A Radiant Warning

7He spoke, nor flew his words in vain. The nurse
Closed all the portals of that noble pile.
Odysseus and his glorious son in haste
Bore off the helmets, and the bossy shields,
And the sharp spears, while Athena held to them
A golden lamp, that shed a fair clear light.
Then to his father spoke Telemachus: —

8“Father! my eyes behold a marvel. All
The palace walls, each beautiful recess,
The fir-tree beams, the aspiring columns, shine,
Before my eyes, as with a blaze of fire.
Some god is surely here, someone of those
Who make their dwelling in the high broad heaven.”

9Odysseus, the sagacious, answered thus:
“Keep silence; give your thought no speech, nor ask
Concerning aught. Such is the wont of those
Who dwell upon Olympus. Now withdraw
To rest upon your couch, while I remain,
For I would move your mother and her maids
To ask of what concerns me. She, I deem,
Full sadly will inquire of many things.”

10He spoke; Telemachus departed thence,
By torchlight, to his chamber, there to rest
Where he was wont to lie when gentle sleep
Came over him. There lay he down to wait
The hallowed morning, while Odysseus, left
Within the palace, meditated still
Death to the suitors with Athena’s aid.