[427] κραίνων: the nominative is sound, as “ἐρατὴ δέ οἱ κτλ.” is parenthetic, but “κραίνειν” in this connexion is remarkable. Hesychius explains “κραίνειν” by “τιμᾶν”, following which Maurophrydes in K. Z. vii. 346 gives the sense of “honour in song” definitely to the word here, as in 531 (“ἐπικραίνουσα”) and 559. This may be doubted, but the writer appears to use the word in an unusual sense both here and in 559, probably for “ἀείδων”. The use of the word in Empedocles 462, 3 (Mullach) might suit this sense: “φάρμακα δ᾽ ὅσσα γεγᾶσι κακῶν καὶ γήραος ἄλκαρ”
“πεύσῃ, ἐπεὶ μούνῳ σοι ἐγὼ κρανέω τάδε πάντα”; and there is a possible ambiguity in Eur. Ion464(compared with 559 of this hymn). See the discussion in Ebeling s.v. The explanation in L. and S. “finish the tale of” is not suited to the context.Γαῖαν ἐρεμν́ην: Hermes may have begun his song with a cosmogony (cf. Theog. 1-21, Apoll. Arg. 1.496 f., Verg. Ecl.vi. 31 f.), but the simple mention of “γαῖα”, without “οὐρανός” and “θάλασσα”, hardly implies this. Gemoll prefers to see a reference to the honour paid to the gods on earth. For the language cf. “ἐρεμνὴν γαῖαν ω” 106, where the epithet is more in place, of the underworld.
