This is a first-pass attempt to translate the Orphic Hymn to Pluto, the immortal God of the afterlife.
Pluto enters from beneath a dark place beneath the stage, holding a scepter in his right hand, the king of the third realm, enthroned.
Other visuals include the dark blue netherworld river, the place of Demeter’s daughter, four-horse chariot.
This is a solemn hymn, meant to inspire reverence. It is one of the few hymns that is not accompanied by incense, probably because Pluto dwells below, while the smoke of incense flows upward.
18. Εἰς - enter, come on stage; one
Πλούτωνα. - Plouton/Pluto
Ὠ - bring forth
τὸν - stretch/extend, tension, tone
ὑποχθόνιον - from beneath (ὑπο) + the surface of the earth (χθόνιον)
ναίων - dwell, abide, inhabit
δόμον, - domicile, domain
ὀμβριμόθυμε, - mighty (ὀμβριμό) + spirit, soul (θυμε)
Ταρτάριον - of Tartaros (farthest/deepest place beneath surface of the earth)
λειμῶνα - meadow, flowery surface, grassy place
βαθύσκιον - deep (βαθύ) + shaded, shadows (σκιον)
ἠδὲ - here now, here come
λιπαυγῆ, - deserted by light, dark, sunless = poor, deprived of (λιπ) + light, sunrise (αυγῆ)
Ζεῦ - Zeus
χθόνιε, - beneath the earth
σκηπτοῦχε, - bearing a staff, baton, or sceptre as a badge of honor = scepter (σκηπτο) + ῦχε
τάδ' - on the stretch; here
ἱερὰ - holy
δέξο - on the right, welcoming, hospitable, offer the right hand in greeting
προθύμως, - before (προ) + soul, spirit (θύμως) = bearing good will, wishing well, ready, willing, eager
Πλούτων, - Plouton
ὃς - entity
κατέχεις - hold fast, gain possession of, control
γαίης - earth, gaia
κληῖδας - bar, bolt, lock, key
ἁπάσης, - above all, quite all, the whole, altogether, in all things
πλουτοδοτῶν - wealth (πλουτο) + giver (δοτῶν)
γενεὴν - genitor, parent, creator
βροτέην - of mortal
καρποῖς - fruit
ἐνιαυτῶν· - yearly, annually
ὃς - entity
τριτάτης - in the third place
μοίρης - fate
ἔλαχες - shortest, smallest, least
χθόνα - earth
παμβασίλειαν, - all (παμ) + king (βασίλειαν)
ἕδρανον - seat, abode, dwelling, rest, idleness; stay/support of an anchor
ἀθανάτων, - immortal
θνητῶν - mortal
στήριγμα - support, foundation, fixed, standing still, fixedness; support, prop, stay
κραταιόν· - strong, mighty
ὃς - entity
θρόνον - throned
ἐστήριξας - make fast, prop, fix, support, ground, firmly set, stationary (ἐστήρι) + foreign (ξας)
ὑπὸ - beneath
ζοφοειδέα - nether darkness, gloom (ζοφο) + having form (ειδέα)
χῶρον - a definite space, piece of ground, place
τηλέπορον - far-traveling, far-reaching = far (τηλέ) + means of passage, passageway (πορον)
τ', - stretch/extend; to?
ἀκάμαντα, - "untiring, unweary" - arising archway?
λιπόπνοον, -"with failing breath, dying; without wind, deadly still" + poor, lacking (λιπό) + breath, wind (πνοον)
ἄκριτον - arising above (ἄ) + chosen, separated, picked out, choice (κριτον) = "undecided, indistinguishable"
Ἅιδην - afterlife, netherworld
κυάνεόν - dark, dark-blue, (of the chamber of Persephone); lapis lazuli
τ' - stretch/extend, to
Ἀχέρονθ', - Acheron, river in the afterlife
ὃς - entity
ἔχει - held firm, have, hold, possess
ῥιζώματα - root, element, stem
γαίης· - of Earth/Gaia
ὃς - entity
κρατέεις - strong, powerful; rule, hold sway
θνητῶν - mortal
θανάτου - death
χάριν, - grace
ὦ - bring-forth
πολυδέγμων - much, multi, poli (πολυ) + directed-trajectory essence generative meams (δέγμων) = "containing or receiving much"
Εὔβουλ', - good counselor
ἁγνοπόλου - "making pure" = pure (ἁγνο) + many, multiple (πόλου)
Δημήτερος - Demeter
ὅς - entity
ποτε - when, at some time; fly; flow/river (lots of meanings): unified entity stretch/extend
παῖδα - child
νυμφεύσας - "bridal, marriage" + nymph (prevailing Goddess) (νυμφε) + (ύσας)
λειμῶνος - meadow, grassy place, flowery place; metaphor: vaginal area
ἀποσπαδίην - "torn off or away from;" = rid oneself of, shake off; run away, flee (ἀποσ) + garden, grove -or-leap, spring, stamp with the feet (παδίην)
διὰ - throughout
πόντου - sea, open sea, water
τετρώροις - yoked four together
ἵπποισιν - horses
ὑπ' - beneath
Ἀτθίδος - Attica
ἤγαγες - center generative
ἄντρον - cave
δήμου - demo, people, district
Ἐλευσῖνος, - Eleusis
τόθι - there, in that place
περ - per, surrounding
πύλαι - gates
εἴσ' -within
Ἀίδαο. - Hades, afterlife, netherworld
μοῦνος - alone, mono
ἔφυς - have, bear; on
ἀφανῶν - arising, arising above (ἀ) + make visible, appear (φανῶν)
ἔργων - work
φανερῶν - make visible, appear (φαν) + love, sexual passion (ερῶν) -or-have strength, be in good health, fare-well (ρῶν)
τε - too then
βραβευτής, - judge, umpire, arbitrator,
ἔνθεε, - enthusiastic, divinity-within, divinely-inspired
παντοκράτωρ, - all (παντο) + ruler (κράτωρ) = ruler over all
ἱερώτατε, - holy, manifesting divine power
ἀγλαότιμε, - glorious, splendid (ἀγλαό) + honored (τιμε) = "splendidly honored"
σεμνοῖς - solemn
μυστιπόλοις - "solemnizing mysteries, performing a mystic rite" = mystery, mystic; initiate (μυστι) + many, multi, poli- (πόλοις)
χαίρων - glad, joyful, rejoicing
ὁσίοις - sanctioned by divine law, holy, hallowed; devout, religious; sinless, pure
τε - too then
σεβασμοῖς· - sebastian, majestic, august, reverend, venerable
ἵλαον - gracious, kindly; blameless, atoned for
ἀγκαλέω - call again and again, invoke again and again, summon, call on
σε - together
μολεῖν - come; transplant; heavy, leaden (made of lead)
κεχαρηότα - rejoicing
μύσταις. - mystae, initiates, mysteries
Pluto enters from beneath a dark place beneath the stage, holding a scepter in his right hand, the king of the third realm, enthroned.
Other visuals include the dark blue netherworld river, the place of Demeter’s daughter, four-horse chariot.
This is a solemn hymn, meant to inspire reverence. It is one of the few hymns that is not accompanied by incense, probably because Pluto dwells below, while the smoke of incense flows upward.
18. Εἰς - enter, come on stage; one
Πλούτωνα. - Plouton/Pluto
Ὠ - bring forth
τὸν - stretch/extend, tension, tone
ὑποχθόνιον - from beneath (ὑπο) + the surface of the earth (χθόνιον)
ναίων - dwell, abide, inhabit
δόμον, - domicile, domain
ὀμβριμόθυμε, - mighty (ὀμβριμό) + spirit, soul (θυμε)
Ταρτάριον - of Tartaros (farthest/deepest place beneath surface of the earth)
λειμῶνα - meadow, flowery surface, grassy place
βαθύσκιον - deep (βαθύ) + shaded, shadows (σκιον)
ἠδὲ - here now, here come
λιπαυγῆ, - deserted by light, dark, sunless = poor, deprived of (λιπ) + light, sunrise (αυγῆ)
Ζεῦ - Zeus
χθόνιε, - beneath the earth
σκηπτοῦχε, - bearing a staff, baton, or sceptre as a badge of honor = scepter (σκηπτο) + ῦχε
τάδ' - on the stretch; here
ἱερὰ - holy
δέξο - on the right, welcoming, hospitable, offer the right hand in greeting
προθύμως, - before (προ) + soul, spirit (θύμως) = bearing good will, wishing well, ready, willing, eager
Πλούτων, - Plouton
ὃς - entity
κατέχεις - hold fast, gain possession of, control
γαίης - earth, gaia
κληῖδας - bar, bolt, lock, key
ἁπάσης, - above all, quite all, the whole, altogether, in all things
πλουτοδοτῶν - wealth (πλουτο) + giver (δοτῶν)
γενεὴν - genitor, parent, creator
βροτέην - of mortal
καρποῖς - fruit
ἐνιαυτῶν· - yearly, annually
ὃς - entity
τριτάτης - in the third place
μοίρης - fate
ἔλαχες - shortest, smallest, least
χθόνα - earth
παμβασίλειαν, - all (παμ) + king (βασίλειαν)
ἕδρανον - seat, abode, dwelling, rest, idleness; stay/support of an anchor
ἀθανάτων, - immortal
θνητῶν - mortal
στήριγμα - support, foundation, fixed, standing still, fixedness; support, prop, stay
κραταιόν· - strong, mighty
ὃς - entity
θρόνον - throned
ἐστήριξας - make fast, prop, fix, support, ground, firmly set, stationary (ἐστήρι) + foreign (ξας)
ὑπὸ - beneath
ζοφοειδέα - nether darkness, gloom (ζοφο) + having form (ειδέα)
χῶρον - a definite space, piece of ground, place
τηλέπορον - far-traveling, far-reaching = far (τηλέ) + means of passage, passageway (πορον)
τ', - stretch/extend; to?
ἀκάμαντα, - "untiring, unweary" - arising archway?
λιπόπνοον, -"with failing breath, dying; without wind, deadly still" + poor, lacking (λιπό) + breath, wind (πνοον)
ἄκριτον - arising above (ἄ) + chosen, separated, picked out, choice (κριτον) = "undecided, indistinguishable"
Ἅιδην - afterlife, netherworld
κυάνεόν - dark, dark-blue, (of the chamber of Persephone); lapis lazuli
τ' - stretch/extend, to
Ἀχέρονθ', - Acheron, river in the afterlife
ὃς - entity
ἔχει - held firm, have, hold, possess
ῥιζώματα - root, element, stem
γαίης· - of Earth/Gaia
ὃς - entity
κρατέεις - strong, powerful; rule, hold sway
θνητῶν - mortal
θανάτου - death
χάριν, - grace
ὦ - bring-forth
πολυδέγμων - much, multi, poli (πολυ) + directed-trajectory essence generative meams (δέγμων) = "containing or receiving much"
Εὔβουλ', - good counselor
ἁγνοπόλου - "making pure" = pure (ἁγνο) + many, multiple (πόλου)
Δημήτερος - Demeter
ὅς - entity
ποτε - when, at some time; fly; flow/river (lots of meanings): unified entity stretch/extend
παῖδα - child
νυμφεύσας - "bridal, marriage" + nymph (prevailing Goddess) (νυμφε) + (ύσας)
λειμῶνος - meadow, grassy place, flowery place; metaphor: vaginal area
ἀποσπαδίην - "torn off or away from;" = rid oneself of, shake off; run away, flee (ἀποσ) + garden, grove -or-leap, spring, stamp with the feet (παδίην)
διὰ - throughout
πόντου - sea, open sea, water
τετρώροις - yoked four together
ἵπποισιν - horses
ὑπ' - beneath
Ἀτθίδος - Attica
ἤγαγες - center generative
ἄντρον - cave
δήμου - demo, people, district
Ἐλευσῖνος, - Eleusis
τόθι - there, in that place
περ - per, surrounding
πύλαι - gates
εἴσ' -within
Ἀίδαο. - Hades, afterlife, netherworld
μοῦνος - alone, mono
ἔφυς - have, bear; on
ἀφανῶν - arising, arising above (ἀ) + make visible, appear (φανῶν)
ἔργων - work
φανερῶν - make visible, appear (φαν) + love, sexual passion (ερῶν) -or-have strength, be in good health, fare-well (ρῶν)
τε - too then
βραβευτής, - judge, umpire, arbitrator,
ἔνθεε, - enthusiastic, divinity-within, divinely-inspired
παντοκράτωρ, - all (παντο) + ruler (κράτωρ) = ruler over all
ἱερώτατε, - holy, manifesting divine power
ἀγλαότιμε, - glorious, splendid (ἀγλαό) + honored (τιμε) = "splendidly honored"
σεμνοῖς - solemn
μυστιπόλοις - "solemnizing mysteries, performing a mystic rite" = mystery, mystic; initiate (μυστι) + many, multi, poli- (πόλοις)
χαίρων - glad, joyful, rejoicing
ὁσίοις - sanctioned by divine law, holy, hallowed; devout, religious; sinless, pure
τε - too then
σεβασμοῖς· - sebastian, majestic, august, reverend, venerable
ἵλαον - gracious, kindly; blameless, atoned for
ἀγκαλέω - call again and again, invoke again and again, summon, call on
σε - together
μολεῖν - come; transplant; heavy, leaden (made of lead)
κεχαρηότα - rejoicing
μύσταις. - mystae, initiates, mysteries
RSS Feed