Odyssey 7.308 · Book 7, lines 308–310
No idle anger
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τὸν δʼ αὖτʼ Ἀλκίνοος ἀπαμείβετο φώνησέν τε·
Alcinous — ξεῖνʼ, οὔ μοι τοιοῦτον ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον κῆρ μαψιδίως κεχολῶσθαι· ἀμείνω δʼ αἴσιμα πάντα.
And Alcinous answered him in turn and spoke aloud: Stranger, the dear heart in my breast is not such as to rage idly; better are all things fitting.
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The setting
Alcinous answers Odysseus's tactful defense of his daughter. Far from offended, the king waves the worry away.
A note on this passage
The reply formula, then the king's reassurance: the heart in his breast is not the kind to be angered over nothing. He prefers all things measured and fitting. The apology was unnecessary; Alcinous is a gracious host, and he says so plainly.
ἀμείνω δᾼ αἴσιμα πάντα — ‘better are all things fitting’ — is the Phaeacian keynote. These are a people of ease and right proportion, and their king meets a guest's anxiety with a maxim of balance rather than a rebuke. The composure is also a setup: a man this unruffled is about to propose something startling.
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