Ne. Be sure of it,—now that once I have consented.
Od. Do thou, then, stay here, in wait for him; but I will go away, lest I be espied with thee, and will send our watcher back to the ship. And, if ye seem to be tarrying at all beyond the due time, I will send that same man hither again, disguised as the captain of a merchant-ship, that secrecy may aid us; and then,130 my son, as he tells his artful story, take such hints as may help thee from the tenor of his words.
Now I will go to the ship, having left this charge with thee; and may speeding Hermes, the lord of stratagem, lead us on, and Victory, even Athena Polias, who saves me ever!
Chorus.
str. 1. A stranger in a strange land, what am I to hide, what am I to speak, O Master, before a man who will be swift to think evil? Be thou my guide: his skill excels all other skill, his counsel hath no peer, with whom is the sway of the godlike sceptre given by Zeus.140 And to thee, my son, that sovereign power hath descended from of old; tell me, therefore, wherein I am to serve thee.
syst. 1. Ne. For the present,—as haply thou wouldst behold the place where he abides on ocean's verge, survey it fearlessly: but when the dread wayfarer, who hath left this dwelling, shall return, come forward at my beck from time to time, and try to help as the moment may require.
