Translated by Catherine Proppe, September 30, 2015
16. Ἥρης, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
Κυανέοις κόλποισιν ἐνημένη, ἀερόμορφε,
Deep blue vault enthroned, aereal-formed,
Ἥρη παμβασίλεια, Διὸς σύλλεκτρε μάκαιρα,
Hera[1], all-Basileia[2], Dios’[3] blessed bed-partner[4],
ψυχοτρόφους αὔρας θνητοῖς παρέχουσα προσηνεῖς,
Soul[5]-nurturing breath, mortal foundation, gentle
ὄμβρων μὲν μήτηρ, ἀνέμων τροφέ, παντογένεθλε·
Mother of rainstorms, wind-nurturer, giving birth to all.
χωρὶς γὰρ σέθεν οὐδὲν ὅλως ζωῆς φύσιν ἔγνω·
Separate, for of thou, and not the whole, life’s origin[6] is engendered;
κοινωνεῖς γὰρ ἅπασι κεκραμένη ἠέρι σεμνῶι·
In common, for all mixes by means of air divine;
πάντων γὰρ κρατέεις μούνη πάντεσσί τ' ἀνάσσεις
Overall, for by your power alone all four[7] are ruled.
ἠερίοις ῥοίζοισι τινασσομένη κατὰ χεῦμα.
Winds, sounds, motion, the power of every stream.
ἀλλά, μάκαιρα θεά, πολυώνυμε, παμβασίλεια,
Yet, blessed Goddess, multi-realmed all-Basileia[8],
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα καλῶι γήθουσα προσώπωι.
Come, kindly Lady, grace beautiful Ge’s[9] sweet-smelling countenance.
[1] Hera is the immortal Goddess of air (Empedocles, Poeta Philosophus (On Nature) 6.1-3; Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels; Plato, Cratylus (404c); Theophrastus; other references in Pease ND vol.2, p.716)
“And first the fourfold root of all things hear! –
White gleaming Zeus, life-bringing Hera, Dis [sic: Aidoneus],
And Nestis whose tears bedew mortality.”
Note: Zeus is fire, Hera air, Aidoneus earth, and Nestis water.
(Empedocles. Poeta Philosophus 6.1-3, cited in The Fragments of Empedocles, translated by William Ellery Leonard (Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 1908) 17.)
“’Zeus is his name for the seething [zesis] of heavenly fire, ‘life-bearing Hera’ for air [aer], ‘Aidoneus’ for earth, and ‘Nestis’ and ‘the springs of mortals’ for seed, so to speak, and water.” (Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels)
“But perhaps the lawgiver had natural phenomena in mind, and called her Hera as a disguise for air…” (Plato, Cratylus (404c))
[2] Basileia means Queen, ruler, seat of governance.
[3] Dios refers to Zeus, the immortal God of lightning/spark-of-fire/spark-of-life.
[4] Hera, the Goddess of air, is wed to Zeus, the God of the spark-of-life, because a spark without air will perish.
[5] Psyche is the immortal Goddess of the soul.
[6] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of nature, of physics, of the elementary substance, of the originating power.
[7] “All four” referes to the four “root” elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
[8] Basileia means Queen, the “base” or seat of rule..
[9] Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
16. Ἥρης, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
Κυανέοις κόλποισιν ἐνημένη, ἀερόμορφε,
Deep blue vault enthroned, aereal-formed,
Ἥρη παμβασίλεια, Διὸς σύλλεκτρε μάκαιρα,
Hera[1], all-Basileia[2], Dios’[3] blessed bed-partner[4],
ψυχοτρόφους αὔρας θνητοῖς παρέχουσα προσηνεῖς,
Soul[5]-nurturing breath, mortal foundation, gentle
ὄμβρων μὲν μήτηρ, ἀνέμων τροφέ, παντογένεθλε·
Mother of rainstorms, wind-nurturer, giving birth to all.
χωρὶς γὰρ σέθεν οὐδὲν ὅλως ζωῆς φύσιν ἔγνω·
Separate, for of thou, and not the whole, life’s origin[6] is engendered;
κοινωνεῖς γὰρ ἅπασι κεκραμένη ἠέρι σεμνῶι·
In common, for all mixes by means of air divine;
πάντων γὰρ κρατέεις μούνη πάντεσσί τ' ἀνάσσεις
Overall, for by your power alone all four[7] are ruled.
ἠερίοις ῥοίζοισι τινασσομένη κατὰ χεῦμα.
Winds, sounds, motion, the power of every stream.
ἀλλά, μάκαιρα θεά, πολυώνυμε, παμβασίλεια,
Yet, blessed Goddess, multi-realmed all-Basileia[8],
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα καλῶι γήθουσα προσώπωι.
Come, kindly Lady, grace beautiful Ge’s[9] sweet-smelling countenance.
[1] Hera is the immortal Goddess of air (Empedocles, Poeta Philosophus (On Nature) 6.1-3; Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels; Plato, Cratylus (404c); Theophrastus; other references in Pease ND vol.2, p.716)
“And first the fourfold root of all things hear! –
White gleaming Zeus, life-bringing Hera, Dis [sic: Aidoneus],
And Nestis whose tears bedew mortality.”
Note: Zeus is fire, Hera air, Aidoneus earth, and Nestis water.
(Empedocles. Poeta Philosophus 6.1-3, cited in The Fragments of Empedocles, translated by William Ellery Leonard (Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 1908) 17.)
“’Zeus is his name for the seething [zesis] of heavenly fire, ‘life-bearing Hera’ for air [aer], ‘Aidoneus’ for earth, and ‘Nestis’ and ‘the springs of mortals’ for seed, so to speak, and water.” (Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels)
“But perhaps the lawgiver had natural phenomena in mind, and called her Hera as a disguise for air…” (Plato, Cratylus (404c))
[2] Basileia means Queen, ruler, seat of governance.
[3] Dios refers to Zeus, the immortal God of lightning/spark-of-fire/spark-of-life.
[4] Hera, the Goddess of air, is wed to Zeus, the God of the spark-of-life, because a spark without air will perish.
[5] Psyche is the immortal Goddess of the soul.
[6] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of nature, of physics, of the elementary substance, of the originating power.
[7] “All four” referes to the four “root” elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
[8] Basileia means Queen, the “base” or seat of rule..
[9] Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
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