The Odyssey: Book 23 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIBEHJKLMGNOP QMAQRSTUVAAWBXTYPBDZ PAA2BLB2JJC2PD2E2PF2 JG2H2A2I2J2K2L2M2EF2 E2GMN2JBBMMO2BA2P2Q2 XR2MPS2T2U2I2M2AJV2P W2X2ZJT2G2Y2Z2EF2AA3 AB3C3D3E3I2F3G3H3MMM Z2A3G2BHGL2FKRMMI3Z2 HAMM2U2G3F2MC2J3K3M2 L3R2BM3R2C2EN3U2A2O3 P3M2N2Q3R3S3MMT3M2MA M2U3JQV3W3F2X3GY3RRM X2GPLMBM2ABPZ3V2A4BA B4L2R3MA3A4MPZA3M2C4 D4JPZY3E4PF4BSG4MJMM 2PMH4A3M2PI4AG3HF4A3 R3PCR2BD4W2J4GT2JWAC JK4MQB2PPL4M4N4F2O4D PLSQI2MRLP4MBB2Q4B4R 4KS4B4PT4G3AKW2BEMU4 SGV4S2S2AA3S2S2W4

Euryclea now went upstairs laughing to tell her mistress that her	A
dear husband had come home Her aged knees became young again and	B
her feet were nimble for joy as she went up to her mistress and bent	C
over her head to speak to her Wake up Penelope my dear child	D
she exclaimed and see with your own eyes something that you have	E
been wanting this long time past Ulysses has at last indeed come home	F
again and has killed the suitors who were giving so much trouble in	G
his house eating up his estate and ill treating his son	H
My good nurse answered Penelope you must be mad The gods	I
sometimes send some very sensible people out of their minds and	B
make foolish people become sensible This is what they must have	E
been doing to you for you always used to be a reasonable person	H
Why should you thus mock me when I have trouble enough already	J
talking such nonsense and waking me up out of a sweet sleep that	K
had taken possession of my eyes and closed them I have never slept so	L
soundly from the day my poor husband went to that city with the	M
ill omened name Go back again into the women's room if it had been	G
any one else who had woke me up to bring me such absurd news I should	N
have sent her away with a severe scolding As it is your age shall	O
protect you	P
My dear child answered Euryclea I am not mocking you It is	Q
quite true as I tell you that Ulysses is come home again He was the	M
stranger whom they all kept on treating so badly in the cloister	A
Telemachus knew all the time that he was come back but kept his	Q
father's secret that he might have his revenge on all these wicked	R
people	S
Then Penelope sprang up from her couch threw her arms round	T
Euryclea and wept for joy But my dear nurse said she explain	U
this to me if he has really come home as you say how did he manage	V
to overcome the wicked suitors single handed seeing what a number	A
of them there always were	A
I was not there answered Euryclea and do not know I only heard	W
them groaning while they were being killed We sat crouching and	B
huddled up in a corner of the women's room with the doors closed till	X
your son came to fetch me because his father sent him Then I found	T
Ulysses standing over the corpses that were lying on the ground all	Y
round him one on top of the other You would have enjoyed it if you	P
could have seen him standing there all bespattered with blood and	B
filth and looking just like a lion But the corpses are now all piled	D
up in the gatehouse that is in the outer court and Ulysses has lit	Z
a great fire to purify the house with sulphur He has sent me to	P
call you so come with me that you may both be happy together after	A
all for now at last the desire of your heart has been fulfilled your	A2
husband is come home to find both wife and son alive and well and	B
to take his revenge in his own house on the suitors who behaved so	L
badly to him	B2
'My dear nurse said Penelope do not exult too confidently	J
over all this You know how delighted every one would be to see	J
Ulysses come home more particularly myself and the son who has	C2
been born to both of us but what you tell me cannot be really true	P
It is some god who is angry with the suitors for their great	D2
wickedness and has made an end of them for they respected no man	E2
in the whole world neither rich nor poor who came near them who	P
came near them and they have come to a bad end in consequence of	F2
their iniquity Ulysses is dead far away from the Achaean land he	J
will never return home again	G2
Then nurse Euryclea said My child what are you talking about but	H2
you were all hard of belief and have made up your mind that your	A2
husband is never coming although he is in the house and by his own	I2
fire side at this very moment Besides I can give you another proof	J2
when I was washing him I perceived the scar which the wild boar gave	K2
him and I wanted to tell you about it but in his wisdom he would not	L2
let me and clapped his hands over my mouth so come with me and I	M2
will make this bargain with you if I am deceiving you you may have	E
me killed by the most cruel death you can think of	F2
My dear nurse said Penelope however wise you may be you can	E2
hardly fathom the counsels of the gods Nevertheless we will go in	G
search of my son that I may see the corpses of the suitors and the	M
man who has killed them	N2
On this she came down from her upper room and while doing so she	J
considered whether she should keep at a distance from her husband	B
and question him or whether she should at once go up to him and	B
embrace him When however she had crossed the stone floor of the	M
cloister she sat down opposite Ulysses by the fire against the	M
wall at right angles to that by which she had entered while Ulysses	O2
sat near one of the bearing posts looking upon the ground and	B
waiting to see what his wife would say to him when she saw him For	A2
a long time she sat silent and as one lost in amazement At one moment	P2
she looked him full in the face but then again directly she was	Q2
misled by his shabby clothes and failed to recognize him till	X
Telemachus began to reproach her and said	R2
Mother but you are so hard that I cannot call you by such a	M
name why do you keep away from my father in this way Why do you	P
not sit by his side and begin talking to him and asking him questions	S2
No other woman could bear to keep away from her husband when he had	T2
come back to her after twenty years of absence and after having	U2
gone through so much but your heart always was as hard as a stone	I2
Penelope answered My son I am so lost in astonishment that I	M2
can find no words in which either to ask questions or to answer	A
them I cannot even look him straight in the face Still if he really	J
is Ulysses come back to his own home again we shall get to understand	V2
one another better by and by for there are tokens with which we two	P
are alone acquainted and which are hidden from all others	W2
Ulysses smiled at this and said to Telemachus Let your mother put	X2
me to any proof she likes she will make up her mind about it	Z
presently She rejects me for the moment and believes me to be	J
somebody else because I am covered with dirt and have such bad	T2
clothes on let us however consider what we had better do next When	G2
one man has killed another even though he was not one who would leave	Y2
many friends to take up his quarrel the man who has killed him must	Z2
still say good bye to his friends and fly the country whereas we have	E
been killing the stay of a whole town and all the picked youth of	F2
Ithaca I would have you consider this matter	A
Look to it yourself father answered Telemachus for they say	A3
you are the wisest counsellor in the world and that there is no other	A
mortal man who can compare with you We will follow you with right	B3
good will nor shall you find us fail you in so far as our strength	C3
holds out	D3
I will say what I think will be best answered Ulysses First	E3
wash and put your shirts on tell the maids also to go to their own	I2
room and dress Phemius shall then strike up a dance tune on his lyre	F3
so that if people outside hear or any of the neighbours or some	G3
one going along the street happens to notice it they may think	H3
there is a wedding in the house and no rumours about the death of the	M
suitors will get about in the town before we can escape to the	M
woods upon my own land Once there we will settle which of the	M
courses heaven vouchsafes us shall seem wisest	Z2
Thus did he speak and they did even as he had said First they	A3
washed and put their shirts on while the women got ready Then	G2
Phemius took his lyre and set them all longing for sweet song and	B
stately dance The house re echoed with the sound of men and women	H
dancing and the people outside said I suppose the queen has been	G
getting married at last She ought to be ashamed of herself for not	L2
continuing to protect her husband's property until he comes home	F
This was what they said but they did not know what it was that	K
had been happening The upper servant Eurynome washed and anointed	R
Ulysses in his own house and gave him a shirt and cloak while Minerva	M
made him look taller and stronger than before she also made the	M
hair grow thick on the top of his head and flow down in curls like	I3
hyacinth blossoms she glorified him about the head and shoulders just	Z2
as a skilful workman who has studied art of all kinds under Vulcan	H
or Minerva and his work is full of beauty enriches a piece of silver	A
plate by gilding it He came from the bath looking like one of the	M
immortals and sat down opposite his wife on the seat he had left My	M2
dear said he heaven has endowed you with a heart more unyielding	U2
than woman ever yet had No other woman could bear to keep away from	G3
her husband when he had come back to her after twenty years of	F2
absence and after having gone through so much But come nurse get a	M
bed ready for me I will sleep alone for this woman has a heart as	C2
hard as iron	J3
My dear answered Penelope I have no wish to set myself up	K3
nor to depreciate you but I am not struck by your appearance for I	M2
very well remember what kind of a man you were when you set sail	L3
from Ithaca Nevertheless Euryclea take his bed outside the bed	R2
chamber that he himself built Bring the bed outside this room and	B
put bedding upon it with fleeces good coverlets and blankets	M3
She said this to try him but Ulysses was very angry and said	R2
Wife I am much displeased at what you have just been saying Who has	C2
been taking my bed from the place in which I left it He must have	E
found it a hard task no matter how skilled a workman he was unless	N3
some god came and helped him to shift it There is no man living	U2
however strong and in his prime who could move it from its place for	A2
it is a marvellous curiosity which I made with my very own hands	O3
There was a young olive growing within the precincts of the house	P3
in full vigour and about as thick as a bearing post I built my	M2
room round this with strong walls of stone and a roof to cover them	N2
and I made the doors strong and well fitting Then I cut off the top	Q3
boughs of the olive tree and left the stump standing This I dressed	R3
roughly from the root upwards and then worked with carpenter's tools	S3
well and skilfully straightening my work by drawing a line on the	M
wood and making it into a bed prop I then bored a hole down the	M
middle and made it the centre post of my bed at which I worked	T3
till I had finished it inlaying it with gold and silver after this I	M2
stretched a hide of crimson leather from one side of it to the	M
other So you see I know all about it and I desire to learn whether	A
it is still there or whether any one has been removing it by	M2
cutting down the olive tree at its roots	U3
When she heard the sure proofs Ulysses now gave her she fairly	J
broke down She flew weeping to his side flung her arms about his	Q
neck and kissed him Do not be angry with me Ulysses she cried	V3
you who are the wisest of mankind We have suffered both of us	W3
Heaven has denied us the happiness of spending our youth and of	F2
growing old together do not then be aggrieved or take it amiss	X3
that I did not embrace you thus as soon as I saw you I have been	G
shuddering all the time through fear that someone might come here	Y3
and deceive me with a lying story for there are many very wicked	R
people going about Jove's daughter Helen would never have yielded	R
herself to a man from a foreign country if she had known that the	M
sons of Achaeans would come after her and bring her back Heaven put	X2
it in her heart to do wrong and she gave no thought to that sin	G
which has been the source of all our sorrows Now however that you	P
have convinced me by showing that you know all about our bed which no	L
human being has ever seen but you and I and a single maid servant the	M
daughter of Actor who was given me by my father on my marriage and	B
who keeps the doors of our room hard of belief though I have been I	M2
can mistrust no longer	A
Then Ulysses in his turn melted and wept as he clasped his dear and	B
faithful wife to his bosom As the sight of land is welcome to men who	P
are swimming towards the shore when Neptune has wrecked their ship	Z3
with the fury of his winds and waves a few alone reach the land	V2
and these covered with brine are thankful when they find	A4
themselves on firm ground and out of danger even so was her husband	B
welcome to her as she looked upon him and she could not tear her	A
two fair arms from about his neck Indeed they would have gone on	B4
indulging their sorrow till rosy fingered morn appeared had not	L2
Minerva determined otherwise and held night back in the far west	R3
while she would not suffer Dawn to leave Oceanus nor to yoke the	M
two steeds Lampus and Phaethon that bear her onward to break the day	A3
upon mankind	A4
At last however Ulysses said Wife we have not yet reached the	M
end of our troubles I have an unknown amount of toil still to	P
undergo It is long and difficult but I must go through with it	Z
for thus the shade of Teiresias prophesied concerning me on the day	A3
when I went down into Hades to ask about my return and that of my	M2
companions But now let us go to bed that we may lie down and enjoy	C4
the blessed boon of sleep	D4
You shall go to bed as soon as you please replied Penelope	J
now that the gods have sent you home to your own good house and to	P
your country But as heaven has put it in your mind to speak of it	Z
tell me about the task that lies before you I shall have to hear	Y3
about it later so it is better that I should be told at once	E4
My dear answered Ulysses why should you press me to tell you	P
Still I will not conceal it from you though you will not like BOOK	F4
it I do not like it myself for Teiresias bade me travel far and	B
wide carrying an oar till I came to a country where the people	S
have never heard of the sea and do not even mix salt with their food	G4
They know nothing about ships nor oars that are as the wings of a	M
ship He gave me this certain token which I will not hide from you He	J
said that a wayfarer should meet me and ask me whether it was a	M
winnowing shovel that I had on my shoulder On this I was to fix my	M2
oar in the ground and sacrifice a ram a bull and a boar to	P
Neptune after which I was to go home and offer hecatombs to all the	M
gods in heaven one after the other As for myself he said that death	H4
should come to me from the sea and that my life should ebb away	A3
very gently when I was full of years and peace of mind and my	M2
people should bless me All this he said should surely come to	P
pass	I4
And Penelope said If the gods are going to vouchsafe you a happier	A
time in your old age you may hope then to have some respite from	G3
misfortune	H
Thus did they converse Meanwhile Eurynome and the nurse took	F4
torches and made the bed ready with soft coverlets as soon as they	A3
had laid them the nurse went back into the house to go to her rest	R3
leaving the bed chamber woman Eurynome to show Ulysses and Penelope to	P
bed by torch light When she had conducted them to their room she went	C
back and they then came joyfully to the rites of their own old bed	R2
Telemachus Philoetius and the swineherd now left off dancing and	B
made the women leave off also They then laid themselves down to sleep	D4
in the cloisters	W2
When Ulysses and Penelope had had their fill of love they fell	J4
talking with one another She told him how much she had had to bear in	G
seeing the house filled with a crowd of wicked suitors who had	T2
killed so many sheep and oxen on her account and had drunk so many	J
casks of wine Ulysses in his turn told her what he had suffered	W
and how much trouble he had himself given to other people He told her	A
everything and she was so delighted to listen that she never went	C
to sleep till he had ended his whole story	J
He began with his victory over the Cicons and how he thence reached	K4
the fertile land of the Lotus eaters He told her all about the	M
Cyclops and how he had punished him for having so ruthlessly eaten his	Q
brave comrades how he then went on to Aeolus who received him	B2
hospitably and furthered him on his way but even so he was not to	P
reach home for to his great grief a hurricane carried him out to	P
sea again how he went on to the Laestrygonian city Telepylos where	L4
the people destroyed all his ships with their crews save himself	M4
and his own ship only Then he told of cunning Circe and her craft	N4
and how he sailed to the chill house of Hades to consult the ghost of	F2
the Theban prophet Teiresias and how he saw his old comrades in arms	O4
and his mother who bore him and brought him up when he was a child	D
how he then heard the wondrous singing of the Sirens and went on to	P
the wandering rocks and terrible Charybdis and to Scylla whom no	L
man had ever yet passed in safety how his men then ate the cattle	S
of the sun god and how Jove therefore struck the ship with his	Q
thunderbolts so that all his men perished together himself alone	I2
being left alive how at last he reached the Ogygian island and the	M
nymph Calypso who kept him there in a cave and fed him and wanted	R
him to marry her in which case she intended making him immortal so	L
that he should never grow old but she could not persuade him to let	P4
her do so and how after much suffering he had found his way to the	M
Phaeacians who had treated him as though he had been a god and	B
sent him back in a ship to his own country after having given him	B2
gold bronze and raiment in great abundance This was the last	Q4
thing about which he told her for here a deep sleep took hold upon	B4
him and eased the burden of his sorrows	R4
Then Minerva bethought her of another matter When she deemed that	K
Ulysses had had both of his wife and of repose she bade	S4
gold enthroned Dawn rise out of Oceanus that she might shed light upon	B4
mankind On this Ulysses rose from his comfortable bed and said to	P
Penelope Wife we have both of us had our full share of troubles	T4
you here in lamenting my absence and I in being prevented from	G3
getting home though I was longing all the time to do so Now however	A
that we have at last come together take care of the property that	K
is in the house As for the sheep and goats which the wicked suitors	W2
have eaten I will take many myself by force from other people and	B
will compel the Achaeans to make good the rest till they shall have	E
filled all my yards I am now going to the wooded lands out in the	M
country to see my father who has so long been grieved on my account	U4
and to yourself I will give these instructions though you have little	S
need of them At sunrise it will at once get abroad that I have been	G
killing the suitors go upstairs therefore and stay there with	V4
your women See nobody and ask no questions	S2
As he spoke he girded on his armour Then he roused Telemachus	S2
Philoetius and Eumaeus and told them all to put on their armour	A
also This they did and armed themselves When they had done so they	A3
opened the gates and sallied forth Ulysses leading the way It was	S2
now daylight but Minerva nevertheless concealed them in darkness	S2
and led them quickly out of the town	W4

Homer

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