seeking; but violent and reckless men are in control of it, and the grace of those countless gifts you gave is all gone for nothing. If you had found him yet alive in the land of Ithaka, he would have sent you along with gifts in return, and given good entertainment, as is right for him who has given. But come now, tell me this and give me an accurate answer. How many years is it since you entertained that unhappy guest of yours, my son—did he ever live?—an ill-starred man, one whom, far from his country and his own people, the fish have eaten in the great sea, or else on the dry land he has been spoil for wild beasts and for birds; and his mother and father, whose child he was, did not give him his rites nor mourn him, nor yet did his beautiful wife, circumspect Penelope, wail for her husband on his bier, as would have been fitting, nor close his eyes; for that is the right of those who have perished. But tell me this too, tell me truly, so that I may know it. What man are you and whence? Where is your city? Your parents? Where is your swift ship standing now, that brought you to this place, and your godlike companions? Or did you come as a pa**enger in someone else's ship, and they let you off, and went on?' Then resourceful Odysseus spoke in turn and answered him: ‘See, I will accurately answer all that you ask me. I am from Alybas, where I live in a famous dwelling, and am son of Apheidas, son of lord Polypemon. My own name is Eperitos; now the divinity drove me here on my way against my will, from Sikania. And my ship stands nearby, off the country, away from the city. But as for Odysseus, this is by now the fifth year since he went from there, and took his departure out of my country. Unhappy man. Indeed, the bird signs were good at his going. They were on his right; and I too rejoiced as I sent him off, and he rejoiced as he went. My heart was still hopeful that we would meet in friendship and give glorious presents.' He spoke, and the black cloud of sorrow closed on Laertes. In both hands he caught up the grimy dust and poured it over his face and grizzled head, groaning incessantly. The spirit rose up in Odysseus, and now in his nostrils there was a shock of bitter force as he looked on his father. He sprang to him and embraced and kissed and then said to him: ‘Father, I am he, the man whom you ask about. I am Here, come back in the twentieth year to the land of my father. But stay now from your weeping, shedding of tears, and outcry, for I tell you this straight out; the need for haste is upon us. I have k**ed the suitors who were in our palace, avenging all their heart-hurting outrage and their evil devisings.' Then in turn Laertes answered him and said to him: ‘If in truth you are Odysseus, my son, who have come back Here, give me some unmistakable sign, so that I can believe you.' Then resourceful Odysseus spoke in turn and answered him: ‘First, then, look with your eyes upon this scar and know it. The wild boar inflicted it with his white tusk, on Parna**os, when I went there; for you and my queenly mother had sent me to Autolykos, my mother's dear father, so I could be given those gifts, which he promised me and consented to when he came to us. Or come then, let me tell you of the trees in the well-worked orchard, which you gave me once. I asked you of each one, when I was a child, following y through the garden. We went among the trees, and you named them all and told me what each one was, and you gave me thirteen pear trees, and ten apple trees, and forty fig trees; and so also you named fifty vines you would give. Each of them bore regularly for there were grapes at every stage upon them, whenever the seasons of Zeus came down from the sky upon them, to make them heavy.' He spoke, and Laertes' knees and heart within him went slack, as he recognized the clear proofs that Odysseus had given. He threw his arms around his dear son, and much-enduring great Odysseus held him close, for his spirit was fainting. But when he had got his breath back again, and the spirit gathered into his heart, once more he said to him, answering: ‘Father Zeus, there are gods indeed upon tall Olympos, if truly the suitors have had to pay for their reckless violence. But now I am terribly afraid in my heart that speedily the men of Ithaka may come against us here, and send out messages to everywhere in the Kephallenian cities.' Then resourceful Odysseus spoke in turn and answered him: ‘Never fear, let these concerns not trouble your thinking; but let us go to the house which lies here next to the orchard, for there I sent Telemachos on ahead, with the oxherd and the swineherd, so that they could most quickly prepare our dinner.' So he spoke, and the two went into the handsome dwelling; and when they had come into the well-established dwelling place, there they found Telemachos, and the oxherd and swineherd, cutting up a great deal of meat, and mixing the bright wine.