Odyssey 8.37 · Book 8, lines 37–39
Lash the oars, then to the feast
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δησάμενοι δʼ ἐὺ πάντες ἐπὶ κληῖσιν ἐρετμὰ ἔκβητʼ· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα θοὴν ἀλεγύνετε δαῖτα ἡμέτερόνδʼ ἐλθόντες· ἐγὼ δʼ ἐὺ πᾶσι παρέξω.
And when all of you have lashed the oars well at the tholes, step ashore; then make ready a hasty feast, coming to our house; and I will provide well for all.
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The setting
Alcinous finishes his instructions to the chosen crew: make the ship fast, then come up to his house for a feast, which he will furnish generously.
A note on this passage
The sequence is exact seamanship, then hospitality: lash the oars to the tholes, step ashore, and come to the palace for a quick meal, which the king will supply for everyone. Work first, then the host's open table.
The undercurrent is the honour economy at rest. ‘I will provide well for all’ is a king performing his role — the wealth of a good ruler is measured by the feasts he can lay on. Odysseus, watching, is a king with no house to host from; the plenty on display is the very thing he has lost and is trying to regain.
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