So he told many a false tale in the likeness of truth, and her tears flowed as she listened, and her flesh melted.  And even as the snow melts in the high places of the hills, the snow that the South-East wind has thawed, when the West has scattered it abroad, and as it wastes the river streams run full, even so her fair cheeks melted beneath her tears, as she wept her own lord, who even then was sitting by her.  Now Odysseus had compassion of heart upon his wife in her lamenting, but his eyes kept steadfast between his eyelids as it were horn or iron, and craftily he hid his tears.  But she, when she had taken her fill of tearful lamentation, answered him in turn and spake, saying: 

’Friend as thou art, even now I think to make trial of thee, and learn whether in very truth thou didst entertain my lord there in thy halls with his godlike company, as thou sayest.  Tell me what manner of raiment he was clothed in about his body, and what manner of man he was himself, and tell me of his fellows that went with him.’

Then Odysseus of many counsels answered her saying:  ’Lady, it is hard for one so long parted from him to tell thee all this, for it is now the twentieth year since he went thither and left my country.  Yet even so I will tell thee as I see him in spirit.  Goodly Odysseus wore a thick purple mantle, twofold, which had a brooch fashioned in gold, with two sheathes for the pins, and on the face of it was a curious device:  a hound in his forepaws held a dappled fawn and gazed on it as it writhed.  And all men marvelled at the workmanship, how, wrought as they were in gold, the hound was gazing on the fawn and strangling it, and the fawn was writhing with his feet and striving to flee.  Moreover, I marked the shining doublet about his body, like the gleam over the skin of a dried onion, so smooth it was, and glistering as the sun; truly many women looked thereon and wondered.  Yet another thing will I tell thee, and do thou ponder it in thy heart.  I know not if Odysseus was thus clothed upon at home, or if one of his fellows gave him the raiment as he went on board the swift ship, or even it may be some stranger, seeing that to many men was Odysseus dear, for few of the Achaeans were his peers.  I, too, gave him a sword of bronze, and a fair purple mantle with double fold, and a tasseled doublet, and I sent him away with all honour on his decked ship.  Moreover, a henchman bare him company, somewhat older than he, and I will tell thee of him too, what manner of man he was.  He was round-shouldered, black-skinned, and curly-headed, his name Eurybates; and Odysseus honoured him above all his company, because in all things he was like-minded with himself.’

So he spake, and in her heart he stirred yet more the desire of weeping, as she knew the certain tokens that Odysseus showed her.  So when she had taken her fill of tearful lament, then she answered him, and spake saying: