The prior post in this series may be found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/lucian-of-samosata-concerning-sacrifices-10/

Then after they raised temples — so that the gods would not be homeless nor lack a place for prayers — they fashioned images for them, having called upon the sculptors Praxiteles or Polyclitus, or Phidias (even though they’d never seen the gods). And so the sculptors whipped-up statutes of Zeus with a beard, Apollos forever young, a boyish beard on Hermes, Poseidon with sea-blue hair, and Athene with flashing eyes.

But the tourists who came to the did the temple didn’t seem to realize that the Indian ivory and the gold dug up in Thrace were not actually the son of Cronus and Rhea translated by Phidias to desolate Pisa, set up to oversee it all — and loving-it if perhaps every five years one might sacrifice to him during the Olympian games.

Greek Text & Notes:

ἔπειτα δὲ ναοὺς ἐγείραντες ἵνα αὐτοῖς μὴ ἄοικοι μηδὲ ἀνέστιοι δῆθεν ὦσιν, εἰκόνας αὐτοῖς ἀπεικάζουσιν παρακαλέσαντες ἢ Πραξιτέλην ἢ Πολύκλειτον ἢ Φειδίαν, οἱ δὲ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπου ἰδόντες ἀναπλάττουσι γενειήτην μὲν τὸν Δία, παῖδα δὲ εἰς ἀεὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ τὸν. Ἑρμῆν ὑπηνήτην καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα κυανοχαίτην καὶ γλαυκῶπιν τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. ὅμως δʼ οὖν οἱ παριόντες εἰς τὸν νεὼν οὔτε τὸν ἐξ Ἰνδῶν ἐλέφαντα ἔτι οἴονται ὁρᾶν οὔτε τὸ ἐκ τῆς Θρᾴκης μεταλλευθὲν χρυσίον ἀλλʼ αὐτὸν τὸν Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑπὸ Φειδίου μετῳκισμένον καὶ τὴν Πισαίων ἐρημίαν ἐπισκοπεῖν κεκελευσμένον, ἀγαπῶντα ειʼ διὰ πέντε ὅλων ἐτῶν θύσει τις αὐτῷ πάρεργον Ὀλυμπίων.

ἔπειτα δὲ ναοὺς ἐγείραντες

Now since they rose up temples
ἵνα αὐτοῖς μὴ ἄοικοι
In order that/for the purpose that to them not houseless
μηδὲ ἀνέστιοι δῆθεν ὦσιν,
neither without place to pray being
εἰκόνας αὐτοῖς ἀπεικάζουσιν παρακαλέσαντες
images for them they form/copy from calling upon
ἢ Πραξιτέλην ἢ Πολύκλειτον ἢ Φειδίαν,
Phidias, or Polyclitus, or Praxiteles
οἱ δὲ οὐκ οἶδʼ
but those not knowing
ὅπου ἰδόντες ἀναπλάττουσι
in order that seeing they[the sculptors] should mould/remould
Make anew

γενειήτην μὲν τὸν Δία,

—– on one hand the Zeus

παῖδα δὲ εἰς ἀεὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ τὸν.
child yet one forever Apollos also to him
Ἑρμῆν ὑπηνήτην
Hermes beard
ὑπηνήτης is one who has hair growing on the “ὑπ-ήν-η”, but commentators are not unanimous as to what part this may be. If Benfey is right in connecting it with root “αν”, ‘breathe,’ it should be the spot where the breath falls, lit. ‘under the breathing,’ which would suit an interpretation given by Hesych., “ὑπήνη ὅς ἐστι ὑπὸ τὴν ῥῖνα τόπος”, viz. the upper lip on which the moustachio grows. And certainly the hair usually shows itself there first. This view would fall in well with the words of Lucian de Sacrif. § 11. p. 76 “οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπου ἰδόντες ἀναπλάττουσι γενειήτην μὲν τὸν Δία, παῖδα δʼ ἐσαεὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα, καὶ τὸν Ἑρμῆν ὑπηνήτην”. Cp. Virg. Aen. 9. 181 ‘ora puer prima signans intonsa iuventa.’ As Odysseus seems to recognise him at once, it is not unlikely that some characteristic style had been already assigned in painting or sculpture to the principal gods and goddesses.

Commentary on the Odyssey, Walter W. Merry, 1884, 10.279

καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα κυανοχαίτην
and Poseidon dark haired
καὶ γλαυκῶπιν τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν.
and the flashing eyes of Athena

ὅμως δʼ οὖν οἱ παριόντες εἰς τὸν νεὼν
likewise thus those being present at/visiting the temple

οὔτε τὸν ἐξ Ἰνδῶν ἐλέφαντα
neither the one from Indes elephant
ἔτι οἴονται ὁρᾶν
whether supposing they saw

οὔτε τὸ ἐκ τῆς Θρᾴκης μεταλλευθὲν χρυσίον
neither the gold from Thrace brought up
ἀλλʼ αὐτὸν τὸν Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας,
but himself Chronos or Rheas
εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑπὸ Φειδίου μετῳκισμένον
one/to the earth by Pheidios having changed homes

Phidias was a Greek sculpture

καὶ τὴν Πισαίων ἐρημίαν ἐπισκοπεῖν κεκελευσμένον,
and the Pisa solitary/desolate to look upon/examine having commanded

ἀγαπῶντα ειʼ διὰ πέντε ὅλων ἐτῶν θύσει τις αὐτῷ πάρεργον Ὀλυμπίων.
loving if through five whole years one sacrifice to him the paragon of Olympus

Paragon here means something subordinate, like a pageant. Here it refers to the Olympian games