Chapter 10 in hell

The sun sank into the sea, and a strong wind carried us to the end of the world—the shores of the Chimaurians.There is thick fog all year round, and it is a place where the sun never shines.We followed Circe's command and came to the rock where the two black rivers meet.Then, we sacrifice.As soon as the sheep's blood flowed from the slit throat into the pit we dug, the ghosts of the dead poured out from the cracks in the rocks, men, women, and children, and many fallen heroes, wounded and dressed Bloody robe.They floated in groups, groaning loudly, above the sacrificial pit.I was terrified, but soon I ordered my companions to burn the sacrificial sheep as Circe had commanded, and prayed to the gods for protection.I drew my sword and drove the ghosts away, lest they eat the blood of the sheep till the spirit of Tiresias appeared.

But then the ghost of my friend Elbonor appeared before me; his body lay unburied in the palace of Circe.He lamented his doom to me with tears, and begged me to bury him solemnly when I returned to Eiehe.I agreed to his request, so he sat across from me.Thus we sat and talked sadly, the ghost of Elpenor on the one hand, and I with the sword in my hand, to prevent the ghost from licking the blood of the victim.After a while, the spirit of my mother Anticleia also came to me.She was still alive when I set off on my expedition to Troy.When I saw her, I couldn't help crying.But I still guard the sacrifice, not letting her get close to licking the blood.

The soul of Tiresias finally appeared, with a golden staff in his right hand, he recognized me immediately, and said to me: "Son of noble Laertes, how did you leave the world and come to Ling The underworld of human horror? Please remove the sword from the pit, let me drink the blood of the sacrifice, and then I will tell you the future." Hearing this, I took a step back and pushed the sword into the scabbard .He bent down, licked the black sheep's blood, and said: "Odysseus, you want me to tell you the happy news of returning to the motherland. But there is a god who is blocking you, and you cannot escape his palm. This is the god of the sea. Poseidon. You have offended him deeply and poked out the eyes of his son Polyphemus. Therefore, your return will not be safe. But you need not be disappointed, and you will return to your homeland in the end. You Land first on the island of Trinakaya. If you don't move the holy cow and the holy sheep kept there by the sun god, you can go home safely. If you hurt them, your ship and your friends will suffer. Even if You have escaped by chance alone, and you will spend many years in solitude and misery before you can be carried back to your hometown in a foreign ship. When you return home, you are still sad and troubled, because arrogant men are squandering your property Wife Penelope proposes. You will kill them by guile or force. Soon you will be drifting again to a place where the people don't know the sea, nor ships, nor salt in their food. In that distant country, someone will wonder why you carry a wooden shovel on your shoulder. At this time, you put the oars on the ground, and offer sacrifices to Poseidon, the sea god, and ask the sea god for forgiveness. You put The sea god will be appeased when the knowledge of seafaring is passed on to a foreign nation. Then, you go home again. Your kingdom will prosper from then on, and you can live to old age and leave the world in a place far away from the sea."

This is what he prophesied to me.I thanked him, and asked: "Look, there sits the ghost of my mother, but she is silent and does not look at me. Please tell me, how can I make her recognize her son?" "Let her drink some of the sacrifice's blood, and she will speak," Tiresias replied.After speaking, his ghost disappeared into the dark kingdom of the underworld.The ghost of my mother came to me and sucked blood.Suddenly, he recognized me and said to me with tears, "Dear son, how did you come to this kingdom of the dead alive? Have you been drifting on the sea since returning from Troy?" We told her in detail, Then ask how she died, and inquire about the situation at home.She replied:

"Your wife is still at home, waiting faithfully for your return. She weeps for you day and night. Your son Telemachus manages your property. Your father Laertes lives in the country. , would not go to the city. All winter he lay like a servant on the straw by the hearth, ragged and miserable; Such a life. My dear son, I also died thinking of you." I was deeply moved and opened my arms, wanting to hug my mother, but she disappeared like a phantom in a dream.Now many ghosts are coming, all the wives of famous heroes.They all sucked the blood of their sacrifices and told me their fates.Their phantoms also disappeared.I looked up and saw visions that thrilled me.That is the ghost of Grand Commander Agamemnon.He approached the pit slowly, sucking blood.Then he looked up, recognized me, and wept with grief.He reached out his hands towards me, but couldn't reach me.I hurriedly asked about his situation. "My lord Odysseus," said he, "perhaps you think it was the god of the sea who drowned me, but it was not so. My wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus bathed me murdered me at the time, and was murdered by them when I returned from afar with longing for my wife and children. For this reason I also advise you, Odysseus, be careful not to trust your wife too much, Don't tell her all the secrets because of her enthusiasm. But I forgot that your wife is wise and virtuous! Nevertheless, I still advise you to return to Ithaca quietly, because there are few women who can fully trust !"

After saying these obscure words, he turned and disappeared.Then came the ghost of Achilles and his friend Patroclus, followed by Antilochus and the hero Ajax.Achilles first bent down to suck the blood, he recognized me, and thought it was strange.I explained to him the reason for coming here, and said that he was respected like a god in life, and he must be a great ghost after death, living a happy life.After hearing this, he replied sadly: "Odysseus, don't speak comforting words to the dead! I would rather be a slave in the world than a king in the underworld." I suppressed my sadness and told him about his The heroic deeds of his son Neoptolemus.He listened satisfied and left.

The ghosts of the other dead talked to me after drinking their blood, except Ajax.I competed with him in front of Troy for the weapon of Achilles, and I won, and he committed suicide because of it, so he hated me very much and stood aside coldly.I said to him gently: "Son of Telamon, can't you forget our struggle when you get to the underworld? This is the arrangement of the goddess of fate. Therefore, noble prince, please talk to me!" But Still silent, he turned and disappeared into the darkness. I saw the ghosts of dead heroes crowding around me, and I was suddenly frightened.I hastened away from the chasm with my companions, and headed for our big ship.So, fulfilling my promise to Elbonor, I set anchor and set sail for the island where Circe lived.