Translated by Catherine Proppe
April 27, 2015
83. Ὠκεανοῦ, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To Ocean
Divine connection: aromatics
Ὠκεανὸν καλέω, πατέρ’ ἄφθιτον, αἰὲν ἐόντα,
Ocean[1] I call, father ever-flourishing of eternal reality
ἀθανάτων τε θεῶν γένεσιν θνητῶν τ’ ἀνθρώπων,
Immortally and divinely generating mortal humanity
ὃς περικυμαίνει γαίης περιτέρμονα κύκλον·
Waves edging Gaia[2], to the ends encircling
ἐξ οὗπερ πάντες ποταμοὶ καὶ πᾶσα θάλασσα
Out of thou come forth all rivers and all seas
καὶ χθόνιοι γαίης πηγόρρυτοι ἰκμάδες ἁγναί.
And in the earth Gaia’s springs flowing moisture pure
κλῦθι, μάκαρ, πολύολβε, θεῶν ἅγνισμα μέγιστον,
Release happily many blessings, divine pure majesty
τέρμα φίλον γαίης, ἀρχὴ πόλου, ὑγροκέλευθε,
Boundary of loving Gaia, architect of many watery paths,
ἔλθοις εὐμενέων μύσταις κεχαρισμένος αἰεί.
Come, kindly power mysterious, charitable, eternal.
[1] The immortal Titan God of the Ocean is the son of Ouranos (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). Ocean is the father of all the earth’s water in consort with the Titan Goddess Tethys.
[2] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.