‘Eumæus, sure ‘tis wonder in such plight
To see this dog, of goodly form and limbs;
But tell me did his fleetness match his shape,
Or was he such as, reared for pride and show,
Inactive at their masters’ tables feed?’
Eumæus heard, and quickly made reply:
‘To one who perished in a distant land
This dog belongs. But couldst thou see him now
Such as Odysseus left him, bound for Troy,
Thou well might’st wonder at his strength and speed.