Page 173 - the-iliad

ing of his wife my mother. My mother, therefore, prayed
me without ceasing to lie with the woman myself, that so
she hate my father, and in the course of time I yielded. But
my father soon came to know, and cursed me bitterly, call-
ing the dread Erinyes to witness. He prayed that no son of
mine might ever sit upon knees—and the gods, Jove of the
world below and awful Proserpine, fulfilled his curse. I took
counsel to kill him, but some god stayed my rashness and
bade me think on men’s evil tongues and how I should be
branded as the murderer of my father; nevertheless I could
not bear to stay in my father’s house with him so bitter a
against me. My cousins and clansmen came about me, and
pressed me sorely to remain; many a sheep and many an ox
did they slaughter, and many a fat hog did they set down to
roast before the fire; many a jar, too, did they broach of my
father’s wine. Nine whole nights did they set a guard over
me taking it in turns to watch, and they kept a fire always
burning, both in the cloister of the outer court and in the
inner court at the doors of the room wherein I lay; but when
the darkness of the tenth night came, I broke through the
closed doors of my room, and climbed the wall of the out-
er court after passing quickly and unperceived through the
men on guard and the women servants. I then fled through
Hellas till I came to fertile Phthia, mother of sheep, and to
King Peleus, who made me welcome and treated me as a
father treats an only son who will be heir to all his wealth.
He made me rich and set me over much people, establish-
ing me on the borders of Phthia where I was chief ruler over
the Dolopians.

1 The Iliad