Muse, tell me about Pan, the dear son of Hermes, with his goat's feet and two horns —a lover of merry noise. Through wooded glades he wanders with dancing nymphs who foot it on some sheer cliff's edge, calling upon Pan, the shepherd-god, long-haired, unkempt.
ἀμφί μοι Ἑρμείαο φίλον γόνον ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα,αἰγιπόδην, δικέρωτα, φιλόκροτον, ὅστ’ ἀνὰ πίσηδενδρήεντ’ ἄμυδις φοιτᾷ χορογηθέσι νύμφαις,αἵ τε κατ’ αἰγίλιπος πέτρης στείβουσι κάρηνα Πᾶν’ ἀνακεκλόμεναι, νόμιον θεόν, ἀγλαέθειρον,αὐχμήενθ’, ὃς πάντα λόφον νιφόεντα λέλογχεκαὶ κορυφὰς ὀρέων καὶ πετρήεντα κάρηνα.
He has every snowy crest and the mountain peaks and rocky crests for his domain; hither and thither he goes through the close thickets, now lured by soft streams, and now he presses on amongst towering crags and climbs up to the highest peak that overlooks the flocks.
φοιτᾷ δ’ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα διὰ ῥωπήια πυκνά,ἄλλοτε μὲν ῥείθροισιν ἐφελκόμενος μαλακοῖσιν, ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖ πέτρῃσιν ἐν ἠλιβάτοισι διοιχνεῖ,ἀκροτάτην κορυφὴν μηλοσκόπον εἰσαναβαίνων.
Often he courses through the glistening high mountains, and often on the shouldered hills he speeds along slaying wild beasts, this keen-eyed god. Only at evening, as he returns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on his pipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody —that bird who in flower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves.
πολλάκι δ’ ἀργινόεντα διέδραμεν οὔρεα μακρά,πολλάκι δ’ ἐν κνημοῖσι διήλασε θῆρας ἐναίρων,ὀξέα δερκόμενος· τότε δ’ ἕσπερος ἔκλαγεν οἶον ἄγρης ἐξανιών, δονάκων ὕπο μοῦσαν ἀθύρωννήδυμον·
At that hour the clear-voiced nymphs are with him and move with nimble feet, singing by some spring of dark water, while Echo wails about the mountain-top, and the god on this side or on that of the choirs, or at times sidling into the midst, plies it nimbly with his feet.
οὐκ ἂν τόν γε παραδράμοι ἐν μελέεσσινὄρνις, ἥτ’ ἔαρος πολυανθέος ἐν πετάλοισιθρῆνον ἐπιπροχέουσ’ ἀχέει μελίγηρυν ἀοιδήν.σὺν δέ σφιν τότε Νύμφαι ὀρεστιάδες λιγύμολποι φοιτῶσαι πύκα ποσσὶν ἐπὶ κρήνῃ μελανύδρῳμέλπονται·
On his back he wears a spotted lynx-pelt, and he delights in high-pitched songs in a soft meadow where crocuses and sweet-smelling hyacinths bloom at random in the grass.
κορυφὴν δὲ περιστένει οὔρεος Ἠχώ·δαίμων δ’ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα χορῶν, τοτὲ δ’ ἐς μέσον ἕρπων,πυκνὰ ποσὶν διέπει, λαῖφος δ’ ἐπὶ νῶτα δαφοινὸνλυγκὸς ἔχει, λιγυρῇσιν ἀγαλλόμενος φρένα μολπαῖς ἐν μαλακῷ λειμῶνι, τόθι κρόκος ἠδ’ ὑάκινθοςεὐώδης θαλέθων καταμίσγεται ἄκριτα ποίῃ.
They sing of the blessed gods and high Olympus and choose to tell of such an one as luck-bringing Hermes above the rest, how he is the swift messenger of all the gods, and how he came to Arcadia, the land of many springs and mother of flocks, there where his sacred place is as god of Cyllene.
ὑμνεῦσιν δὲ θεοὺς μάκαρας καὶ μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον·οἷόν θ’ Ἑρμείην ἐριούνιον ἔξοχον ἄλλωνἔννεπον, ὡς ὅ γ’ ἅπασι θεοῖς θοὸς ἄγγελός ἐστι, καί ῥ’ ὅ γ’ ἐς Ἀρκαδίην πολυπίδακα, μητέρα μήλων,ἐξίκετ’, ἔνθα τέ οἱ τέμενος Κυλληνίου ἐστίν.
For there, though a god, he used to tend curly-fleeced sheep in the service of a mortal man, because there fell on him and waxed strong melting desire to wed the rich-tressed daughter of Dryops, and there he brought about the merry marriage.
ἔνθ’ ὅ γε καὶ θεὸς ὢν ψαφαρότριχα μῆλ’ ἐνόμευενἀνδρὶ πάρα θνητῷ θάλε γὰρ πόθος ὑγρὸς ἐπελθὼννύμφῃ ἐυπλοκάμῳ Δρύοπος φιλότητι μιγῆναι·
And in the house she bare Hermes a dear son who from his birth was marvellous to look upon, with goat's feet and two horns —a noisy, merry-laughing child. But when the nurse saw his uncouth face and full beard, she was afraid and sprang up and fled and left the child.
ἐκ δ’ ἐτέλεσσε γάμον θαλερόν. τέκε δ’ ἐν μεγάροισινἙρμείῃ φίλον υἱόν, ἄφαρ τερατωπὸν ἰδέσθαι,αἰγιπόδην, δικέρωτα, φιλόκροτον, ἡδυγέλωτα·φεῦγε δ’ ἀναΐξασα, λίπεν δ’ ἄρα παῖδα τιθήνηδεῖσε γάρ, ὡς ἴδεν ὄψιν ἀμείλιχον, ἠυγένειον.
Then luck-bringing Hermes received him and took him in his arms: very glad in his heart was the god. And he went quickly to the abodes of the deathless gods, carrying his son wrapped in warm skins of mountain hares, and set him down beside Zeus and showed him to the rest of the gods.
τὸν δ’ αἶψ’ Ἑρμείας ἐριούνιος εἰς χέρα θῆκεδεξάμενος, χαῖρεν δὲ νόῳ περιώσια δαίμων.ῥίμφα δ’ ἐς ἀθανάτων ἕδρας κίε παῖδα καλύψαςδέρμασιν ἐν πυκινοῖσιν ὀρεσκῴοιο λαγωοῦπὰρ δὲ Ζηνὶ κάθιζε καὶ ἄλλοις ἀθανάτοισι, δεῖξε δὲ κοῦρον ἑόν·
Then all the immortals were glad in heart and Bacchic Dionysus in especial; and they called the boy Pan because he delighted all their hearts. And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favour with a song. And now I will remember you and another song also.
πάντες δ’ ἄρα θυμὸν ἔτερφθενἀθάνατοι, περίαλλα δ’ ὁ Βάκχειος Διόνυσος·Πᾶνα δέ μιν καλέεσκον, ὅτι φρένα πᾶσιν ἔτερψε.καὶ σὺ μὲν οὕτω χαῖρε, ἄναξ, ἵλαμαι δέ σ’ ἀοιδῇαὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ’ ἀοιδῆς.