Κλῦθί μευ, Ἑρμεία, Διὸς ἄγγελε, Μαιάδος υἱέ, Clŷthí meu, Hermeía, Diòs ángele, Mæádos hyié, παγκρατὲς ἦτορ ἔχων, ἐναγώνιε, κοίρανε θνητῶν, pancratès êtor échōn, enagṓnie, cœ́rane thnētôn, εὔφρον, ποικιλόβουλε, διάκτορε Ἀργειφόντα, eúphron, pœcilóboule, diáctore Argeiphónta, πτηνοπέδιλε, φίλανδρε, λόγου θνητοῖσι προφῆτα, ptēnopédile, phílandre, lógou thnētœ̂si prophêta, γυμνάσιν ὃς χαίρεις δολίαις τ’ ἀπάταις, στροφιοῦχε, gymnásin hòs chǽreis dolíæs t’ apátæs, strophioûche, ἑρμηνεῦ πάντων, κερδέμπορε, λυσιμέριμνε, hermēneû pántōn, cerdémpore, lysimérimne, ὃς χείρεσσιν ἔχεις εἰρήνης ὅπλον ἀμεμφές, hòs cheíressin écheis eirḗnēs hóplon amemphés, Κωρυκιῶτα, μάκαρ, ἐριούνιε, ποικιλόμυθε, Cōryciôta, mácar, erioúnie, pœcilómythe, ἐργασίαις ἐπαρωγέ, φίλε θνητοῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ergasíæs eparōgé, phíle thnētœ̂s en anáncæs, γλώσσης δεινὸν ὅπλον τὸ σεβάσμιον ἀνθρώποισι· glṓssēs deinòn hóplon tò sebásmion anthrṓpœsi; κλῦθί μευ εὐχομένου, βιότου τέλος ἐσθλὸν ὀπάζων clŷthí meu euchoménou, biótou télos esthlòn opázōn ἐργασίῃσι, λόγου χάρισιν, καὶ μνημοσύνῃσιν. ergasíēisi, lógou chárisin, cæ̀ mnēmosýnēisin.
Hermes, draw near, and to my pray’r incline,
angel of Jove,
and Maia’s son divine;
studious of contests, ruler of
mankind,
with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.
Celestial messenger, of various skill,
whose
pow’rful arts could watchful Argus kill:
with winged feet,
’tis Thine thro’ air to course,
O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:
great life-supporter,
to rejoice is Thine,
in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:
with pow’r endowed all language to
explain,
of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain.
Whose hand contains of blameless peace the
rod,
Corucian1, blessed, profitable God;
of various speech, whose aid in works we find,
and in necessities to
mortals kind:
dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere,
be present, Hermes, and Thy suppliant
hear;
assist my works, conclude my life with peace,
give graceful speech, and memory’s increase.