Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica
bright home, and the tripods all about the house, and the abundant
cauldrons.
(ll. 62-67) But while he was singing of all these, his heart was bent
on other matters. And he took the hollow lyre and laid it in his sacred
cradle, and sprang from the sweet-smelling hall to a watch-place,
pondering sheer trickery in his heart—deeds such as knavish folk pursue
in the dark night-time; for he longed to taste flesh.
(ll. 68-86) The Sun was going down beneath the earth towards Ocean with
his horses and chariot when Hermes came hurrying to the shadowy
mountains of Pieria, where the divine cattle of the blessed gods had
their steads and grazed the pleasant, unmown meadows. Of these the Son
of Maia, the sharp-eyed slayer of Argus then cut off from the herd
fifty loud-lowing kine, and drove them straggling-wise across a sandy
place, turning their hoof-prints aside. Also, he bethought him of a
crafty ruse and reversed the marks of their hoofs, making the front
behind and the hind before, while he himself walked the other way 2514.
Then he wove sandals with wicker-work by the sand of the sea, wonderful
things, unthought of, unimagined; for he mixed together tamarisk and
myrtle-twigs, fastening together an armful of their fresh, young wood,
and tied them, leaves and all securely under his feet as light sandals.
The brushwood the glorious Slayer of Argus plucked in Pieria as he was
preparing for his journey, making shift 2515 as one making haste for a
long journey.
(ll. 87-89) But an old man tilling his flowering vineyard saw him as he
was hurrying down the plain through grassy Onchestus. So the Son of
Maia began and said to him:
(ll. 90-93) ‘Old man, digging about your vines with bowed shoulders,
surely you shall have much wine when all these bear fruit, if you obey
me and strictly remember not to have seen what you have seen, and not
to have heard what you have heard, and to keep silent when nothing of
your own is harmed.’
(ll. 94-114) When he had said this much, he hurried the strong cattle
on together: through many shadowy mountains and echoing gorges and
flowery plains glorious Hermes drove them. And now the divine night,
his dark ally, was mostly passed, and dawn that sets folk to work was
quickly coming on, while bright Selene, daughter of the lord Pallas,
Megamedes’ son, had just climbed her watch-post, when the strong Son of
Zeus drove the wide-browed cattle of Phoebus Apollo to the river
Alpheus. And they came unwearied to the high-roofed byres and the
drinking-troughs that were before the noble meadow. Then, after he had
well-fed the loud-bellowing cattle with fodder and driven them into the
byre, close-packed and chewing lotus and began to seek the art of fire.
He chose a stout laurel branch and trimmed it with the knife....
((LACUNA)) 2516 ....held firmly in his hand: and the hot smoke rose up.
For it was Hermes who first invented fire-sticks and fire. Next he took
many dried sticks and piled them thick and plenty in a sunken trench:
and flame began to glow, spreading afar the blast of fierce-burning
fire.
(ll. 115-137) And while the strength of glorious Hephaestus was
beginning to kindle the fire, he dragged out two lowing, horned cows
close to the fire; for great strength was with him. He threw them both
panting upon their backs on the ground, and rolled them on their sides,
bending their necks over 2517, and pierced their vital chord. Then he
went on from task to task: first he cut up the rich, fatted meat, and
pierced it with wooden spits, and roasted flesh and the honourable
chine and the paunch full of dark blood all together. He laid them
there upon the ground, and spread out the hides on a rugged rock: and
so they are still there many ages afterwards, a long, long time after
all this, and are continually 2518. Next glad-hearted Hermes dragged
the rich meats he had prepared and put them on a smooth, flat stone,
and divided them into twelve portions distributed by lot, making each
portion wholly honourable. Then glorious Hermes longed for the
sacrificial meat, for the sweet savour wearied him, god though he was;
nevertheless his proud heart was not prevailed upon to devour the
flesh, although he greatly desired 2519. But he put away the fat and
all the flesh in the high-roofed byre, placing them high up to be a
token of his youthful theft. And after that he gathered dry sticks and
utterly destroyed with fire all the hoofs and all the heads.
(ll. 138-154) And when the god had duly finished all, he threw his
sandals into deep-eddying Alpheus, and quenched the embers, covering
the black ashes with sand, and so spent the night while Selene’s soft
light shone down. Then the god went straight back again at dawn to the
bright crests of Cyllene, and no one met him on the long journey either
of the blessed gods or mortal men, nor did any dog bark. And
luck-bringing Hermes, the son of Zeus, passed edgeways through the
key-hole of the hall like the autumn breeze, even as mist: straight
through the cave he went and came to the rich inner chamber, walking
softly, and making no noise as one might upon the floor. Then glorious
Hermes went hurriedly to his cradle, wrapping his swaddling clothes
about his shoulders as though he were a feeble babe, and lay playing
with the covering about his knees; but at his left hand he kept close
his sweet lyre.
(ll. 155-161) But the god did not pass unseen by the goddess his
mother; but she said to him: ‘How now, you rogue! Whence come you back
so at night-time, you that wear shamelessness as a garment? And now I
surely believe the son of Leto will soon have you forth out of doors
with unbreakable cords about your ribs, or you will live a rogue’s life
in the glens robbing by whiles. Go to, then; your father got you to be
a great worry to mortal men and deathless gods.’
(ll. 162-181) Then Hermes answered her with crafty words: ‘Mother, why
do you seek to frighten me like a feeble child whose heart knows few
words of blame, a fearful babe that fears its mother’s scolding? Nay,
but I will try whatever plan is best, and so feed myself and you
continually. We will not be content to remain here, as you bid, alone
of all the gods unfee’d with offerings and prayers. Better to live in
fellowship with the deathless gods continually, rich, wealthy, and
enjoying stories of grain, than to sit always in a gloomy cave: and, as
regards honour, I too will enter upon the rite that Apollo has. If my
father will not give it to me, I will seek—and I am able—to be a prince
of robbers. And if Leto’s most glorious son shall seek me out, I think
another and a greater loss will befall him. For I will go to Pytho to
break into his great house, and will plunder therefrom splendid
tripods, and cauldrons, and gold, and plenty of bright iron, and much
apparel; and you shall see it if you will.’
(ll. 182-189) With such words they spoke together, the son of Zeus who
holds the aegis, and the lady Maia. Now Eros the early born was rising
from deep-flowing Ocean, bringing light to men, when Apollo, as he
went, came to Onchestus, the lovely grove and sacred place of the
loud-roaring Holder of the Earth. There he found an old man grazing his
beast along the pathway from his court-yard fence, and the all-glorious
Son of Leto began and said to him.
(ll. 190-200) ‘Old man, weeder 2520 of grassy Onchestus, I am come here
from Pieria seeking cattle, cows all of them, all with curving horns,
from my herd. The black bull was grazing alone away from the rest, but
fierce-eyed hounds followed the cows, four of them, all of one mind,
like men. These were left behind, the dogs and the bull—which is great
marvel; but the cows strayed out of the soft meadow, away from the
pasture when the sun was just going down. Now tell me this, old man
born long ago: have you seen one passing along behind those cows?’
(ll. 201-211) Then the old man answered him and said: ‘My son, it is
hard to tell all that one’s eyes see; for many wayfarers pass to and
fro this way, some bent on much evil, and some on good: it is difficult
to know each one. However, I was digging about my plot of vineyard all
day long until the sun went down, and I thought, good sir, but I do not
know for certain, that I marked a child, whoever the child was, that
followed long-horned cattle—an infant who had a staff and kept walking
from side to side: he was driving them backwards way, with their heads
toward him.’
(ll. 212-218) So said the old man. And when Apollo heard this report,
he went yet more quickly on his way, and presently, seeing a
long-winged bird, he knew at once by that omen that thief was the child
of Zeus the son of Cronos. So the lord Apollo, son of Zeus, hurried on
to goodly Pylos seeking his shambling oxen, and he had his broad
shoulders covered with a dark cloud. But when the Far-Shooter perceived
the tracks, he cried:
(ll. 219-226) ‘Oh, oh! Truly this is a great marvel that my eyes
behold! These are indeed the tracks of straight-horned oxen, but they
are turned backwards towards the flowery meadow. But these others are
not the footprints of man or woman or grey wolves or bears or lions,
nor do I think they are the tracks of a rough-maned Centaur—whoever it
be that with swift feet makes such monstrous footprints; wonderful are
the tracks on this side of the way, but yet more wonderfully are those
on that.’
(ll. 227-234) When he had so said, the lord Apollo, the Son of Zeus
hastened on and came to the forest-clad mountain of Cyllene and the
deep-shadowed cave in the rock where the divine nymph brought forth the
child of Zeus who is the son of Cronos. A sweet odour spread over the
lovely hill, and many thin-shanked sheep were grazing on the grass.
Then far-shooting Apollo himself stepped down in haste over the stone
threshold into the dusky cave.
(ll. 235-253) Now when the Son of Zeus and Maia saw Apollo in a rage
about his cattle, he snuggled down in his fragrant swaddling-clothes;
and as wood-ash covers over the deep embers of tree-stumps, so Hermes
cuddled himself up when he saw the Far-Shooter. He squeezed head and
hands and feet together in a small space, like a new born child seeking
sweet sleep, though in truth he was wide awake, and he kept his lyre
under his armpit. But the Son of Leto was aware and failed not to
perceive the beautiful mountain-nymph and her dear son, albeit a little
child and swathed so craftily. He peered in every corner of the great
dwelling and, taking a bright key, he opened three closets full of
nectar and lovely ambrosia. And much gold and silver was stored in
them, and many garments of the nymph, some purple and some silvery
white, such as are kept in the sacred houses of the blessed gods. Then,
after the Son of Leto had searched out the recesses of the great house,
he spake to glorious Hermes:
(ll. 254-259) ‘Child, lying in the cradle, make haste and tell me of my
cattle, or we two will soon fall out angrily. For I will take and cast
you into dusty Tartarus and awful hopeless darkness, and neither your
mother nor your father shall free you or bring you up again to the
light, but you will wander under the earth and be the leader amongst
little folk.’ 2521
(ll. 260-277) Then Hermes answered him with crafty words: ‘Son of Leto,
what harsh words are these you have spoken? And is it cattle of the
field you are come here to seek? I have not seen them: I have not heard
of them: no one has told me of them. I cannot give news of them, nor
win the reward for news. Am I like a cattle-lifter, a stalwart person?
This is no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for
sleep, and milk of my mother’s breast, and wrappings round my
shoulders, and warm baths. Let no one hear the cause of this dispute;
for this would be a great marvel indeed among the deathless gods, that