At last came one with tottering footsteps, leaning on a golden sceptre, and halted on the farther edge of the trench.  It seemed a very aged man, with flowing white beard, and sightless eyes; and Odysseus knew by these signs that he was in the presence of Teiresias, the famous prophet of Thebes, who alone among departed spirits preserves his understanding, while the rest are flitting phantoms, with no sense at all.  “What wouldst thou of me, Odysseus, son of Laertes,” said the spectre in faltering tones, “and wherefore hast thou left the glad light of day to visit this drear and joyless realm of the dead?  Draw back from the trench, and put up thy sword in its sheath, that I may drink of the blood and tell thee all that thou wouldst know.”

Thereupon Odysseus fell back, and sheathed his sword; and Teiresias, when he had drunk of the blood, spoke again in firmer and clearer tones:  “Thou art fain to hear of thy home-coming, illustrious hero; but thy path to Ithaca shall be beset with sorrows, because of the wrath of Poseidon, whose son, Polyphemus, thou hast blinded.  Nevertheless thou and all thy company shall return safe to Ithaca, if only ye leave untouched the sacred flocks and herds of Helios,[1] when ye come to the island of Thrinacia.  But if harm befall them at your hands, from that hour thy ship and all her crew are doomed and forfeit to destruction:  and though thou thyself escape, yet thou shalt return after many days, in evil plight, to a house of woe.[2] And now learn how thou mayest at last appease the anger of the god who pursues thee with his vengeance.  When thou art once more master in thine own house thou shalt go on a far journey, carrying with thee an oar of thy vessel, until thou comest to a people that dwell far from the sea, and know naught of ships or the mariner’s art.  And there shalt meet thee by the way a man who shall say that thou bearest a winnowing shovel[3] on thy shoulder; and this shall be a sign unto thee, whereby thou shalt know that thou hast reached the end of thy journey.  Then plant thy oar in the ground, and offer sacrifice to Poseidon.  This shall be the end of thy toils, and death shall come softly upon thee where thou dwellest in a green old age among thy happy people.”

[Footnote 1:  The sun god.]

[Footnote 2:  The very words of Polyphemus, p. 93.]

[Footnote 3:  The oar.]

When he had thus spoken Teiresias vanished into the darkness; and one by one the spirits came up to the trench, as Odysseus suffered them, and having drunk of the blood obtained strength to speak and answer his questions.  First among them was the spirit of his mother, Anticleia, daughter of Autolycus, who had been hovering near during his conference with Teiresias.  When she had drunk she said:  “Whence comest thou, my son?  Art thou still wandering on thy long voyage from Troy, or hast thou been in Ithaca, and seen thy wife?”