§23.150σχετλίη, οὐδʼ ἔτλη πόσιος οὗ κουριδίοιο §23.151εἴρυσθαι μέγα δῶμα διαμπερές, ἧος ἵκοιτο. §23.152ὣς ἄρα τις εἴπεσκε, τὰ δʼ οὐκ ἴσαν ὡς ἐτέτυκτο. §23.153αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ §23.154Εὐρυνόμη ταμίη λοῦσεν καὶ χρῖσεν ἐλαίῳ, §23.155ἀμφὶ δέ μιν φᾶρος καλὸν βάλεν ἠδὲ χιτῶνα· §23.156αὐτὰρ κὰκ κεφαλῆς κάλλος πολὺ χεῦεν Ἀθήνη §23.157μείζονά τʼ εἰσιδέειν καὶ πάσσονα· κὰδ δὲ κάρητος §23.158οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας. §23.159ὡς δʼ ὅτε τις χρυσὸν περιχεύεται ἀργύρῳ ἀνὴρ §23.160ἴδρις, ὃν Ἥφαιστος δέδαεν καὶ Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη §23.161τέχνην παντοίην, χαρίεντα δὲ ἔργα τελείει· §23.162ὣς μὲν τῷ περίχευε χάριν κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ὤμοις. §23.163ἐκ δʼ ἀσαμίνθου βῆ δέμας ἀθανάτοισιν ὁμοῖος· §23.164ἂψ δʼ αὖτις κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετʼ ἐπὶ θρόνου ἔνθεν ἀνέστη, §23.165ἀντίον ἧς ἀλόχου, καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε· §23.166δαιμονίη, περί σοί γε γυναικῶν θηλυτεράων §23.167κῆρ ἀτέραμνον ἔθηκαν Ὀλύμπια δώματʼ ἔχοντες· §23.168οὐ μέν κʼ ἄλλη γʼ ὧδε γυνὴ τετληότι θυμῷ §23.169ἀνδρὸς ἀφεσταίη, ὅς οἱ κακὰ πολλὰ μογήσας §23.170ἔλθοι ἐεικοστῷ ἔτεϊ ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν. §23.171ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι, μαῖα, στόρεσον λέχος, ὄφρα καὶ αὐτὸς §23.172λέξομαι· ἦ γὰρ τῇ γε σιδήρεον ἐν φρεσὶ ἦτορ. §23.173τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια· §23.174δαιμόνιʼ, οὔτʼ ἄρ τι μεγαλίζομαι οὔτʼ ἀθερίζω §23.175οὔτε λίην ἄγαμαι, μάλα δʼ εὖ οἶδʼ οἷος ἔησθα §23.176ἐξ Ἰθάκης ἐπὶ νηὸς ἰὼν δολιχηρέτμοιο. §23.177ἀλλʼ ἄγε οἱ στόρεσον πυκινὸν λέχος, Εὐρύκλεια, §23.178ἐκτὸς ἐϋσταθέος θαλάμου, τόν ῥʼ αὐτὸς ἐποίει· §23.179ἔνθα οἱ ἐκθεῖσαι πυκινὸν λέχος ἐμβάλετʼ εὐνήν, §23.180κώεα καὶ χλαίνας καὶ ῥήγεα σιγαλόεντα. §23.181ὣς ἄρʼ ἔφη πόσιος πειρωμένη· αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς §23.182ὀχθήσας ἄλοχον προσεφώνεε κεδνὰ ἰδυῖαν· §23.183ὦ γύναι, ἦ μάλα τοῦτο ἔπος θυμαλγὲς ἔειπες·
"Hard-hearted woman, she had not the heart to keep the great house for her wedded husband continually, until he should return." So indeed would one say, but they knew not how things had been wrought. Meanwhile the housekeeper Eurynome bathed the great-hearted Odysseus in his own house, and anointed him with oil, and cast a beautiful cloak and a tunic about him; and moreover Athena shed abundant beauty down over his head, making him taller and stouter to look upon, and from his head she made curly locks flow down, like unto the hyacinth flower. And as when some skilled man pours gold over silver, one whom Hephaestus and Pallas Athena have taught all manner of art, and he completes graceful works; even so did she shed grace upon his head and shoulders. And he stepped forth from the bath, in form like unto the immortals; and he sat down again upon the seat from which he had arisen, opposite his wife, and spoke a word to her, saying: "Strange woman, they who have homes on Olympus have given to thee, beyond all gentle women, a heart that cannot be softened. No other woman would hold aloof with so stubborn a heart from her husband, who after suffering many evils had come back in the twentieth year to his native land. But come, nurse, strew a bed for me, that I may lie down even by myself; for indeed she has a heart of iron in her breast." Then wise Penelope answered him: "Strange man, I am neither arrogant, nor do I disregard thee, nor am I amazed overmuch; but I know right well what manner of man thou wast when thou wentest forth from Ithaca on thy long-oared ship. But come, Eurycleia, strew for him the stout bedstead outside the well-built bridal chamber which he himself made. There do ye place the stout bedstead and cast bedding upon it, fleeces and cloaks and bright coverlets." So she spoke, testing her husband; but Odysseus was angered, and spoke to his true-hearted wife: "O lady, truly this is a heart-grieving word thou hast spoken. Who has set my bed elsewhere?
§23.184τίς δέ μοι ἄλλοσε θῆκε λέχος; χαλεπὸν δέ κεν εἴη §23.185καὶ μάλʼ ἐπισταμένῳ, ὅτε μὴ θεὸς αὐτὸς ἐπελθὼν §23.186ῥηϊδίως ἐθέλων θείη ἄλλῃ ἐνὶ χώρῃ. §23.187ἀνδρῶν δʼ οὔ κέν τις ζωὸς βροτός, οὐδὲ μάλʼ ἡβῶν, §23.188ῥεῖα μετοχλίσσειεν, ἐπεὶ μέγα σῆμα τέτυκται §23.189ἐν λέχει ἀσκητῷ· τὸ δʼ ἐγὼ κάμον οὐδέ τις ἄλλος. §23.190θάμνος ἔφυ τανύφυλλος ἐλαίης ἕρκεος ἐντός, §23.191ἀκμηνὸς θαλέθων· πάχετος δʼ ἦν ἠΰτε κίων. §23.192τῷ δʼ ἐγὼ ἀμφιβαλὼν θάλαμον δέμον, ὄφρʼ ἐτέλεσσα, §23.193πυκνῇσιν λιθάδεσσι, καὶ εὖ καθύπερθεν ἔρεψα, §23.194κολλητὰς δʼ ἐπέθηκα θύρας, πυκινῶς ἀραρυίας. §23.195καὶ τότʼ ἔπειτʼ ἀπέκοψα κόμην τανυφύλλου ἐλαίης, §23.196κορμὸν δʼ ἐκ ῥίζης προταμὼν ἀμφέξεσα χαλκῷ §23.197εὖ καὶ ἐπισταμένως, καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνα, §23.198ἑρμῖνʼ ἀσκήσας, τέτρηνα δὲ πάντα τερέτρῳ. §23.199ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀρχόμενος λέχος ἔξεον, ὄφρʼ ἐτέλεσσα, §23.200δαιδάλλων χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἠδʼ ἐλέφαντι· §23.201ἐκ δʼ ἐτάνυσσα ἱμάντα βοὸς φοίνικι φαεινόν. §23.202οὕτω τοι τόδε σῆμα πιφαύσκομαι· οὐδέ τι οἶδα, §23.203ἤ μοι ἔτʼ ἔμπεδόν ἐστι, γύναι, λέχος, ἦέ τις ἤδη §23.204ἀνδρῶν ἄλλοσε θῆκε, ταμὼν ὕπο πυθμένʼ ἐλαίης. §23.205ὣς φάτο, τῆς δʼ αὐτοῦ λύτο γούνατα καὶ φίλον ἦτορ, §23.206σήματʼ ἀναγνούσῃ τά οἱ ἔμπεδα πέφραδʼ Ὀδυσσεύς· §23.207δακρύσασα δʼ ἔπειτʼ ἰθὺς δράμεν, ἀμφὶ δὲ χεῖρας §23.208δειρῇ βάλλʼ Ὀδυσῆϊ, κάρη δʼ ἔκυσʼ ἠδὲ προσηύδα· §23.209μή μοι, Ὀδυσσεῦ, σκύζευ, ἐπεὶ τά περ ἄλλα μάλιστα §23.210ἀνθρώπων πέπνυσο·
Hard would it be, even for one of great skill, unless a god himself should come and easily at his will set it in another place. But of mortal men no living man, not even in his lustiest youth, could easily prize it from its place, for a great sign is wrought in the fashioned bedstead; and this I myself laboured, and no other. There grew a long-leafed olive tree within the courtyard, in full vigor of growth, and it was thick as a pillar. Round this I built my bridal chamber, until I finished it, with close-set stones, and roofed it well over, and added tightly fitting doors, strongly put together. Then after that I cut away the foliage of the long-leafed olive, and lopping the trunk from the root up, I smoothed it with the adze well and skillfully, and made it straight according to the line, fashioning thereof a bedpost, and I bored all the wood with an auger. Beginning from this I carved the bedstead, until I finished it, inlaying it with gold and silver and ivory; and within I stretched a leather strap of oxhide, shining with purple. Thus indeed do I declare this sign to thee; nor do I know at all, lady, whether my bedstead is still fast in its place, or whether some man has already set it elsewhere, cutting through the stem of the olive beneath." So he spoke, and her knees and her heart failed her right there, as she recognized the sure signs which Odysseus had declared to her. Weeping then, she ran straight toward him, and cast her hands about the neck of Odysseus, and kissed his head, and spoke, saying: "Frown not upon me, Odysseus, since in all things else thou wast the wisest of men.
θεοὶ δʼ ὤπαζον ὀϊζύν, §23.211οἳ νῶϊν ἀγάσαντο παρʼ ἀλλήλοισι μένοντε §23.212ἥβης ταρπῆναι καὶ γήραος οὐδὸν ἱκέσθαι. §23.213αὐτὰρ μὴ νῦν μοι τόδε χώεο μηδὲ νεμέσσα, §23.214οὕνεκά σʼ οὐ τὸ πρῶτον, ἐπεὶ ἴδον, ὧδʼ ἀγάπησα. §23.215αἰεὶ γάρ μοι θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλοισιν §23.216ἐρρίγει μή τίς με βροτῶν ἀπάφοιτο ἔπεσσιν §23.217ἐλθών· πολλοὶ γὰρ κακὰ κέρδεα βουλεύουσιν. §23.218οὐδέ κεν Ἀργείη Ἑλένη, Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα, §23.219ἀνδρὶ παρʼ ἀλλοδαπῷ ἐμίγη φιλότητι καὶ εὐνῇ, §23.220εἰ ᾔδη ὅ μιν αὖτις ἀρήϊοι υἷες Ἀχαιῶν §23.221ἀξέμεναι οἶκόνδε φίλην ἐς πατρίδʼ ἔμελλον. §23.222τὴν δʼ ἦ τοι ῥέξαι θεὸς ὤρορεν ἔργον ἀεικές·
The gods granted us misery, they who grudged that we two should abide together and enjoy our youth, and come to the threshold of old age. Therefore be not now angry with me, nor resent it, because I did not thus welcome thee at first, when I saw thee. For always the heart within my breast would shudder, lest some mortal should come and deceive me with words; for many there are who devise evil gains. Nor would Argive Helen, sprung from Zeus, have lain in love and sleep with a stranger, if she had known that the warlike sons of the Achaeans were to bring her back again home to her own native land. It was a god indeed who stirred her up to do the shameful deed;