of Maia.  What skill is this?  What song for desperate cares?  What way of song?  For verily here are three things to hand all at once from which to choose, —­ mirth, and love, and sweet sleep.  And though I am a follower of the Olympian Muses who love dances and the bright path of song —­ the full-toned chant and ravishing thrill of flutes —­ yet I never cared for any of those feats of skill at young men’s revels, as I do now for this:  I am filled with wonder, O son of Zeus, at your sweet playing.  But now, since you, though little, have such glorious skill, sit down, dear boy, and respect the words of your elders.  For now you shall have renown among the deathless gods, you and your mother also.  This I will declare to you exactly:  by this shaft of cornel wood I will surely make you a leader renowned among the deathless gods, and fortunate, and will give you glorious gifts and will not deceive you from first to last.’

(ll. 463-495) Then Hermes answered him with artful words:  `You question me carefully, O Far-worker; yet I am not jealous that you should enter upon my art:  this day you shall know it.  For I seek to be friendly with you both in thought and word.  Now you well know all things in your heart, since you sit foremost among the deathless gods, O son of Zeus, and are goodly and strong.  And wise Zeus loves you as all right is, and has given you splendid gifts.  And they say that from the utterance of Zeus you have learned both the honours due to the gods, O Far-worker, and oracles from Zeus, even all his ordinances.  Of all these I myself have already learned that you have great wealth.  Now, you are free to learn whatever you please; but since, as it seems, your heart is so strongly set on playing the lyre, chant, and play upon it, and give yourself to merriment, taking this as a gift from me, and do you, my friend, bestow glory on me.  Sing well with this clear-voiced companion in your hands; for you are skilled in good, well-ordered utterance.  From now on bring it confidently to the rich feast and lovely dance and glorious revel, a joy by night and by day.  Whoso with wit and wisdom enquires of it cunningly, him it teaches through its sound all manner of things that delight the mind, being easily played with gentle familiarities, for it abhors toilsome drudgery; but whoso in ignorance enquires of it violently, to him it chatters mere vanity and foolishness.  But you are able to learn whatever you please.  So then, I will give you this lyre, glorious son of Zeus, while I for my part will graze down with wild-roving cattle the pastures on hill and horse-feeding plain:  so shall the cows covered by the bulls calve abundantly both males and females.  And now there is no need for you, bargainer though you are, to be furiously angry.’

(ll. 496-502) When Hermes had said this, he held out the lyre:  and Phoebus Apollo took it, and readily put his shining whip in Hermes’ hand, and ordained him keeper of herds.  The son of Maia received it joyfully, while the glorious son of Leto, the lord far-working Apollo, took the lyre upon his left arm and tried each string with the key.  Awesomely it sounded at the touch of the god, while he sang sweetly to its note.