Muses' Whisper

Reader

Reader | Homeric Hymns, Hymn 18

Homeric Hymns

Homeric tradition

Hymn 18 | Primary edition: Hugh G. Evelyn-White

Previous hymnNext hymnsingle editionContinue down

Text

Position

Line 1 of 1

Line RefHugh G. Evelyn-White | English
1

Primary

I sing of Cyllenian Hermes, the Slayer of Argus, lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, luck-bringing messenger of the deathless gods. He was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she had made with Zeus, -- a shy goddess she. Ever she avoided the throng of the blessed gods and lived in a shadowy cave, and there the Son of Cronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymph at dead of night, while white-armed Hera lay bound in sweet sleep: and neither deathless god nor mortal man knew it. And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia; with you I have begun: now I will turn to another song! Hail, Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and giver of good things!

Permalink
Text notes and edition context

Work

Homeric Hymns

The Homeric Hymns range from brief invocations to extended mythic narratives, offering one of the clearest bridges between epic diction and cult praise.

Hymns | Original language: Ancient Greek

Archaic and later Greek hymn tradition, with core material commonly dated between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE

You are reading Hymn 18.

Primary Edition

Hugh G. Evelyn-White

English | Prose

Early 20th-century English prose translation

Evelyn-White's Loeb-era translation is a standard public-domain access edition for early Greek hymn material.

This edition preserves canonical hymn numbering and line-span references while reading smoothly in English prose.

Source family: English aggregate translations

Project Gutenberg / Internet Archive / Theoi | Public-domain source texts

English prose and verse classics consolidated into a single aggregate dataset.

Previous hymnNext hymnsingle editionBack to top

Primary source: English aggregate translations | Project Gutenberg / Internet Archive / Theoi.