His son, Theoklymenos, it was who
now came up to Telemakhos as he was making drink-offerings and
praying in his ship. "Friend’" said he, "now that I find you
sacrificing in this place, I beseech you by your sacrifices
themselves, and by the daimôn to whom you make them, I
pray you also by your own head and by those of your followers, tell
me the truth and nothing but the truth. Who and whence are you? Tell
me also of your town and parents."
Telemakhos said, "I will answer
you quite truly. I am from Ithaca, and my father is ‘Odysseus,
as surely as that he ever lived. But he has come to some miserable
end. Therefore I have taken this ship and got my crew together to see
if I can hear any news of him, for he has been away a long
time."
"I too," answered Theoklymenos,
am an exile, for I have killed a man of my own race. He has many
brothers and kinsmen in Argos, and they have great power among the
Argives. I am fleeing to escape death at their hands, and am thus
doomed to be a wanderer on the face of the earth. I am your
suppliant; take me, therefore, on board your ship that they may not
kill me, for I know they are in pursuit."
"I will not refuse you," replied
Telemakhos, "if you wish to join us. Come, therefore, and in Ithaca
we will treat you hospitably according to what we have."
Homer. The Odyssey. Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Samuel Butler. Based on public domain edition, revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy. A. C. Fifield, London. 1900 (?).
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