Unutterable and inconceivable, wondrous works, he wove together, mixing tamarisk and myrtle-like twigs.
§82τῶν τότε συνδήσας νεοθηλέος ἄγκαλον ὕλης §83ἀβλαβέως ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο σάνδαλα κοῦφα §84αὐτοῖσιν πετάλοισι τὰ κύδιμος Ἀργειφόντης §85ἔσπασε Πιερίηθεν ὁδοιπορίην ἀλεγύνων, §86οἷά τʼ ἐπειγόμενος δολιχὴν ὁδόν, αὐτοτροπήσας. † §87τὸν δὲ γέρων ἐνόησε δέμων ἀνθοῦσαν ἀλωὴν §88ἱέμενον πεδίονδε διʼ Ὀγχηστὸν λεχεποίην §89τὸν πρότερος προσέφη Μαίης ἐρικυδέος υἱός· §90<milestone type="startquote"/> ὦ γέρον, ὅστε φυτὰ σκάπτεις ἐπικαμπύλος ὤμους, §91ἦ πολυοινήσεις, εὖτʼ ἂν τάδε πάντα φέρῃσι, §91a[εἴ κε πίθῃ, μάλα περ μεμνημένος ἐν φρεσὶ σῇσι] §92καί τε ἰδὼν μὴ ἰδὼν εἶναι καὶ κωφὸς ἀκούσας, §93καὶ σιγᾶν ὅτε μή τι καταβλάπτῃ τὸ σὸν αὐτοῦ. <milestone type="endquote"/> §94τόσσον φὰς συνέσευε βοῶν ἴφθιμα κάρηνα.
Having bound together a bundle of these, of fresh green wood, he bound them undamaged under his feet as light sandals, leaves and all, which glorious Argeiphontes had plucked from Pieria, preparing his journey, as one hastening on a long way, practicing self-invented shifts. [†] But an old man noticed him as he was tilling his flowering vineyard, as he was hastening to the plain through grassy Onchestus; him the son of glorious Maia addressed first: "Old man, you who are digging about your plants with bent shoulders, surely you will have wine in abundance when all these bear fruit, [if you will hearken, and remember it well in your heart] and seeing, see not, and hearing, be deaf, and keep silent, so long as nothing of your own is harmed." So much he said, and drove together the sturdy heads of the cattle.
And many shadowy mountains and echoing glens and flowery plains did glorious Hermes drive them through.
§97ὀρφναίη δʼ ἐπίκουρος ἐπαύετο δαιμονίη νύξ, §98ἡ πλείων, τάχα δʼ ὄρθρος ἐγίγνετο δημιοεργός· §99ἣ δὲ νέον σκοπιὴν προσεβήσατο δῖα Σελήνη, §100Πάλλαντος θυγάτηρ Μεγαμηδείδαο ἄνακτος.
And the dark, divine night, his helper, was coming to an end, most of it, and soon the dawn that calls men to work was arising; and divine Selene had just mounted her new watch-tower, the daughter of Pallas, the son of Megamedes.
Then the brave son of Zeus drove the broad-browed cattle of Phoebus Apollo to the river Alpheius.
And unwearied they came to the high-roofed stall and the watering-troughs before the glorious meadow.
§105ἔνθʼ ἐπεὶ εὖ βοτάνης ἐπεφόρβει βοῦς ἐριμύκους §106καὶ τὰς μὲν συνέλασσεν ἐς αὔλιον ἀθρόας οὔσας, §107λωτὸν ἐρεπτομένας ἠδʼ ἑρσήεντα κύπειρον· §108σὺν δʼ ἐφόρει ξύλα πολλά, πυρὸς δʼ ἐπεμαίετο τέχνην.
There, when he had well fed the loud-lowing cattle with fodder, and had driven them all together into the stall, while they were chewing lotus and dewy galingale; he gathered much wood and sought the art of fire.
Taking a bright branch of laurel, he peeled it with iron, fitting it to his palm; and the hot breath arose.
§111Ἑρμῆς τοι πρώτιστα πυρήια πῦρ τʼ ἀνέδωκε.
Hermes, indeed, was the very first to give fire-sticks and fire.
§112πολλὰ δὲ κάγκανα κᾶλα κατουδαίῳ ἐνὶ βόθρῳ §113οὖλα λαβὼν ἐπέθηκεν ἐπηετανά· λάμπετο δὲ φλὸξ §114τηλόσε φῦσαν ἱεῖσα πυρὸς μέγα δαιομένοιο.
And many dry logs in a pit in the earth, taking them whole, he piled them abundant; and the flame shone, sending the blast of the great burning fire far and wide.
§115ὄφρα δὲ πῦρ ἀνέκαιε βίη κλυτοῦ Ἡφαίστοιο, §116τόφρα δʼ ὑποβρύχους ἕλικας βοῦς εἷλκε θύραζε §117δοιὰς ἄγχι πυρός· δύναμις δέ οἱ ἕσπετο πολλή.
And while the strength of glorious Hephaestus was kindling the fire, meanwhile he dragged two crumpled-horn cattle outside, close to the fire; and great strength attended him.
He threw both of them panting on their backs upon the ground, and bending them back, he rolled them over, piercing their spinal cords.
§120ἔργῳ δʼ ἔργον ὄπαζε ταμὼν κρέα πίονα δημῷ· §121ὤπτα δʼ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσι πεπαρμένα δουρατέοισι §122σάρκας ὁμοῦ καὶ νῶτα γεράσμια καὶ μέλαν αἷμα §123ἐργμένον ἐν χολάδεσσι·
And he added task to task, cutting up the meat rich with fat, and roasted them, pierced on wooden spits— flesh and the prized back-meat together, and the dark blood pent in the bowels.
τὰ δʼ αὐτοῦ κεῖτʼ ἐπὶ χώρης·
And these lay there on the ground.
§124ῥινοὺς δʼ ἐξετάνυσσε καταστυφέλῳ ἐνὶ πέτρῃ, §125ὡς ἔτι νῦν τὰ μέτασσα πολυχρόνιοι πεφύασι, §126δηρὸν δὴ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἄκριτον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα §127Ἑρμῆς χαρμόφρων εἰρύσατο πίονα ἔργα §128λείῳ ἐπὶ πλαταμῶνι καὶ ἔσχισε δώδεκα μοίρας §129κληροπαλεῖς· τέλεον δὲ γέρας προσέθηκεν ἑκάστῃ.
And he stretched the hides out on a rugged rock, as even now they remain there after a long time, endless and unmeasured, after those things; but then joyful-hearted Hermes dragged the rich portions onto a smooth flat stone, and divided them into twelve portions allotted by cast; and to each he assigned a complete portion of honor.
§130ἔνθʼ ὁσίης κρεάων ἠράσσατο κύδιμος Ἑρμῆς· §131ὀδμὴ γάρ μιν ἔτειρε καὶ ἀθάνατόν περ ἐόντα §132ἡδεῖʼ· ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ὥς οἱ ἐπείθετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ, §133καί τε μάλʼ ἱμείροντι, περῆν† ἱερῆς κατὰ δειρῆς.
Then glorious Hermes longed for the sacred taste of the meat; for the sweet odor distressed him, even though he was immortal, but not even so did his proud heart yield, much though he desired, to pass it down his sacred throat.
§134ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατέθηκεν ἐς αὔλιον ὑψιμέλαθρον, §135δημὸν καὶ κρέα πολλά, μετήορα δʼ αἶψʼ ἀνάειρε, §136σῆμα νέης φωρῆς·
But he laid them down in the high-roofed stall, the fat and much of the meat, and quickly suspended them high up, as a token of his recent theft.
ἐπὶ δὲ ξύλα κάγκανʼ ἀγείρας §137οὐλόποδʼ, οὐλοκάρηνα πυρὸς κατεδάμνατʼ ἀυτμῇ.
Then, gathering dry wood, he destroyed the feet and heads entire under the breath of the fire.
§138αὐτὰρ ἐπεί τοι πάντα κατὰ χρέος ἤνυσε δαίμων, §139σάνδαλα μὲν προέηκεν ἐς Ἀλφειὸν βαθυδίνην· §140ἀνθρακιὴν δʼ ἐμάρανε, κόνιν δʼ ἀμάθυνε μέλαιναν §141παννύχιος· καλὸν δὲ φόως κατέλαμπε Σελήνης.
But when the god had finished all that was fitting, he cast his sandals into the deep-eddying Alpheius; he quenched the embers, and smoothed down the black dust, all night long; and the beautiful light of Selene shone down.
§142Κυλλήνης δʼ αἶψʼ αὖτις ἀφίκετο δῖα κάρηνα §143ὄρθριος, οὐδέ τί οἱ δολιχῆς ὁδοῦ ἀντεβόλησεν §144οὔτε θεῶν μακάρων οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων, §145οὐδὲ κύνες λελάκοντο·
And straightway he returned to the divine peaks of Cyllene at dawn, and no one met him on his long journey, neither of the blessed gods nor of mortal men, nor did any dogs bark.
Διὸς δʼ ἐριούνιος Ἑρμῆς §146δοχμωθεὶς μεγάροιο διὰ κλήιθρον ἔδυνεν §147αὔρῃ ὀπωρινῇ ἐναλίγκιος, ἠύτʼ ὀμίχλη.
And helpful Hermes, son of Zeus, slanted himself and slipped through the keyhole of the hall, like an autumn breeze, or like mist.
And going straight on, he reached the rich sanctuary of the cave, stepping softly on his feet; for he made no sound as if on the ground.
§150ἐσσυμένως δʼ ἄρα λίκνον ἐπῴχετο κύδιμος Ἑρμῆς· §151σπάργανον ἀμφʼ ὤμοις εἰλυμένος, ἠύτε τέκνον §152νήπιον, ἐν παλάμῃσι περʼ ἰγνύσι λαῖφος ἀθύρων §153κεῖτο, χέλυν ἐρατὴν ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ χειρὸς ἐέργων.
And quickly glorious Hermes went to his cradle, wrapped in his swaddling clothes about his shoulders like a simple babe, playing with the blanket in his hands about his knees, lying there, holding his lovely lyre safe under his left hand.
§154μητέρα δʼ οὐκ ἄρʼ ἔληθε θεὰν θεὸς εἰπέ τε μῦθον·
But the god did not escape the goddess his mother, and she spoke to him: