Bibliotheca Polyglotta

ἀμφί μοι Ἑρμείαο φίλον γόνον ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα,
αἰγιπόδην, δικέρωτα, φιλόκροτον, ὅστ᾽ ἀνὰ πίση
δενδρήεντ᾽ ἄμυδις φοιτᾷ χορογηθέσι νύμφαις,
αἵ τε κατ᾽ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης στείβουσι κάρηνα
Πᾶν᾽ ἀνακεκλόμεναι, νόμιον θεόν, ἀγλαέθειρον,
αὐχμήενθ᾽, ὃς πάντα λόφον νιφόεντα λέλογχε
καὶ κορυφὰς ὀρέων καὶ πετρήεντα κάρηνα.
φοιτᾷ δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα διὰ ῥωπήια πυκνά,
ἄλλοτε μὲν ῥείθροισιν ἐφελκόμενος μαλακοῖσιν,
ἄλλοτε δ᾽ αὖ πέτρῃσιν ἐν ἠλιβάτοισι διοιχνεῖ,
ἀκροτάτην κορυφὴν μηλοσκόπον εἰσαναβαίνων.
πολλάκι δ᾽ ἀργινόεντα διέδραμεν οὔρεα μακρά,
πολλάκι δ᾽ ἐν κνημοῖσι διήλασε θῆρας ἐναίρων,
ὀξέα δερκόμενος:

1-14 Muse, tell me about Pan, the dear son of Hermes, with his goat’s feet and two horns--a lover of merry noise. Through wooded glades he wanders with dancing nymphs who foot it on some sheer cliff’s edge, calling upon Pan, the shepherd-god, long-haired, unkempt. He has every snowy crest and the mountain peaks and rocky crests for his domain; hither and thither he goes through the close thickets, now lured by soft streams, and now he presses on amongst towering crags and climbs up to the highest peak that overlooks the flocks. Often he courses through the glistening high mountains, and often on the shouldered hills he speeds along slaying wild beasts, this keen-eyed god.

-τότε δ᾽ ἕσπερος ἔκλαγεν οἶον
ἄγρης ἐξανιών, δονάκων ὕπο μοῦσαν ἀθύρων
νήδυμον: οὐκ ἂν τόν γε παραδράμοι ἐν μελέεσσιν
ὄρνις, ἥτ᾽ ἔαρος πολυανθέος ἐν πετάλοισι
θρῆνον ἐπιπροχέουσ᾽ ἀχέει μελίγηρυν ἀοιδήν.
σὺν δέ σφιν τότε Νύμφαι ὀρεστιάδες λιγύμολποι
φοιτῶσαι πύκα ποσσὶν ἐπὶ κρήνῃ μελανύδρῳ μέλπονται:
κορυφὴν δὲ περιστένει οὔρεος Ἠχώ:
δαίμων δ᾽ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα χορῶν, τοτὲ δ᾽ ἐς μέσον ἕρπων,
πυκνὰ ποσὶν διέπει, λαῖφος δ᾽ ἐπὶ νῶτα δαφοινὸν
λυγκὸς ἔχει, λιγυρῇσιν ἀγαλλόμενος φρένα μολπαῖς
ἐν μαλακῷ λειμῶνι, τόθι κρόκος ἠδ᾽ ὑάκινθος
εὐώδης θαλέθων καταμίσγεται ἄκριτα ποίῃ.

14-26 Only at evening, as he returns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on his pipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody--that bird who in flower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves. At that hour the clear-voiced nymphs are with him and move with nimble feet, singing by some spring of dark water, while Echo wails about the mountain-top, and the god on this side or on that of the choirs, or at times sidling into the midst, plies it nimbly with his feet. On his back he wears a spotted lynx-pelt, and he delights in high-pitched songs in a soft meadow where crocuses and sweet-smelling hyacinths bloom at random in the grass.

ὑμνεῦσιν δὲ θεοὺς μάκαρας καὶ μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον:
οἷόν θ᾽ Ἑρμείην ἐριούνιον ἔξοχον ἄλλων
ἔννεπον, ὡς ὅ γ᾽ ἅπασι θεοῖς θοὸς ἄγγελός ἐστι,
καί ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐς Ἀρκαδίην πολυπίδακα, μητέρα μήλων,
ἐξίκετ᾽, ἔνθα τέ οἱ τέμενος Κυλληνίου ἐστίν.

27-31 They sing of the blessed gods and high Olympus and choose to tell of such an one as luck-bringing Hermes above the rest, how he is the swift messenger of all the gods, and how he came to Arcadia, the land of many springs and mother of flocks, there where his sacred place is as god of Cyllene.

ἔνθ᾽ ὅ γε καὶ θεὸς ὢν ψαφαρότριχα μῆλ᾽ ἐνόμευεν
ἀνδρὶ πάρα θνητῷ θάλε γὰρ πόθος ὑγρὸς ἐπελθὼν
νύμφῃ ἐυπλοκάμῳ Δρύοπος φιλότητι μιγῆναι:
ἐκ δ᾽ ἐτέλεσσε γάμον θαλερόν. τέκε δ᾽ ἐν μεγάροισιν
Ἑρμείῃ φίλον υἱόν, ἄφαρ τερατωπὸν ἰδέσθαι,
αἰγιπόδην, δικέρωτα, φιλόκροτον, ἡδυγέλωτα:
φεῦγε δ᾽ ἀναΐξασα, λίπεν δ᾽ ἄρα παῖδα τιθήνη
δεῖσε γάρ, ὡς ἴδεν ὄψιν ἀμείλιχον, ἠυγένειον.

32-39 For there, though a god, he used to tend curly-fleeced sheep in the service of a mortal man, because there fell on him and waxed strong melting desire to wed the rich-tressed daughter of Dryops, and there he brought about the merry marriage. And in the house she bare Hermes a dear son who from his birth was marvellous to look upon, with goat’s feet and two horns--a noisy, merry-laughing child. But when the nurse saw his uncouth face and full beard, she was afraid and sprang up and fled and left the child.

τὸν δ᾽ αἶψ᾽ Ἑρμείας ἐριούνιος εἰς χέρα θῆκε
δεξάμενος, χαῖρεν δὲ νόῳ περιώσια δαίμων.
ῥίμφα δ᾽ ἐς ἀθανάτων ἕδρας κίε παῖδα καλύψας
δέρμασιν ἐν πυκινοῖσιν ὀρεσκῴοιο λαγωοῦ
πὰρ δὲ Ζηνὶ κάθιζε καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισι,
δεῖξε δὲ κοῦρον ἑόν: πάντες δ᾽ ἄρα θυμὸν ἔτερφθεν
ἀθάνατοι, περίαλλα δ᾽ ὁ Βάκχειος Διόνυσος:
Πᾶνα δέ μιν καλέεσκον, ὅτι φρένα πᾶσιν ἔτερψε.

40-47 Then luck-bringing Hermes received him and took him in his arms: very glad in his heart was the god. And he went quickly to the abodes of the deathless gods, carrying the son wrapped in warm skins of mountain hares, and set him down beside Zeus and showed him to the rest of the gods. Then all the immortals were glad in heart and Bacchie Dionysus in especial; and they called the boy Pan because he delighted all their hearts.

καὶ σὺ μὲν οὕτω χαῖρε, ἄναξ, ἵλαμαι δέ σ᾽ ἀοιδῇ
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ᾽ ἀοιδῆς.

48-49 And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favour with a song. And now I will remember you and another song also.

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