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Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition

Attributed to Orpheus

The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns

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The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The HymnsVIII. To Helios · Lines 1–10

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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 22 of 147

VIII. To Helios · Lines 1–10

Ancient Greek

p. 38

VIII. ΗΛΙΟΥ

θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν

Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,

Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, Ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς,

αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζῴων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,

δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός,

κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων,

εὔδρομε, ῥοιζῆτορ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,

ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων,

εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσι,

χρυσολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων,

ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε.

38

The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns: VIII. To Helios

p. 39

VIII. To Helios

fumigation from frankincense-manna

Hear, blessed one, holding an everlasting all-seeing eye,

Titan of golden light, Hyperion, heavenly light,

self-begotten, untiring, sweet sight to living things,

on the right the begetter of dawn, on the left of night,

holding the blending of the seasons, dancing on four-stepping feet,

good at running, whirring, fiery, bright-faced, charioteer,

driving your track in the whirlings of an endless rhombos,

guide of the pious to fair things, fierce against the impious,

of the golden lyre, drawing the harmonious course of the kosmos,

signifier of good works, season-nurturing youth,

39

About This Reading Edition

The eighty-eight Orphic Hymns and the Prayer to Musaeus, in Ancient Greek and English, with the supplied critical apparatus, explanatory notes, introduction, glossary and editorial matter.

Historical Text and Translation

Orphic Hymns, attributed to Orpheus. Greek text after Eugenius Abel, Orphica (Leipzig and Prague, 1885), pages 57–102.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The ancient Greek source and the 1885 Abel edition are public-domain material. The supplied new English translation and editorial matter are published with the site owner’s authorization. Both supplied original files remain unchanged.