Translated by Catherine Proppe, February 25, 2016
3. Νυκτός, θυμίαμα δαλούς.
To Night
Divine connection: torch
Νύκτα θεῶν γενέτειραν ἀείσομαι ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
Night[1], the Mother of eternal deities and of humanity, too,
Νὺξ γένεσις πάντων, ἣν καὶ Κύπριν καλέσωμεν
Night[2], genesis of all--See there! She is called by the Kyprian’s[3] body.
κλῦθι, μάκαιρα θεά, κυαναυγής, ἀστεροφεγγής,
Come, blessed Goddess, cyan-dawning[4], star-enflamed,
ἡσυχίῃι χαίρουσα καὶ ἠρεμίῃι πολυύπνωι,
In stillness rejoicing and bringing to rest so many with Sleep[5],
εὐφροσύνη, τερπνή, φιλοπάννυχε, μῆτερ ὀνείρων,
Happily delighting in love all through the night, Mother of Dreams[6],
ληθομέριμν' ἀγαθή τε πόνων ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχουσα,
Letting good people forget their cares too, and giving pause to the grip of toil,
ὑπνοδότειρα, φίλη πάντων, ἐλάσιππε, νυχαυγής,
Giver of sleep, loved by all, driving the horses of night’s dawn,
ἡμιτελής, χθονία ἠδ' οὐρανία πάλιν αὐτή,
Completing half the earth and sky, circling alone,
ἐγκυκλία, παίκτειρα διώγμασιν ἠεροφοίτοις,
Encircling playful Queen of the aereal chase[7],
ἣ φάος ἐκπέμπεις ὑπὸ νέρτερα καὶ πάλι φεύγεις
Dispatch light beneath the nether realm in its recurring flight
εἰς Ἀίδην δεινὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πάντα κρατύνει.
With the power of Aidon[8] and Necessity[9] all-ruling.
νῦν δε, μάκαιρα, (καλ)ῶ, πολυόλβιε, πᾶσι ποθεινή,
Here now, blessed one, bring forth the plentiful whole life blessings all desire,
εὐάντητε, κλύουσα ἱκετηρίδα φωνὴν
Accept and hear supplications spoken,
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα, φόβους δ' ἀπόπεμπε νυχαυγεῖς.
Come, kindly power, banish fear with night’s dawn.
[1] Night is the immortal Goddess of Night, literally “tipping-point (Ν) + pure (ύ) + kore/seed (κ) + stretch/extend (τ) + α.”
Ancient Greek words that begin with κτ- have to do with extending one’s realm, laying claim to possessions, livestock, and territory, that is, extending the kore/seed (κ) to include more beyond it. (Words that begin with κτ- are also associated with items that extend in a parallel manner, such as combs/rakes/fingers/ribs/fissures/layers/gills.)
The night sky extends the visible realm of earth (the generative Mother of all) to include the heavens, the stars, the planets.
According to Hesiod’s Theogony (116-124), at the very beginning of everything was Chaos, from which first emerged foundational Gaia (earth), then Tartarus (beneath the earth), and then Eros (love). Then the Goddess Night emerged from primordial Chaos alongside Erebos, the God of darkness. Night then created Aether (the bright blue sky) and Hemera/Day in union with Erebos. Thence forth, the rest of the immortal Goddesses and Gods were formed.
“From Chasm, Erebos and black Night came to be;
and then Aether and Day came forth from Night,
who conceived and bore them after mingling in love with Erebos.” (trans. Most)
“From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night;
but of Night were born Aether and Day,
whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus.” (trans. Evelyn-White)
Erebos is the immortal God of nether darkness, literally “essence (Ἔ) + flow (ρ) + essence-of (ε) + the base (β) + entity (ο) +ς.”
[2] Nyx (Νὺξ) is another name for night, literally tipping-point (Ν) + pure (ὺ) + detached (ξ). Presumably, Night is the tipping point between the realm of earth and all the heavenly bodies detached from earth.
[3] Kypros is Aphrodite, the immortal Goddess of the urge to merge, passionate love, which is the foundation of procreation. The planet Venus is named for Aphrodite and is called both the morning star and the evening star because it is the first “star” to appear at sunset and the last “star” to disappear at sunrise. Aphrodite is particularly fond of night-time because the darkness provides cover for amorous activities (that often occur in bed at night).
[4] Night’s dawn is the dark blue (cyan) sky that arises in the East at sunset (dawn=αυγής (transcending (α) + pure (υ) + Ge/Earth (γής)).
[5] Hypnos is the immortal God of sleep, literally pure (ύ) + under-the-same-roof (π) + tipping-point (ν). Sleep, common to all, is the tipping-point between life and death.
[6] The Oneiroi are the immortal Gods of dreams, literally entity’s (ὀ) + tipping-point (ν) + essence of (ε) + divine-power (ί) + flow (ρ) + ων.” Dreams are the gateway to communication with the divine.
[7] The “chase” because the constellations appear to “chase” one another across the sky.
[8] Aidon is Hades/Pluto, the immortal God of the afterlife, literally transcending (Ἀ) + divine-power (ί) + directing (δ) + central (η) + tipping point (ν).”
[9] Ananke is the immortal Goddess of necessity, of what is necessary/inevitable, transcending (ἀν) + grasp (άγκη).
3. Νυκτός, θυμίαμα δαλούς.
To Night
Divine connection: torch
Νύκτα θεῶν γενέτειραν ἀείσομαι ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
Night[1], the Mother of eternal deities and of humanity, too,
Νὺξ γένεσις πάντων, ἣν καὶ Κύπριν καλέσωμεν
Night[2], genesis of all--See there! She is called by the Kyprian’s[3] body.
κλῦθι, μάκαιρα θεά, κυαναυγής, ἀστεροφεγγής,
Come, blessed Goddess, cyan-dawning[4], star-enflamed,
ἡσυχίῃι χαίρουσα καὶ ἠρεμίῃι πολυύπνωι,
In stillness rejoicing and bringing to rest so many with Sleep[5],
εὐφροσύνη, τερπνή, φιλοπάννυχε, μῆτερ ὀνείρων,
Happily delighting in love all through the night, Mother of Dreams[6],
ληθομέριμν' ἀγαθή τε πόνων ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχουσα,
Letting good people forget their cares too, and giving pause to the grip of toil,
ὑπνοδότειρα, φίλη πάντων, ἐλάσιππε, νυχαυγής,
Giver of sleep, loved by all, driving the horses of night’s dawn,
ἡμιτελής, χθονία ἠδ' οὐρανία πάλιν αὐτή,
Completing half the earth and sky, circling alone,
ἐγκυκλία, παίκτειρα διώγμασιν ἠεροφοίτοις,
Encircling playful Queen of the aereal chase[7],
ἣ φάος ἐκπέμπεις ὑπὸ νέρτερα καὶ πάλι φεύγεις
Dispatch light beneath the nether realm in its recurring flight
εἰς Ἀίδην δεινὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πάντα κρατύνει.
With the power of Aidon[8] and Necessity[9] all-ruling.
νῦν δε, μάκαιρα, (καλ)ῶ, πολυόλβιε, πᾶσι ποθεινή,
Here now, blessed one, bring forth the plentiful whole life blessings all desire,
εὐάντητε, κλύουσα ἱκετηρίδα φωνὴν
Accept and hear supplications spoken,
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα, φόβους δ' ἀπόπεμπε νυχαυγεῖς.
Come, kindly power, banish fear with night’s dawn.
[1] Night is the immortal Goddess of Night, literally “tipping-point (Ν) + pure (ύ) + kore/seed (κ) + stretch/extend (τ) + α.”
Ancient Greek words that begin with κτ- have to do with extending one’s realm, laying claim to possessions, livestock, and territory, that is, extending the kore/seed (κ) to include more beyond it. (Words that begin with κτ- are also associated with items that extend in a parallel manner, such as combs/rakes/fingers/ribs/fissures/layers/gills.)
The night sky extends the visible realm of earth (the generative Mother of all) to include the heavens, the stars, the planets.
According to Hesiod’s Theogony (116-124), at the very beginning of everything was Chaos, from which first emerged foundational Gaia (earth), then Tartarus (beneath the earth), and then Eros (love). Then the Goddess Night emerged from primordial Chaos alongside Erebos, the God of darkness. Night then created Aether (the bright blue sky) and Hemera/Day in union with Erebos. Thence forth, the rest of the immortal Goddesses and Gods were formed.
“From Chasm, Erebos and black Night came to be;
and then Aether and Day came forth from Night,
who conceived and bore them after mingling in love with Erebos.” (trans. Most)
“From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night;
but of Night were born Aether and Day,
whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus.” (trans. Evelyn-White)
Erebos is the immortal God of nether darkness, literally “essence (Ἔ) + flow (ρ) + essence-of (ε) + the base (β) + entity (ο) +ς.”
[2] Nyx (Νὺξ) is another name for night, literally tipping-point (Ν) + pure (ὺ) + detached (ξ). Presumably, Night is the tipping point between the realm of earth and all the heavenly bodies detached from earth.
[3] Kypros is Aphrodite, the immortal Goddess of the urge to merge, passionate love, which is the foundation of procreation. The planet Venus is named for Aphrodite and is called both the morning star and the evening star because it is the first “star” to appear at sunset and the last “star” to disappear at sunrise. Aphrodite is particularly fond of night-time because the darkness provides cover for amorous activities (that often occur in bed at night).
[4] Night’s dawn is the dark blue (cyan) sky that arises in the East at sunset (dawn=αυγής (transcending (α) + pure (υ) + Ge/Earth (γής)).
[5] Hypnos is the immortal God of sleep, literally pure (ύ) + under-the-same-roof (π) + tipping-point (ν). Sleep, common to all, is the tipping-point between life and death.
[6] The Oneiroi are the immortal Gods of dreams, literally entity’s (ὀ) + tipping-point (ν) + essence of (ε) + divine-power (ί) + flow (ρ) + ων.” Dreams are the gateway to communication with the divine.
[7] The “chase” because the constellations appear to “chase” one another across the sky.
[8] Aidon is Hades/Pluto, the immortal God of the afterlife, literally transcending (Ἀ) + divine-power (ί) + directing (δ) + central (η) + tipping point (ν).”
[9] Ananke is the immortal Goddess of necessity, of what is necessary/inevitable, transcending (ἀν) + grasp (άγκη).
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