Hymn to Delian Apollon

Part One of the Homeric Hymn to Apollon III

• lines 1–18 I will remember and not be unmindful of Apollon who shoots afar. As he goes through the house of Zeus, the gods tremble before him and all spring up from their seats when he draws near, as he bends his bright bow. But Leto alone stays by the side of Zeus who delights in thunder; and then she unstrings his bow, and closes his quiver, and takes his bow from his strong shoulders in her hands and hangs it on a golden peg against a pillar of his father's house. Then she leads him to a seat and makes him sit; and the Father gives him nectar in a golden cup welcoming his dear son, while the other gods make him sit down there, and queenly Leto rejoices because she gave birth to a mighty son and an archer. Rejoice, blessed Leto, for you gave birth to glorious children, the lord Apollon and Artemis who delights in arrows; her in Ortygia, and him in rocky Delos, as you rested against the great mass of the Kynthian hill hard by a palm-tree by the streams of Inopos.
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• lines 19–29 How, then, shall I sing of you who in all ways are a worthy theme of song? For everywhere, O Phoibos, the whole range of song is fallen to you, both over the mainland that rears heifers and over the isles. All mountain-peaks and high headlands of lofty hills and rivers flowing out to the deep and beaches sloping seawards and havens of the sea are your delight. Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to be the joy of men, as she rested against Mount Kynthus in that rocky isle, in sea-girt Delos—while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwards driven by shrill winds—whence arising you rule over all mortal men?
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• lines 30–50 Among those who are in Krete, and in the township of Athens, and in the isle of Aigina and Euboia, famous for ships, in Aegae and Eiresiae and Peparethus near the sea, in Thrakian Athos and Pelion's towering heights and Thrakian Samos and the shady hills of Ida, in Skyros and Phokaea and the high hill of Autokane and fair-lying Imbros and smoldering Lemnos and rich Lesbos, home of Makar, the son of Aeolus, and Khios, brightest of all the isles that lie in the sea, and craggy Mimas and the heights of Korykos and gleaming Klaros and the sheer hill of Aisagea and watered Samos and the steep heights of Mykale, in Miletus and Kos, the city of Meropian men, and steep Knidos and windy Karpathos, in Naxos and Paros and rocky Rhenaea—so far roamed Leto in travail with the god who shoots afar, to see if any land would be willing to make a dwelling for her son. But they greatly trembled and feared, and none, not even the richest of them, dared receive Phoibos, until queenly Leto set foot on Delos and uttered winged words and asked her:
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• lines 51–61 "Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my son Phoibos Apollon and make him a rich temple—for no other will touch you, as you will find; and I think you will never be rich in oxen and sheep, nor bear vintage nor yet produce plants abundantly. But if you have the temple of far-shooting Apollon, all men will bring you hecatombs and gather here, and incessant savor of rich sacrifice will always arise, and you will feed those who dwell in you from the hand of strangers; for truly your own soil is not rich."
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• lines 62–82 So spoke Leto. And Delos rejoiced and answered and said: "Leto, most glorious daughter of great Koios, joyfully would I receive your child the far-shooting lord; for it is all too true that I am ill-spoken of among men, whereas thus I should become very greatly honored. But this saying I fear, and I will not hide it from you, Leto. They say that Apollon will be one that is very haughty and will greatly lord it among gods and men all over the fruitful earth. Therefore, I greatly fear in heart and spirit that as soon as he sees the light of the sun, he will scorn this island—for truly I have but a hard, rocky soil—and overturn me and thrust me down with his feet in the depths of the sea; then will the great ocean wash deep above my head for ever, and he will go to another land such as will please him, there to make his temple and wooded groves. So, many-footed creatures of the sea will make their lairs in me and black seals their dwellings undisturbed, because I lack people. Yet if you will but dare to swear a great oath, goddess, that here first he will build a glorious temple to be an oracle for men, then let him afterwards make temples and wooded groves amongst all men; for surely he will be greatly renowned."
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• lines 83–88 So said Delos. And Leto swore the great oath of the gods: "Now hear this, Ge (Earth) and wide Ouranos (Heaven) above, and dripping water of Styx, this is the strongest and most awful oath for the blessed gods, surely Phoibos shall have here his fragrant altar and precinct, and you he shall honor above all."
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• lines 89–101 Now when Leto had sworn and ended her oath, Delos was very glad at the birth of the far-shooting lord. But Leto was racked nine days and nine nights with pangs beyond wont. And there were with her all the most notable of the goddesses, Dione and Rhea and Ichnaea and Themis and loud-moaning Amphitrite and the other deathless goddesses save white-armed Hera, who sat in the halls of cloud-gathering Zeus. Only Eileithyia, goddess of sore travail, had not heard of Leto's trouble, for she sat on the top of Olympos beneath golden clouds by white-armed Hera's contriving, who kept her close through envy, because Leto with the lovely tresses was soon to bear a son faultless and strong.
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• lines 102–114 But the goddesses sent out Iris from the well-set isle to bring Eileithyia, promising her a great necklace strung with golden threads, nine cubits long. And they asked Iris to call her aside from white-armed Hera, lest she might afterwards turn her from coming with her words. When swift Iris, fleet of foot as the wind, had heard all this, she set to run; and quickly finishing all the distance she came to the home of the gods, sheer Olympos, and forthwith called Eileithyia out from the hall to the door and spoke winged words to her, telling her all as the goddesses who dwell on Olympos had bidden her. So she moved the heart of Eileithyia in her dear breast; and they went their way, like shy wild-doves in their going.
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• lines 115–122 And as soon as Eileithyia the goddess of sore travail set foot on Delos, the pains of birth seized Leto, and she longed to bring forth; so she cast her arms about a palm tree and kneeled on the soft meadow while the earth laughed for joy beneath. Then the child leaped forth to the light, and all the goddesses washed you purely and cleanly with sweet water, and swathed you in a white garment of fine texture, new-woven, and fastened a golden band about you.
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• lines 123–130 Now Leto did not give Apollon, bearer of the golden blade, her breast; but Themis duly poured nectar and ambrosia with her divine hands; and Leto was glad because she had borne a strong son and an archer. But as soon as you had tasted that divine heavenly food, O Phoibos, you could no longer then be held by golden cords nor confined with bands, but all their ends were undone. Forthwith Phoibos Apollon spoke out among the deathless goddesses:
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• lines 131–132 "The lyre and the curved bow shall ever be dear to me, and I will declare to men the unfailing will of Zeus."
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• lines 133–139 So said Phoibos, the long-haired god who shoots afar and began to walk upon the wide-pathed earth; and all goddesses were amazed at him. Then with gold all Delos was laden, beholding the child of Zeus and Leto, for joy because the god chose her above the islands and shore to make his dwelling on her; and she loved him yet more in her heart blossomed as does a mountaintop with woodland flowers.
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• lines 140–164 And you, O lord Apollon, god of the silver bow, shooting afar, now walked on craggy Kynthus, and now kept wandering about the islands and the people on them. Many are your temples and wooded groves, and all peaks and towering bluffs of lofty mountains and rivers flowing to the sea are dear to you, Phoibos, yet in Delos do you most delight your heart; for there the long robed Ionians gather in your honor with their children and shy wives; mindful, they delight you with boxing and dancing and song, so often as they hold their gathering. A man would say that they were deathless and un-ageing if he should then come upon the Ionians so met together. For he would see the graces of them all, and would be pleased in heart gazing at the men and well-girded women with their swift ships and great wealth. And there is this great wonder besides—and its renown shall never perish—the girls of Delos, hand-maidens of the Far-Shooter; for when they have praised Apollon first, and also Leto and Artemis who delights in arrows, they sing a strain, telling of men and women of past days, and charm the tribes of men. Also they can imitate the tongues of all men and their clattering speech; each would say that he himself was singing, so close to truth is their sweet song.
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• lines 165–178 And now may Apollon be favorable and Artemis; and farewell all you maidens. Remember me in after-time whenever any one of the men on earth, a stranger who has seen and suffered much, comes here and asks of you: "Whom think you, girls, is the sweetest singer that comes here, and in whom do you most delight?" Then answer, each and all, with one voice: "He is a blind man, and dwells in rocky Chios; his lays are evermore supreme." As for me, I will carry your renown as far as I roam over the earth to the well-placed cities of man, and they will believe also; for indeed this thing is true. And I will never cease to praise far-shooting Apollon, god of the silver bow, whom rich-haired Leto bare.