The Complete Poetical Works, vol 3 | Page 8

and pastoral plain, _660 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, _665
The shell he proffered, and Apollo took;
85.
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 _670 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.
86.
The herd went wandering o'er the divine mead, _675 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 _680

Affection sweet,--and then, and now, and ever,
Hermes must love
Him of the Golden Quiver,
87.
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 _685 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;-- _690
88.
'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 _695 To make all mortal business ebb and
flow
By roguery:--now, Hermes, if you dare
By sacred Styx a
mighty oath to swear
89.
'That you will never rob me, you will do
A thing extremely
pleasing to my heart.' _700 Then Mercury swore 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 _705 There was no God or Man
whom he loved more.
90.
'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; _710 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.
91.
'For, dearest child, the divinations high _715 Which thou requirest,
'tis unlawful ever
That thou, or any other deity
Should
understand--and vain were the endeavour;
For they are hidden in
Jove's mind, and I,
In trust of them, have sworn that I would never
_720 Betray the counsels of Jove's inmost will
To any God--the oath
was terrible.
92.

'Then, golden-wanded brother, ask me not
To speak the fates by
Jupiter designed;
But be it mine to tell their various lot _725 To the

unnumbered tribes of human-kind.
Let good to these, and ill to those
be wrought
As I dispense--but he who comes consigned
By voice
and wings of perfect augury
To my great shrine, shall find avail in me.
_730
93.
'Him will I not deceive, but will assist;
But he who comes
relying on such birds
As chatter vainly, who would strain and twist

The purpose of the Gods with idle words,
And deems their
knowledge light, he shall have missed _735 His road--whilst I among
my other hoards
His gifts deposit. Yet, O son of May,
I have
another wondrous thing to say.
96.
'There are three Fates, three virgin Sisters, who
Rejoicing in
their wind-outspeeding wings, _740 Their heads with flour snowed
over white and new,
Sit in a vale round which Parnassus flings
Its
circling skirts--from these I have learned true
Vaticinations of
remotest things.
My father cared not. Whilst they search out dooms,
_745 They sit apart and feed on honeycombs.
95.
'They, having eaten the fresh honey, grow
Drunk with divine
enthusiasm, and utter
With earnest willingness the truth they know;

But if deprived of that sweet food, they mutter _750 All plausible
delusions;--these to you
I give;--if you inquire, they will not stutter;

Delight your own soul with them:--any man
You would instruct
may profit if he can.
96.
'Take these and the fierce oxen, Maia's child-- _755 O'er many a
horse and toil-enduring mule,
O'er jagged-jawed lions, and the wild

White-tusked boars, o'er all, by field or pool,
Of cattle which the
mighty Mother mild
Nourishes in her bosom, thou shalt rule-- _760
Thou dost alone the veil from death uplift--
Thou givest not--yet this
is a great gift.'
97.
Thus King Apollo loved the child of May
In truth, and Jove
covered their love with joy.
Hermes with Gods and Men even from
that day _765 Mingled, and wrought the latter much annoy,
And little
profit, going far astray
Through the dun night. Farewell, delightful
Boy,

Of Jove and Maia sprung,--never by me,
Nor thou, nor other
songs, shall unremembered be. _770

NOTES:
_13 cow-stealing]qy. cattle-stealing?
_57 stony
Boscombe manuscript. Harvard manuscript; strong edition 1824. _252
neighbouring]neighbour Harvard manuscript.
_336 hurl Harvard
manuscript, editions 1839; haul edition 1824.