The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Homeric Hymns, by Andrew Lang

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Title: The Homeric Hymns
A New Prose Translation; and Essays, Literary and Mythological

Author: Andrew Lang

Release Date: July 20, 2005 [eBook #16338]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOMERIC HYMNS***

Transcribed from the 1899 George Allen edition by David Price, email
ccx074@coventry.ac.uk

THE HOMERIC HYMNS
A NEW PROSE TRANSLATION
AND ESSAYS, LITERARY AND MYTHOLOGICAL,
by Andrew Lang

[Bust of Athene. Forming a vase; found at Athens now in the British
Museum. (Fifth Century B.C.): langi.jpg]

DEDICATION

To Henry Butcher
A Little Token of
A Long Friendship

PREFACE

To translate the Hymns usually called "Homeric" had long been my wish,
and, at the Publisher's suggestion, I undertook the work. Though not in
partnership, on this occasion, with my friend, Mr. Henry Butcher
(Professor of Greek in the University of Edinburgh), I have been
fortunate in receiving his kind assistance in correcting the proofs of
the longer and most of the minor Hymns. Mr. Burnet, Professor of Greek
in the University of St. Andrews, has also most generously read the
proofs of the translation. It is, of course, to be understood that these
scholars are not responsible for the slips which may have wandered into
my version, the work of one whose Greek has long "rusted in disuse."
Indeed I must confess that the rendering "Etin" for [Greek text] is
retained in spite of Mr. Butcher, who is also not wholly satisfied with
"gledes of light," and with "shieling" for a pastoral summer station in
the hills. But I know no word for it in English south of Tweed.

Mr. A. S. Murray, the Head of the Classical Department in the British
Museum, has also been good enough to read, and suggest corrections in the
preliminary Essays; while Mr. Cecil Smith, of the British Museum, has
obligingly aided in selecting the works of art here reproduced.

The text of the Hymns is well known to be corrupt, in places impossible,
and much mended by conjecture. I have usually followed Gemoll (_Die
Homerisc