HUS did he speak, and they all held their peace throughout the covered cloister, enthralled by the charm of his story, till presently Alcinous began to speak. "Ulysses," said he, "now that you have reached my house I doubt not you will get home without further misadventure no matter how much you have suffered in the past. To you others, however, who come here night after night to drink my choicest wine and listen to my bard, I would insist as follows. Our guest has already packed up the clothes, wrought gold, and other valuables which you have brought for his acceptance; let us now, therefore, present him further, each one of us, with a large tripod and a cauldron. We will recoup ourselves by the levy of a general rate; for private individuals cannot be expected to bear the burden of such a handsome present."

ἥκειν εἰς Ἰθάκην

Ὣς ἔφαθ΄͵ οἱ δ΄ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ͵ κηληθμῷ δ΄ ἔσχοντο κατὰ μέγαρα σκιόεντα. τὸν δ΄ αὖτ΄ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε· ὦ Ὀδυσσεῦ͵ ἐπεὶ ἵκευ ἐμὸν ποτὶ χαλκοβατὲς δῶ͵ ὑψερεφές͵ τῶ σ΄ οὔ τι πάλιν πλαγχθέντα γ΄ ὀΐω ἂψ ἀπονοστήσειν͵ εἰ καὶ μάλα πολλὰ πέπονθας. ὑμέων δ΄ ἀνδρὶ ἑκάστῳ ἐφιέμενος τάδε εἴρω͵ ὅσσοι ἐνὶ μεγάροισι γερούσιον αἴθοπα οἶνον αἰεὶ πίνετ΄ ἐμοῖσιν͵ ἀκουάζεσθε δ΄ ἀοιδοῦ· εἵματα μὲν δὴ ξείνῳ ἐϋξέστῃ ἐνὶ χηλῷ κεῖται καὶ χρυσὸς πολυδαίδαλος ἄλλα τε πάντα δῶρ΄͵ ὅσα Φαιήκων βουληφόροι ἐνθάδ΄ ἔνεικαν· ἀλλ΄ ἄγε οἱ δῶμεν τρίποδα μέγαν ἠδὲ λέβητα ἀνδρακάς͵ ἡμεῖς δ΄ αὖτε ἀγειρόμενοι κατὰ δῆμον τεισόμεθ΄· ἀργαλέον γὰρ ἕνα προικὸς χαρίσασθαι.