HHA 1: 5.1-33
HHA: COMMENTS 1
HHA 2: 5.34-67
HHA 3: 5.68-99
HHA 4: 5.100-130
HHA 5: 5.131-167
HHA 6: 5.168-201
HHA 7: 5.202-236
HHA 8: 5.237-263
The Greek text is printed by permission of
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TLG® is a registered trademark of The Regents of the University of California.
The original text is also available here (at PERSEUS).
TEXT
τῇσι δ’ ἅμ’ ἢ ἐλάται ἠὲ δρύες ὑψικάρηνοι
γεινομένῃσιν ἔφυσαν ἐπὶ χθονὶ βωτιανείρῃ 265
καλαὶ τηλεθάουσαι ἐν οὔρεσιν ὑψηλοῖσιν.
ἑστᾶσ’ ἠλίβατοι, τεμένη δέ ἑ κικλήσκουσιν
ἀθανάτων· τὰς δ’ οὔ τι βροτοὶ κείρουσι σιδήρῳ.
ἀλλ’ ὅτε κεν δὴ μοῖρα παρεστήκῃ θανάτοιο
ἀζάνεται μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ χθονὶ δένδρεα καλά, 270
φλοιὸς δ’ ἀμφιπεριφθινύθει, πίπτουσι δ’ ἄπ’ ὄζοι,
τῶν δέ χ’ ὁμοῦ ψυχὴ λείποι φάος ἠελίοιο.
αἱ μὲν ἐμὸν θρέψουσι παρὰ σφίσιν υἱὸν ἔχουσαι.
τὸν μὲν ἐπὴν δὴ πρῶτον ἕλῃ πολυήρατος ἥβη
ἄξουσίν σοι δεῦρο θεαί, δείξουσί τε παῖδα· 275
σοὶ δ’ ἐγώ, ὄφρα κε ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ πάντα διέλθω,
ἐς πέμπτον ἔτος αὖτις ἐλεύσομαι υἱὸν ἄγουσα.
τὸν μὲν ἐπὴν δὴ πρῶτον ἴδῃς θάλος ὀφθαλμοῖσι,
γηθήσεις ὁρόων· μάλα γὰρ θεοείκελος ἔσται·
ἄξεις δ’ αὐτίκα νιν ποτὶ Ἴλιον ἠνεμόεσσαν. 280
ἢν δέ τις εἴρηταί σε καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων
ἥ τις σοὶ φίλον υἱὸν ὑπὸ ζώνῃ θέτο μήτηρ,
τῷ δὲ σὺ μυθεῖσθαι μεμνημένος ὥς σε κελεύω·
φασίν τοι νύμφης καλυκώπιδος ἔκγονον εἶναι
αἳ τόδε ναιετάουσιν ὄρος καταειμένον ὕλῃ. 285
εἰ δέ κεν ἐξείπῃς καὶ ἐπεύξεαι ἄφρονι θυμῷ
ἐν φιλότητι μιγῆναι ἐϋστεφάνῳ Κυθερείῃ,
Ζεύς σε χολωσάμενος βαλέει ψολόεντι κεραυνῷ.
εἴρηταί τοι πάντα· σὺ δὲ φρεσὶ σῇσι νοήσας
ἴσχεο μηδ’ ὀνόμαινε, θεῶν δ’ ἐποπίζεο μῆνιν. 290
Ὣς εἰποῦσ’ ἤϊξε πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἠνεμόεντα.
Χαῖρε θεὰ Κύπροιο ἐϋκτιμένης μεδέουσα·
σεῦ δ’ ἐγὼ ἀρξάμενος μεταβήσομαι ἄλλον ἐς ὕμνον. 293
TRANSLATION
At their birth pines and high-topped oaks sprouted
on the man-nourishing earth, beautiful and flourishing 265
on the lofty mountains. They stand huge and are called
precincts of the immortals. No way do mortals cut them with iron.
But when their lot of death has approached, first the handsome 270
trees in the earth get all parched and the bark shrivels all around,
and off fall the branches, and along with that their life
force leaves the light of the sun. The nymphs will keep my son
and rear him among them. And when he first comes into his
lovely youth full of desire goddesses will bring him here to you,
and they will show you your son. And so I can go through all this 275
in my heart I’ll come back with him to you five years from now.
When first you see him sprouting before your eyes the sight will
gladden your heart, for he will be like a god. You will
bring him in turn to windy Ilion. And if any mortal human asks 280
what mother bore you your dear son beneath her girdle,
to that person you remember to say as I bid you:
the women who inhabit this mountain clothed in forest
say that he is the offspring of a flower-faced maiden. 285
But if you speak out and boast in your mindless pride
that you had sex making love with Kythereia of the lovely garland,
Zeus in wrath will strike you with a smoldering bolt of lightning.
That’s all I have to say, and you use your sense and keep quiet
and name no names, duly mindful of the wrath of gods.” 290
So she spoke and darted off into windy heaven.
Fare well, goddess who rules over well-built Cyprus: I began
my hymn with you and will now change over to another.
ending with wrath! what a goddess!