mortal goddess. But they having turned to the dance and the lovely song were delighted; and awaited till evening came on. And dark evening came upon them whilst they were being delighted. They then went each to his home to sleep; but Telemachus, where the lofty chamber of the most beautiful palace was built for him, in a conspicuous place, there went to bed, meditating many things in his mind. Chaste Euryclea, daughter of Ops, son of Pisenor, carried lighted torches with him; she whom formerly Laertes had bought with his wealth, while she was still in the prime of youth, and he gave a hundred beeves [for her]. And he honoured her in his palace, equally with his chaste wife; but he never embraced her on the couch, for he avoided the anger of his wife. She carried lighted torches with him, and loved him most of the female servants, and had nurtured him when little. But he opened the door of the well-made chamber, and sat on the bed, and put off his soft garment, and placed it in the hands of the prudent old woman. She having folded and arranged the garment, and having hung it on a peg near the compact[1] bed, hastened from the chamber, and drew to the door with a silver ring, and fastened the bolt with the thong.
Here he all night, covered with the finest wool,[2] considered in his mind the journey, which Pallas Minerva had advised.
- ↑ i. e. the bed fastened together by pegs driven through holes. Hesych. τοῖς κατὰ τὰς ἁρμογὰς τετρημένοις. Etym. Magn. Τρητὸν λέχος, παρὰ τὸ τετρῆσθαι κατὰ τὰ ἐνήλατα, εἰς ἃ ἐμβάλλεται ἡ σπάρτος, ἤ παρὰ τὸ τετρῆσθαι τοὺς πόδας, εἱς οὓς ἐμβάλλεται τὰ ἐνήλατα. Mr. Burges suggests that this term may really apply to a mattrass of straw, stabbed through, in order to keep it in shape, like the modern palliasse.
- ↑ Literally, "the flower of a sheep." But Buttmann, Lexil. p. 187, regards ἄωτος as equivalent to the Latin "floccus," observing, "as this comes from flo, so that comes from ἄημι; and both mean the light and airy locks of the sheep or the flax-plant."
