At dawn Nestor sat on the polished stones before his high doors — white, glistening with oil — where Neleus once sat as counselor. Round him his sons gathered: Echephron, Stratius, Perseus, Aretus, Thrasymedes, and Peisistratus. They led godlike Telemachus and seated him beside them.
Nestor ordered a heifer from the field, Telemachus’s companions from the ship, and the goldsmith Laerces to gild the horns. Athena came to take part. The smith gilded the heifer’s horns so the goddess might rejoice. Stratius and Echephron led her; Aretus brought water and barley; Thrasymedes stood with a sharp axe; Perseus held the blood-bowl. Nestor began the hand-washing and barley, prayed to Athena, and cut hair for the fire.
Thrasymedes struck; the axe cut the neck-tendons. The women raised the cry — daughters, sons’ wives, and Eurydice his wife. Peisistratus cut the throat. When the black blood had flowed they cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them in fat with raw flesh on them, and the old man burned them on split wood with bright wine. Young men held five-pronged forks. When the thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they roasted the rest on spits.
Fair Polycaste, Nestor’s youngest daughter, bathed Telemachus, rubbed him with oil, and put a fine cloak and tunic about him. He came from the bath looking like the immortals and sat by Nestor. When they had feasted, Nestor ordered the horses yoked. The housekeeper packed bread, wine, and meats such as kings eat.
Telemachus climbed the chariot; Peisistratus climbed beside him and took the reins. He touched the horses with the whip; they sped toward the plain and left the steep city of Pylos. All day they shook the yoke they bore.
The sun set and all the ways grew dark. They came to Pherae, to the house of Diocles son of Ortilochus, whom Alpheus fathered. There they spent the night, and he gave them the gifts of guest-friendship. At dawn they yoked again and drove on to the wheat-bearing plain. They finished their journey quickly — so well the swift horses carried them. The sun set and all the ways grew dark.