Odyssey 4.290 · Book 4, line 290
Wise Telemachus answers
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τὸν δʼ αὖ Τηλέμαχος πεπνυμένος ἀντίον ηὔδα·
Him, in turn, wise Telemachus answered:
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The setting
Menelaus has finished his tale of the Wooden Horse. The reply-formula turns the floor over to the young guest.
A note on this passage
A single verse of formula hands the speech back: Menelaus is done, and Telemachus replies. The fixed epithet, 'wise' or 'prudent,' rides on the boy's name whenever he speaks.
That epithet is doing quiet work through Book 4. Telemachus has spent the poem so far learning to sound like a man among older men; the formula grants him in advance the poise he is still earning. What he says next — turning the talk gently toward sleep — shows the tact the word claims for him.
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Odyssey 4.290 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/4.290/