8. Εἰς Ἥλιον, θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν.
To Helios, God of the Sun
Divine medium: libanon mannan (frankincense, manna)
Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,
I call the blessed, all-seeing foundation, the eternal eye,
Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, Ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς,
Titan of golden dawn, Hyperion’s heavenly light,
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζώιων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
Singular arising arc, whose life-giving, sweet face
δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός,
On the right gives birth to Dawn, and, on the left, to Night,
κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων,
Mixing the foundation’s four horizons, counting each circling
εὔδρομε, ῥοιζήτωρ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,
Course, with his fire-hurtling, light-bestowing chariot,
ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων,
Whirling without intermission on a wheeling path, driving
εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσιν,
A well-honored guided cycle, beautiful, powerful, impudent.
χρησολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων,
Your golden lyre the cosmos’ harmonic course follows.
ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε,
Signaling the time for work, good hour-turning son,
κοσμοκράτωρ, συρικτά, πυρίδρομε, κυκλοέλικτε,
Cosmic ruler, trailing a fiery course, in a cycling spiral.
φωσφόρε, αἰολόδικτε, φερέσβιε, κάρπιμε Παιάν,
Light-bearer, eternally variable dictator, bringing life to Gaia’s fruits,
ἀιθαλής, ἀμίαντε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀθάνατε Ζεῦ,
Ethereal, exemplary father of time, eternal Zeus,
εὔδιε, πασιφαής, κόσμου τὸ περίδρομον ὄμμα,
Fair-coursing, all-light of the the cosmos, circumnavigating eye:
σβεννύμενε λάμπων τε καλαῖς ἀκτῖσι φαειναῖς,
From extinguished lamp to beautiful noonday brilliance.
δεῖκτα δικαιοσύνης, φιλονάματε, δέσποτα κόσμου,
Clear illuminator in league with Dike’s justice, beloved streaming font, all-powerful despot of the cosmos,
πιστοφύλαξ, αἰεὶ πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ,
Trusted sentinel, eternally uppermost, giving aid to all,
ὄμμα δικαιοσύνης, ζωῆς φῶς· ὦ ἐλάσιππε,
Eye of justice, life’s illuminator, O steed-driver,
μάστιγι λιγυρῆι τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων,
Whip sharply that four-horsed chariot, drive on!
κλῦθι λόγων, ἡδὺν δὲ βίον μύστηισι πρόφαινε.
I call with sweet words of life to the mystae: come before the light.
NOTES
Helios (Ἥλιος, Ἠέλιος) is the immortal God of the sun and the son of Hyperion (Ὑπερίων), the God of the “upper air.” Helios’ siblings are the Goddess Eos (dawn), and the Goddess Selene (moon) (Theogony 371, Homeric Hymn To Helios, Apollodorus 1.9, Hyginus Pref). Helios and his siblings are Titans.
When facing north, Helios appears to rise on the right and set on the lefthand horizon. Helios is characterized as driving his chariot across the sky.
“The points at which Helios rises and descends into the ocean are of course different at the different seasons of the year; and the extreme points in the north and south, between which the rising and setting take place, are the τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο. (Od. xv. 403; Hes. Op. et Dies, 449, 525.)[1]” Tropai helio (τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο) means the turning points of Helios.
Gaia (Γαῖα) is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
Zeus (Ζεύς) is the immortal lightning God of the spark of fire, spark of life. Ζεύς is a title also used to refer to other deities, such as Pluto, Ammon, Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Helios, and to some mortals, such as Pericles and various kings and emperors.
Dike (Δίκη) is the immortal, all-seeing Goddess of justice.
This hymn may have been performed at dawn when the initiates in the mysteries, the “mystae,” emerge at sunrise from their night-long initiation rituals.
[1] Schmitz, L. (1870). HE′LIOS (Ἥλιος or Ἠέλιος). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 375). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
8. Εἰς Ἥλιον, θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν.
To Helios, God of the Sun
Divine medium: libanon mannan (frankincense, manna)
Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,
I call the blessed, all-seeing foundation, the eternal eye,
Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, Ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς,
Titan of golden dawn, Hyperion’s heavenly light,
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζώιων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
Singular arising arc, whose life-giving, sweet face
δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός,
On the right gives birth to Dawn, and, on the left, to Night,
κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων,
Mixing the foundation’s four horizons, counting each circling
εὔδρομε, ῥοιζήτωρ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,
Course, with his fire-hurtling, light-bestowing chariot,
ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων,
Whirling without intermission on a wheeling path, driving
εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσιν,
A well-honored guided cycle, beautiful, powerful, impudent.
χρησολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων,
Your golden lyre the cosmos’ harmonic course follows.
ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε,
Signaling the time for work, good hour-turning son,
κοσμοκράτωρ, συρικτά, πυρίδρομε, κυκλοέλικτε,
Cosmic ruler, trailing a fiery course, in a cycling spiral.
φωσφόρε, αἰολόδικτε, φερέσβιε, κάρπιμε Παιάν,
Light-bearer, eternally variable dictator, bringing life to Gaia’s fruits,
ἀιθαλής, ἀμίαντε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀθάνατε Ζεῦ,
Ethereal, exemplary father of time, eternal Zeus,
εὔδιε, πασιφαής, κόσμου τὸ περίδρομον ὄμμα,
Fair-coursing, all-light of the the cosmos, circumnavigating eye:
σβεννύμενε λάμπων τε καλαῖς ἀκτῖσι φαειναῖς,
From extinguished lamp to beautiful noonday brilliance.
δεῖκτα δικαιοσύνης, φιλονάματε, δέσποτα κόσμου,
Clear illuminator in league with Dike’s justice, beloved streaming font, all-powerful despot of the cosmos,
πιστοφύλαξ, αἰεὶ πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ,
Trusted sentinel, eternally uppermost, giving aid to all,
ὄμμα δικαιοσύνης, ζωῆς φῶς· ὦ ἐλάσιππε,
Eye of justice, life’s illuminator, O steed-driver,
μάστιγι λιγυρῆι τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων,
Whip sharply that four-horsed chariot, drive on!
κλῦθι λόγων, ἡδὺν δὲ βίον μύστηισι πρόφαινε.
I call with sweet words of life to the mystae: come before the light.
NOTES
Helios (Ἥλιος, Ἠέλιος) is the immortal God of the sun and the son of Hyperion (Ὑπερίων), the God of the “upper air.” Helios’ siblings are the Goddess Eos (dawn), and the Goddess Selene (moon) (Theogony 371, Homeric Hymn To Helios, Apollodorus 1.9, Hyginus Pref). Helios and his siblings are Titans.
When facing north, Helios appears to rise on the right and set on the lefthand horizon. Helios is characterized as driving his chariot across the sky.
“The points at which Helios rises and descends into the ocean are of course different at the different seasons of the year; and the extreme points in the north and south, between which the rising and setting take place, are the τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο. (Od. xv. 403; Hes. Op. et Dies, 449, 525.)[1]” Tropai helio (τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο) means the turning points of Helios.
Gaia (Γαῖα) is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
Zeus (Ζεύς) is the immortal lightning God of the spark of fire, spark of life. Ζεύς is a title also used to refer to other deities, such as Pluto, Ammon, Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Helios, and to some mortals, such as Pericles and various kings and emperors.
Dike (Δίκη) is the immortal, all-seeing Goddess of justice.
This hymn may have been performed at dawn when the initiates in the mysteries, the “mystae,” emerge at sunrise from their night-long initiation rituals.
[1] Schmitz, L. (1870). HE′LIOS (Ἥλιος or Ἠέλιος). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 375). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
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