then, Telemachus Wisely—for so thou canst—that, all unharmed, He reach his native land, and, in their barques, Homeward the suitor-train retrace their
He spake, and turned to Hermes, his dear son:— “Hermes—for thou in this my messenger Art, as in all things—to the bright-haired nymph Make known my steadfast purpose—the return Of suffering Ulysses. Neither gods Nor men shall guide his voyage. On a raft, Made firm with bands, he shall depart and reach, After long hardships, on the twentieth day, The fertile shore of Scheria, on whose isle Dwell the Phaeacians, kinsmen of the gods. They like a god shall honor him, and thence Send him to his loved country in a ship, With ample gifts of brass and gold, and store Of raiment—wealth like which he ne’er had brought From conquered Ilion, had he reached his home Safely, with all his portion of the spoil. So is it preordained that he behold His friends again, and stand once more within His high-roofed palace, on his native soil.”
He spake; the herald Argicide obeyed, And hastily beneath his feet