isle; And here Ulysses would have been long since, But that he deemed it wise to travel far, And gather wealth—for well Ulysses knew, Beyond all other men, the arts of gain, And none in these could think to rival him; So Pheidon, king of the Thesprotians said, Who also, in his palace, swore to me— As to the gods of heaven he poured the wine— That even then a galley was drawn down Into the water, and already manned With rowers, who should take Ulysses home.
But me he first dismissed, for at the time A barque of the Thesprotians left the port, Bound for Dulichium’s cornfields. Ere I went He showed the treasures of Ulysses stored In the king’s palace—treasures that might serve To feed the household of another chief To the tenth generation. He who owned That wealth was at Dodona, so the king Declared, inquiring, at the lofty oak Of Jupiter, the counsel of the god How to return to his dear native land, So long a wanderer—whether openly Or else by stealth.
So he is safe, and soon Will he be nearer to us; for not long Can he remain away from all his friends And fatherland.
To this I plight my oath; Let Jove, the greatest and the best of gods, Be witness, and this hearth of the good prince Ulysses, where I sit, that every word Which I have said to thee will be fulfilled.
Within the year Ulysses will return, As this month passes and the next comes in.”
Then spake the sage Penelope again: “Would that it might be thus, O stranger guest, As thou hast said; then shouldst thou have such thanks And bounty at my hands that everyone Who meets thee should rejoice with thee. And yet The thought abides with me, and so indeed It must be, that Ulysses will no more Return, nor wilt thou find an escort hence; For now no master like Ulysses rules— And what a man was he!—within these walls, To welcome or dismiss the honored guest. But now, ye