§298ἔκλυεν, ἐκ χειρῶν δὲ χαμαὶ βάλε κύδιμον Ἑρμῆν.
Apollo heard it, and from his hands he let glorious Hermes fall to the ground.
§299ἕζετο δὲ προπάροιθε καὶ ἐσσύμενός περ ὁδοῖο §300Ἑρμῆν κερτομέων καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε· §301<milestone type="startquote"/> θάρσει, σπαργανιῶτα, Διὸς καὶ Μαιάδος υἱέ· §302εὑρήσω καὶ ἔπειτα βοῶν ἴφθιμα κάρηνα §303τούτοις οἰωνοῖσι· σὺ δʼ αὖθʼ ὁδὸν ἡγεμονεύσεις. <milestone type="endquote"/> §304ὣς φάθʼ· ὃ δʼ αὖτʼ ἀνόρουσε θοῶς Κυλλήνιος Ἑομῆς, §305σπουδῇ ἰών· ἄμφω δὲ παρʼ οὔατα χερσὶν ἐώθει §306σπάργανον ἀμφʼ ὤμοισιν ἐελμένος, εἶπε δὲ μῦθον· §307<milestone type="startquote"/> πῆ με φέρεις, Ἑκάεργε, θεῶν ζαμενέστατε πάντων;
And he sat down in front of him, though he was hastening on his way, mocking Hermes, and addressed him with words: <milestone type="startquote"/> "Take heart, swaddling-child, son of Zeus and Maia; I shall find the sturdy heads of the cattle hereafter by these omens; and you shall lead the way again." <milestone type="endquote"/> So he spoke; and Cyllenian Hermes started up quickly, going in haste; and with his hands he pushed to either side of his ears the swaddling-clothes that wrapped his shoulders, and spoke: <milestone type="startquote"/> "Whither do you carry me, Far-worker, most vehement of all gods?
§308ἦ με βοῶν ἕνεχʼ ὧδε χολούμενος ὀρσολοπεύεις;
Is it because of the cattle that you are thus angry and harass me?
§309ὦ πόποι, εἴθʼ ἀπόλοιτο βοῶν γένος·
Alas, would that the race of cattle might perish!
οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ γε §310ὑμετέρας ἔκλεψα βόας οὐδʼ ἄλλον ὄπωπα, §311αἵτινες αἱ βόες εἰσί· τὸ δὲ κλέος οἶον ἀκούω.
For I, indeed, did not steal your cattle, nor have I seen another, whoever these cattle may be—for I only hear of them by rumor.
§312δὸς δὲ δίκην καὶ δέξο παρὰ Ζηνὶ Κρονίωνι. <milestone type="endquote"/> §313αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τὰ ἕκαστα διαρρήδην ἐρίδαινον §314Ἑρμῆς τʼ οἰοπόλος καὶ Λητοῦς ἀγλαὸς υἱός, §315ἀμφὶς θυμὸν ἔχοντες.
Submit to judgment, and accept it before Zeus, the son of Cronos." <milestone type="endquote"/> But when they had disputed on every point in detail, Hermes the shepherd and the glorious son of Leto, holding divided minds.
ὃ μὲν νημερτέα φωνὴν §316οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐπὶ βουσὶν ἐλάζυτο κύδιμον Ἑρμῆν, §317αὐτὰρ ὃ τέχνῃσίν τε καὶ αἱμυλίοισι λόγοισιν §318ἤθελεν ἐξαπατᾶν Κυλλήνιος Ἀργυρότοξον.
One indeed, speaking the truth, not unjustly was trying to seize glorious Hermes for the cattle; but the other with crafts and wheedling words the Cyllenian wished to deceive the Silver-bowed.
§319αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πολύμητις ἐὼν πολυμήχανον εὗρεν, §320ἐσσυμένως δὴ ἔπειτα διὰ ψαμάθοιο βάδιζε §321πρόσθεν, ἀτὰρ κατόπισθε Διὸς καὶ Λητοῦς υἱός.
But when he, being full of wiles, found the one of many resources superior, then indeed he walked in haste through the sand, leading the way, and behind him followed the son of Zeus and Leto.
And quickly they reached the ridge of fragrant Olympus, the exceedingly beautiful children of Zeus, to their father, the son of Cronos.
§324κεῖθι γὰρ ἀμφοτέροισι δίκης κατέκειτο τάλαντα.
For there the scales of justice were set for both of them.
And the assembly occupied snowy Olympus, and the immortal undying gods gathered together after gold-throned Dawn.
§327ἔστησαν δʼ Ἑρμῆς τε καὶ ἀργυρότοξος Ἀπόλλων §328πρόσθε Διὸς γούνων· ὃ δʼ ἀνείρετο φαίδιμον υἱὸν §329Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης καί μιν πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπε· §330<milestone type="startquote"/> φοῖβε, πόθεν ταύτην μενοεικέα ληίδʼ ἐλαύνεις, §331παῖδα νέον γεγαῶτα, φυὴν κήρυκος ἔχοντα;
And Hermes and silver-bowed Apollo stood before the knees of Zeus; and Zeus who thunders on high questioned his splendid son, and addressed him with words: <milestone type="startquote"/> "Phoebus, whence do you drive this desirable booty, a newborn child who has the appearance of a herald?
§332σπουδαῖον τόδε χρῆμα θεῶν μεθʼ ὁμήγυριν ἦλθε. <milestone type="endquote"/> §333τὸν δʼ αὖτε προσέειπεν ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων· §334<milestone type="startquote"/> ὦ πάτερ, ἦ τάχα μῦθον ἀκούσεαι οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν, §335κερτομέων ὡς οἶος ἐγὼ φιλολήιός εἰμι.
A serious matter this, that has come before the assembly of the gods." <milestone type="endquote"/> And the lord Far-worker Apollo addressed him in turn: <milestone type="startquote"/> "O father, you shall indeed soon hear no trifling word, though you mock me, as if I alone were a lover of booty.
§336παῖδά τινʼ εὗρον τόνδε διαπρύσιον κεραϊστὴν §337Κυλλήνης ἐν ὄρεσσι, πολὺν διὰ χῶρον ἀνύσσας, §338κέρτομον, οἷον ἐγώ γε θεῶν οὐκ ἄλλον ὄπωπα §339οὐδʼ ἀνδρῶν, ὁπόσοι λησίμβροτοί εἰσʼ ἐπὶ γαίῃ.
I found this boy here, an utter plunderer, in the mountains of Cyllene, having traversed a wide space, scoffing, such as I have seen no other among the gods nor among men, as many as are deceivers of mortals upon the earth.
§340κλέψας δʼ ἐκ λειμῶνος ἐμὰς βοῦς ὤχετʼ ἐλαύνων §341ἑσπέριος παρὰ θῖνα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης, §342εὐθὺ Πύλονδʼ ἐλάων·
He stole my cattle from the meadow and went driving them off, in the evening, along the shore of the loud-sounding sea, driving them straight toward Pylos.
τὰ δʼ ἄρʼ ἴχνια δοιὰ πέλωρα, §343οἷά τʼ ἀγάσσασθαι, καὶ ἀγαυοῦ δαίμονος ἔργα.
And the tracks were double and monstrous, such as to be wondered at, the works of an illustrious divinity.
§344τῇσιν μὲν γὰρ βουσὶν ἐς ἀσφοδελὸν λειμῶνα §345ἀντία βήματʼ ἔχουσα κόνις ἀνέφαινε μέλαινα· §346αὐτὸς δʼ ἐκτὸς ὁδοῦ, τις ἀμήχανος, οὔτʼ ἄρα ποσσὶν §347οὔτʼ ἄρα χερσὶν ἔβαινε διὰ ψαμαθώδεα χῶρον· §348ἀλλʼ ἄλλην τινὰ μῆτιν ἔχων διέτριβε κέλευθα §349τοῖα πέλωρʼ ὡς εἴ τις ἀραιῇσι δρυσὶ βαίνοι.
For as for the cattle, the dark dust showed footprints pointing in the opposite direction toward the asphodel meadow; but he himself, outside the road, a perplexing fellow, walked neither on his feet nor on his hands through the sandy place; but having some other device, he traversed the paths, such monstrous tracks as if one were walking on slender oaks.
§350ὄφρα μὲν οὖν ἐδίωκε διὰ ψαμαθώδεα χῶρον, §351ῥεῖα μάλʼ ἴχνια πάντα διέπρεπεν ἐν κονίῃσιν· §352αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ ψαμάθοιο μέγαν στίβον ἐξεπέρησεν, §353ἄφραστος γένετʼ ὦκα βοῶν στίβος ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ §354χῶρον ἀνὰ κρατερόν·
Now as long as he was driving them through the sandy place, all the tracks were very easily distinguished in the dust; But when he had crossed the great track of sand, the track of the cattle and his own quickly became untraceable over the hard ground.
τὸν δʼ ἐφράσατο βροτὸς ἀνὴρ §355ἐς Πύλον εὐθὺς ἐλῶντα βοῶν γένος εὐρυμετώπων.
But a mortal man noticed him driving the breed of broad-browed cattle straight to Pylos.
§356αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τὰς μὲν ἐν ἡσυχίῃ κατέερξε §357καὶ διαπυρπαλάμησεν ὁδοῦ τὸ μὲν ἔνθα, τὸ δʼ ἔνθα, §358ἐν λίκνῳ κατέκειτο μελαίνῃ νυκτὶ ἐοικώς, §359ἄντρῳ ἐν ἠερόεντι κατὰ ζόφον· οὐδέ κεν αὐτὸν §360αἰετὸς ὀξὺ λάων ἐσκέψατο·
And when he had shut them up in quietness, and had played his tricks with the road, this way and that, he lay in his cradle, looking like black night, in the darkness of the gloomy cave; nor would a sharp-sighted eagle have noticed him.
πολλὰ δὲ χερσὶν §361αὐγὰς ὠμόργαζε δολοφροσύνην ἀλεγύνων.
And with his hands he kept rubbing his eyes, planning crafty wiles.
§362αὐτὸς δʼ αὐτίκα μῦθον ἀπηλεγέως ἀγόρευεν· §363<milestone type="startquote"/> οὐκ ἴδον, οὐ πυθόμην, οὐκ ἄλλου μῦθον ἄκουσα §364οὐδέ κε μηνύσαιμʼ, οὐδʼ ἄν μήνυτρον ἀροίμην. <milestone type="endquote"/> <milestone type="endquote"/> §365Ἠ τοι ἄρʼ ὣς εἰπὼν κατʼ ἄρʼ ἕζετο Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων· §366Ερμῆς δʼ αὖθʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἀμειβόμενος ἔπος ηὔδα, §367δείξατο δʼ ἐς Κρονίωνα, θεῶν σημάντορα πάντων·
And he himself at once spoke word outright: <milestone type="startquote"/> "I did not see them, I did not learn of them, I did not hear the word of another, nor could I tell, nor could I win the reward for telling." <milestone type="endquote"/> <milestone type="endquote"/> Indeed, having so spoken, Phoebus Apollo sat down; and Hermes in turn on the other side spoke in answer, and pointed to the son of Cronos, the ruler of all gods: