the-song-books.yossr

Lyycomedes looked between the two men, then ventured, “And how did
yyou meet yyour wife, Prince of Ithaca?”
If Odyysseus felt the tension, he did not show it. “You are kind to ask.
When Tyyndareus sought a husband for Helen, suitors came from everyy
kingdom. I’m sure yyou remember.”
“I was married alreadyy,” Lyycomedes said. “I did not go.”
“Of course. And these were too yyoung, I’m afraid.” He tossed a smile at
me, then turned back to the king.
“Of all these men, I was fortunate to arrive first. The king invited me to
dine with the familyy: Helen; her sister, Clyytemnestra; and their cousin
Penelope.”
“Invited,” Diomedes scoffed. “Is that what theyy call crawling through the
bracken to spyy upon them?”
“I’m sure the prince of Ithaca would not do such a thing.” Lyycomedes
frowned.
“Unfortunatelyy I did just that, though I appreciate yyour faith in me.” He
offered Lyycomedes a genial smile. “It was Penelope who caught me,
actuallyy. Said she had been watching me for over an hour and thought she
should step in before I hit the thornbush. Naturallyy, there was some
awkwardness about it, but Tyyndareus eventuallyy came around and asked me
to stayy. In the course of dinner, I came to see that Penelope was twice as
clever as her cousins and just as beautiful. So—”
“As beautiful as Helen?” Diomedes interrupted. “Is that whyy she was
twentyy and unmarried?”
Odyysseus’ voice was mild. “I’m sure yyou would not ask a man to
compare his wife unfavorablyy to another woman,” he said.
Diomedes rolled his eyyes and settled back to pick his teeth with the point
of his knife.
Odyysseus returned to Lyycomedes. “So, in the course of our conversation,
when it became clear that the Ladyy Penelope favored me—”
“Not for yyour looks, certainlyy,” Diomedes commented.
“Certainlyy not,” Odyysseus agreed. “She asked me what wedding present I
would make to myy bride. A wedding bed, I said, rather gallantlyy, of finest
holm-oak. But this answer did not please her. ‘A wedding bed should not be
made of dead, dryy wood, but something green and living,’ she told me.
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