Ὓμνος Φερσεφόνης

Φερσεφόνη, θυγάτερ μεγάλου Διός, ἐλθέ, μάκαιρα, Phersephónē, thygáter megálou Diós, elthé, mácæra, μουνογένεια Θεά, κεχαρισμένα δ’ ἱερὰ δέξαι, mounogéneia Theá, cecharisména d’ hierà déxæ, Πλούτωνος πολύτιμε δάμαρ, κεδνή, βιοδῶτι, Ploútōnos polýtime dámar, cednḗ, biodôti, ἣ κατέχεις Ἀίδαο πύλας ὑπὸ κεύθεα γαίης, hḕ catécheis Aídao pýlas hypò ceúthea gǽēs, Πραξιδίκη, ἐρατοπλόκαμε, Δηοῦς θάλος ἁγνόν, Praxidícē, eratoplócame, Dēoûs thálos hagnón, Εὐμενίδων γενέτειρα, καταχθονίων βασίλεια, Eumenídōn genéteira, catachthoníōn basíleia, ἣν Ζεὺς ἀρρήτοισι γοναῖς τεκνώσατο κούρην, hḕn Zeùs arrhḗtœsi gonæ̂s tecnṓsato coúrēn, μῆτερ ἐριβρεμέτου πολυμόρφου Εὐβουλῆος, mêter eribremétou polymórphou Euboulêos, Ὡρῶν συμπαίκτειρα, φαεσφόρος, ἀγλαόμορφε· Hōrôn sympǽcteira, phaesphóros, aglaómorphe; σεμνή, παντοκράτειρα, κόρη καρποῖσι βρύουσα, semnḗ, pantocráteira, córē carpœ̂si brýousa, εὐφεγγής, κερόεσσα, μόνη θνητοῖσι ποθεινή, euphengḗs, ceróessa, mónē thnētœ̂si potheinḗ, ἐαρινή, λειμωνιάσιν χαίρουσα πνοῇσιν, earinḗ, leimōniásin chǽrousa pnoêisin, ἱερὸν ἐκφαίνουσα δέμας βλαστοῖς χλοοκάρποις, hieròn ecphǽnousa démas blastœ̂s chloocárpœs, ἁρπαγιμαῖα λέχη μετοπωρινὰ νυμφευθεῖσα· harpagimæ̂a léchē metopōrinà nympheutheîsa; ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος μούνη θνητοῖς πολυμόχθοις, zōḕ cæ̀ thánatos moúnē thnētœ̂s polymóchthœs, Φερσεφόνη· φέρβεις γὰρ ἀεὶ καὶ πάντα φονεύεις. Phersephónē; phérbeis gàr aeì cæ̀ pánta phoneúeis. κλῦθι, μάκαιρα Θεά, καρποὺς δ’ ἀνάπεμπ’ ἀπὸ γαίης clŷthi, mácæra Theá, carpoùs d’ anápemp’ apò gǽēs εἰρήνῃ θάλλουσα καὶ ἠπιοχείρ’ ὑγιείῃ eirḗnēi thállousa cæ̀ ēpiocheír’ hygieíēi καὶ βίῳ εὐόλβῳ λιπαρὸν γῆρας κατάγοντι cæ̀ bíōi euólbōi liparòn gêras catágonti πρὸς Σὸν χῶρον, ἄνασσα, καὶ εὐδύνατον Πλούτωνα. pròs Sòn chôron, ánassa, cæ̀ eudýnaton Ploútōna.

To Perſephone

Daughter of Jove, almighty and divine,
come, blessed queen, and to these rites incline:
only-begotten¹, Pluto’s honour’d wife,
O venerable Goddess, source of life:
’tis Thine in earth’s profundities to dwell,
fast by the wide and dismal gates of hell:
Jove’s holy offspring, of a beauteous mien,
fatal, with lovely locks, infernal queen:
source of the furies, whose blest frame proceeds
from Jove’s ineffable and secret seeds:
mother of Bacchus, sonorous, divine,
and many-form’d, the parent of the vine:
the dancing Hours attend Thee, essence bright,
all-ruling virgin, bearing heav’nly light:
illustrious, horned, of a bounteous mind,
alone desir’d by those of mortal kind.
O, vernal queen, whom grassy plains delight,
sweet to the smell, and pleasing to the sight:
whose holy form in budding fruits we view,
Earth’s vig’rous offspring of a various hue:
espous’d in Autumn²: life and death alone
to wretched mortals from Thy power is known:
for Thine the task according to Thy will,³
life to produce, and all that lives to kill.
Hear, blessed Goddess, send a rich increase
of various fruits from earth, with lovely Peace;
send Health with gentle hand, and crown my life
with blest abundance, free from noisy strife;
last in extreme old age the prey of Death,
dismiss we willing to the realms beneath,
to Thy fair palace, and the blissful plains
where happy spirits dwell, and Plouton reigns.