From the book
Empedocles’ Complete Fragments, Volume I
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordCalliopeia is the name by which the immortal Muse is addressed in B131.
- In EmpedoclesThe speaker asks Calliopeia to stand by him as he brings to light a good account of the blessed gods.
- In this editionThe invocation reads “now once more,” which establishes renewal but does not identify which surviving invocation came first.
- A place to readCalliopeia is asked to assist the present account of the blessed gods.
Meaning
Calliopeia is the name by which the immortal Muse is addressed in B131. “Calliope” is the familiar English form, but the translation keeps the longer form present in the Greek. The proper name specifies the addressee of the renewed prayer rather than introducing a second Muse within the same four lines.
Use in the book
The speaker asks Calliopeia to stand by him as he brings to light a good account of the blessed gods. His mortal condition is contrasted with her immortality through the description of humans as creatures of a day. The opening looks back to an earlier occasion when his studies passed through her thought, though the clause is partly supplemented.
The passage frames theological speech as both study and prayer. It does not state that every claim in the poem is dictated word for word by a deity, nor does it describe the physical mechanism of inspiration. Its position under Purifications in this edition is editorial; the subject matter alone cannot certify a separate religious poem. The words themselves support a precise conclusion: at this point the poet renews his appeal to a named immortal helper for an account concerning divine beings.
Places to read
- B 131.1–4Calliopeia is asked to assist the present account of the blessed gods.
Translation in this edition
The invocation reads “now once more,” which establishes renewal but does not identify which surviving invocation came first. The missing words supplied in line 2 must remain part of the entry's source-critical caution.