Page:The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer (IA iliadodysseyofho02home).pdf/114

106 For num'rous are his foes, and all intent To slay him, ere he reach his home again. Then answer thus the shadowy form return'd. Take courage; suffer not excessive dread To overwhelm thee, such a guide he hath And guardian, one whom many wish their friend, And ever at their side, knowing her pow'r, Minerva; she compassionates thy griefs, And I am here her harbinger, who speak As thou hast heard by her own kind command. Then thus Penelope the wise replied. Oh! if thou art a goddess, and hast heard A Goddess' voice, rehearse to me the lot Of that unhappy one, if yet he live Spectator of the cheerful beams of day, Or if, already dead, he dwell below. Whom answer'd thus the fleeting shadow vain. I will not now inform thee if thy Lord Live, or live not. Vain words are best unspoken. So saying, her egress swift beside the bolt She made, and melted into air. Upsprang From sleep Icarius' daughter, and her heart Felt heal'd within her, by that dream distinct Visited in the noiseless night serene. Meantime the suitors urged their wat'ry way, To instant death devoting in their hearts Telemachus. There is a rocky isle