source ⟩ hypertext ⟩ public ⟩ hymns ⟩ hermes ⟩ en.pug

//- meta
	slug: "hymns/hermes"
	lang: en
	title: "Orphic Hymn to Hermes"
	pageCreated: "2026-04-17"

extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug

block navbar
	ul
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/cybele") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Μητρος Θεων] #[i To the Mother of the Gods]
		li.nav-current ΚΗʹ · XXVIII
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/persephone") #[i To Persephone] #[b(lang="grc") Υμνος Φερσεφονης] #[span.dingbat ❧]

block ancient-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/hermes-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient statue of Hermes")

block modern-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/hermes-modern.jpg" alt="Modern painting of Hermes")

block greek
	h1 Ἑρμοῦ
	div.offering Θυμίαμα λίβανον
	p.hymn-greek
		:format-hymn
			Κλῦθί μευ, Ἑρμεία, Διὸς ἄγγελε, Μαιάδος υἱέ,
			παγκρατὲς ἦτορ ἔχων, ἐναγώνιε, κοίρανε θνητῶν,
			εὔφρον, ποικιλόβουλε, διάκτορε Ἀργειφόντα,
			πτηνοπέδιλε, φίλανδρε, λόγου θνητοῖσι προφῆτα,
			γυμνάσιν ὃς χαίρεις δολίαις τ’ ἀπάταις, στροφιοῦχε,
			ἑρμηνεῦ πάντων, κερδέμπορε, λυσιμέριμνε,
			ὃς χείρεσσιν ἔχεις εἰρήνης ὅπλον ἀμεμφές,
			Κωρυκιῶτα, μάκαρ, ἐριούνιε, ποικιλόμυθε,
			ἐργασίαις ἐπαρωγέ, φίλε θνητοῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις,
			γλώσσης δεινὸν ὅπλον τὸ σεβάσμιον ἀνθρώποισι·
			κλῦθί μευ εὐχομένου, βιότου τέλος ἐσθλὸν ὀπάζων
			ἐργασίῃσι, λόγου χάρισιν, καὶ μνημοσύνῃσιν.

block english
	h1 To Hermes
	div.offering The fumigation from frankincense
	p.hymn-english Hermes, draw near, and to my pray’r incline,#[br]angel of #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove], and #[span.theonym(greek="Mæa’s") Maia’s] son divine;#[br]studious of contests, ruler of mankind,#[br]with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.#[br]Celestial messenger, of various skill,#[br]whose pow’rful arts could watchful #[span.theonym(greek="Argos") Argus] kill:#[br]with winged feet, ’tis Thine thro’ air to course,#[br]O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:#[br]great life-supporter, to rejoice is Thine,#[br]in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:#[br]with pow’r endowed all language to explain,#[br]of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain.#[br]Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod,#[br]Corucian#[+sn(1)], blessed, profitable God;#[br]of various speech, whose aid in works we find,#[br]and in necessities to mortals kind:#[br]dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere,#[br]be present, Hermes, and Thy suppliant hear;#[br]assist my works, conclude my life with peace,#[br]give graceful speech, and memory’s increase.
	+sn(1)
		p Corycus was a promontory in Cicilia, on the southern coast of today’s Turkey. Its inhabitants had a reputation of spying out the value of passing ships’ cargo and pirating them; #[i(lang="grc") Κωρυκαῖος] thus became a byword for spies and eavesdroppers. #[i –Ed.]