ISSN: 1946-1712
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Lord Dunsany

August 2009

Death and Odysseus

“Well, old servant,” he said, “have your masters been kind to you since I made you work for me round Ilion?” Artwork : This is an image of the slaughter of Penelope’s suitors by Odysseus, Telemachus, and Eumeus, captured in ancient Greek pottery. It is in the public domain and comes to us via .
“Well, old servant,” he said, “have your masters been kind to you since I made you work for me round Ilion?”

Artwork : This is an image of the slaughter of Penelope’s suitors by Odysseus, Telemachus, and Eumeus, captured in ancient Greek pottery. It is in the public domain and comes to us via Wikimedia Commons.

In the Olympian courts Love laughed at Death, because he was unsightly, and because She couldn’t help it, and because he never did anything worth doing, and because She would.

And Death hated being laughed at, and used to brood apart thinking only of his wrongs and of what he could do to end this intolerable treatment.

But one day Death appeared in the courts with an air and They all noticed it. “What are you up to now?” said Love. And Death with some solemnity said to Her: “I am going to frighten Odysseus”; and drawing about him his grey traveller’s cloak went out through the windy door with his jowl turned earthwards.

And he came soon to Ithaca and the hall that Athene knew, and opened the door and saw there famous Odysseus, with his white locks bending close over the fire, trying to warm his hands.

And the wind through the open door blew bitterly on Odysseus.

And Death came up behind him, and suddenly shouted.

And Odysseus went on warming his pale hands.

Then Death came close and began to mouth at him. And after a while Odysseus turned and spoke. And “Well, old servant,” he said, “have your masters been kind to you since I made you work for me round Ilion?”

And Death for some while stood mute, for the thought of the laughter of Love.

Then “Come now,” said Odysseus, “lend me your shoulder,” and he leaning heavily on that bony joint, they went together through the open door.

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About the Author

Lord Dunsany

The eyes of Lord Dunsany

From Wikipedia: Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (24 July 1878–25 October 1957), was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes hundreds of short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Born to one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage, he lived much of his life at perhaps Ireland’s longest-inhabited home, Dunsany Castle near Tara, received an honourary doctorate from Trinity College, and died in Dublin.

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