Translated by Catherine Proppe, July 9, 2015
40. Δήμητρος Ἐλευσινίας, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
To Demeter[1] of Eleusis[2]
Divine connection: styrax
Δηώ, παμμήτειρα θεά, πολυώνυμε δαῖμον,
Deo[3], Divine Mother of All, many-realmed power,
σεμνὴ Δήμητερ, κουροτρόφε, ὀλβιοδῶτι,
Honored Demeter, child-nurturer, bestowing whole-life blessings,
πλουτοδότειρα θεά, σταχυοτρόφε, παντοδότειρα,
Wealth[4]-giving Goddess, cornstalk[5]-nurturer, bestowing all
εἰρήνηι χαίρουσα καὶ ἐργασίαις πολυμόχθοις,
Peace[6] and Grace[7], as well as work’s many hardships.
σπερμεία, σωρῖτι, ἀλωαία, χλοόκαρπε,
Seeds heap high on the threshing floor and tender green fruits
ἣ ναίεις ἁγνοῖσιν Ἐλευσῖνος γυάλοισιν,
Here prevail in pure Eleusinos’ valley.
ἱμερόεσσ', ἐρατή, θνητῶν θρέπτειρα προπάντων,
Loving lovely Lady who provides sustenance to mortals before all else
ἡ πρώτη ζεύξασα βοῶν ἀροτῆρα τένοντα
Here first yoking oxen to the plough’s neck
καὶ βίον ἱμερόεντα βροτοῖς πολύολβον ἀνεῖσα,
And lovingly bestowing a life for humanity of plentiful blessings for all eternity.
αὐξιθαλής, Βρομίοιο συνέστιος, ἀγλαότιμος,
Give rise to the blooms of Bromios’[8] shared hearth gloriously honored,
λαμπαδόεσσ', ἁγνή, δρεπάνοις χαίρουσα θερείοις·
Pure Torchbearer, as we harvest summer’s grace
σὺ χθονία, σὺ δὲ φαινομένη, σὺ δε πᾶσι προσηνής·
Thou Mother Earth, thou light, thou of all kindness,
εὔτεκνε, παιδοφίλη, σεμνή, κουροτρόφε κούρα,
Creator, child-lover[9], revered son-nurturing daughter.
ἅρμα δρακοντείοισιν ὑποζεύξασα χαλινοῖς
Your chariot, drawn by dragons beneath the yoke’s bridle,
ἐγκυκλίοις δίναις περὶ σὸν θρόνον εὐάζουσα,
Encircles, whirls round thy throne to give rise to life.
μουνογενής, πολύτεκνε θεά, πολυπότνια θνητοῖς,
Single parent of many children, Goddess most honored by mortals
ἧς πολλαὶ μορφαί, πολυάνθεμοι, ἱεροθαλεῖς.
Here in many forms, with a multitude flowers’ holy blooms.
ἐλθέ, μάκαιρ', ἁγνή, καρποῖς βρίθουσα θερείοις,
Come, blessed, pure, fruits heavy with summer,
εἰρήνην κατάγουσα καὶ εὐνομίην ἐρατεινὴν
Bring Eirene[10] of peace and lovely Eunomia[11] of good laws
καὶ πλοῦτον πολύολβον, ὁμοῦ δ' ὑγίειαν ἄνασσαν.
And Plouton’s[12] plentiful blessings, close by with Hygieia[13], Queen of health[14].
[1] Demeter is the immortal Goddess who directs earth’s generation and agriculture, literally: directing (Δή) + Mother (μητρος).
[2] Eleusis is an ancient city near Athens on the fertile Rarian Plain famous for the Mysteries of Demeter and her daughter, Kore. Eleusis literally means “set free, liberate:” essence (ε) + loosen, release (λευσ).
[3] Deo means Demeter.
[4] Plouto is the immortal God of wealth and the afterlife.
[5] Stach- (σταχ-) is a prefix that means stalk or ear of corn. “Corn” is so-named because it is the manifestation of Demeter’s daughter, Kore (κόρη).
[6] Eirene is the immortal Goddess of Peace.
[7] The Charites are the immortal Goddesses of Grace, as in divine gifts that are received without regard to the recipient’s worthiness or merit.
[8] Bromios is a Theban name for Bacchos, the immortal God of wine and its effects. (Jane Ellen Harrions, “Bromios,” Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion, p. 412.)
“The title Bromios … never occurs in Homer, nor in Sophocles. Pindar and Aeschylus both use it, Euripides often. The poets, by their usage, clearly show that they connect the title with the verb [Bremo] βρέμω, which means ‘to make a confused sound.’… Sometimes the association is definitely with thunder…In the Bacchae … Dionysos is in some degree a [G]od of thunder as well as thunder-born … Julian [in an epigram] propounds…that the title Bromios points to a [G]od born not of lightning and thunder but of an intoxicant made from the cereal [bromos] βρόμος. Bromios is Demetrios, son of Demeter the Corn-Mother, before he becomes [G]od of the grape and son by adoption of Olympian Zeus.” (Harrison, Prolegomena, 413-416.)
Note that bromos (βρόμος) means oats, wild oats. It also means any loud noise, literally: base (β) + flow (ρ) + entity (ό) + divine-medium (μ)ος.
[9] Paidophile means “lover of children.” Unfortunately, today it is a despicable modern euphemism for “child molester.”
[10] Eirene is the immortal Goddess of Peace.
[11] Eunomia is the immortal Goddess of Just Laws.
[12] Plouton is the immortal God of Wealth.
[13] Hygieia is the immortal Goddess of Health.
[14] Anassa means Queen, Lady.
RSS Feed