§14.1ΕΡΜΗΣ
Ὠ Ἥλιε, μὴ ἐλάσῃς τήμερον, ὁ Ζεύς φησι, μηδὲ αὔριον μηδὲ εἰς τρίτην ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ ἔνδον μένε, καὶ τὸ μεταξὺ μία τις ἔστω νὺξ μακρά·
HERMES O Helios, do not drive your chariot today, so Zeus says, nor tomorrow, nor on the third day, but remain inside, and let the interval be one long night.
ὥστε λυέτωσαν μὲν αἱ Ὧραι αὖθις τοὺς ἵππους, σὺ δὲ σβέσον τὸ πῦρ καὶ ἀνάπαυε διὰ μακροῦ σεαυτόν.
Therefore let the Hours unyoke the horses again, and you, extinguish your fire and give yourself a long rest.
ΗΛΙΟΣ
Καινὰ ταῦτα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ ἀλλόκοτα ἥκεις παραγγέλλων.
HELIOS This is strange and monstrous news that you have come to deliver, Hermes.
ἀλλὰ μὴ παραβαίνειν τι ἔδοξα ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ ἔξω ἐλάσαι τῶν ὅρων, κᾆτά μοι ἄχθεται καὶ τὴν νύκτα τριπλασίαν τῆς ἡμέρας ποιῆσαι διέγνωκεν;
But can it be that I seemed to commit some transgression in my course and drive outside the boundaries, and so he is angry with me and has decided to make the night three times longer than the day?
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἐς ἀεὶ τοῦτο ἔσται· δεῖται δέ τι νῦν αὐτὸς ἐπιμηκεστέραν γενέσθαι οἱ τὴν νύκτα.
HERMES Nothing of the sort, nor will this be forever; but he himself needs the night to be made longer for him now.
ΗΛΙΟΣ
Ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἢ πόθεν ἐξεπέμφθης ταῦτα διαγγελῶν μοι;
HELIOS And where is he, or from where were you sent to announce these things to me?
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Ἐκ Βοιωτίας, ὦ Ἥλιε, παρὰ τῆς Ἀμφιτρύωνος, ᾗ σύνεστιν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς.
HERMES From Boeotia, Helios, from the wife of Amphitryon, with whom he is now, being in love with her.
ΗΛΙΟΣ
Εἶτα οὐχ ἱκανὴ νὺξ μία;
HELIOS Is one night not enough, then?
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Οὐδαμῶς· τεχθῆναι γάρ τινα δεῖ ἐκ τῆς ὁμιλίας ταύτης μέγαν καὶ πολύμοχθον· τοῦτον οὖν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ἀποτελεσθῆναι ἀδύνατον.
HERMES By no means; for from this intercourse someone great and full of labors must be born; it is therefore impossible for him to be fashioned in a single night.
§14.2ΗΛΙΟΣ
Ἀλλὰ τελεσιουργείτω μὲν ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ.
HELIOS Well, let him complete his work with good fortune.
ταῦτα δ’ οὖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, οὐκ ἐγίνετο ἐπὶ τοῦ Κρόνου—αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν—οὐδὲ ἀπόκοιτός ποτε ἐκεῖνος παρὰ τῆς Ῥέας ἦν οὐδὲ ἀπολιπὼν ἂν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν Θήβαις ἐκοιμᾶτο, ἀλλὰ ἡμέρα μὲν ἦν ἡ ἡμέρα, νὺξ δὲ κατὰ μέτρον τὸ αὐτῆς ἀνάλογον ταῖς ὥραις, ξένον δὲ ἢ παρηλλαγμένον οὐδέν, οὐδ’ ἂν ἐκοινώνησέ ποτε ἐκεῖνος θνητῇ γυναικί·
But at any rate, Hermes, such things did not happen in the time of Cronus—for we ourselves are witnesses of that—nor was he ever away from Rheia's bed, nor would he leave heaven to sleep in Thebes; but day was day, and night kept its own measure in proportion to the seasons, and there was nothing strange or altered, nor would he ever have associated with a mortal woman.
νῦν δὲ δυστήνου γυναίου ἕνεκα χρὴ ἀνεστράφθαι τὰ πάντα καὶ ἀκαμπεστέρους μὲν γενέσθαι τοὺς ἵππους ὑπὸ τῆς ἀργίας, δύσπορον δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀτριβῆ μένουσαν τριῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἀθλίους ἐν σκοτεινῷ διαβιοῦν.
But now, for the sake of a miserable woman, everything must be turned upside down, and my horses must become stiff from idleness, and my path, remaining untrodden for three consecutive days, will become difficult to traverse, while miserable humans must live their lives in darkness.
τοιαῦτα ἀπολαύσονται τῶν Διὸς ἐρώτων καὶ καθεδοῦνται περιμένοντες, ἔστ' ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἀποτελέσῃ τὸν ἀθλητήν, ὃν λέγεις, ὑπὸ μακρῷ τῷ ζόφῳ.
Such are the benefits they will reap from the loves of Zeus, and they will sit waiting in the long darkness until he finishes making that athlete you speak of.
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Σιώπα, ὦ Ἥλιε, μή τι κακὸν ἀπολαύσῃς τῶν λόγων.
HERMES Be silent, Helios, lest you reap some harm from your words.
ἐγὼ δὲ παρὰ τὴν Σελήνην ἀπελθὼν καὶ τὸν Ὕπνον ἀπαγγελῶ κἀκείνοις ἅπερ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐπέστειλε, τὴν μὲν σχολῇ προβαίνειν, τὸν δὲ Ὕπνον μὴ ἀνεῖναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἀγνοήσωσι μακρὰν οὕτω τὴν νύκτα γεγενημένην.
I will go off to Selene and Hypnos and announce to them also what Zeus has commanded: that she should proceed slowly, and that Hypnos should not release mankind, so that they may remain unaware that the night has been made so long.