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PinkMonkey.com Digital Library - PinkMonkey.com - The Odyssey by Homer
“And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious stone with both his
hands. With hands and feet he’ tried to roll it up to the top of the hill, but always, just
before he could roll it over on to the other side, its weight would be too much for him,
and the pitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain. Then he
would begin trying to push it up hill again, and the sweat ran off him and the steam
rose after him.

“After him I saw mighty Hercules, but it was his phantom only, for he is feasting ever
with the immortal gods, and has lovely Hebe to wife, who is daughter of Jove and
Juno. The ghosts were screaming round him like scared birds flying all whithers. He
looked black as night with his bare bow in his hands and his arrow on the string,
glaring around as though ever on the point of taking aim. About his breast there was a
wondrous golden belt adorned in the most marvellous fashion with bears, wild boars,
and lions with gleaming eyes; there was also war, battle, and death. The man who
made that belt, do what he might, would never be able to make another like it.
Hercules knew me at once when he saw me, and spoke piteously, saying, my poor
Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, are you too leading the same sorry kind of life that I did
when I was above ground? I was son of Jove, but I went through an infinity of
suffering, for I became bondsman to one who was far beneath me-a low fellow who set
me all manner of labours. He once sent me here to fetch the hell-hound-for he did not
think he could find anything harder for me than this, but I got the hound out of Hades
and brought him to him, for Mercury and Minerva helped me.’

“On this Hercules went down again into the house of Hades, but I stayed where I was
in case some other of the mighty dead should come to me. And I should have seen still
other of them that are gone before, whom I would fain have seen-Theseus and
Pirithous glorious children of the gods, but so many thousands of ghosts came round
me and uttered such appalling cries, that I was panic stricken lest Proserpine should
send up from the house of Hades the head of that awful monster Gorgon. On this I
hastened back to my ship and ordered my men to go on board at once and loose the
hawsers; so they embarked and took their places, whereon the ship went down the
stream of the river Oceanus. We had to row at first, but presently a fair wind sprang
up.
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PinkMonkey.com Digital Library - PinkMonkey.com - The Odyssey by Homer



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