I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron…
““I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron: Penelope did this too. And more than once: you can't keep weaving all day And undoing it all through the night; Your arms get tired, and the back of your neck gets tight; And along towards morning, when you think it will never be light, And your husband has been gone, and you don't know where, for years. Suddenly you burst into tears; There is simply nothing else to do. And I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron: This is an ancient gesture, authentic, antique, In the very best tradition, classic, Greek; Ulysses did this too. But only as a gesture,—a gesture which implied To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak. He learned it from Penelope... Penelope, who really cried.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A woman feels the endless fatigue of waiting and mourning, comparing her sorrow to mythic Penelope’s weaving and Ulysses’s silence, highlighting the weight of unspoken grief.
In simple terms: Endless waiting brings deep sorrow, linked to ancient myths.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge grief and seek support.
Themes
grief
myth
waiting
female experience
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
poetic
literary
When to use this quote
- marriage loss
- loneliness
- creative work
- nighttime sorrow
Key Concepts
existential weariness
mythic parallel
emotional labor
Questions to Reflect On
- How does myth help you process personal loss?
- What practical steps can ease chronic grief?
A Different Perspective
Mythic comparison may romanticize personal pain, obscuring practical help.