Then back through the royal house the old nurse went
to tell the women the news and bring them in at once.
They came crowding out of their quarters, torch in hand,
flung their arms around Odysseus, hugged him, home at last,
and kissed his head and shoulders, seized his hands, and he,
overcome by a lovely longing, broke down and wept…
deep in his heart he knew them one and all.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 22, lines 523-529. The final words of Book 22 describe how Odysseus has finally returned home after his twenty-year journey through difficult trials and hardships. Having defeated his enemies, the king of Ithaca has at last returned. The nurse Eurycleia tells the women servants the news and they all rejoice, hug and kiss Odysseus and welcome home their master.