[535] "I wish it may prove so,"
answered Telemakhos. "If it does, I will show you so much good will
and give you so many presents that all who meet you will congratulate
you."
[539] Then he said to his friend
Peiraios, "Peiraios, son of Klytios, you have throughout shown
yourself the most willing to serve me of all those who have
accompanied me to Pylos; I wish you would take this stranger to your
own house and entertain him hospitably till I can come for
him."
[544] And Peiraios answered,
"Telemakhos, you may stay away as long as you please, but I will look
after him for you, and he shall find no lack of
hospitality."
[547] As he spoke he went on board, and
bade the others do so also and loose the hawsers, so they took their
places in the ship. But Telemakhos bound on his sandals, and took a
long and doughty spear with a head of sharpened bronze from the deck
of the ship. Then they loosed the hawsers, thrust the ship off from
land, and made on towards the city as they had been told to do, while
Telemakhos strode on as fast as he could, till he reached the
homestead where his countless herds of swine were feeding, and where
dwelt the excellent swineherd, who was so devoted a servant to his
master. [557]
Book 16
Scroll 16
[1] Meanwhile Odysseus and the
swineherd had lit a fire in the hut and were getting breakfast ready
at daybreak for they had sent the men out with the pigs. When
Telemakhos came up, the dogs did not bark, but fawned upon him, so
Odysseus, hearing the sound of feet and noticing that the dogs did
not bark, said to Eumaios:
[8] "Eumaios, I hear footsteps; I
suppose one of your men or some one of your acquaintance is coming
here, for the dogs are fawning upon him and not barking."
[11] The words were hardly out of his
mouth before his son stood at the door. Eumaios sprang to his feet,
and the bowls in which he was mixing wine fell from his hands, as he
made towards his master. He kissed his head and both his beautiful
eyes, and wept for joy. A father could not be more delighted at the
return of an only son, the child of his old age, after ten
years absence in a foreign country and after having gone
through much hardship. He embraced him, kissed him all over as though
he had come back from the dead, and spoke fondly to him
saying:
[23] "So you are come, Telemakhos,
light of my eyes that you are. When I heard you had gone to Pylos I
made sure I was never going to see you any more. Come in, my dear
child, and sit down, that I may have a good look at you now you are
home again; it is not very often you come into the country to see us
herdsmen; you stick pretty close to the town generally. I suppose you
think it better to keep an eye on what the suitors are
doing."