Three "Other" Orphic Hymns
to Number, to Zeus, and to Solar Zeus-Dionysos
For respite from our cycle of Orpheus’ Argonautika, please instead find below “Three Other Orphic Hymns”. Not to mean “Lesser”, they are “Other” simply because they were not collected among the 87 usually known as The Orphic Hymns. These three other Orphic Hymns are offered below in English, footnoted with the Greek and corresponding fragment numbers according to Bernabé, and without commentary.
translated into English by
Tiberius Caelius Quadratus
for Orphicaeum © MMXXVI
All Rights Reserved.
to Solar Zeus-Dionysos
Hear, far-traveling whirlpool’s circle with swirling beams,
heavenly spinnings running around forever turning,
splendid Zeus Dionysos, father of the sea, father of the land,
all-begetting all-gleaming golden-beaming sun.1
. . .
Melting aither by means of which, being motionless before,
he revealed for the Gods to see a most beautiful sight,
whom indeed now they call both Phanes and Dionysos
and Lord Eubouleos and very-clear Antauges;
but others of people on earth call something else.
And first into light he came, and he was called Dionysos,
because he whirls (δινεῖται) throughout limitless long Olympos.
But having been changed he held a name, appellations toward each
of all kinds according to opportunity, of changing time.2
. . .
And all these things may one accomplish early having covered in equipment
the body of the God, an imitation of the very-famous sun;
first indeed then flaming like rays
put on a purple peplos resembling fire;
moreover on top fasten a broad all-dappled fawn
skin, a much-spotted beast, along the right shoulder,
an imitation of the skillfully-wrought stars and sacred axis.
And next above the fawnskin put on a golden girdle,
bright-shining, to bear around the chest, a great sign,
when immediately from the limits of the earth springing up Phaethon
strikes with golden rays the stream of Okeanos,
and the light is unspeakable, and up mixed around with dew
it flashes with whirls (δίνηισιν) throughout a circle,
in front of the God; and then the belt beneath his immeasurable chest
appears as the circle of Okeanos, a great wonder to behold.3
. . .
Helios whom they call by the epithet Dionysos.4
. . .
One Zeus, one Haides, one Helios, one Dionysos,
one God in all things. Why do I speak these things to you separately?5
. . .
Having the mind and prudent counsel of a father;6
. . .
Your tears are the much-suffering generation of mankind,
but having smiled you made sprout the sacred generation of Gods.7
to Zeus
Of Zeus great son, of Zeus aegis-bearing father.8
. . .
Of Aither and of Haides, of sea and of earth the ruler,
who with thunders you shake the strong house of Olympos;
which daimons shudder at, and the crowd fearing of Gods;
by whom the Moirai are persuaded, although being unyielding;
imperishable, mother-father, by spirit of whom everything is shaken;
who moves the winds, and with clouds covers everything,
by hurricanes cleaving the broad aither; indeed among the stars your
arrangement, by unchangeable commands runs;
and by your fiery throne are present much-toiling
messengers, for whom it is a concern that all things for mortals are fulfilled;
indeed your spring shines new with purple flowers;
your winter approaches with cold clouds;
at times your Bacchic harvests Bromios distributes;
. . .
Imperishable, immortal, spoken only to immortals.
Come, greatest of all the Gods, with powerful necessity,
terrible, unconquerable, great, imperishable, whom aither wreaths.9
to Number
Hear, glorious number, father of the blessed-ones, father of mankind.10
. . .
The seventh, which far-working Lord Apollon loved.11
. . .
. . . And first proceeds the divine number
out of the Monad’s undefiled hiding place, until it might arrive
upon the very-holy Tetrad; which indeed bore the mother of all things,
all-containing, elder, placing a boundary around all,
unchangeable, unwearying; they call it the holy Dekad,
both the immortal Gods and earth-born mankind.12
. . .
And by number too all things are fitting.13
Works Cited
Bernabé, Alberto. Orphicorum et Orphicis Similium Testimonia et Fragmenta: Fasciculus 2. K.G. Saur, 2005.
Footnotes
Κέκλυθι τηλεπόρου δίνης ἑλικαύγεα κύκλον
οὐρανίαις στροφάλιγξι περίδρομον αἰὲν ἑλίσσων,
ἄγλαε Ζεῦ Διόνυσε, πάτερ ποντου, πάτερ αἴης,
ἥλιε παγγενέτορ πανταίολε χρυσεοφεγγές.
Bernabé OF 539F
τήκων αἰθέρα δι’ ὃν, άκίνητον πρὶν ἐοντα,
ἐξανέφηνε θεοῖσιν ὁρᾶν κάλλιστον ίδέσθαι,
ὃν δὴ νῦν καλέουσι Φάνητά τε καὶ Διόνυσον
Εὐβουλῆα τ’ ἄνακτα καὶ Ἀνταύγην ἀρίδηλον·
ἄλλοι δ’ ἄλλο καλοῦσιν ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων.
πρῶτος δ’ ἐς φάος ἤλθε, Διόνυσος δ’ ἐπεκλήθη,
οὗνεκα δινεῖται κατ’ ἀπείρονα μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον·
ἀλλαχθεὶς δ’ ὄνομ’ ἔσχε, προσωνυμίας πρὸς ἕκαστον
παντοδαπὰς κατὰ καιρὸν, ἀμειβομένοιο χρόνοιο.
Bernabé OF 540F
ταῦτά τε πάντα τελεῖη ἦρι σκευῆι πυκάσαντα
σῶμα θεοῦ, μίμημα περικλύτου ἠελίοιο·
πρῶτα μὲν οὖν φλογέαις ἐναλίγκιον ἀκτίνεσσιν
πέπλον φοινίκεον πυρὶ εἴκελον ἀμφιβαλέσθαι·
αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε νεβροῖο παναίολον εὐρὺ καθάψαι
δέρμα πολύστικτον θηρὸς κατὰ δεξιὸν ὦμον,
ἄστρων δαιδαλέων μίμημ’ ἱεροῦ τε πόλοιο.
εἶτα δ’ ὕπερθε νεβρῆς χρύσεον ζωστῆρα βαλέσθαι,
παμφανόωντα, πέριξ στέρνων φορέειν, μέγα σῆμα,
εὐθὺς ὅτ’ ἐκ περάτων γαίης Φαέθων ἀνορούων
χρυσείαις ἀκτῖσι βάληι ῥόον Ὠκεανοῖο,
αὐγὴ δ’ ἄσπετος ἦι, ἀνὰ δὲ δρόσωι ἀμφιμιγεῖσα
μαρμαίρηι δίνηισιν ἑλισσομένη κατὰ κύκλον,
πρόσθε θεοῦ· ζωστὴρ δ’ ἄρ’ ὑπὸ στέρνων ἀμετρήτων
φαίνεται Ὠκεανοῦ κύκλος, μέγα θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι.
Bernabé OF 541F
Ἥλιος ὃν Διόνυσον ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν.
Bernabé OF 542F
εἷς Ζεὺς, εἷς Ἅιδης, εἷς Ἥλιος, εἷς Διόνυσος,
εἷς θεὸς ἐν πάντεσσι. τί σοι δίχα ταῦτ’ ἀγορεύω;
Bernabé OF 543F
πατρὸς ἔχοντα νόον καὶ ἐπίφρονα βουλήν·
Bernabé OF 544F
δάκρυα μὲν σέθεν ἐστὶπολυτλήτων γένος ἀνδρῶν,
μειδήσας δὲ θεῶν ἱερὸν γένος ἐβλάστησας.
Bernabé OF 545F
υἱὲ Διὸς μεγάλοιο, πάτερ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.
Bernabé OF 690F
Αἰθέρος ἠδ’ Ἀίδου, πόντου γαίης τε τύραννε,
ὃς βρονταῖς σείεις βριαρὸν δόμον Οὐλύμποιο·
δαίμονες ὃν φρίσσουσιν, θεῶν δὲ δέδοικεν ὅμιλος·
ᾧ Μοῖραι πείθονται, ἀμείλικτοί περ ἐοῦσαι·
ἄφθιτε, μητροπάτωρ, οὗ θυμῶι πάντα δονεῖται·
ὃς κινεῖς ἀνέμους, νεφέληισι δὲ πάντα καλύπτεις,
πρηστῆρσι σχίζων πλατὺν αἰθέρα· σὴ μὲν ἐν ἄστροις
τάξις, ἀναλλάκτοισιν ἐφημοσύναισι τρέχουσα·
σῶι δὲ θρόνωι πυρόεντι παρεστᾶσιν πολύμοχθοι
ἄγγελοι, οἷσι μέμηλε βροτοῖς ὡς πάντα τελεῖται·
σὸν μὲν ἔαρ λάμπει νέον ἄνθεσι πορφυρέοισιν·
σὸς χειμὼν ψυχραῖσιν ἐπερχόμενος νεφέλαισιν·
σάς ποτε βακχευτὰς Βρόμιος διένειμεν ὀπώρας.
. . .
ἄφθιτον, ἀθάνατον, ῥητὸν μόνον ἀθανάτοισιν.
ἐλθέ, μέγιστε θεῶν πάντων, κρατερῆι σὺν ἀνάγκηι,
φρικτός, ἀήττητος, μέγας, ἄφθιτος, ὃν στέφει αἰθήρ.
Bernabé OF 691F
κέκλυθι, κύδιμ’ ἀριθμέ, πάτερ μακάρων, πάτερ ἀνδρῶν.
Bernabé OF 698F
ἑβδόμη, ἣν ἐφίλησεν ἄναξ ἑκάεργος Ἀπόλλων.
Bernabé OF 700F
. . . πρώτιστος δὲ πρόεισιν ὁ θεῖος ἀριθμὸς
μουνάδος ἐκ κευθμῶνος ἀκηράτου, ἔστ’ ἂν ἵκηται
τετράδ’ ἐπὶ ζαθέην· ἣ δὴ τέκε μητέρα πάντων,
πανδεχέα, πρέσβειραν, ὅρον περὶ πᾶσι τιθεῖσαν,
ἄτροπον, ἀκαμάτην· δεκάδα κλείουσί μιν ἁγνὴν
ἀθάνατοί τε θεοὶ καὶ γηγενέες ἄνθρωποι.
Bernabé OF 702F
ἀριθμῶι δέ τε πάντ’ ἐπέοικεν.
Bernabé OF 705F