Odyssey 2.127 · Book 2, lines 127–128
Until she weds, we will not stir
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ἡμεῖς δʼ οὔτʼ ἐπὶ ἔργα πάρος γʼ ἴμεν οὔτε πῃ ἄλλῃ, πρίν γʼ αὐτὴν γήμασθαι Ἀχαιῶν ᾧ κʼ ἐθέλῃσι.
But we will neither go to our works as before, nor anywhere else, until she marries whichever Achaean she wishes.
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The setting
The close of Antinous's speech: the suitors' terms. They will not return to their own affairs or leave Ithaca alone until Penelope chooses a new husband.
A note on this passage
Antinous states the suitors' position as an ultimatum. They will suspend their own lives — neglect their fields, go nowhere — and camp in Odysseus's house until Penelope remarries. The blame for the siege is laid on her: end it, and they will end it.
The phrase 'whichever of the Achaeans she wishes' wears the mask of courtesy over a threat. It grants Penelope a free choice while making plain she has none but to choose. This is xenia turned inside out — guests who refuse to leave, eating a host into the ground, and calling their own refusal the widow's fault. The whole crisis of the Odyssey's opening is here in two lines.
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Odyssey 2.127 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/2.127/