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amazed within me, and I have no strength to speak, nor to
ask him aught, nay nor to look on him face to face. But if
in truth this be Odysseus, and he hath indeed come home,
verily we shall be ware of each other the more surely, for
we have tokens that we twain know, even we, secret from all
others.'

So she spake, and the steadfast goodly Odysseus smiled, and
quickly he spake to Telemachus winged words: 'Telemachus,
leave now thy mother to make trial of me within the
chambers; so shall she soon come to a better knowledge than
heretofore. But now I go filthy, and am clad in vile
raiment, wherefore she has me in dishonour, and as yet will
not allow that I am he. Let us then advise us how all may
be for the very best. For whoso has slain but one man in a
land, even that one leaves not many behind him to take up
the feud for him, turns outlaw and leaves his kindred and
his own country; but we have slain the very stay of the
city, the men who were far the best of all the noble youths
in Ithaca. So this I bid thee consider.'

Then wise Telemachus answered him, saying: 'Father, see
thou to this, for they say that thy counsel is far the best
among men, nor might any other of mortal men contend with
thee. But right eagerly will we go with thee now, and I
think we shall not lack prowess, so far as might is ours.'

And Odysseus of many counsels answered him saying: 'Yea
now, I will tell on what wise methinks it is best. First,
go ye to the bath and array you in your doublets, and bid
the maidens in the chambers to take to them their garments.
Then let the divine minstrel, with his loud lyre in hand,
lead off for us the measure of the mirthful dance. So shall
any man that hears the sound from without, whether a
wayfarer or one of those that dwell around, say that it is
a wedding feast. And thus the slaughter of the wooers shall
not be noised abroad through the town before we go forth to
our well-wooded farm-land. Thereafter shall we consider
what gainful counsel the Olympian may vouchsafe us.'

So he spake, and they gave good ear and hearkened to him.
So first they went to the bath, and arrayed them in
doublets, and the women were apparelled, and the divine
minstrel took the hollow harp, and aroused in them the
desire of sweet song and of the happy dance. Then the great
hall rang round them with the sound of the feet of dancing
men and of fair-girdled women. And whoso heard it from
without would say:

'Surely some one has wedded the queen of many wooers. Hard
of heart was she, nor had she courage to keep the great
house of her wedded lord continually till his coming.'

Even so men spake, and knew not how these things were
ordained. Meanwhile, the house-dame Eurynome had bathed the
great-hearted Odysseus within his house, and anointed him
with olive-oil, and cast about him a goodly mantle and a
doublet. Moreover Athene shed great beauty from his head
downwards, and made him greater and more mighty to behold,
and from his head caused deep curling locks to flow, like
the hyacinth flower. And as when some skilful man overlays
gold upon silver, one that Hephaestus and Pallas Athene
have taught all manner of craft, and full of grace is his
handiwork, even so did Athene shed grace about his head and
shoulders, and forth from the bath he came, in form like to
the immortals. Then he sat down again on the high seat,
whence he had arisen, over against his wife, and spake to
her, saying:

'Strange lady, surely to thee above all womankind the
Olympians have given a heart that cannot be softened. No
other woman in the world would harden her heart to stand
thus aloof from her husband, who after much travail and
sore had come to her, in the twentieth year, to his own
country. Nay come, nurse, strew a bed for me to lie all
alone, for assuredly her spirit within her is as iron.'

Then wise Penelope answered him again: 'Strange man, I have
no proud thoughts nor do I think scorn of thee, nor am I
too greatly astonied, but I know right well what manner of
man thou wert, when thou wentest forth out of Ithaca, on
the long-oared galley. But come, Eurycleia, spread for him
the good bedstead outside the stablished bridal chamber
that he built himself. Thither bring ye forth the good
bedstead and cast bedding thereon, even fleeces and rugs
and shining blankets.'

So she spake and made trial of her lord, but Odysseus in
sore displeasure spake to his true wife, saying: 'Verily a
bitter word is this, lady, that thou hast spoken. Who has
set my bed otherwhere? Hard it would be for one, how
skilled so ever, unless a god were to come that might
easily set it in another place, if so he would. But of men
there is none living, howsoever strong in his youth, that
could lightly upheave it, for a great token is wrought in
the fashioning of the bed, and it was I that made it and
none other. There was growing a bush of olive, long of
leaf, and most goodly of growth, within the inner court,
and the stem as large as a pillar. Round about this I built
the chamber, till I had finished it, with stones close set,
and I roofed it over well and added thereto compacted doors
fitting well. Next I sheared off all the light wood of the
long-leaved olive, and rough-hewed the trunk upwards from
the root, and smoothed it around with the adze, well and
skilfully, and made straight the line thereto and so
fashioned it into the bedpost, and I bored it all with the
auger. Beginning from this bedpost, I wrought at the
bedstead till I had finished it, and made it fair with
inlaid work of gold and of silver and of ivory. Then I made
fast therein a bright purple band of oxhide. Even so I
declare to thee this token, and I know not, lady, if the
bedstead be yet fast in his place, or if some man has cut
away the stem of the olive tree, and set the bedstead
otherwhere.'

So he spake, and at once her knees were loosened, and her
heart melted within her, as she knew the sure tokens that
Odysseus showed her. Then she fell a weeping, and ran
straight toward him and cast her hands about his neck, and
kissed his head and spake, saying: