Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica
(ll. 182-206) Leto’s all-glorious son goes to rocky Pytho, playing upon
his hollow lyre, clad in divine, perfumed garments; and at the touch of
the golden key his lyre sings sweet. Thence, swift as thought, he
speeds from earth to Olympus, to the house of Zeus, to join the
gathering of the other gods: then straightway the undying gods think
only of the lyre and song, and all the Muses together, voice sweetly
answering voice, hymn the unending gifts the gods enjoy and the
sufferings of men, all that they endure at the hands of the deathless
gods, and how they live witless and helpless and cannot find healing
for death or defence against old age. Meanwhile the rich-tressed Graces
and cheerful Seasons dance with Harmonia and Hebe and Aphrodite,
daughter of Zeus, holding each other by the wrist. And among them sings
one, not mean nor puny, but tall to look upon and enviable in mien,
Artemis who delights in arrows, sister of Apollo. Among them sport Ares
and the keen-eyed Slayer of Argus, while Apollo plays his lyre stepping
high and featly and a radiance shines around him, the gleaming of his
feet and close-woven vest. And they, even gold-tressed Leto and wise
Zeus, rejoice in their great hearts as they watch their dear son
playing among the undying gods.
(ll. 207-228) How then shall I sing of you—though in all ways you are a
worthy theme for song? Shall I sing of you as wooer and in the fields
of love, how you went wooing the daughter of Azan along with god-like
Ischys the son of well-horsed Elatius, or with Phorbas sprung from
Triops, or with Ereutheus, or with Leucippus and the wife of
Leucippus.... ((LACUNA)) ....you on foot, he with his chariot, yet he
fell not short of Triops. Or shall I sing how at the first you went
about the earth seeking a place of oracle for men, O far-shooting
Apollo? To Pieria first you went down from Olympus and passed by sandy
Lectus and Enienae and through the land of the Perrhaebi. Soon you came
to Iolcus and set foot on Cenaeum in Euboea, famed for ships: you stood
in the Lelantine plain, but it pleased not your heart to make a temple
there and wooded groves. From there you crossed the Euripus,
far-shooting Apollo, and went up the green, holy hills, going on to
Mycalessus and grassy-bedded Teumessus, and so came to the wood-clad
abode of Thebe; for as yet no man lived in holy Thebe, nor were there
tracks or ways about Thebe’s wheat-bearing plain as yet.
(ll. 229-238) And further still you went, O far-shooting Apollo, and
came to Onchestus, Poseidon’s bright grove: there the new-broken colt
distressed with drawing the trim chariot gets spirit again, and the
skilled driver springs from his car and goes on his way. Then the
horses for a while rattle the empty car, being rid of guidance; and if
they break the chariot in the woody grove, men look after the horses,
but tilt the chariot and leave it there; for this was the rite from the
very first. And the drivers pray to the lord of the shrine; but the
chariot falls to the lot of the god.
(ll. 239-243) Further yet you went, O far-shooting Apollo, and reached
next Cephissus’ sweet stream which pours forth its sweet-flowing water
from Lilaea, and crossing over it, O worker from afar, you passed
many-towered Ocalea and reached grassy Haliartus.
(ll. 244-253) Then you went towards Telphusa: and there the pleasant
place seemed fit for making a temple and wooded grove. You came very
near and spoke to her: ‘Telphusa, here I am minded to make a glorious
temple, an oracle for men, and hither they will always bring perfect
hecatombs, both those who live in rich Peloponnesus and those of Europe
and all the wave-washed isles, coming to seek oracles. And I will
deliver to them all counsel that cannot fail, giving answer in my rich
temple.’
(ll. 254-276) So said Phoebus Apollo, and laid out all the foundations
throughout, wide and very long. But when Telphusa saw this, she was
angry in heart and spoke, saying: ‘Lord Phoebus, worker from afar, I
will speak a word of counsel to your heart, since you are minded to
make here a glorious temple to be an oracle for men who will always
bring hither perfect hecatombs for you; yet I will speak out, and do
you lay up my words in your heart. The trampling of swift horses and
the sound of mules watering at my sacred springs will always irk you,
and men will like better to gaze at the well-made chariots and
stamping, swift-footed horses than at your great temple and the many
treasures that are within. But if you will be moved by me—for you,
lord, are stronger and mightier than I, and your strength is very
great—build at Crisa below the glades of Parnassus: there no bright
chariot will clash, and there will be no noise of swift-footed horses
near your well-built altar. But so the glorious tribes of men will
bring gifts to you as Iepaeon (‘Hail-Healer’), and you will receive
with delight rich sacrifices from the people dwelling round about.’ So
said Telphusa, that she alone, and not the Far-Shooter, should have
renown there; and she persuaded the Far-Shooter.
(ll. 277-286) Further yet you went, far-shooting Apollo, until you came
to the town of the presumptuous Phlegyae who dwell on this earth in a
lovely glade near the Cephisian lake, caring not for Zeus. And thence
you went speeding swiftly to the mountain ridge, and came to Crisa
beneath snowy Parnassus, a foothill turned towards the west: a cliff
hangs over it from above, and a hollow, rugged glade runs under. There
the lord Phoebus Apollo resolved to make his lovely temple, and thus he
said:
(ll. 287-293) ‘In this place I am minded to build a glorious temple to
be an oracle for men, and here they will always bring perfect
hecatombs, both they who dwell in rich Peloponnesus and the men of
Europe and from all the wave-washed isles, coming to question me. And I
will deliver to them all counsel that cannot fail, answering them in my
rich temple.’
(ll. 294-299) When he had said this, Phoebus Apollo laid out all the
foundations throughout, wide and very long; and upon these the sons of
Erginus, Trophonius and Agamedes, dear to the deathless gods, laid a
footing of stone. And the countless tribes of men built the whole
temple of wrought stones, to be sung of for ever.
(ll. 300-310) But near by was a sweet flowing spring, and there with
his strong bow the lord, the son of Zeus, killed the bloated, great
she-dragon, a fierce monster wont to do great mischief to men upon
earth, to men themselves and to their thin-shanked sheep; for she was a
very bloody plague. She it was who once received from gold-throned Hera
and brought up fell, cruel Typhaon to be a plague to men. Once on a
time Hera bare him because she was angry with father Zeus, when the Son
of Cronos bare all-glorious Athena in his head. Thereupon queenly Hera
was angry and spoke thus among the assembled gods:
(ll. 311-330) ‘Hear from me, all gods and goddesses, how
cloud-gathering Zeus begins to dishonour me wantonly, when he has made
me his true-hearted wife. See now, apart from me he has given birth to
bright-eyed Athena who is foremost among all the blessed gods. But my
son Hephaestus whom I bare was weakly among all the blessed gods and
shrivelled of foot, a shame and disgrace to me in heaven, whom I myself
took in my hands and cast out so that he fell in the great sea. But
silver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him with
her sisters: would that she had done other service to the blessed gods!
O wicked one and crafty! What else will you now devise? How dared you
by yourself give birth to bright-eyed Athena? Would not I have borne
you a child—I, who was at least called your wife among the undying gods
who hold wide heaven. Beware now lest I devise some evil thing for you
hereafter: yes, now I will contrive that a son be born me to be
foremost among the undying gods—and that without casting shame on the
holy bond of wedlock between you and me. And I will not come to your
bed, but will consort with the blessed gods far off from you.’
(ll. 331-333) When she had so spoken, she went apart from the gods,
being very angry. Then straightway large-eyed queenly Hera prayed,
striking the ground flatwise with her hand, and speaking thus:
(ll. 334-362) ‘Hear now, I pray, Earth and wide Heaven above, and you
Titan gods who dwell beneath the earth about great Tartarus, and from
whom are sprung both gods and men! Harken you now to me, one and all,
and grant that I may bear a child apart from Zeus, no wit lesser than
him in strength—nay, let him be as much stronger than Zeus as
all-seeing Zeus than Cronos.’ Thus she cried and lashed the earth with
her strong hand. Then the life-giving earth was moved: and when Hera
saw it she was glad in heart, for she thought her prayer would be
fulfilled. And thereafter she never came to the bed of wise Zeus for a
full year, not to sit in her carved chair as aforetime to plan wise
counsel for him, but stayed in her temples where many pray, and
delighted in her offerings, large-eyed queenly Hera. But when the
months and days were fulfilled and the seasons duly came on as the
earth moved round, she bare one neither like the gods nor mortal men,
fell, cruel Typhaon, to be a plague to men. Straightway large-eyed
queenly Hera took him and bringing one evil thing to another such, gave
him to the dragoness; and she received him. And this Typhaon used to
work great mischief among the famous tribes of men. Whosoever met the
dragoness, the day of doom would sweep him away, until the lord Apollo,
who deals death from afar, shot a strong arrow at her. Then she, rent
with bitter pangs, lay drawing great gasps for breath and rolling about
that place. An awful noise swelled up unspeakable as she writhed
continually this way and that amid the wood: and so she left her life,
breathing it forth in blood. Then Phoebus Apollo boasted over her:
(ll. 363-369) ‘Now rot here upon the soil that feeds man! You at least
shall live no more to be a fell bane to men who eat the fruit of the
all-nourishing earth, and who will bring hither perfect hecatombs.
Against cruel death neither Typhoeus shall avail you nor ill-famed
Chimera, but here shall the Earth and shining Hyperion make you rot.’
(ll. 370-374) Thus said Phoebus, exulting over her: and darkness
covered her eyes. And the holy strength of Helios made her rot away
there; wherefore the place is now called Pytho, and men call the lord
Apollo by another name, Pythian; because on that spot the power of
piercing Helios made the monster rot away.
(ll. 375-378) Then Phoebus Apollo saw that the sweet-flowing spring had
beguiled him, and he started out in anger against Telphusa; and soon
coming to her, he stood close by and spoke to her:
(ll. 379-381) ‘Telphusa, you were not, after all, to keep to yourself
this lovely place by deceiving my mind, and pour forth your clear
flowing water: here my renown shall also be and not yours alone?’
(ll. 382-387) Thus spoke the lord, far-working Apollo, and pushed over
upon her a crag with a shower of rocks, hiding her streams: and he made
himself an altar in a wooded grove very near the clear-flowing stream.
In that place all men pray to the great one by the name Telphusian,
because he humbled the stream of holy Telphusa.
(ll. 388-439) Then Phoebus Apollo pondered in his heart what men he
should bring in to be his ministers in sacrifice and to serve him in
rocky Pytho. And while he considered this, he became aware of a swift
ship upon the wine-like sea in which were many men and goodly, Cretans
from Cnossos 2510, the city of Minos, they who do sacrifice to the
prince and announce his decrees, whatsoever Phoebus Apollo, bearer of
the golden blade, speaks in answer from his laurel tree below the dells