The Odyssey: Book 2 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGDBGHHIJKHLMHN NOPGJQRIQSTUVRPWFXHY SKFZA2HSB2NUHHHSC2D2 E2F2QNZNHNHG2MH2I2HJ 2SK2L2M2N2JD2WQHZHO2 JP2G2HDO2JQ2R2HQJE2H NZO2HH2HRNS2G2T2NNLA 2QLD2U2MV2E2

Now when the child of morning rosy fingered Dawn appearedA
Telemachus rose and dressed himself He bound his sandals on to hisB
comely feet girded his sword about his shoulder and left his roomC
looking like an immortal god He at once sent the criers round to callD
the people in assembly so they called them and the people gatheredE
thereon then when they were got together he went to the place ofF
assembly spear in hand not alone for his two hounds went with himG
Minerva endowed him with a presence of such divine comeliness that allD
marvelled at him as he went by and when he took his place' in hisB
father's seat even the oldest councillors made way for himG
Aegyptius a man bent double with age and of infinite experienceH
the first to speak His son Antiphus had gone with Ulysses to IliusH
land of noble steeds but the savage Cyclops had killed him whenI
they were all shut up in the cave and had cooked his last dinnerJ
for him He had three sons left of whom two still worked on theirK
father's land while the third Eurynomus was one of the suitorsH
nevertheless their father could not get over the loss of Antiphus andL
was still weeping for him when he began his speechM
Men of Ithaca he said hear my words From the day UlyssesH
left us there has been no meeting of our councillors until now whoN
then can it be whether old or young that finds it so necessary toN
convene us Has he got wind of some host approaching and does he wishO
to warn us or would he speak upon some other matter of public momentP
I am sure he is an excellent person and I hope Jove will grant himG
his heart's desireJ
Telemachus took this speech as of good omen and rose at once for heQ
was bursting with what he had to say He stood in the middle of theR
assembly and the good herald Pisenor brought him his staff ThenI
turning to Aegyptius Sir said he it is I as you will shortlyQ
learn who have convened you for it is I who am the most aggrieved IS
have not got wind of any host approaching about which I would warnT
you nor is there any matter of public moment on which I wouldU
speak My grieveance is purely personal and turns on two greatV
misfortunes which have fallen upon my house The first of these is theR
loss of my excellent father who was chief among all you here presentP
and was like a father to every one of you the second is much moreW
serious and ere long will be the utter ruin of my estate The sons ofF
all the chief men among you are pestering my mother to marry themX
against her will They are afraid to go to her father IcariusH
asking him to choose the one he likes best and to provide marriageY
gifts for his daughter but day by day they keep hanging about myS
father's house sacrificing our oxen sheep and fat goats for theirK
banquets and never giving so much as a thought to the quantity ofF
wine they drink No estate can stand such recklessness we have now noZ
Ulysses to ward off harm from our doors and I cannot hold my ownA2
against them I shall never all my days be as good a man as he wasH
still I would indeed defend myself if I had power to do so for IS
cannot stand such treatment any longer my house is being disgracedB2
and ruined Have respect therefore to your own consciences and toN
public opinion Fear too the wrath of heaven lest the gods shouldU
be displeased and turn upon you I pray you by Jove and Themis who isH
the beginning and the end of councils do not hold back my friendsH
and leave me singlehanded unless it be that my brave father UlyssesH
did some wrong to the Achaeans which you would now avenge on me byS
aiding and abetting these suitors Moreover if I am to be eaten outC2
of house and home at all I had rather you did the eatingD2
yourselves for I could then take action against you to someE2
purpose and serve you with notices from house to house till I gotF2
paid in full whereas now I have no remedyQ
With this Telemachus dashed his staff to the ground and burst intoN
tears Every one was very sorry for him but they all sat still and noZ
one ventured to make him an angry answer save only Antinous whoN
spoke thusH
Telemachus insolent braggart that you are how dare you try toN
throw the blame upon us suitors It is your mother's fault not oursH
for she is a very artful woman This three years past and close onG2
four she has been driving us out of our minds by encouraging eachM
one of us and sending him messages without meaning one word of whatH2
she says And then there was that other trick she played us She setI2
up a great tambour frame in her room and began to work on an enormousH
piece of fine needlework 'Sweet hearts ' said she 'Ulysses is indeedJ2
dead still do not press me to marry again immediately wait for IS
would not have skill in needlework perish unrecorded till I haveK2
completed a pall for the hero Laertes to be in readiness againstL2
the time when death shall take him He is very rich and the womenM2
of the place will talk if he is laid out without a pall 'N2
This was what she said and we assented whereon we could see herJ
working on her great web all day long but at night she would unpickD2
the stitches again by torchlight She fooled us in this way forW
three years and we never found her out but as time wore on and sheQ
was now in her fourth year one of her maids who knew what she wasH
doing told us and we caught her in the act of undoing her work soZ
she had to finish it whether she would or no The suitorsH
therefore make you this answer that both you and the Achaeans mayO2
understand 'Send your mother away and bid her marry the man of herJ
own and of her father's choice' for I do not know what will happen ifP2
she goes on plaguing us much longer with the airs she gives herself onG2
the score of the accomplishments Minerva has taught her and becauseH
she is so clever We never yet heard of such a woman we know allD
about Tyro Alcmena Mycene and the famous women of old but theyO2
were nothing to your mother any one of them It was not fair of herJ
to treat us in that way and as long as she continues in the mind withQ2
which heaven has now endowed her so long shall we go on eating upR2
your estate and I do not see why she should change for she getsH
all the honour and glory and it is you who pay for it not sheQ
Understand then that we will not go back to our lands neitherJ
here nor elsewhere till she has made her choice and married someE2
one or other of usH
Telemachus answered Antinous how can I drive the mother whoN
bore me from my father's house My father is abroad and we do not knowZ
whether he is alive or dead It will be hard on me if I have to payO2
Icarius the large sum which I must give him if I insist on sending hisH
daughter back to him Not only will he deal rigorously with me butH2
heaven will also punish me for my mother when she leaves the houseH
will calf on the Erinyes to avenge her besides it would not be aR
creditable thing to do and I will have nothing to say to it If youN
choose to take offence at this leave the house and feast elsewhere atS2
one another's houses at your own cost turn and turn about If onG2
the other hand you elect to persist in spunging upon one manT2
heaven help me but Jove shall reckon with you in full and when youN
fall in my father's house there shall be no man to avenge youN
As he spoke Jove sent two eagles from the top of the mountain andL
they flew on and on with the wind sailing side by side in their ownA2
lordly flight When they were right over the middle of the assemblyQ
they wheeled and circled about beating the air with their wings andL
glaring death into the eyes of them that were below then fightingD2
fiercely and tearing at one another they flew off towards the rightU2
over the town The people wondered as they saw them and asked eachM
other what an this might be whereon Halitherses who was the bestV2
prophet and reader of omeE2

Homer



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