With that
he leapt to his feet and dropped his bright-red cloak,
slipping the sword and sword-belt off his shoulders.
First he planted the axes, digging a long trench,
one for all, and trued them all to a line
then tamped the earth to bed them. Wonder took
the revelers looking on: his work so firm, precise,
though he’d never seen the axes ranged before.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 21, 134-141. The competition for Penelope’s hand in marriage gets under way. Telemachus sets up the row of axes and prepares to string Odysseus’ bow to shoot an arrow through the axes. He is letting the suitors know that he can pose a threat to them. This passage builds up suspense in the suitors’ fight to win Penelope, with neither reader nor suitors knowing if Telemachus will be able to shoot the arrow.