And stand, as one
"
I have no quarrel with the suitors. True,
They are violent and malicious men,
But at least they are risking their own lives
In devouring the house of Odysseus,
Who, they say, will never return.
It is the rest of the people I am angry with.
You all sit here in silence and say nothing,
Not a word of rebuke to make the suitors quit,
Although you easily outnumber them.
"
⦾
"
Bring home a wife when you are ripe for it;
When you are thirty, not much more nor less,
That is the proper age for marrying.
Your wife should have matured four years before,
And marry in the fifth year. She should be
A virgin; you must teach her sober ways.
Particularly good is one who lives
Nearby, but look around you carefully,
Lest all the neighbours chuckle at your choice.
No prize is better than a worthy wife;
A bad one makes you shiver with the cold;
The greedy wife will roast her man alive
Without the aid of fire, and though he is
Quite tough, she'll bring him to a raw old age.
"