From the book
The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns
Attributed to Orpheus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordΕὔχομαι appears here as the participle εὐχομένου, “praying.” It characterizes the first-person speaker while a god or divine company is asked to hear.
- In the Orphic HymnsThe recurring formula κλῦθί μευ εὐχομένου joins hearing to an action occurring now: “hear me as I pray.” Hermes, Athena, Apollo, Hipta, and Adonis receive this singular summons.
- TranslationThe repeated English “hear me praying” should be read as one construction, not as two separately commanded acts.
- A place to readThe praying speaker asks Hermes for a good life’s completion.
- English renderings
- pray; be making an appeal
Meaning
Εὔχομαι appears here as the participle εὐχομένου, “praying.” It characterizes the first-person speaker while a god or divine company is asked to hear. The genitive agrees with μευ, the person to whom the deity should listen; it is not a noun naming an independent prayer offering.
Use in the book
The recurring formula κλῦθί μευ εὐχομένου joins hearing to an action occurring now: “hear me as I pray.” Hermes, Athena, Apollo, Hipta, and Adonis receive this singular summons. The Fates receive its plural counterpart, κλῦτέ μευ εὐχομένου, at LIX.2. The addressee changes, while the speaker’s position as an appealing voice remains stable.
The formula is not the whole content of the prayer. Hermes is approached for a good completion of life, Athena for peace and other benefits, and Apollo explicitly on behalf of peoples at XXXIV.10. That last extension matters: the singular “me” does not mean the requested good must be private or individual. It identifies the voice speaking, not necessarily the entire circle meant to benefit. The participle therefore offers a small grammatical window into how the hymns place a speaker before a deity.
Places to read
- Hymn XXVIII · Line 11The praying speaker asks Hermes for a good life’s completion.
- Hymn XXXII · Line 16The hearing formula leads directly into a request for peace.
- Hymn XXXIV · Line 10A singular speaker prays on behalf of peoples.
- Hymn LIX · Line 2Plural divine addressees retain the same singular praying speaker.
Translation
The repeated English “hear me praying” should be read as one construction, not as two separately commanded acts. A dictionary range that includes boasting or solemn declaring does not require those senses here: the imperatives of hearing and the attached petitions make prayer the local sense.
Attested forms
εὐχομένου
Occurrence inventory
6 in total. XXVIII.11; XXXII.16; XXXIV.10; XLIX.4; LVI.1; LIX.2