§155<milestone type="startquote"/> τίπτε σύ, ποικιλομῆτα, πόθεν τόδε νυκτὸς ἐν ὥρῃ §156ἔρχῃ, ἀναιδείην ἐπιειμένε;
<milestone type="startquote"/> "Why, you rogue, whence do you come thus in the night-time, clothed in shamelessness?
νῦν σε μάλʼ οἴω §157ἢ τάχʼ ἀμήχανα δεσμὰ περὶ πλευρῇσιν ἔχοντα §158Λητοίδου ὑπὸ χερσὶ διὲκ προθύροιο περήσειν §159ἣ σὲ φέροντα μεταξὺ κατʼ ἄγκεα φηλητεύσειν.
Now I surely think that you will soon pass out through the vestibule, bound about your ribs with unbreakable bonds by the hands of the son of Leto, or else that he will carry you off while you play the thief along the mountain glens.
§160ἔρρε πάλιν·
Go back!
μεγάλην σε πατὴρ ἐφύτευσε μέριμναν §161θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι. <milestone type="endquote"/> §162τὴν δʼ Ἑρμῆς μύθοισιν ἀμείβετο κερδαλέοισι· §163<milestone type="startquote"/> μῆτερ ἐμή, τί με ταῦτα δεδίσκεαι, ἠύτε τέκνον §164νήπιον, ὃς μάλα παῦρα μετὰ φρεσὶν αἴσυλα οἶδε, §165ταρβαλέον, καὶ μητρὸς ὑπαιδείδοικεν ἐνιπάς;
Your father begot you as a great trouble to mortal men and immortal gods." <milestone type="endquote"/> And Hermes answered her with crafty words: <milestone type="startquote"/> "My mother, why do you try to frighten me as if I were a simple babe, who knows but few evils in his heart, fearful, and dreading his mother's chidings?
§166αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ τέχνης ἐπιβήσομαι, ἥ τις ἀρίστη, §167βουκολέων ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ διαμπερές· οὐδὲ θεοῖσι §168νῶι μετʼ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀδώρητοι καὶ ἄλιστοι §169αὐτοῦ τῇδε μένοντες ἀνεξόμεθʼ, ὡς σὺ κελεύεις.
But I will enter upon the craftiest art, whichever is best, to provide for you and me forever; we two among the immortal gods will not endure to remain here, giftless and unprayed to, as you command.
§170βέλτερον ἤματα πάντα μετʼ ἀθανάτοις ὀαρίζειν, §171πλούσιον, ἀφνειόν, πολυλήιον, ἢ κατὰ δῶμα §172ἄντρῳ ἐν ἠερόεντι θαασσέμεν·
It is better to converse with the immortals all our days, rich, wealthy, and possessing many fields, than to sit at home in a gloomy cave.
ἀμφὶ δὲ τιμῆς, §173κἀγὼ τῆς ὁσίης ἐπιβήσομαι, ἧς περ Ἀπόλλων.
And as for honor, I too will enter upon the same sacred portion which Apollo has.
And if my father does not give it to me, I will surely try, for I am able, to be the captain of robbers.
And if the son of glorious Leto seeks me out, I think some other and greater trouble will meet him.
§178εἶμι γὰρ ἐς Πυθῶνα μέγαν δόμον ἀντιτορήσων· §179ἔνθεν ἅλις τρίποδας περικαλλέας ἠδὲ λέβητας §180πορθήσω καὶ χρυσόν, ἅλις τʼ αἴθωνα σίδηρον §181καὶ πολλὴν ἐσθῆτα· σὺ δʼ ὄψεαι, αἴ κʼ ἐθέλῃσθα. <milestone type="endquote"/> §182ὣς οἳ μέν ῥʼ ἐπέεσσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον, §183υἱός τʼ αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς καὶ πότνια Μαῖα.
For I will go to great Pytho to break into his house; thence I will plunder plenty of beautiful tripods and cauldrons and gold, and plenty of bright iron and many garments; and you shall see it, if you will." <milestone type="endquote"/> Thus they spoke with words to one another, the son of aegis-bearing Zeus and the lady Maia.
§184Ἠὼς δʼ ἠριγένεια φόως θνητοῖσι φέρουσα §185ὤρνυτʼ ἀπʼ Ὠκεανοῖο βαθυρρόου· αὐτὰρ Ἀπόλλων §186Ὀγχηστόνδʼ ἀφίκανε κιών, πολυήρατον ἄλσος §187ἁγνὸν ἐρισφαράγου Γαιηόχου· ἔνθα γέροντα §188κνώδαλον εὗρε νέμοντα παρʼ ἔξοδον ἕρκεος αὐλῆς.
And Dawn, the early-born, bringing light to mortals, arose from deep-flowing Oceanus; but Apollo came to Onchestus, the very pleasant and holy grove of the loud-roaring Earth-shaker; there he found an old man feeding his beast beside the path of his courtyard-wall.
§189τὸν πρότερος προσέφη Λητοῦς ἐρικυδέος υἱός· §190<milestone type="startquote"/> ὦ γέρον, Ὀγχηστοῖο βατοδρόπε ποιήεντος, §191βοῦς ἀπὸ Πιερίης διζήμενος ἐνθάδʼ ἱκάνω, §192πάσας θηλείας, πάσας κεράεσσιν ἑλικτάς, §193ἐξ ἀγέλης·
The son of glorious Leto addressed him first: <milestone type="startquote"/> "Old man, weeder of grassy Onchestus, I come here seeking my cattle from Pieria, all heifers, all with crumpled horns, from the herd.
ὁ δὲ ταῦρος ἐβόσκετο μοῦνος ἀπʼ ἄλλων §194κυάνεος· χαροποὶ δὲ κύνες κατόπισθεν ἕποντο §195τέσσαρες, ἠύτε φῶτες, ὁμόφρονες· οἳ μὲν ἔλειφθεν, §196οἵ τε κύνες ὅ τε ταῦρος· ὃ δὴ περὶ θαῦμα τέτυκται· §197ταὶ δʼ ἔβαν ἠελίοιο νέον καταδυομένοιο §198ἐκ μαλακοῦ λειμῶνος ἀπὸ γλυκεροῖο νομοῖο.
But the bull fed alone away from the rest, a dark one; and four fierce dogs followed behind, like men, of one mind; these were left behind, both the dogs and the bull—which is indeed a great wonder— but the heifers went away, when the sun had newly set, from the soft meadow, away from the sweet pasture.
§199ταῦτά μοι εἰπέ, γεραιὲ παλαιγενές, εἴ που ὄπωπας §200ἀνέρα ταῖσδʼ ἐπὶ βουσὶ διαπρήσσοντα κέλευθον. <milestone type="endquote"/> §201τὸν δʼ ὁ γέρων μύθοισιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπεν· §202<milestone type="startquote"/> ὦ φίλος, ἀργαλέον μέν, ὅσʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδοιτο,
Tell me this, old man of ancient birth, if anywhere you have seen a man making his way after these cattle." <milestone type="endquote"/> And the old man answered him, saying: <milestone type="startquote"/> "My friend, it is hard to tell all things that one sees with one's eyes.
§203πάντα λέγειν· πολλοὶ γὰρ ὁδὸν πρήσσουσιν ὁδῖται, §204τῶν οἳ μὲν κακὰ πολλὰ μεμαότες, οἳ δὲ μάλʼ ἐσθλὰ §205φοιτῶσιν· χαλεπὸν δὲ δαήμεναί ἐστιν ἕκαστον·
For many wayfarers travel this road, some of them going with many evil thoughts, and others with very good, and it is difficult to know each one.
But I all day long until the sun set was digging about the hill of my wine-producing vineyard.
§208παῖδα δʼ ἔδοξα, φέριστε, σαφὲς δʼ οὐκ οἶδα, νοῆσαι, §209ὅς τις ὁ παῖς, ἅμα βουσὶν ἐυκραίρῃσιν ὀπήδει §210νήπιος, εἶχε δὲ ῥάβδον· ἐπιστροφάδην δʼ ἐβάδιζεν. §211ἐξοπίσω δʼ ἀνέεργε, κάρη δʼ ἔχεν ἀντίον αὐτῷ. <milestone type="endquote"/> §212φῆ ῥʼ ὁ γέρων· ὃ δὲ θᾶσσον ὁδὸν κίε μῦθον ἀκούσας·
And I thought I perceived a child, noble sir, but I do not know for certain, whoever the child was, who followed along with the fine-horned cattle, a babe, and he had a staff; and he walked turning about, and he drove them backwards, and kept their heads facing towards him." <milestone type="endquote"/> So the old man said; and Apollo went on his way more quickly after hearing the tale.
And he noticed a bird of wide wings, and straightway he knew that the thief was the son of Zeus, the son of Cronos.
§215ἐσσυμένως δʼ ἤιξεν ἄναξ Διὸς υἱὸς Ἀπόλλων §216ἐς Πύλον ἠγαθέην διζήμενος εἰλίποδας βοῦς, §217πορφυρέῃ νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμένος εὐρέας ὤμουσʼ §218ἴχνιά τʼ εἰσενόησεν Ἑκηβόλος εἶπέ τε μῦθον·
And swiftly the lord Apollo, son of Zeus, hastened to sacred Pylos seeking his shambling cattle, wrapped about his broad shoulders in a purple cloud; and the Far-shooter noticed the tracks, and spoke: <milestone type="startquote"/> "O look!
§219<milestone type="startquote"/> ὦ πόποι, ἦ μέγα θαῦμα τόδʼ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρῶμαι·
Truly a great wonder is this that I see with my eyes!
§220ἴχνια μὲν τάδε γʼ ἐστὶ βοῶν ὀρθοκραιράων, §221ἀλλὰ πάλιν τέτραπται ἐς ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα· §222βήματα δʼ οὔτʼ ἀνδρὸς τάδε γίγνεται οὔτε γυναικὸς §223οὔτε λύκων πολιῶν οὔτʼ ἄρκτων οὔτε λεόντων· §224οὔτε τι Κενταύρου λασιαύχενος ἔλπομαι εἶναι, §225ὅς τις τοῖα πέλωρα βιβᾷ ποσὶ καρπαλίμοισιν·
These are indeed the tracks of straight-horned cattle, but they are turned backwards towards the flowery meadow of asphodel; and these steps are neither of man nor of woman, nor of grey wolves, nor of bears, nor of lions, nor do I think they are of any shaggy-necked Centaur, whoever strides with such monstrous strides with swift feet." <milestone type="endquote"/>