extinguishable laughter amongst the suitors, and made their thoughts wander. And they now laughed with other men's jaws;[1] and they eat meat polluted with blood: and their eyes were filled with tears; and their mind thought of grief. And godlike Theoclymenus addressed them:
"Ah wretched ones; what evil is this ye are suffering? your heads and faces and knees below are involved in night. And mourning has burst forth; and your cheeks are wet with tears: and the walls and beautiful intercolumniations are besprinkled with blood. And the portico is full, and the hall also is full of images, that are going under darkness to Erebus: and the sun has died away from heaven, and evil murkiness has run around us."
Thus he spoke; but they all laughed pleasantly at him, but Eurymachus, son of Polybus, began to address them:
"The stranger is silly, having lately come from elsewhere: but, O youths, send him quickly out of the house through the door to go to the forum; since he likens these things to the night."[2]
But him godlike Theoclymenus addressed in turn: "O Eurymachus, I by no means desire thee to give me conductors: I have eyes, and ears, and both my feet, and a mind made not at all unseemly in my breast: with these will I go out of doors, since I perceive that evil is coming on you, which no one of the suitors will escape or avoid, [of you,] who insulting men, in the house of godlike Ulysses, are contriving impious things."
Thus having spoken, he went out of the well-built house: and he came to Piræus, who willingly received him. But all the suitors, looking at one another, irritated Telemachus, laughing at the strangers; and thus some one of the haughty youths spoke:
"O Telemachus, there is no one else that has worse guests than thou: what a begging[3] vagabond this is whom thou hast, in want of bread and wine: not at all skilled in works, nor strong, and to no purpose a burden of the earth. This other
- ↑ i. e. not with an honest, hearty laugh, but with a laugh that seemed to forebode their fate. See Eustathius and Loewe.
- ↑ I must confess that I am hardly satisfied with this passage.
- ↑ It is worth while to observe, that this word occurs no where else in Homer: the same may be observed of κατάντηστιν, v. 387. Old Transl.
