Perseus · Tufts
All Greek and Roman Materials
Collections: Classics · Papyri · Renaissance · London · California · Upper Midwest · Chesapeake · Boyle · Tufts History
Configure display · Help · Tools · Copyright · FAQ · Publications · Collaborations · Support Perseus
Classics:
Classics collection contents
About the Classics collection

Greek Hist. Overview
Art & Arch. Catalogs

Other Tools & Lexica

Plot:
  • sites on this page
  • sites in this hymn
  • sites in this document
  • dates in this document

    Display text chunked by:
    hymn (default)
    card (default)

    Contents:
  • To Dionysus
  • To Demeter
  • To Hermes
  • To Aphrodite
  • To Aphrodite
  • To Dionysus
  • To Ares
  • To Artemis
  • To Aphrodite
  • To Athena
  • To Hera
  • To Demeter
  • To the Mother of the Gods
  • To Heracles the Lion-Hearted
  • To Asclepius
  • To the Dioscuri
  • To Hermes
  • To Pan
  • To Hephaestus
  • to Apollo
  • To Poseidon
  • To the Son of Cronos, Most High
  • To Hestia
  • To the Muses and Apollo
  • To Dionysus
  • To Artemis
  • To Athena
  • To Hestia
  • To Earth the Mother of All
  • To Helios
  • To Selene
  • To the Dioscuri
  • Homeric Hymns (ed. Hugh G. Evelyn-White)

    Editions and translations: Greek (ed. Hugh G. Evelyn-White) | English (ed. Hugh G. Evelyn-White)
    Your current position in the text is marked in red. Click anywhere on the line to jump to another position.
    hymn=1:line=5 hymn=2:line=1 hymn=2:line=30 hymn=2:line=50 hymn=2:line=80 hymn=2:line=100 hymn=2:line=118 hymn=2:line=140 hymn=2:line=160 hymn=2:line=184 hymn=2:line=210 hymn=2:line=230 hymn=2:line=245 hymn=2:line=270 hymn=2:line=292 hymn=2:line=320 hymn=2:line=345 hymn=2:line=370 hymn=2:line=395 hymn=2:line=410 hymn=2:line=440 hymn=2:line=460 hymn=2:line=490 hymn=3:line=5 hymn=3:line=30 hymn=3:line=50 hymn=3:line=80 hymn=3:line=95 hymn=3:line=125 hymn=3:line=145 hymn=3:line=170 hymn=3:line=1 hymn=3:line=205 hymn=3:line=225 hymn=3:line=255 hymn=3:line=275 hymn=3:line=300 hymn=3:line=317a hymn=3:line=340 hymn=3:line=360 hymn=3:line=390 hymn=3:line=405 hymn=3:line=430 hymn=3:line=450 hymn=3:line=480 hymn=3:line=500 hymn=3:line=530 hymn=3:line=540 hymn=4:line=5 hymn=4:line=30 hymn=4:line=55 hymn=4:line=75 hymn=4:line=94 hymn=4:line=120 hymn=4:line=135 hymn=4:line=165 hymn=4:line=185 hymn=4:line=210 hymn=4:line=235 hymn=4:line=256 hymn=4:line=280 hymn=4:line=300 hymn=4:line=330 hymn=4:line=350 hymn=4:line=380 hymn=4:line=400 hymn=4:line=409b hymn=4:line=435 hymn=4:line=455 hymn=4:line=485 hymn=4:line=505 hymn=4:line=525 hymn=4:line=545 hymn=4:line=565 hymn=5 hymn=5:line=20 hymn=5:line=40 hymn=5:line=70 hymn=5:line=85 hymn=5:line=95 hymn=5:line=115 hymn=5:line=140 hymn=5:line=165 hymn=5:line=185 hymn=5:line=210 hymn=5:line=230 hymn=5:line=250 hymn=5:line=280 hymn=6:line=5 hymn=7:line=1 hymn=7:line=25 hymn=7:line=45 hymn=8:line=5 hymn=9:line=5 hymn=11 hymn=12:line=5 hymn=14 hymn=15:line=5 hymn=17 hymn=18:line=5 hymn=19:line=10 hymn=19:line=40 hymn=20:line=5 hymn=22 hymn=24 hymn=25:line=1 hymn=26:line=10 hymn=27:line=15 hymn=28:line=5 hymn=29:line=5 hymn=30:line=1 hymn=31:line=1 hymn=32 hymn=33

    Table of ContentsGo to Previous Next

    To Hermes

    [1] Muse, sing of Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia, lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, the luck-bringing messenger of the immortals whom Maia bare, the rich-tressed nymph, when she was joined in love with Zeus, [5] --a shy goddess, for she avoided the company of the blessed gods, and lived within a deep, shady cave. There the son of Cronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymph, unseen by deathless gods and mortal men, at dead of night while sweet sleep should hold white-armed Hera fast. [10] And when the purpose of great Zeus was fulfilled, and the tenth moon with her was fixed in heaven, she was delivered and a notable thing was come to pass. For then she bare a son, of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, [15] a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods. Born with the dawning, at mid-day he played on the lyre, and in the evening he stole the cattle of far-shooting Apollo on the fourth day of the month; for on that day queenly Maia bare him. [20] So soon as he had leaped from his mother's heavenly womb, he lay not long waiting in his holy cradle, but he sprang up and sought the oxen of Apollo. But as he stepped over the threshold of the high-roofed cave, he found a tortoise there and gained endless delight. [25] For it was Hermes who first made the tortoise a singer. The creature fell in his way at the courtyard gate, where it was feeding on the rich grass before the dwelling, waddling along. When he saw it, the luck-bringing son of Zeus laughed and said:



    There are a total of 6 comments on and cross references to this page.

    Further comments from Thomas W. Allen, E. E. Sikes, Commentary on the Homeric Hymns:
    line 1: Hermên
    line 1: Maiados
    line 10: Dios Noos eXeteleito
    line 15: oPôpÊtêra
    line 15: Pulêdokon
    line 25 (general note)

    Cross references from Thomas W. Allen, E. E. Sikes, Commentary on the Homeric Hymns:
    * [HYMN TO APOLLO]
    * [HYMN TO APOLLO]


    Preferred URL for linking to this page: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=HH+4+1

    The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.

    This text is based on the following book(s):
    Anonymous. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Homeric Hymns. Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914.
    OCLC: 41785942
    ISBN: 0674990633

    Buy a copy of this text (not necessarily the same edition) from Amazon.com.

    Previous Next