Book 14 - Hospitality in the Forest

When I went inside my new hut, I found Eumaeus outside my hut. Although Eumaeus didn’t recognize me as his master, he invited me inside. Athena must have done a really good job of putting a disguise on me. There, I had a hearty meal of pork and listened as Eumaeus heaped praise upon the memory of his former master, me, whom he fears is lost for good, and scorn upon the behavior of his new masters, the vile suitors. I felt like making a plan with him to poison the food of all of those ******* suitors and tell Eumaeus my true identity. I feared, however, the wrath of Athena. What would happen if she found out that I told her? What if she took my anger out on Telemachus and sent him to nowhere as revenge, even though little Telly didn't do anything? Still being an outsider, I predicted that Eumaeus will see his master again quite soon, but Eumaeus would hear none of it—he had encountered too many vagabonds looking for a handout from Penelope in return for fabricated news of me. As though she were a goddess who knew everything! People just wanted to hear that I was dead! They all want to satisfy their ids, and this seems to be the only way their Superego approves of. Still, Eumaeus took a liking to his guest. He put me up for the night and even let me borrow a cloak to keep out the cold. God bless him! When Athena lets me out of this form I will make him as rich as he ever dreamed of! When Eumaeus asked me where I came from, about my origins, I lied and said that I was from Crete. I couldn't tell him because of a vivid picture of Athena and her unleashing her wrath, worse than Poseidon, one that none could save me from. I couldn't let that happen all over again. I told him that I fought with me at Troy and made it home safely, but a trip that I made later to Egypt went awry, and I was reduced to poverty. It was during this trip, I said, that I said I heard that I was still alive. How happy he was to hear that! Anyways, I have to go now, I need my sleep.