The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns

Name: The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns
Author: Attributed to Orpheus

Explore the Lexicon

The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The HymnsXXXIV. To Apollo · Lines 1–9

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Ancient Greek Page · Branch 64 of 147

XXXIV. To Apollo · Lines 1–9

Book Mode

Ancient Greek

p. 122

XXXIV. ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ

θυμίαμα μάνναν

Ἐλθέ, μάκαρ, Παιάν, Τιτυοκτόνε, Φοῖβε, Λυκωρεῦ,

Μεμφῖτ’, ἀγλαότιμος, ἰήιος, ὀλβιοδῶτα,

χρυσολύρη, σπερμεῖος, ἀρότριε, Πύθιε, Τιτάν,

Γρυνεῖε, Σμινθεῦ, Πυθοκτόνε, Δελφικέ, μάντι,

ἄγριε, φωσφόρε δαῖμον, ἐράσμιε, κύδιμε κοῦρε,

κρουσιλύρη, χοροποιός, ἑκηβόλε, τοξοβέλεμνε,

Βράγχιε καὶ Διδυμεῦ, Παταρήιε, Λοξία, ἁγνέ,

Δήλι’ ἄναξ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων φαεσίμβροτον ὄμμα,

χρυσοκόμη, καθαρὰς φήμας χρησμούς τ’ ἀναφαίνων·

The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns: XXXIV. To Apollo

p. 123

XXXIV. To Apollo

fumigation from manna

Come, blessed one, Paian, slayer of Tityos, Phoibos, Lykoreus,

of Memphis, of splendid honour, hailed with iē, giver of prosperity,

golden-lyred, of the seed, of the plough, Pythian, Titan,

of Grynos, Smintheus, slayer of Python, Delphic, seer,

wild one, light-bearing daimon, lovely, glorious youth,

striker of the lyre, maker of the dance, far-shooting, arrow-darting,

of Branchos and of Didyma, Patarian, Loxias, holy,

Delian lord, holding the all-seeing eye that shines on mortals,

golden-haired, showing forth undefiled utterances and oracles;

1, and XI.11.Παιάν of Apollo here. The name has already been given to two other gods in this collection, and in almost the same words — κάρπιμε, Παιάν of Helios at VIII.12 and κάρπιμε Παιάν of Pan at XI.11. It is a word of the solar register rather than a link between any two hymns, which is worth saying because the identification at 24–25 might otherwise seem to be prepared by it.

2.Μεμφῖτ’, of Memphis — the only Egyptian name anywhere in the collection so far. It stands in a list of oracular places (Delphi by Λυκωρεῦ and Πύθιε, Delos, Grynos, Didyma, Patara, Branchos), and Memphis belongs to that list rather than breaking it: the Apis bull there gave oracles, and the Serapeum had its incubation. Μεμφίτης is not otherwise attested as a cult title of Apollo.

2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9.Seven emendations in six of the first nine lines: ἀγλαότιμος and ἰήιος (Hermann, for the codices’ vocatives), σπερμεῖος (Hermann), Γρυνεῖε (Hermann), κρουσιλύρη (Abel’s own, for the codices’ μουσαγέτα), χοροποιός (Hermann), Παταρήιε (Wiel, for ἑκάεργε) and χρυσοκόμη (Hermann). The epithet-register of this hymn as printed is substantially the editors’ — and two of the names in it, σπερμεῖος and ἀρότριος, are attested nowhere but in this line. At 4 Abel prints Γρυνεῖε in the text and Γρύνειε in his own lemma, with sic against the lemma; Γρύνειος is the standard form.

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.