| Tell me, Muse, about Hermes’ dear son, | |
| his goat-footed, two-horned, noise-loving son | |
| who roams wooded meadows with dancing nymphs. | |
| The goddesses scamper up cliffs of sheer rock | |
| invoking Pan, shepherd god with wild, shining hair, | |
| whose domain includes all snowy crests, | |
| mountain heights, and rocky paths. | |
| He wanders through thick underbrush | |
| now drawn to gentle streams, | |
| now hoofing about steep boulders, | 10 |
| climbing to the highest peak to watch for sheep. | |
| Often he dashes across white mountain ridges; | |
| often he tramps keen-eyed across the foothills, | |
| slaying beasts. Only back from the hunt at evening, | |
| he whistles, playing a sweet tune on his pipes. | |
| No bird, not even a nightingale among the leaves | |
| pouring forth a lament of honey-tongued song | |
| during spring bloom, could surpass his melodies. | |
| The mountain nymphs join him, their voices high, | |
| their feet a blur as they dance in a deep spring, | 20 |
| an echo resounding about the mountain top. | |
| Then the god slips to the center, shaping the dance | |
| with feet flashing, wearing a tawny lynx pelt | |
| on his back. The piercing song thrills him | |
| in the soft meadow where sweet-smelling crocus | |
| and hyacinth bloom, mingling with grasses. | |
| | |
| They celebrate the blessed gods and high Olympos | |
| and sing about preeminent Hermes the Luck-bringer: | |
| how he is the swift messenger for all the gods; | |
| how he alighted in Arcadia, motherland of many | 30 |
| springs and flocks, and Kyllene, his sacred mountain. | |
| There, though a god, he served the mortal Dryops, | |
| tending curly-fleeced sheep, when wet desire bloomed | |
| to mingle in love with the man’s fair-haired daughter. | |
| From that, he won a flourishing marriage. In her house | |
| Dryope bore Hermes a dear son, marvelous to behold: | |
| goat-footed, horned, full of noise and sweet laughter. | |
| Jumping up, his mother fled in fear and left the child | |
| when she saw his rough, full-bearded face. | |
| Luck-bringing Hermes quickly took him in his arms, | 40 |
| welcoming him, and the god’s mind filled with joy. | |
| Wrapping his child in the thick fur of mountain hare, | |
| he flew swiftly to the home of the immortals. | |
| Hermes set him down by Zeus and the other gods, | |
| and revealed his son. All the gods were delighted | |
| in their hearts, but especially Bacchic Dionysos. | |
| “Pan” they named him, because he delighted them “all.” | |
| And so farewell, Lord, as I appease you with song— | |
| but I will remember you and the rest of the song. | |