§5Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ λόγων ἤδη πολὺ προϊόντες ἀπεσπάσαμεν τῶν ἀστέρων καὶ σχεδόν γε κατὰ τὴν Φρυγίαν ἐσμέν.
Hermes: But in the middle of our talk, we have already advanced far, leaving the stars behind, and are almost in Phrygia.
ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἴδην ὁρῶ καὶ τὸ Γάργαρον ὅλον ἀκριβῶς, εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐξαπατῶμαι, καὶ αὐτὸν ὑμῶν τὸν δικαστὴν τὸν Πάριν.
Indeed, I see both Ida and the whole Gargarus clearly, and, unless I am mistaken, your judge Paris himself.
Ἥρα
ποῦ δέ ἐστιν;
Hera: And where is he?
οὐ γὰρ κἀμοὶ φαίνεται.
For he is not visible to me.
Ἑρμῆς
ταύτῃ, ὦ Ἥρα, πρὸς τὰ λαιὰ περισκόπει, μὴ πρὸς ἄκρῳ τῷ ὄρει, παρὰ δὲ τὴν πλευράν, οὗ τὸ ἄντρον, ἔνθα καὶ τὴν ἀγέλην ὁρᾷς.
Hermes: This way, Hera, look to the left, not at the very top of the mountain, but along the side, where the cave is, where you also see the herd.
Ἥρα
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁρῶ τὴν ἀγέλην.
Hera: But I do not see the herd.
Ἑρμῆς
πῶς φής;
Hermes: What do you mean?
οὐχ ὁρᾷς βοίδια κατὰ τὸν ἐμὸν οὑτωσὶ δάκτυλον ἐκ μέσων τῶν πετρῶν προερχόμενα καί τινα ἐκ τοῦ σκοπέλου καταθέοντα καλαύροπα ἔχοντα καὶ ἀνείργοντα μὴ πρόσω διασκίδνασθαι τὴν ἀγέλην;
Don't you see little cows, just along my finger here, coming out from the midst of the rocks, and someone running down from the lookout post, holding a staff and keeping the herd from scattering further?
Ἥρα
ὁρῶ νῦν, εἴ γε ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν.
Hera: I see now, if indeed that is he.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλὰ ἐκεῖνος.
Hermes: It is indeed he.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ πλησίον ἤδη ἐσμέν, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ δοκεῖ, καταστάντες βαδίζωμεν, ἵνα μὴ διαταράξωμεν αὐτὸν ἄνωθεν ἐξ ἀφανοῦς καθιπτάμενοι.
Since we are already near, let us alight on the ground, if you agree, and walk, so that we do not throw him into confusion by flying down from above out of the invisible.
Ἥρα
εὖ λέγεις, καὶ οὕτω ποιῶμεν.
Hera: You speak well, and let us do so.
ἐπεὶ δὲ καταβεβήκαμεν, ὥρα σοι, ὦ Ἀφροδίτη, προϊέναι καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι ἡμῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ· σὺ γὰρ ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ἔμπειρος εἶ τοῦ χωρίου πολλάκις, ὡς λόγος, κατελθοῦσα πρὸς Ἀγχίσην.
Since we have descended, it is time for you, Aphrodite, to go ahead and lead the way for us; for you are naturally familiar with the place, having often come down, as story has it, to Anchises.
Ἀφροδίτη
οὐ σφόδρα, ὦ Ἥρα, τούτοις ἄχθομαι τοῖς σκώμμασιν.
Aphrodite: I am not very annoyed by these jokes, Hera.
§6Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλʼ οὖν ἐγὼ ὑμῖν ἡγήσομαι· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐνδιέτριψα τῇ Ἴδῃ, ὁπότε δὴ ὁ Ζεὺς ἤρα τοῦ μειρακίου τοῦ Φρυγός, καὶ πολλάκις δεῦρο ἦλθον ὑπʼ ἐκείνου καταπεμφθεὶς εἰς ἐπισκοπὴν τοῦ παιδός.
Hermes: Well, then, I will lead you; for I myself spent time on Ida when Zeus was in love with the Phrygian boy, and often came here sent down by him to look after the boy.
καὶ ὁπότε γε ἤδη ἐν τῷ ἀετῷ ἦν, συμπαριπτάμην αὐτῷ καὶ συνεκούφιζον τὸν καλόν, καὶ εἴ γε μέμνημαι, ἀπὸ ταυτησὶ τῆς πέτρας αὐτὸν ἀνήρπασεν.
And when he was already in the eagle, I flew alongside him and helped lift the beautiful boy, and if I remember correctly, he snatched him up from this very rock.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔτυχε τότε συρίζων πρὸς τὸ ποίμνιον, καταπτάμενος δὲ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ Ζεὺς κούφως μάλα τοῖς ὄνυξι περιβαλὼν καὶ τῷ στόματι τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ τιάραν ἔχων ἀνέφερε τὸν παῖδα τεταραγμένον καὶ τῷ τραχήλῳ ἀπεστραμμένῳ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποβλέποντα.
For he happened to be piping to his flock then, and Zeus, flying down behind him, very gently grasped him with his claws, holding the tiara on his head with his beak, and carried the boy up, who was terrified and looking back at him with his neck turned.
τότε οὖν ἐγὼ τὴν σύριγγα λαβών, ἀποβεβλήκει γὰρ αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους — ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁ διαιτητὴς οὑτοσὶ πλησίον, ὥστε προσείπωμεν αὐτόν.
Then I took the pipe—for he had dropped it out of fear. But indeed, here is the arbitrator close by, so let us address him.
§7Ἑρμῆς
χαῖρε, ὦ βουκόλε.
Hermes: Hail, herdsman!
Πάρις
νὴ καὶ σύ γε, ὦ νεανίσκε.
Paris: The same to you, young man.
τίς δὲ ὢν δεῦρο ἀφῖξαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς;
Who are you to have come here to us?
ἢ τίνας ταύτας ἄγεις τὰς γυναῖκας;
And who are these women you are bringing?
οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτήδειαι ὀρεοπολεῖν, οὕτως γε οὖσαι καλαί.
For they are not fit for wandering on the mountains, being so beautiful.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλʼ οὐ γυναῖκές εἰσιν, Ἥραν δέ, ὦ Πάρι, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶν καὶ Ἀφροδίτην ὁρᾷς·
Hermes: But they are not women, Paris; you see Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
κἀμὲ τὸν Ἑρμῆν ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Ζεύς — ἀλλὰ τί τρέμεις καὶ ὠχριᾷς;
And Zeus has sent me, Hermes—but why do you tremble and turn pale?
μὴ δέδιθι· χαλεπὸν γὰρ οὐδέν.
Do not fear, for there is nothing to dread.
κελεύει δέ σε δικαστὴν γενέσθαι τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῶν·
He commands you to be the judge of their beauty.
ἐπεὶ γάρ,
φησί,
καλός τε αὐτὸς εἶ καὶ σοφὸς τὰ ἐρωτικά, σοὶ τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπιτρέπω.
Since, he says, you are both handsome yourself and wise in matters of love, I entrust the judgment to you.
τοῦ δὲ ἀγῶνος τὸ ἆθλον εἴσῃ ἀναγνοὺς τὸ μῆλον.
And as for the prize of the contest, you will know when you read the apple.
Πάρις
φέρʼ ἴδω τί καὶ βούλεται.
Paris: Come, let me see what it wants.
ἡ καλή,
φησίν,
λαβέτω. πῶς ἂν οὖν, ὦ δέσποτα Ἑρμῆ, δυνηθείην ἐγὼ θνητὸς αὐτὸς καὶ ἀγροῖκος ὢν δικαστὴς γενέσθαι παραδόξου θέας καὶ μείζονος ἢ κατὰ βουκόλον;
"Let the beautiful one," it says, "take it." How then, lord Hermes, could I, a mortal myself and a rustic, be a judge of so wondrous a sight, which is too great for a herdsman?
τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα κρίνειν τῶν ἁβρῶν μᾶλλον καὶ ἀστικῶν· τὸ δὲ ἐμόν, αἶγα μὲν αἰγὸς ὁποτέρα ἡ καλλίων καὶ δάμαλιν ἄλλης δαμάλεως, τάχʼ ἂν δικάσαιμι κατὰ τὴν τέχνην·
For judging such things belongs rather to the refined and the city-dwellers; as for my part, I could perhaps judge, according to my art, which of two goats is the more beautiful, and a heifer against another heifer.