This is a first-pass attempt to translate the Orphic Hymn to the Nymphs with the aid of the Liddell-Scott Greek-English Lexicon.
The Nymphs are young, beautiful Goddesses who prevail over places in nature, especially fresh water sources, trees, and areas in the wilds/woods.
This hymn likely is intended to be accompanied by many beautiful young women dressed as Nymphs making their way/dancing from Ocean, through Earth/Gaia, tending Bacchos/wine and other fruits of the earth, through caves, in the air, in the forests, on the mountains, bringing delight to all, playful.
The hymn appears to end with instructions to pour a libation/offering of water to the Nymphs to foster growth at the appropriate time/season.
"The early Greeks saw in all the phenomena of ordinary nature some manifestation of the deity; springs, rivers, grottoes, trees, and mountains, all seemed to them fraught with life; and all were only the visible embodiments of so many divine agents." Theoi.com
51. Νυμφῶν, - of the Nymphs, Prevailing Goddesses (over a certain place)
θυμίαμα - incense
ἀρώματα. - aromatic
Νύμφαι, - Nymphs
θυγατέρες - daughters, grand-daughters (of)
μεγαλήτορος - "great-hearted" = great (μεγαλ) + heart (ήτορος)
Ὠκεανοῖο, - God of Ocean
ὑγροπόροις - liquid, wet, moist, fluid (ὑγρο) + poros, going through, means of passage (πόροις)
γαίης - Gaia, Goddess of Earth
ὑπὸ - beneath
κεύθεσιν - concealed, hidden, covered
οἰκί' - home
ἔχουσαι, - have, hold, possess
κρυψίδρομοι, - "running secretly" = secret (κρυψί) + course (δρομοι)
Βάκχοιο - Bacchos, filled with the spirit of Bacchos, God of Wine
τροφοί, - nurse, nourish
χθόνιαι, - earth
πολυγηθεῖς, - many, multi, poli (πολυ) + rejoice, cheerful, joy, delight (γηθεῖς)
καρποτρόφοι, - fruit (καρπο) + nurturing, bringing, ripening, rearing (τρόφοι) λειμωνιάδες, - meadow (λειμω) + prevailing-over, residing (νιάδες)
σκολιοδρόμοι, - "running on an indirect course, of nymphs of underground streams" = crooked, bent, oblique, winding, twisted, curling (σκολιο) + course (δρόμοι)
ἁγναί, - pure
ἀντροχαρεῖς, - "cave-haunting, epithet of nymphs and Pan" = cave (ἀντρο) + rejoice, be glad, take pleasure in, delight in (χαρεῖς)
σπήλυγξι - cave, cavern, grotto
κεχαρμέναι, - core essence (κε) + joy, delight + strong, powerful (χαρμένα)
ἠερόφοιτοι, - "air-wandering" = air (ἠερό) + repeated going or coming -or- plant, fruit, offspring, generative (φοιτοι)
πηγαῖαι, - all over (πη) + Earth, Gaia (γαῖαι) = "from a spring, belonging to a primal source"
δρομάδες, - coursing
δροσοείμονες, - dew (δροσο) + εί + one (μονες) = one-with-dew? "dew-clad?" ἴχνεσι - track, footstep, foot, route, foot-prints, track-of, trace-of, hunting-trail
κοῦφαι, - light, slight, empty, unsubstantial, airy, light, nimble
φαινόμεναι, - apparent, observed, seen, manifest, come to light, appear (φαινό) + strong, true, might, force (μεναι)
ἀφανεῖς, - "unseen, not apparent, secret" = arising above the apparent
αὐλωνιάδες, - glen, channel, trench, furrow, strait, pipe, conduit, groove (αὐλων) + directed/directing (ιάδες)
πολυανθεῖς, - many/multi/poli (πολυ) + flower, blossom (ανθεῖς) = "blooming, rich in flowers; large population of people, multitude"
σὺν - together
Πανὶ - all
σκιρτῶσαι - spring, leap, bounding, metaphor: skittish, unruly (σκιρτῶσαι)
ἀν' - arising
οὔρεα, - water flow, fluid
εὐάστειραι, - essence pure (εὐ) + stars, starry -or- charming, pretty, graceful (άστειραι) -or - steer; sterile (στειραι)
πετρόρυτοι, - "flowing from a rock" + stone (πετρό) + route; flowing, fluid (ρυτοι) (rhyton is a drinking cup or horn running to a point where was a small hole through which the wine ran in a thin stream), funnel, designed to facilitate pouring; quarried
λιγυραί, - clear, lucid, fine, slender, clear, shrill
βομβήτριαι, - buzzing, humming, booming, deep-toned, rumble + (βομ) + beat, dance (βήτριαι) (could be orchestra directions)
οὐρεσίφοιτοι, - make water flow (οὐρε) + siphon, pump, tube (σίφοιτοι)
ἀγρότεραι - country, agro (ἀγρό) + territory, land, living (τεραι) = "living in the wild"
κοῦραι, - daughters, children, youth
κρουνίτιδες - spring, well-head, spout, nozzle, water-course, gush, discharge water (κρουνί) + τιδες
ὑλονόμοι - "living in the wood = woods (ὑλο) + district, sphere of command, prevailing entity (νόμοι)
τε, - too then
παρθένοι - "maiden, girl, unmarried male/female" = having to do with (παρ) + the sacred (θένοι)
εὐώδεις, - "sweet-smelling, fragrant" = essence pure (εὐ) + odor, fragrance, smell, bouquet (ώδεις)λευχείμονες, - "clad in white" = white -or- couch/bed (λευχ) + dressed; -or- alone (είμονες) = sleeping alone?
εὔπνοοι - "breathing well or freely; open to the winds, good to breathe, sweet-smelling" = essence pure (εὔ) + breath, blow (πνοοι)
αὔραις, - breeze, exhale, aura
αἰπολικαί, - high, steep, lofty (αἰπο) + winnow (λικαί) = "of or for goatherds, tending goats (presumably on the mountain)"
νόμιαι, - lawfulness, sphere of command
θηρσὶν - beasts of prey, wild beasts, hunting, chase, capture, wild animal
φίλαι, - loving
ἀγλαόκαρποι, - glory, glorious, beautiful (ἀγλαό) + fruit (καρποι) = "bearing beautiful or goodly fruit, giver of the fruits of the earth (of Demeter and Nymphs)"
κρυμοχαρεῖς, - icy cold, frost (κρυμο) + delight, rejoice, be glad (χαρεῖς) = "delighting in frost"
ἁπαλαί, - arising long ago, once upon a time, before, born long ago (ἁπαλαί)
πολυθρέμμονες - many, multi, poli (πολυ) + nursling, creature, nourishment (θρέμ) + alone (μονες) = "feeding many, epithet of the Nile"
αὐξίτροφοί - "promoting growth" = increase, growth (αὐξί) + nursing, tending, feed, rear (τροφοί)
τε, - too then
κοῦραι - daughter, youth
ἁμαδρυάδες, - "Nymphs whose lives were dependent upon the trees to which they were attached" = at once, at the same time, together (ἁμα) + Dryads (δρυάδες)
φιλοπαίγμονες, - loving (φιλο) + play, sport, game (παίγ) + alone (μονες)
ὑγροκέλευθοι, - water (ὑγρο) + road, path, way of going (κέλευθοι) = "having wet paths, leaving a moist trail"
Νύσιαι, - turning point, "Nusa-name of several mountains sacred to Dionysos"
μανικαί, - manic, inspired
παιωνίδες, - healing, medicine; song of victory (παιων) + ίδες,
εἰαροτερπεῖς, - spring, spring-time (εἰαρο) + delight, gladden, cheer, have full enjoyment of (τερπεῖς) = "joying in spring"
σὺν - together
Βάκχωι - Bacchos/wine
Δηοῖ - Demeter/bread
τε - too then
χάριν - grace, the Graces
θνητοῖσι - mortal
φέρουσαι· - lead to a place, point to or refer to a thing, carry, bring forth, produce, cause, bear, carry
ἔλθετ' - come
ἐπ' - upon
εὐφήμοις - "uttering sounds of good omen, fair-sounding" = essence pure (εὐ) + "oracular utterance," prophetic saying (φήμοις)
ἱεροῖς - holy
κεχαρηότι - core essence (κε) + rejoice, take pleasure (χαρηότι)
θυμῶι - spirit, mind, heart, passion, soul as the principle of life, feeling, and thought
νᾶμα - homage, reverence; anything flowing, running water, stream, spring
χέουσαι - stream down, fall, let drop, pour out, let flow
ὑγεινὸν - water (probably instructions to pour a water libation to the Nymphs)
ἀεξιτρόφοισιν - cause to grow or flourish, nourishing, increase, grow (ἀεξι) + foster, nurture, feed, nourish, sustain (τρόφοισιν)
ἐν - in
ὥραις. - Horai, season, at the right time, in the right season
RSS Feed