translated by Stanley Lombardo
In tears, she ran straight to him, threw her arms
Around him, kissed his face, and said:
“Don’t be angry with me, Odysseus. You,
Of all men, know how the world goes.
It is the gods who gave us sorrow, the gods
Who begrudged us a life together, enjoying
Our youth and arriving side by side
To the threshold (1) of old age. Don’t hold it against me
That when I first saw you I didn’t welcome you
As I do now. My heart has been cold with fear
That an imposter (2) would come and deceive me.
There are many who scheme (3) for ill-gotten gains.” (4)
1 threshold: The place one steps across when one enters a room; a point of transition
2 imposter: Someone pretending to be someone else
3 scheme: Make a plan or plot
4 ill-gotten gains: Things one has gotten in a dishonest or illegal way
Homer. “Book 23.” The Odyssey. Translated by Stanley Lombardo. Hackett Publishing, 2007, pp. 221–222.