Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there
\nlifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears \u2026
\nIt was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus\u2019 dog
\nhe trained as a puppy once, but little joy he got
\nsince all too soon he shipped to sacred Troy.
\nIn the old days young hunters loved to set him
\ncoursing after the wild goats and deer and hares.
\nBut now with his master gone he lay there, castaway,
\non piles of dung from mules and cattle, heaps collecting
\nout before the gates till Odysseus\u2019 serving-men<\/p>\n
could cart it off to manure the king\u2019s estates.<\/p>\n
Infested with ticks, half-dead from neglect,<\/p>\n
here lay the hound, old Argos.<\/p>\n
But the moment he sensed Odysseus standing by<\/p>\n
he thumped his tail, nuzzling low, and his ears dropped,<\/p>\n
though he had no strength to drag himself an inch<\/p>\n
toward his master. Odysseus glanced to the side<\/p>\n
and flicked away a tear, hiding it from Eumaeus,<\/p>\n
diverting his friend in a hasty, offhand way:<\/p>\n
\u201cStrange, Eumaeus, look, a dog like this,<\/p>\n
lying here on a dung-hill \u2026<\/p>\n
what handsome lines! But I can\u2019t say for sure<\/p>\n
if he had the running speed to match his looks<\/p>\n
or he was only the sort that gentry spoil at table,<\/p>\n
show-dogs masters pamper for their points.\u201d<\/p>\n
You told the stranger, Eumaeus, loyal swineherd,<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2014it\u2019s all too true\u2014here\u2019s the dog of a man<\/p>\n
who died in foreign parts. But if he had now<\/p>\n
the form and flair he had in his glory days\u2014<\/p>\n
as Odysseus left him, sailing off to Troy\u2014<\/p>\n
you\u2019d be amazed to see such speed, such strength.<\/p>\n
No quarry he chased in the deepest, darkest woods<\/p>\n
could ever slip this hound. A champion tracker too!<\/p>\n
Ah, but he\u2019s run out of luck now, poor fellow \u2026<\/p>\n
his master\u2019s dead and gone, so far from home,<\/p>\n
and the heartless women tend him not at all. Slaves,<\/p>\n
with their lords no longer there to crack the whip,<\/p>\n
lose all zest to perform their duties well. Zeus,<\/p>\n
the Old Thunderer, robs a man of half his virtue<\/p>\n
the day the yoke clamps down around his neck.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that he entered the well-constructed palace,<\/p>\n
strode through the halls and joined the proud suitors.<\/p>\n
But the dark shadow of death closed down on Argos\u2019 eyes<\/p>\n
the instant he saw Odysseus, twenty years away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Odyssey<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n HOMER<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there lifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears \u2026 It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus\u2019 dog he trained as a puppy once, but little joy he got since all too soon he shipped to sacred Troy. In…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/post-2599.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Poetry<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there lifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears \u2026 It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus\u2019 dog he trained as a puppy once, but little joy he got since all too soon he shipped to sacred Troy. 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