§1Ἄρτεμιν (οὐ γὰρ ἐλαφρὸν ἀειδόντεσσι λαθέσθαι) §2ὑμνέομεν, τῇ τόξα λαγωβολίαι τε μέλονται §3καὶ χορὸς ἀμφιλαφὴς καὶ ἐν οὔρεσιν ἑψιάασθαι, §4ἄρχμενοι, ὡς ὅτε πατρὸς ἐφεζομένη γονάτεσσι §5παῖς ἔτι κουρίζουσα τάδε προσέειπε γονῆα
Artemis (for it is no light thing for singers to forget her) we sing, she whose care is the bow and hare-hunting and the spacious dance and sporting upon the mountains, beginning from when, sitting upon her father's knees, while yet a little maiden she thus addressed her parent: "Grant me to keep eternal virginity, dear father, and many names, that Phoebus may not vie with me.
§6δός μοι παρθενίην αἰώνιον, ἄππα, φυλάσσειν, §7καὶ πολυωνυμίην, ἵνα μή μοι Φοῖβος ἐρίζῃ. §8δὸς δʼ ἰοὺς καὶ τόξα—; ἔα, πάτερ, οὔ σε Φαρέτρην §9οὐδʼ αἰτέω μέγα τόξον·
And give me shafts and a bow—yet stay, father, I ask thee not for a quiver nor for a great bow; for me the Cyclopes will fashion arrows right soon, and for me a well-bent bow.
ἐμοὶ Κύκλωπες ὀιστοὺς §10αὐτίκα τεχνήσονται, ἐμοὶ δʼ εὐκαμπὲς ἄεμμα· §11ἀλλὰ φαεσφορίην τε καὶ ἐς γόνυ μέχρι χιτῶνα §12ζώννυσθαι λεγνωτόν, ἵνʼ ἄγρια θηρία καίνω.
But grant me to bring light and to gird a tunic down to the knee, with a fringed border, that I may slay wild beasts.
And give me sixty Oceanmaids to join my dance, all of nine years, all of them yet maidens without girdles.
§15δὸς δέ μοι ἀμφιπόλους Ἀμνισίδας εἴκοσι νύμφας, §16αἵ τέ μοι ἐνδρομίδας τε καὶ ὁππότε μηκέτι λύγκας §17μήτʼ ἐλάφους βάλλοιμι, θοοὺς κύνας εὖ κομέοιεν,
And give me for handmaidens twenty Amnisid nymphs, who shall care well for my hunting-boots, and when I no longer shoot lynxes or stags, shall tend my swift hounds.
§18δὸς δέ μοι οὔρεα πάντα· πόλιν δέ μοι ἥντινα νεῖμον §19ἥντινα λῇς· σπαρνὸν γὰρ ὅτʼ Ἄρτεμις ἄστυ κάτεισιν·
And give me all mountains; but for a city, assign me whichever you will; for seldom is it that Artemis goes down to a city.
§20οὔρεσιν οἰκήσω, πόλεσιν δʼ ἐπιμείξομαι ἀνδρῶν §21μοῦνον ὅτʼ ἐξείῃσιν ὑπʼ ὠδίνεσσι γυναῖκες §22τειρόμεναι καλέουσι βοηθόον, ᾗσί με Μοῖραι §23γεινομένην τὸ πρῶτον ἐπεκλήρωσαν ἀρήγειν, §24ὅττι με καὶ τίκτουσα καὶ οὐκ ἤλγησε φέρουσα §25μήτηρ, ἀλλʼ ἀμογητὶ φίλων ἀπεθήκατο γυίων. §26ὣς ἡ παῖς εἰποῦσα γενειάδος ἤθελε πατρὸς §27ἅψασθαι, πολλὰς δὲ μάτην ἐτανὐσσατο χεῖρας, §28μέχρις ἵνα ψαύσειε.
On the mountains will I dwell, and with the cities of men will I associate only when women, vexed by sharp pangs of childbirth, call me to their aid—whom the Fates assigned to help them from the very moment of my birth, because my mother bore me and carried me without pain, but without toil laid me down from her dear limbs." So speaking, the child wished to touch her father's beard, and many times in vain stretched forth her hands, until she might touch it.
πατὴρ δʼ ἐπένευσε γελάσσας, §29φῆ δὲ καταρρέζων
ὅτε μοι τοιαῦτα θέαιναι §30τίκτοιεν, τυτθόν κεν ἐγὼ ζηλήμονος Ἥρης §31χωομένης ἀλέγοιμι.
And the father nodded with a smile, and said, caressing her: "When goddesses bear me such children, little indeed should I care for the wrath of jealous Hera.
φέρευ, τέκος, ὅσσʼ ἐθελημὸς §32αἰτίζεις, καὶ δʼ ἄλλα πατὴρ ἔτι μείζονα δώσει.
Take, my child, all that thou askest with desire, and yet other and greater things will thy father give thee.
§33τρὶς δέκα τοι πτολίεθρα καὶ οὐχ ἕνα πύργον ὀπάσσω, §34τρὶς δέκα τοι πτολίεθρα, τὰ μὴ θεὸν ἄλλον ἀέξειν §35εἴσεται, ἀλλὰ μόνην σὲ καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος καλέεσθαι·
Thrice ten cities will I bestow on thee, and not one stronghold alone, thrice ten cities which shall know no other god to honor, but thee alone, and shall be called the cities of Artemis.
§36πολλὰς δὲ ξυνῇ πόλιας διαμετρήσασθαι §37μεσσόγεως νήσους τε· καὶ ἐν πάσῃσιν ἔσονται §38Ἀρτέμιδος βωμοί τε καὶ ἄλσεα.
And many cities moreover to share with other gods, both inland and in the islands; and in all of them there shall be altars and groves of Artemis.
And thou shalt be the watcher over ways and over harbors." So he spoke, and confirmed his word with his nod.
βαῖνε δὲ κούρη §41λευκὸν ἐπὶ Κρηταῖον ὄρος κεκομημένον ὕλῃ· §42ἔνθεν ἐπʼ Ὠκεανόν· πολέας δʼ ἐπελέξατο νύμφας, §43πάσας εἰνέτεας, πάσας ἔτι παῖδας ἀμίτρους.
And the maiden went onto the white Cretan mountain leafy with forests; thence to Ocean; and she chose many nymphs, all of nine years, all of them yet maidens without girdles.
And the river Cairatus rejoiced greatly, and Tethys rejoiced, because they sent their daughters as companions to the daughter of Leto.
§46αὖθι δὲ Κύκλωπας μετεκίαθε· τοὺς μὲν ἔτετμε §47νήσῳ ἐνὶ Λιπάρῃ (Λιπάρη νέον, ἀλλὰ τότʼ ἔσκεν §48οὔνομά οἱ Μελιγουνίς) ἐπʼ ἄκμοσιν Ἡφαίστοιο §49ἑσταότας περὶ μύδρον· ἐπείγετο γὰρ μέγα ἔργον· §50ἱππείην τετύκοντο Ποσειδάωνι ποτίστρην.
And straightway she went to visit the Cyclopes; them she found in the island of Lipara (Lipara of late, but then its name was Meligunis) at the anvils of Hephaestus, standing round a mass of red-hot iron; for a great work was pressing: they were fashioning a trough for the horses of Poseidon.
§51αἱ νύμφαι δʼ ἔδδεισαν, ὅπως ἴδον αἰνὰ πέλωρα §52πρηόσιν Ὀσσαίοισιν ἐοικότα, πᾶσι δʼ ὑπʼ ὀφρὺν §53φάεα μουνόγληνα σάκει ἴσα τετραβοείῳ §54δεινὸν ὑπογλαύσσοντα, καὶ ὁππότε δοῦπον ἄκουσαν §55ἄκμονος ἠχήσαντος ἐπὶ μέγα πουλύ τʼ ἄημα §56φυσάων αὐτῶν τε βαρὺν στόνον· αὖε γὰρ Αἴτνη, §57αὖε δὲ Τρινακίη, Σικανῶν ἕδος, αὖε δὲ γείτων §58Ἰταλίη, μεγάλην δὲ βοὴν ἐπὶ Κύρνος ἀύτει, §59εὖθʼ οἵ γε ῥαιστῆρας ἀειράμενοι ὑπὲρ ὤμων §60ἢ χαλκὸν ζείοντα καμινόθεν ἠὲ σίδηρον §61ἀμβολαδὶς τετυπόντες ἐπὶ μέγα μοχθήσειαν.
And the nymphs were terrified when they saw the terrible monsters, like unto the peaks of Ossa, and under the brow of all single-glanced eyes, equal to a shield of fourfold hide, glared terribly; and when they heard the noise of the echoing anvil, and the great, loud blast of the bellows, and the heavy groaning of the giants themselves; for Etna roared, and Trinacria roared, the seat of the Sicani, and neighboring Italy, and Cyrnus too re-echoed with a great cry, when they raised their hammers above their shoulders and struck either the boiling bronze from the furnace or the iron blow upon blow, laboring with great effort.
Therefore the Ocean-nymphs could not endure to look upon them face to face, nor to receive the din in their ears.
No wonder; for even those who are no longer very little, daughters of the blessed gods never look upon them without a shudder.
§66ἀλλʼ ὅτε κουράων τις ἀπειθέα μητέρι τεύχοι, §67μήτηρ μὲν Κύκλωπας ἑῇ ἐπὶ παιδὶ καλιστρεῖ, §68Ἄργην ἢ Στερόπην· ὁ δὲ δώματος ἐκ μυχάτοιο
But when any of the maidens shows herself disobedient to her mother, her mother calls the Cyclopes to her child, Arges or Steropes; and he from the innermost part of the house