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LV

And from the folded depths of the great Hill,
While Hermes and Apollo reverent stood
Before Jove's throne, the indestructible
Immortals rushed in mighty multitude:
And whilst their seats in order due they fill,
The lofty Thunderer in a careless mood

To Phoebus said: Whence drive you this sweet prey,
This herald-baby, born but yesterday?-

LVI

A most important subject, trifler. this
To lay before the Gods! Nay, Father. nay,
When you have understood the business,
Say not that I alone am fond of prey.
I found this little boy in a recess

Under Cyllene's mountains far away-
A manifest and most apparent thief,
A scandalmonger beyond all belief.

LVII

'I never saw his like either in Heaven Or upon earth for knavery or craft:Out of the field my cattle yester-even.

By the low shore on which the loud sea laughed,

He right down to the river-ford had driven;

And mere astonishment would make you daft
To see the double kind of footsteps strange
He has impressed wherever he did range.

LVIII

"The cattle's track on the black dust, full well
Is evident, as if they went towards
The place from which they came--that asphodel
Meadow, in which I feed my many herds,-
His steps were most incomprehensible-

I know not how I can describe in words
Those tracks he could have gone along the sands
Neither upon his feet nor on his hands;-

LIX

'He must have had some other stranger mode Of moving on: those vestiges immense,

Far as I traced them on the sandy road,

No mark nor track denoting where they trod

Seemed like the trail of oak-toppings:-but thence

The hard ground gave:-but, working at his fence,
A mortal hedger saw him as he passed
To Pylos, with the cows, in fiery haste.

488 wrath] ruth Harvard MS.

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LX

'I found that in the dark he quietly
Had sacrificed some cows, and before light
Had thrown the ashes all dispersedly

About the road-then, still as gloomy night,
Had crept into his cradle, either eye

Rubbing, and cogitating some new sleight.
No eagle could have seen him as he lay
Hid in his cavern from the peering day.

LXI

'I taxed him with the fact, when he averred Most solemnly that he did neither see

Nor even had in any manner heard

Of my lost cows, whatever things cows be;
Nor could he tell, though offered a reward,

Not even who could tell of them to me.'
So speaking, Phoebus sate; and Hermes then
Addressed the Supreme Lord of Gods and Men:-

LXII

'Great Father, you know clearly beforehand
That all which I shall say to you is sooth;

I am a most veracious person, and
Totally unacquainted with untruth.

At sunrise Phoebus came, but with no band
Of Gods to bear him witness, in great wrath,
To my abode, seeking his heifers there,

And saying that I must show him where they are,

LXIII

'Or he would hurl me down the dark abyss. I know that every Apollonian limb

Is clothed with speed and might and manliness,

As a green bank with flowers-but unlike him

I was born yesterday, and you may guess

He well knew this when he indulged the whim
Of bullying a poor little new-born thing
That slept, and never thought of cow-driving.

LXIV

'Am I like a strong fellow who steals kine?
Believe me, dearest Father-such you are-
This driving of the herds is none of mine;
Across my threshold did I wander ne'er,
So may I thrive! I reverence the divine

Sun and the Gods, and I love you, and care
Even for this hard accuser- who must know
I am as innocent as they or you.

LXV

'I swear by these most gloriously-wrought portals (It is, you will allow, an oath of might) Through which the multitude of the Immortals

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LXXVI

- What Mase, what skill what unimagized use,
What exercise of subtlest art. has given
Thy Bongs Buen power?-for those who Lear may do082
From three, the choicest of the gifts of Heaven,

Delight, and love, and sleep.-sweet sleep, whose dews
Are sweeter than the balmy tears of even :—
And I who speak this praise, am that Apollo
Whom the Olympian Muses ever follow:

LXXVII

600

And their delight is dance, and the blithe noise
Of song and overflowing poest ;

603

And sweet, even as desire, the liquid voice
Of pipes, that fills the clear air thrillingly;
But never did my inmost soul rejoice
In this dear work of youthful revelry
As now. I wonder at thee, son of Jove:
Thy harpings and thy song are soft as love.

LXXVIII

Now since thou hast, although so very small. Science of arts so glorious, thus I swear.-And let this cornel javelin, keen and tall,

Witness between us what I promise here.That I will lead thee to the Olympian Hall,

Honoured and mighty, with thy mother dear. And many glorious gifts in joy will give thee, And even at the end will ne'er deceive thee.'

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LXXIX

To whom thus Mercury with prudent speech:--
Wisely hast thou inquired of my skill:
I envy thee no thing I know to teach
Even this day:-for both in word and will
I would be gentle with thee; thou canst reach
All things in thy wise spirit, and thy sill
Is highest in Heaven among the sons of Jove,
Who loves thee in the fulness of his love.

LXXX

"Tho Counsellor Supreme has given to thee
Divinest gifts, out of the amplitude
Of his profuse exhaustless treasury;

By thee, 'tis said, the depths are understood
Of his far voice; by thee the mystery

Of all oracular fates,-and the dread mood

Of the diviner is breathed up; even I

A child-perceive thy might and majesty.

LXXXI

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Thou canst seek out and compass all that wit

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Can find or teach; yet since thou wilt, come take

The lyre--be mine the glory giving it-

Strike the sweet chords, and sing aloud, and wake Thy joyous pleasure out of many a fit

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Of tranced sound-and with fleet fingers make
Thy liquid-voiced comrade talk with thee,-
It can talk measured music eloquently.

LXXXII

'Then bear it boldly to the revel loud,
Love-wakening dance, or feast of solemn state,
A joy by night or day-for those endowed
With art and wisdom who interrogate
It teaches, babbling in delightful mood

All things which make the spirit most elate,
Soothing the mind with sweet familiar play,
Chasing the heavy shadows of dismay.

LXXXIII

'To those who are unskilled in its sweet tongue,
Though they should question most impetuously

Its hidden soul, it gossips something wrong-
Some senseless and impertinent reply.
But thou who art as wise as thou art strong
Canst compass all that thou desirest. I
Present thee with this music-flowing shell,
Knowing thou canst interrogate it well.

LXXXIV

'And let us two henceforth together feed,
On this green mountain-slope and pastoral plain,
The herds in litigation-they will breed
Quickly enough to recompense our pain,

If to the bulls and cows we take good heed ;-
And thou, though somewhat over fond of gain,
Grudge me not half the profit.'- Having spoke,
The shell he proffered, and Apollo took;

LXXXV

And gave him in return the glittering lash,
Installing him as herdsman;-from the look

Of Mercury then laughed a joyous flash.

And then Apollo with the plectrum strook
The chords, and from beneath his hands a crash

Of mighty sounds rushed up, whose music shook
The soul with sweetness, and like an adept
His sweeter voice a just accordance kept.

LXXXVI

The herd went wandering o'er the divine mead,
Whilst these most beautiful Sons of Jupiter
Won their swift way up to the snowy head
Of white Olympus, with the joyous lyre
Soothing their journey; and their father dread
Gathered them both into familiar

673 and like 1839, 1st ed.; as of ed. 1824, Harvard MS.

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Affection sweet,-and then, and now, and ever,
Hermes must love Him of the Golden Quiver,

LXXXVII

To whom he gave the lyre that sweetly sounded,
Which skilfully he held and played thereon.
He piped the while, and far and wide rebounded
The echo of his pipings; every one

Of the Olympians sat with joy astounded;

While he conceived another piece of fun, One of his old tricks-which the God of Day Perceiving, said: I fear thee, Son of May;

LXXXVIII

'I fear thee and thy sly chameleon spirit,
Lest thou should steal my lyre and crooked bow;
This glory and power thou dost from Jove inherit,
To teach all craft upon the earth below;
Thieves love and worship thee-it is thy merit
To make all mortal business ebb and flow
By roguery:-now, Hermes, if you dare

6

By sacred Styx a mighty oath to swear

LXXXIX

That you will never rob me, you will do
A thing extremely pleasing to my heart.'
Then Mercury sware by the Stygian dew,

That he would never steal his bow or dart,
Or lay his hands on what to him was due,
Or ever would employ his powerful art
Against his Pythian fane. Then Phoebus swore
There was no God or Man whom he loved more.

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XC

And I will give thee as a good-will token,
The beautiful wand of wealth and happiness;
A perfect three-leaved rod of gold unbroken,
Whose magic will thy footsteps ever bless;
And whatsoever by Jove's voice is spoken
Of earthly or divine from its recess,
It, like a loving soul, to thee will speak,
And more than this, do thou forbear to seek.

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XCI

That thou, or any other deity

'For, dearest child, the divinations high Which thou requirest, 'tis unlawful ever

715

For they are hidden in Jove's mind, and I,

In trust of them, have sworn that I would never

Betray the counsels of Jove's inmost will

To any God - the oath was terrible.

713 loving] living cj. Rossetti.

Should understand and vain were the endeavour ;

720

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