Chapter XII
Ulysses and Irus, the Beggar
A beggar called Irus entered the hall. He was tall and thin, in spite of being well fed, and was a favorite with the suitors; for he was useful to them in many ways. He was greatly astonished to find his place already occupied and looked at the old man angrily and disdainfully, and relying on his own size and the support of the suitors, he began, masterfully: “Get out of here or I will throw thee out! Up at once! In a hurry now! Listen, thou villain! If thou dost not move quickly there will be trouble between us!”
Ulysses greeted him with dark looks and began: “Miserable creature, what have I done to thee? I do not begrudge thee thy part, and there is room for both of us here. Do not talk of fighting between us, for old as I am I should probably spill thy blood and rid me of thee for a long time to come.”
“Ha,” cried Irus, angrily. “He talks like a washerwoman. I have a great mind to crack thy jaw. Come here and gird thyself, that all may see how I shall use thee!”
Thus far the suitors had paid no heed to the beggar’s quarrel, but now Antinous pricked up his ears and cried laughingly: “Here is an amusing comedy. The stranger there and Irus have challenged each other.” All sprang from their seats laughing and formed a circle about the two.
“Listen,” said Antinous. “Here is a delicious morsel of tripe for the victor, and in future he shall drink and eat with us and be the only beggar allowed to enter here henceforth.” This proposal met with universal approval.
Slowly Ulysses arose, pretending to be stiff in every joint. Said he: “It is hard that an old man weakened by want should be obliged to contend with a younger. But hunger forces me to try my luck. Only swear to me that no one shall assist Irus or mix in the fight.”
Ulysses made ready by tucking up his rags, revealing naked shoulders, arms, and legs—and how powerful they were! The suitors were astonished. Irus also had misgivings and would have been glad to recall his rash words. As he hesitated the servants led him forward, trembling. Antinous forced him to the fore and the fight began. Ulysses reflected whether he should break the wretch’s skull with his fist or only lay him low with a moderate blow. He wisely decided on the latter, so that the suitors should not become suspicious.
Irus let fly and struck his adversary’s shoulder. But immediately he received a fearful stroke on his jaw from below, so that blood streamed from his mouth. With a shriek he sank down, pressed both hands over his face, and drummed with his feet for pain. The suitors set up a shout of laughter, but Ulysses drew the conquered man out into the courtyard by his heels and laid him in a corner. He replaced his old rags, took up his wallet, and returned to his place on the threshold. They all came up laughing, to shake hands with him, and Antinous laid the roasted tripe on his wallet, while Amphinomus brought him bread and wine and drank to him with a hearty handshake and a toast for better times.
Before all this had come to pass Athene had inspired Penelope with the idea of appearing among the suitors and putting a stop to their plundering by means of cunning words. The goddess wished to give the unrecognized beggar the happiness of seeing his excellent wife in all her majesty and the pure light of her innocence and faithfulness. Invested with divine beauty by the goddess, Penelope descended clad in a charming robe, her face covered with a long veil and accompanied by two serving maids. As she entered the hall, all gazed at her admiringly, each wishing that she might choose him for her husband.