Book III

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Nestor entertains Telemachus at Pylos and tells him how the

Greeks departed from Troy; and sends him for further

information to Sparta.

Now the sun arose and left the lovely mere, speeding to the

brazen heaven, to give light to the immortals and to mortal

men on the earth, the graingiver, and they reached Pylos,

the stablished castle of Neleus. There the people were

doing sacrifice on the sea shore, slaying black bulls

without spot to the dark-haired god, the shaker of the

earth. Nine companies there were, and five hundred men sat

in each, and in every company they held nine bulls ready to

hand. Just as they had tasted the inner parts, and were

burning the slices of the thighs on the altar to the god,

the others were bearing straight to land, and brailed up

the sails of the gallant ship, and moored her, and

themselves came forth. And Telemachus too stept forth from

the ship, and Athene led the way. And the goddess,

grey-eyed Athene, spake first to him, saying:

'Telemachus, thou needst not now be abashed, no, not one

whit. For to this very end didst thou sail over the deep,

that thou mightest hear tidings of thy father, even where

the earth closed over him, and what manner of death he met.

But come now, go straight to Nestor, tamer of horses: let

us learn what counsel he hath in the secret of his heart.

And beseech him thyself that he may give unerring answer;

and he will not lie to thee, for he is very wise.'

The wise Telemachus answered, saying: 'Mentor, and how

shall I go, how shall I greet him, I, who am untried in

words of wisdom? Moreover a young man may well be abashed

to question an elder.'

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:

'Telemachus, thou shalt bethink thee of somewhat in thine

own breast, and somewhat the god will give thee to say. For

thou, methinks, of all men wert not born and bred without

the will of the gods.'

So spake Pallas Athene and led the way quickly; and he

followed hard in the steps of the goddess. And they came to

the gathering and the session of the men of Pylos. There

was Nestor seated with his sons, and round him his company

making ready the feast, and roasting some of the flesh and

spitting other. Now when they saw the strangers, they went

all together, and clasped their hands in welcome, and would

have them sit down. First Peisistratus, son of Nestor, drew

nigh, and took the hands of each, and made them to sit down

at the feast on soft fleeces upon the sea sand, beside his

brother Thrasymedes and his father. And he gave them messes

of the inner meat, and poured wine into a golden cup, and

pledging her, he spake unto Pallas Athene, daughter of

Zeus, lord of the aegis:

'Pray now, my guest, to the lord Poseidon, even as it is

his feast whereon ye have chanced in coming hither. And

when thou hast made drink offering and prayed, as is due,

give thy friend also the cup of honeyed wine to make

offering thereof, inasmuch as he too, methinks, prayeth to

the deathless gods, for all men stand in need of the gods.

Howbeit he is younger and mine own equal in years,

therefore to thee first will I give the golden chalice.'

Therewith he placed in her hand the cup of sweet wine. And

Athene rejoiced in the wisdom and judgment of the man, in

that he had given to her first the chalice of gold. And

straightway she prayed, and that instantly, to the lord

Poseidon:

'Hear me, Poseidon, girdler of the earth, and grudge not

the fulfilment of this labour in answer to our prayer. To

Nestor first and to his sons vouchsafe renown, and

thereafter grant to all the people of Pylos a gracious

recompense for this splendid hecatomb. Grant moreover that

Telemachus and I may return, when we have accomplished that

for which we came hither with our swift black ship.'

Now as she prayed on this wise, herself the while was

fulfilling the prayer. And she gave Telemachus the fair

two-handled cup; and in like manner prayed the dear son of

Odysseus. Then, when the others had roasted the outer parts

and drawn them off the spits, they divided the messes and

shared the glorious feast. But when they had put from them

the desire of meat and drink, Nestor of Gerenia, lord of

chariots, first spake among them:

'Now is the better time to enquire and ask of the strangers

who they are, now that they have had their delight of food.

Strangers, who are ye? Whence sail ye over the wet ways? On

some trading enterprise, or at adventure do ye rove, even

as sea-robbers, over the brine, for they wander at hazard

of their own lives bringing bale to alien men?'

Then wise Telemachus answered him and spake with courage,

for Athene herself had put boldness in his heart, that he

might ask about his father who was afar, and that he might

be had in good report among men:

'Nestor, son of Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans, thou

askest whence we are, and I will surely tell thee all. We

have come forth out of Ithaca that is below Neion; and this

our quest whereof I speak is a matter of mine own, and not

of the common weal. I follow after the far-spread rumour of

my father, if haply I may hear thereof, even of the goodly

steadfast Odysseus, who upon a time, men say, fought by thy

side and sacked the city of the Trojans. For of all the

others, as many as warred with the Trojans, we hear

tidings, and where each one fell by a pitiful death; but

even the death of this man Cronion hath left untold. For

none can surely declare the place where he hath perished,

whether he was smitten by foemen on the mainland, or lost

upon the deep among the waves of Amphitrite. So now am I

come hither to thy knees, if perchance thou art willing to

tell me of his pitiful death, as one that saw it with thine

own eyes, or heard the story from some other wanderer,--

for his mother bare him to exceeding sorrow. And speak me

no soft words in ruth or pity, but tell me plainly what

sight thou didst get of him. Ah! I pray thee, if ever at

all my father, noble Odysseus, made promise to thee of word

or work, and fulfilled the same in the land of the Trojans,

where ye Achaeans suffered affliction; these things, I pray

thee, now remember and tell me truth.'

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, answered him: 'My

friend, since thou hast brought sorrow back to mind,

behold, this is the story of the woe which we endured in

that land, we sons of the Achaeans, unrestrained in fury,

and of all that we bore in wanderings after spoil, sailing

with our ships over the misty deep, wheresoever Achilles

led; and of all our war round the mighty burg of king

Priam. Yea and there the best of us were slain. There lies

valiant Aias, and there Achilles, and there Patroclus, the

peer of the gods in counsel, and there my own dear son,

strong and noble, Antilochus, that excelled in speed of

foot and in the fight. And many other ills we suffered

beside these; who of mortal men could tell the tale? Nay

none, though thou wert to abide here for five years, ay and

for six, and ask of all the ills which the goodly Achaeans

then endured. Ere all was told thou wouldst be weary and

turn to thine own country. For nine whole years we were

busy about them, devising their ruin with all manner of

craft; and scarce did Cronion bring it to pass. There never

a man durst match with him in wisdom, for goodly Odysseus

very far outdid the rest in all manner of craft, Odysseus

thy father, if indeed thou art his son,--amazement comes

upon me as I look at thee; for verily thy speech is like

unto his; none would say that a younger man would speak so

like an elder. Now look you, all the while that myself and

goodly Odysseus were there, we never spake diversely either

in the assembly or in the council, but always were of one

mind, and advised the Argives with understanding and sound

counsel, how all might be for the very best. But after we

had sacked the steep city of Priam, and had departed in our

ships, and a god had scattered the Achaeans, even then did

Zeus devise in his heart a pitiful returning for the

Argives, for in no wise were they all discreet or just.

Wherefore many of them met with an ill faring by reason of

the deadly wrath of the grey-eyed goddess, the daughter of

the mighty sire, who set debate between the two sons of

Atreus. And they twain called to the gathering of the host

all the Achaeans, recklessly and out of order, against the

going down of the sun; and lo, the sons of the Achaeans

came heavy with wine. And the Atreidae spake out and told

the reason wherefore they had assembled the host. Then

verily Menelaus charged all the Achaeans to bethink them of

returning over the broad back of the sea, but in no sort

did he please Agamemnon, whose desire was to keep back the

host and to offer holy hecatombs, that so he might appease

that dread wrath of Athene. Fool! for he knew not this,

that she was never to be won; for the mind of the

everlasting gods is not lightly turned to repentance. So

these twain stood bandying hard words; but the

goodly-greaved Achaeans sprang up with a wondrous din, and

twofold counsels found favour among them. So that one night

we rested, thinking hard things against each other, for

Zeus was fashioning for us a ruinous doom. But in the

morning, we of the one part drew our ships to the fair salt

sea, and put aboard our wealth, and the low-girdled Trojan

women. Now one half the people abode steadfastly there with

Agamemnon, son of Atreus, shepherd of the host; and half of

us embarked and drave to sea and swiftly the ships sailed,

for a god made smooth the sea with the depths thereof. And

when we came to Tenedos, we did sacrifice to the gods,

being eager for the homeward way; but Zeus did not yet

purpose our returning, nay, hard was he, that roused once

more an evil strife among us. Then some turned back their

curved ships, and went their way, even the company of

Odysseus, the wise and manifold in counsel, once again

showing a favour to Agamemnon, son of Atreus. But I fled on

with the squadron that followed me, for I knew how now the

god imagined mischief. And the warlike son of Tydeus fled

and roused his men thereto. And late in our track came

Menelaus of the fair hair, who found us in Lesbos,

considering about the long voyage, whether we should go

sea-ward of craggy Chios, by the isle of Psyria, keeping

the isle upon our left, or inside Chios past windy Mimas.

So we asked the god to show us a sign, and a sign he

declared to us, and bade us cleave a path across the middle

sea to Euboea, that we might flee the swiftest way from

sorrow. And a shrill wind arose and blew, and the ships ran

most fleetly over the teeming ways, and in the night they

touched at Geraestus. So there we sacrificed many thighs of

bulls to Poseidon, for joy that we had measured out so

great a stretch of sea. It was the fourth day when the

company of Diomede son of Tydeus, tamer of horses, moored

their gallant ships at Argos; but I held on for Pylos, and

the breeze was never quenched from the hour that the god

sent it forth to blow. Even so I came, dear child, without

tidings, nor know I aught of those others, which of the

Achaeans were saved and which were lost. But all that I

hear tell of as I sit in our halls, thou shalt learn as it

is meet, and I will hide nothing from thee. Safely, they

say, came the Myrmidons the wild spearsmen, whom the famous

son of high-souled Achilles led; and safely Philoctetes,

the glorious son of Poias. And Idomeneus brought all his

company to Crete, all that escaped the war, and from him

the sea gat none. And of the son of Atreus even yourselves

have heard, far apart though ye dwell, how he came, and how

Aegisthus devised his evil end; but verily he himself paid

a terrible reckoning. So good a thing it is that a son of

the dead should still be left, even as that son also took

vengeance on the slayer of his father, guileful Aegisthus,

who slew his famous sire. And thou too, my friend, for I

see thee very comely and tall, be valiant, that even men

unborn may praise thee.'

And wise Telemachus answered him, and said: 'Nestor, son of

Neleus, great glory of the Achaeans, verily and indeed he

avenged himself, and the Achaeans shall noise his fame

abroad, that even those may hear who are yet for to be. Oh

that the gods would clothe me with such strength as his,

that I might take vengeance on the wooers for their cruel

transgression, who wantonly devise against me infatuate

deeds! But the gods have woven for me the web of no such

weal, for me or for my sire. But now I must in any wise

endure it.'

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, made answer:

'Dear friend, seeing thou dost call these things to my

remembrance and speak thereof, they tell me that many

wooers for thy mother's hand plan mischief within the halls

in thy despite. Say, dost thou willingly submit thee to

oppression, or do the people through the land hate thee,

obedient to the voice of a god? Who knows but that Odysseus

may some day come and requite their violence, either

himself alone or all the host of the Achaeans with him? Ah,

if but grey-eyed Athene were inclined to love thee, as once

she cared exceedingly for the renowned Odysseus in the land

of the Trojans, where we Achaeans were sore afflicted, for

never yet have I seen the gods show forth such manifest

love, as then did Pallas Athene standing manifest by him,--

if she would be pleased so to love thee and to care for

thee, then might certain of them clean forget their

marriage.'

And wise Telemachus answered him, saying: 'Old man, in no

wise methinks shall this word be accomplished. This is a

hard saying of thine, awe comes over me. Not for my hopes

shall this thing come to pass, not even if the gods so

willed it.'

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:

'Telemachus, what word hath escaped the door of thy lips?

Lightly might a god, if so he would, bring a man safe home

even from afar. Rather myself would I have travail and much

pain ere I came home and saw the day of my returning, than

come back and straightway perish on my own hearth-stone,

even as Agamemnon perished by guile at the hands of his own

wife and of Aegisthus. But lo you, death, which is common

to all, the very gods cannot avert even from the man they

love, when the ruinous doom shall bring him low of death

that lays men at their length.'

And wise Telemachus answered her, saying: 'Mentor, no

longer let us tell of these things, sorrowful though we be.

There is none assurance any more of his returning, but

already have the deathless gods devised for him death and

black fate. But now I would question Nestor, and ask him of

another matter, as one who above all men knows judgments

and wisdom: for thrice, men say, he hath been king through

the generations of men; yea, like an immortal he seems to

me to look upon. Nestor, son of Neleus, now tell me true:

how died the son of Atreus, Agamemnon of the wide domain?

Where was Menelaus? What death did crafty Aegisthus plan

for him, in that he killed a man more valiant far than he?

Or was Menelaus not in Argos of Achaia but wandering

elsewhere among men, and that other took heart and slew

Agamemnon?'

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, answered him:

'Yea now, my child, I will tell thee the whole truth.

Verily thou guessest aright even of thyself how things

would have fallen out, if Menelaus of the fair hair, the

son of Atreus, when he came back from Troy, had found

Aegisthus yet alive in the halls. Then even in his death

would they not have heaped the piled earth over him, but

dogs and fowls of the air would have devoured him as he lay

on the plain far from the town. {*} Nor would any of the

Achaean women have bewailed him; so dread was the deed he

contrived. Now we sat in leaguer there, achieving many

adventures; but he the while in peace in the heart of

Argos, the pastureland of horses, spake ofttimes, tempting

her, to the wife of Agamemnon. Verily at the first she

would none of the foul deed, the fair Clytemnestra, for she

had a good understanding. Moreover there was with her a

minstrel, whom the son of Atreus straitly charged as he

went to Troy to have a care of his wife. But when at last

the doom of the gods bound her to her ruin, then did

Aegisthus carry the minstrel to a lonely isle, and left him

there to be the prey and spoil of birds; while as for her,

he led her to his house, a willing lover with a willing

lady. And he burnt many thigh slices upon the holy altars

of the gods, and hung up many offerings, woven-work and

gold, seeing that he had accomplished a great deed, beyond

all hope. Now we, I say, were sailing together on our way

from Troy, the son of Atreus and I, as loving friends. But

when we had reached holy Sunium, the headland of Athens,

there Phoebus Apollo slew the pilot of Menelaus with the

visitation of his gentle shafts, as he held between his

hands the rudder of the running ship, even Phrontis, son of

Onetor, who excelled the tribes of men in piloting a ship,

whenso the storm-winds were hurrying by. Thus was Menelaus

holden there, though eager for the way, till he might bury

his friend and pay the last rites over him. But when he in

his turn, faring over the wine-dark sea in hollow ships,

reached in swift course the steep mount of Malea, then it

was that Zeus of the far-borne voice devised a hateful

path, and shed upon them the breath of the shrill winds,

and great swelling waves arose like unto mountains. There

sundered he the fleet in twain, and part thereof he brought

nigh to Crete, where the Cydonians dwelt about the streams

of Iardanus. Now there is a certain cliff, smooth and sheer

towards the sea, on the border of Gortyn, in the misty

deep, where the South-West Wind drives a great wave against

the left headland, towards Phaestus, and a little rock

keeps back the mighty water. Thither came one part of the

fleet, and the men scarce escaped destruction, but the

ships were broken by the waves against the rock; while

those other five dark-prowed ships the wind and the water

bare and brought nigh to Egypt. Thus Menelaus, gathering

much livelihood and gold, was wandering there with his

ships among men of strange speech, and even then Aegisthus

planned that pitiful work at home. And for seven years he

ruled over Mycenae, rich in gold, after he slew the son of

Atreus, and the people were subdued unto him. But in the

eighth year came upon him goodly Orestes back from Athens

to be his bane, and slew the slayer of his father, guileful

Aegisthus, who killed his famous sire. Now when he had

slain him, he made a funeral feast to the Argives over his

hateful mother, and over the craven Aegisthus. And on the

selfsame day there came to him Menelaus of the loud

war-cry, bringing much treasure, even all the freight of

his ships. So thou, my friend, wander not long far away

from home, leaving thy substance behind thee and men in thy

house so wanton, lest they divide and utterly devour all

thy wealth, and thou shalt have gone on a vain journey.

Rather I bid and command thee to go to Menelaus, for he

hath lately come from a strange country, from the land of

men whence none would hope in his heart to return, whom

once the storms have driven wandering into so wide a sea.

Thence not even the birds can make their way in the space

of one year, so great a sea it is and terrible. But go now

with thy ship and with thy company, or if thou hast a mind

to fare by land, I have a chariot and horses at thy

service, yea and my sons to do thy will, who will be thy

guides to goodly Lacedaemon, where is Menelaus of the fair

hair. Do thou thyself entreat him, that he may give thee

unerring answer. He will not lie to thee, for he is very

wise.'

{* Reading [Greek]. v. 1. '[Greek], which must be wrong.}

Thus he spake, and the sun went down and darkness came on.

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake among them,

saying: 'Yea, old man, thou hast told all this thy tale

aright. But come, cut up the tongues of the victims and mix

the wine, that we may pour forth before Poseidon and the

other deathless gods, and so may bethink us of sleep, for

it is the hour for sleep. For already has the light gone

beneath the west, and it is not seemly to sit long at a

banquet of the gods, but to be going home.'

So spake the daughter of Zeus, and they hearkened to her

voice. And the henchmen poured water over their hands, and

pages crowned the mixing bowls with drink, and served out

the wine to all, after they had first poured for libation

into each cup in turn; and they cast the tongues upon the

fire, and stood up and poured the drink-offering thereon.

But when they had poured forth and had drunken to their

heart's content, Athene and godlike Telemachus were both

set on returning to the hollow ship; but Nestor would have

stayed them, and accosted them, saying: 'Zeus forfend it,

and all the other deathless gods, that ye should depart

from my house to the swift ship, as from the dwelling of

one that is utterly without raiment or a needy man, who

hath not rugs or blankets many in his house whereon to

sleep softly, he or his guests. Nay not so, I have rugs and

fair blankets by me. Never, methinks, shall the dear son of

this man, even of Odysseus, lay him down upon the ship's

deck, while as yet I am alive, and my children after me are

left in my hall to entertain strangers, whoso may chance to

come to my house.'

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:

'Yea, herein hast thou spoken aright, dear father: and

Telemachus may well obey thee, for before all things this

is meet. Behold, he shall now depart with thee, that he may

sleep in thy halls; as for me I will go to the black ship,

that I may cheer my company and tell them all. For I avow

me to be the one elder among them; those others are but

younger men, who follow for love of him, all of them of

like age with the high-souled Telemachus. There will I lay

me down by the black hollow ship this night; but in the

morning I will go to the Cauconians high of heart, where

somewhat of mine is owing to me, no small debt nor of

yesterday. But do thou send this man upon his way with thy

chariot and thy son, since he hath come to thy house, and

give him horses the lightest of foot and chief in

strength.'

Therewith grey-eyed Athene departed in the semblance of a

sea-eagle; and amazement fell on all that saw it, and the

old man he marvelled when his eyes beheld it. And he took

the hand of Telemachus and spake and hailed him:

'My friend, methinks that thou wilt in no sort be a coward

and a weakling, if indeed in thy youth the gods thus follow

with thee to be thy guides. For truly this is none other of

those who keep the mansions of Olympus, save only the

daughter of Zeus, the driver of the spoil, the maiden

Trito-born, she that honoured thy good father too among the

Argives. Nay be gracious, queen, and vouchsafe a goodly

fame to me, even to me and to my sons and to my wife

revered. And I in turn will sacrifice to thee a yearling

heifer, broad of brow, unbroken, which man never yet hath

led beneath the yoke. Such an one will I offer to thee, and

gild her horns with gold.'

Even so he spake in prayer, and Pallas Athene heard him.

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, led them, even

his sons and the husbands of his daughters, to his own fair

house. But when they had reached this prince's famous

halls, they sat down all orderly on seats and high chairs;

and when they were come, the old man mixed well for them a

bowl of sweet wine, which now in the eleventh year from the

vintaging the housewife opened, and unloosed the string

that fastened the lid. The old man let mix a bowl thereof,

and prayed instantly to Athene as he poured forth before

her, even to the daughter of Zeus, lord of the aegis.

But after they had poured forth and had drunken to their

heart's content, these went each one to his own house to

lie down to rest. But Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots,

would needs have Telemachus, son of divine Odysseus, to

sleep there on a jointed bedstead beneath the echoing

gallery, and by him Peisistratus of the good ashen spear,

leader of men, who alone of his sons was yet unwed in his

halls. As for him he slept within the inmost chamber of the

lofty house, and the lady his wife arrayed for him bedstead

and bedding.

So soon as early Dawn shone forth, the rosy-fingered,

Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, gat him up from his

bed, and he went forth and sat him down upon the smooth

stones, which were before his lofty doors, all polished,

white and glistening, whereon Neleus sat of old, in counsel

the peer of the gods. Howbeit, stricken by fate, he had ere

now gone down to the house of Hades, and to-day Nestor of

Gerenia in his turn sat thereon, warder of the Achaeans,

with his staff in his hands. And about him his sons were

gathered and come together, issuing from their chambers,

Echephron and Stratius, and Perseus and Aretus and the

godlike Thrasymedes. And sixth and last came the hero

Peisistratus. And they led godlike Telemachus and set him

by their side, and Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots,

spake first among them:

'Quickly, my dear children, accomplish my desire, that

first of all the gods I may propitiate Athene, who came to

me in visible presence to the rich feast of the god. Nay

then, let one go to the plain for a heifer, that she may

come as soon as may be, and that the neat-herd may drive

her: and let another go to the black ship of high-souled

Telemachus to bring all his company, and let him leave two

men only. And let one again bid Laerces the goldsmith to

come hither that he may gild the horns of the heifer. And

ye others, abide ye here together and speak to the

handmaids within that they make ready a banquet through our

famous halls, and fetch seats and logs to set about the

altar, and bring clear water.'

Thus he spake and lo, they all hastened to the work. The

heifer she came from the field, and from the swift gallant

ship came the company of great-hearted Telemachus; the

smith came holding in his hands his tools, the instruments

of his craft, anvil and hammer and well-made pincers,

wherewith he wrought the gold; Athene too came to receive

her sacrifice. And the old knight Nestor gave gold, and the

other fashioned it skilfully, and gilded therewith the

horns of the heifer, that the goddess might be glad at the

sight of her fair offering. And Stratius and goodly

Echephron led the heifer by the horns. And Aretus came

forth from the chamber bearing water for the washing of

hands in a basin of flowered work, and in the other hand he

held the barley-meal in a basket; and Thrasymedes,

steadfast in the battle, stood by holding in his hand a

sharp axe, ready to smite the heifer. And Perseus held the

dish for the blood, and the old man Nestor, driver of

chariots, performed the first rite of the washing of hands

and the sprinkling of the meal, and he prayed instantly to

Athene as he began the rite, casting into the fire the lock

from the head of the victim.

Now when they had prayed and tossed the sprinkled grain,

straightway the son of Nestor, gallant Thrasymedes, stood

by and struck the blow; and the axe severed the tendons of

the neck and loosened the might of the heifer; and the

women raised their cry, the daughters and the sons' wives

and the wife revered of Nestor, Eurydice, eldest of the

daughters of Clymenus. And now they lifted the victim's

head from the wide-wayed earth, and held it so, while

Peisistratus, leader of men, cut the throat. And after the

black blood had gushed forth and the life had left the

bones, quickly they broke up the body, and anon cut slices

from the thighs all duly, and wrapt the same in the fat,

folding them double, and laid raw flesh thereon. So that

old man burnt them on the cleft wood, and poured over them

the red wine, and by his side the young men held in their

hands the five-pronged forks. Now after that the thighs

were quite consumed and they had tasted the inner parts,

they cut the rest up small and spitted and roasted it,

holding the sharp spits in their hands.

Meanwhile she bathed Telemachus, even fair Polycaste, the

youngest daughter of Nestor, son of Neleus. And after she

had bathed him and anointed him with olive oil, and cast

about him a goodly mantle and a doublet, he came forth from

the bath in fashion like the deathless gods. So he went and

sat him down by Nestor, shepherd of the people.

Now when they had roasted the outer flesh, and drawn it off

the spits, they sat down and fell to feasting, and

honourable men waited on them, pouring wine into the golden

cups. But when they had put from them the desire of meat

and drink, Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, first spake

among them:

'Lo now, my sons, yoke for Telemachus horses with flowing

mane and lead them beneath the car, that he may get forward

on his way.'

Even so he spake, and they gave good heed and hearkened;

and quickly they yoked the swift horses beneath the

chariot. And the dame that kept the stores placed therein

corn and wine and dainties, such as princes eat, the

fosterlings of Zeus. So Telemachus stept up into the goodly

car, and with him Peisistratus son of Nestor, leader of

men, likewise climbed the car and grasped the reins in his

hands, and he touched the horses with the whip to start

them, and nothing loth the pair flew towards the plain, and

left the steep citadel of Pylos. So all day long they

swayed the yoke they bore upon their necks.

Now the sun sank and all the ways were darkened. And they

came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles, son of Orsilochus,

the child begotten of Alpheus. There they rested for the

night, and by them he set the entertainment of strangers.

Now so soon as early Dawn shone forth, the rosy-fingered,

they yoked the horses and mounted the inlaid car. And forth

they drave from the gateway and the echoing gallery, and

Peisistratus touched the horses with the whip to start

them, and the pair flew onward nothing loth. So they came

to the wheat-bearing plain, and thenceforth they pressed

toward the end: in such wise did the swift horses speed

forward. Now the sun sank and all the ways were darkened.

Read next: Book IV

Read previous: Book II

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