"Whereupon the king told me the dire story of his home-coming and his death at traitors' hands. 'When I trod my native soil again after a long absence,' he said, 'I was overcome with joy at the thought of seeing my wife and children once more. But I was slain in my own home, and my wife did not even close my eyes as my soul came on its way to these dark realms.'
"I answered: 'Alas! how the gods must hate the family of Atreus on account of the unfaithfulness of its women!'
"Agamemnon replied: 'Oh, son of Laertes, thou art a fortunate man, for thou hast a faithful wife. Penelope is wise and virtuous. I remember, when we were ready to start for Troy she was a young wife with a little babe in her arms, which she pressed to her bosom. He must be a man now. Thou art a happy father. Thou wilt see thy son at home in Ithaca.
"'No such good fortune can ever come to me. My wife did not even let me see my son before she slew me. Tell me about him, I beseech thee, how he is. Does he still live in Sparta?'
"'Son of Atreus,' I said, 'do not ask me where thy son is. I cannot tell whether he is alive or not, and this is no time for idle conjectures;' and we wept as I spoke."
CHAPTER XXII
CONVERSATION WITH ACHILLES AND OTHER HEROES
"While we were conversing thus, the shades of Achilles and Patroklos came near. The soul of Achilles recognized me, and he said: 'Odysseus, son of Laertes, how darest thou descend into the gloomy habitation of the dead? This is the greatest labor thou hast undertaken.'