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they came to the rich and well-ordered farm land of
Laertes, that he had won for himself of old, as the prize
of great toil in war. There was his house, and all about it
ran the huts wherein the thralls were wont to eat and dwell
and sleep, bondsmen that worked his will. And in the house
there was an old Sicilian woman, who diligently cared for
the old man, in the upland far from the city. There
Odysseus spake to his thralls and to his son, saying:

'Do ye now get you within the well-builded house, and
quickly sacrifice the best of the swine for the midday
meal, but I will make trial of my father, whether he will
know me again and be aware of me when he sees me, or know
me not, so long have I been away,'

Therewith he gave the thralls his weapons of war. Then they
went speedily to the house, while Odysseus drew near to the
fruitful vineyard to make trial of his father. Now he found
not Dolius there, as he went down into the great garden,
nor any of the thralls nor of their sons. It chanced that
they had all gone to gather stones for a garden fence, and
the old man at their head. So he found his father alone in
the terraced vineyard, digging about a plant. He was
clothed in a filthy doublet, patched and unseemly, with
clouted leggings of oxhide bound about his legs, against
the scratches of the thorns, and long sleeves over his
hands by reason of the brambles, and on his head he wore a
goatskin cap, and so he nursed his sorrow. Now when the
steadfast goodly Odysseus saw his father thus wasted with
age and in great grief of heart, he stood still beneath a
tall pear tree and let fall a tear. Then he communed with
his heart and soul, whether he should fall on his father's
neck and kiss him, and tell him all, how he had returned
and come to his own country, or whether he should first
question him and prove him in every word. And as he thought
within himself, this seemed to him the better way, namely,
first to prove his father and speak to him sharply. So with
this intent the goodly Odysseus went up to him. Now he was
holding his head down and kept digging about the plant,
while his renowned son stood by him and spake, saying:

'Old man, thou hast no lack of skill in tending a garden;
lo, thou carest well for all, {*} nor is there aught
whatsoever, either plant or fig-tree, or vine, yea, or
olive, or pear, or garden-bed in all the close, that is not
well seen to. Yet another thing will I tell thee and lay
not up wrath thereat in thy heart. Thyself art scarce so
well cared for, but a pitiful old age is on thee, and
withal thou art withered and unkempt, and clad unseemly. It
cannot be to punish thy sloth that thy master cares not for
thee; there shows nothing of the slave about thy face and
stature, for thou art like a kingly man, even like one who
should lie soft, when he has washed and eaten well, as is
the manner of the aged. But come declare me this and
plainly tell it all. Whose thrall art thou, and whose
garden dost thou tend? Tell me moreover truly, that I may
surely know, if it be indeed to Ithaca that I am now come,
as one yonder told me who met with me but now on the way
hither. He was but of little understanding, for he deigned
not to tell me all nor to heed my saying, when I questioned
him concerning my friend, whether indeed he is yet alive or
is even now dead and within the house of Hades. For I will
declare it and do thou mark and listen: once did I kindly
entreat a man in mine own dear country, who came to our
home, and never yet has any mortal been dearer of all the
strangers that have drawn to my house from afar. He
declared him to be by lineage from out of Ithaca, and said
that his own father was Laertes son of Arceisius. So I led
him to our halls and gave him good entertainment, with all
loving-kindness, out of the plenty that was within. Such
gifts too I gave him as are the due of guests; of well
wrought gold I gave him seven talents, and a mixing bowl of
flowered work, all of silver, and twelve cloaks of single
fold, and as many coverlets, and as many goodly mantles and
doublets to boot, and besides all these, four women skilled
in all fair works and most comely, the women of his
choice.'

{* Supplying [Greek] from the preceding clause as object to
[Greek]. Other constructions are possible.}

Then his father answered him, weeping: 'Stranger, thou art
verily come to that country whereof thou askest, but
outrageous men and froward hold it. And these thy gifts,
thy countless gifts, thou didst bestow in vain. For if thou
hadst found that man yet living in the land of Ithaca he
would have sent thee on thy way with good return of thy
presents, and with all hospitality, as is due to the man
that begins the kindness. But come, declare me this and
plainly tell me all; how many years are passed since thou
didst entertain him, thy guest ill-fated and my child,--if
ever such an one there was,--hapless man, whom far from his
friends and his country's soil, the fishes, it may be, have
devoured in the deep sea, or on the shore he has fallen the
prey of birds and beasts. His mother wept not over him nor
clad him for burial, nor his father, we that begat him. Nor
did his bride, whom men sought with rich gifts, the
constant Penelope, bewail her lord upon the bier, as was
meet, nor closed his eyes, as is the due of the departed.
Moreover, tell me this truly, that I may surely know, who
art thou and whence of the sons of men? Where is thy city
and where are they that begat thee? Where now is thy swift
ship moored, that brought thee thither with thy godlike
company? Hast thou come as a passenger on another's ship,
while they set thee ashore and went away?

Then Odysseus of many counsels answered him, saying: 'Yea
now, I will tell thee all most plainly. From out of Alybas
I come, where I dwell in a house renowned, and am the son
of Apheidas the son of Polypemon, the prince, and my own
name is Eperitus. But some god drave me wandering hither
from Sicania against my will, and yonder my ship is moored
toward the upland away from the city. But for Odysseus,
this is now the fifth year since he went thence and
departed out of my country. Ill-fated was he, and yet he
had birds of good omen when he fared away, birds on the
right; wherefore I sped him gladly on his road, and gladly
he departed, and the heart of us twain hoped yet to meet in
friendship on a day and to give splendid gifts.'

So he spake, and on the old man fell a black cloud of