To Eos
Divine connection: manna
Κλῦθι, θεά, θνητοῖς φαεσίμβροτον ἦμαρ ἄγουσα,
I call the Goddess of arising mortal light, each day’s dawn,
Ἠὼς λαμπροφαής, ἐρυθαινομένη κατὰ κόσμον,
Eos[1], lamp-bearing light, blushing red upon the cosmos,
ἀγγέλτειρα θεοῦ μεγάλου Τιτᾶνος ἀγαυοῦ,
Herald divine, majestic Titan[2] exalted,
ἣ νυκτὸς ζοφόεντα κελαινόχρωτα πορείην
Slayer of Night’s[3] black-skin, marching from
ἀντολίαις ταῖς σαῖς πέμπεις ὑπὸ νέρτερα γαίης·
The east[4], stretching, sweeping, dispatching Night to the dark region of Gaia[5].
ἔργων ἡγήτειρα, βίου πρόπολε θνητοῖσιν·
Initiating work, life’s precursor of death,
ἧι χαίρει θνητῶν μερόπων γένος· οὐδέ τίς ἐστιν,
Eternally gracing mortal destiny at birth, and none are
ὃς φεύγει τὴν σὴν ὄψιν καθυπέρτερον οὖσαν,
Those who escape your view from the highest essence.
ἡνίκα τὸν γλυκὺν ὕπνον ἀπὸ βλεφάρων ἀποσείσηις,
When sweet sleep springs from fluttering eyelids,
πᾶς δὲ βροτὸς γήθει, πᾶν ἑρπετὸν ἄλλα τε φῦλα
All humanity of Ge[6] divine, all earth’s creatures, all progeny of
τετραπόδων πτηνῶν τε καὶ εἰναλίων πολυεθνῶν·
The four-footed, winged, and the sea’s many species,
πάντα γὰρ ἐργάσιμον βίοτον θνητοῖσι πορίζεις.
All commence the work life’s mortals provide.
ἀλλά, μάκαιρ’, ἁγνή, μύσταις ἱερὸν φάος αὔξοις.
Now then, blessed, pure mystae[7], holy light augment.
[1] Eos is the immortal Goddess of dawn.
[2] The Titans are the immortal deities who reside in Tartaros, the deepest realm beneath the earth, in contrast to the Olympian deities, who reside on Mount Olympos, the highest known place on earth.
[3] Night is the immortal Goddess of night.
[4] It is interesting to note that Anatolia is the ancient word for the country that is now Turkey, which lies to the east of Greece.
[5] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
[6] Ge is another name for the immortal Goddess of generative earth, “Mother Earth.”
[7] The mystae are initiates in the divine mysteries.