Odyssey 4.128 · Book 4, lines 128–132
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ὃς Μενελάῳ δῶκε δύʼ ἀργυρέας ἀσαμίνθους, δοιοὺς δὲ τρίποδας, δέκα δὲ χρυσοῖο τάλαντα. χωρὶς δʼ αὖθʼ Ἑλένῃ ἄλοχος πόρε κάλλιμα δῶρα· χρυσέην τʼ ἠλακάτην τάλαρόν θʼ ὑπόκυκλον ὄπασσεν ἀργύρεον, χρυσῷ δʼ ἐπὶ χείλεα κεκράαντο.
he it was who gave Menelaus two silver bathing-tubs, a pair of tripods, and ten talents of gold. And separately his wife gave Helen lovely gifts too: a golden distaff and a basket on wheels she bestowed, of silver, and its rims were finished with gold.
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The poet completes the account of the Egyptian gifts: Polybus's presents to Menelaus, and his wife's separate presents to Helen — the wheeled silver work-basket among them.
A note on this passage
The gift-list is completed. Polybus gave Menelaus baths, tripods, and gold; his wife gave Helen a golden distaff and a wheeled silver basket rimmed with gold. Husband gives to husband, wife to wife, the courtesy exactly paired.
This is xenia made visible. Guest-gifts are the currency that binds houses across the sea, and the care with which the poem matches donor to recipient shows how seriously the code is taken. The wealth is not decoration alone; it is the record of alliances kept.
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