Page 313 - the-odyssey

say such things to me, and in public too. Has the wine been
getting into your head or do you always babble in this way?
You seem to have lost your wits because you beat the tramp
Irus.’ With this he caught hold of a footstool, but Ulysses
sought protection at the knees of Amphinomus of Dulich-
ium, for he was afraid. The stool hit the cupbearer on his
right hand and knocked him down: the man fell with a cry
flat on his back, and his wine-jug fell ringing to the ground.
The suitors in the covered cloister were now in an uproar,
and one would turn towards his neighbour, saying, ‘I wish
the stranger had gone somewhere else, bad luck to him, for
all the trouble he gives us. We cannot permit such distur-
bance about a beggar; if such ill counsels are to prevail we
shall have no more pleasure at our banquet.’
On this Telemachus came forward and said, ‘Sirs, are
you mad? Can you not carry your meat and your liquor de-
cently? Some evil spirit has possessed you. I do not wish to
drive any of you away, but you have had your suppers, and
the sooner you all go home to bed the better.’
The suitors bit their lips and marvelled at the boldness of
his speech; but Amphinomus the son of Nisus, who was son
to Aretias, said, ‘Do not let us take offence; it is reasonable,
so let us make no answer. Neither let us do violence to the
stranger nor to any of Ulysses’ servants. Let the cupbearer
go round with the drink-offerings, that we may make them
and go home to our rest. As for the stranger, let us leave
Telemachus to deal with him, for it is to his house that he
has come.’
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well,

1 The Odyssey