Οἱ Διαδικτυακοὶ Ὀρφικοὶ Ὕμνοι The Orphic Hymns Online
Κουρήτων
Χαλκόκροτοι Κουρῆτες, Ἀρήια τεύχε’ ἔχοντες, Chalcócrotœ Courêtes, Arḗia teúche’ échontes, οὐράνιοι χθόνιοί τε καὶ εἰνάλιοι, πολύολβοι, ourániœ chthóniœ́ te cæ̀ eináliœ, polýolbœ, ζωιογόνοι πνοιαί, κόσμου σωτῆρες ἀγαυοί, zōiogónœ pnœǽ, cósmou sōtêres agauœ́, οἵτε Σαμοθρῄκην, ἱερὴν χθόνα, ναιετάοντες hœ́te Samothrḗicēn, hierḕn chthóna, næetáontes κινδύνους θνητῶν ἀπερύκετε ποντοπλανήτων· cindýnous thnētôn aperýcete pontoplanḗtōn; Ὑμεῖς καὶ τελετὴν πρῶτοι μερόπεσσιν ἔθεσθε, Hymeîs cæ̀ teletḕn prôtœ merópessin éthesthe, ἀθάνατοι Κουρῆτες, Ἀρήια τεύχε’ ἔχοντες· athánatœ Courêtes, Arḗia teúche’ échontes; νωμᾶτ’ Ὠκεανόν, νωμᾶθ’ ἅλα δένδρεά θ' αὕτως· nōmât’ Ōceanón, nōmâth’ hála déndreá th' haútōs; ἐρχόμενοι γαῖαν κοναβίζετε ποσσὶν ἐλαφροῖς, erchómenœ gæ̂an conabízete possìn elaphrœ̂s, μαρμαίροντες ὅπλοις· πτήσσουσι δὲ θῆρες ἅπαντες marmǽrontes hóplœs; ptḗssousi dè thêres hápantes ὁρμώντων, θόρυβος δὲ βοή τ’ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἵκει, hormṓntōn, thórybos dè boḗ t’ eis ouranòn hícei, εἱλιγμοῖς τε ποδῶν κονίη νεφέλας ἀφικάνει heiligmœ̂s te podôn coníē nephélas aphicánei ἐρχομένων· τότε δή ῥα καὶ ἄνθεα πάντα τέθηλε. erchoménōn; tóte dḗ rha cæ̀ ánthea pánta téthēle. Δαίμονες ἀθάνατοι, τροφέες καὶ αὖτ’ ὀλετῆρες, Dǽmones athánatœ, trophées cæ̀ aût’ oletêres, ἡνίκ’ ἂν ὁρμαίνητε χολούμενοι ἀνθρώποισιν hēníc’ àn hormǽnēte choloúmenœ anthrṓpœsin ὀλλύντες βίοτον καὶ κτήματα ἠδὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς ollýntes bíoton cæ̀ ctḗmata ēdè cæ̀ autoùs πιμπλάντες’ στοναχεῖ δὲ μέγας πόντος βαθυδίνης, pimplántes’ stonacheî dè mégas póntos bathydínēs, δένδρη δ’ ὑψικάρην’ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ἐς χθόνα πίπτει, déndrē d’ hypsicárēn’ ec rhizôn es chthóna píptei, ἠχὼ δ' οὐρανίη κελαδεῖ ῥοιζήμασι φύλλων. ēchṑ d' ouraníē celadeî rhœzḗmasi phýllōn. Κουρῆτες Κορύβαντες, ἀνάκτορες εὐδύνατοί τε Courêtes Corýbantes, anáctores eudýnatœ́ te ἐν Σαμοθρῃκῃ ἄνακτες, ὁμοῦ Ζηνὸς κόροι αὐτοί, en Samothrēicēi ánactes, homoû Zēnòs córœ autœ́, πνοιαὶ ἀέναοι, ψυχοτρόφοι, ἀεροειδεῖς, pnœæ̀ aénaœ, psychotróphœ, aeroeideîs, οἵτε καὶ οὐράνιοι δίδυμοι κλήιζεσθ’ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ, hœ́te cæ̀ ourániœ dídymœ clḗizesth’ en Olýmpōi, εὔπνοοι, εὔδιοι, σωτήριοι ἠδὲ προσηνεῖς· eúpnoœ, eúdiœ, sōtḗriœ ēdè prosēneîs; ὡροτρόφοι, φερέκαρποι ἐπιπνείοιτε ἄνακτες. hōrotróphœ, pherécarpœ epipneíœte ánactes.
To þe Couretes1
Brass-beating Salians, ministers of Mars,
who guard His arms the instruments of wars
whose blessed
frames, heav’n, earth, and sea compose,
and from whose breath all animals arose:
who dwell in
Samothracia’s sacred ground,
defending mortals thro’ the sea profound.
Deathless
Curetes, by Your pow’r alone,
initial rites to men at
first were shewn:
who shake old Ocean thund’ring to the sky,
and stubborn oaks with branches
waving high.
’Tis Yours in glittering arms the earth to beat,
with lightly-leaping, rapid,
sounding feet;
then every beast the noise terrific flies,
and the loud tumult wanders thro’ the
skies:
the dust Your feet excites with matchless force,
flies to the clouds amidst their whirling
course;
and ev’ry flower of variegated hue,
grows in the dancing motion form’d by You.
Immortal
Dæmons, to Your pow’rs consign’d
the talk to nourish, and destroy mankind.
When rushing furious
with loud tumult dire,
o’erwhelm’d, they perish in Your dreadful ire;
and live replenish’d with
the balmy air,
the food of life, committed to Your care.
When shook by You, the seas, with wild
uproar,
wide-spreading, and profoundly whirling, roar:
the concave heav’ns, with Echo’s voice
resound,
when leaves with ruffling noise bestrew the ground.
Curetes, Corybantes, ruling kings,
whose praise the land of Samothracia sings:
from
Jove descended; whose immortal breath
sustains the soul, and
wafts her back from death;
aerial-form’d, much-fam’d, in heav’n Ye shine
two-fold, in heav’n
all-lucid and divine:
blowing, serene, from whom abundance springs,
nurses of seasons,
fruit-producing kings.