Translated by Catherine R. Proppe, March 26, 2014.
7. Ἄστρων,
θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
Astron[1]
Divine medium (incense): aromatics
Ἄστρων οὐρανίων ἱερὸν σέλας ἐκπροκαλοῦμαι
Astron, heavenly holy light, come forth.
εὐιέροις φωναῖσι κικλήσκων δαίμονας ἁγ(ν)ούς.
Holy voices, call forth powers pure.
Ἀστέρες οὐράνιοι, Νυκτὸς φίλα τέκνα μελαίνης,
Starry heavens, Night’s beloved children, divine connection eternal,
ἐγκυκλίοις δίναισι περιθρόνια κυκλέοντες.
Circling egg rotating ‘round throne revolving.
ἀνταυγεῖς, πυρόεντες, ἀεὶ γενετῆρες ἁπάντων,
Reflecting light, fired within, eternal creator of all
μοιρίδιοι, πάσης μοίρης σημάντορες ὄντες,
Destinies, all fates’ signaling entity,
θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων θείαν διέποντες ἀταρπόν,
Mortal humans’ divine director of paths,
ἑπταφαεῖς ζώνας ἐφορώμενοι, ἠερόπλαγκτοι,
Seven zones[2] tending aerial planets[3],
οὐράνιοι χθόνιοί τε, πυρίδρομοι, αἰὲν ἀτειρεῖς,
Heavenly; earthly, too; fiery course eternally giving rise to portents,
αὐγάζοντες ἀεὶ νυκτὸς ζοφοειδέα πέπλον,
Illuminated zones of eternal Night’s[4] dark peplos[5],
μαρμαρυγαῖς στίλβοντες, ἐύφρονες ἐννύχιοί τε
Sparkling, glittering bright, look with favor in the night,
ἔλθετ' ἐπ' εὐιέρου τελετῆς πολυΐστορας ἄθλους
Bring upon a pure, holy fulfillment of many historic struggles,
ἐσθλὸν ἐπ' εὐδόξοις ἔργοις δρόμον ἐκτελέοντες
Noble, honorable works’ course, bring to completion.
[1] The starry night sky: arising above (ἀ) + spread (στρων); basis for the word astronomy.
[2] The seven planetary zones: 1) Io (Ίώ) (Moon), 2) Helios (Ήλιος) (Sun), 3) Ares (Ἅρης) (Mars), 4) Aphrodite (Άφροδίτη) (Venus), 5) Hermes (Έρμῆς) (Mercury), 6) Zeus (Ζεύς)/Horus? (Ὧρος?) (Jupiter), 7) Kronos (Κρόνος)/Osiris (Ώσῖρις,Ὅσῖρις) (Saturn)
[3] The planets paths’ were considered to be wandering, irregular (πλαγκτοι).
[4] Night is the immortal Goddess of Night.
[5] A peplos is a robe.
The planets are associated with the vowels:
“… they had heard from the Chaldæan stranger a day or so before; that there were seven letters which were vowels, seven stars that have an independent motion and are unattached to the heavens; moreover that 'E' is the second vowel from the beginning, and the sun the second planet, after the moon, and that all Greeks, or nearly all, identify Apollo with the sun.” (“On the ‘E’ at Delphi,” Browne’s Miscellany Tract on Oracles, IV.) (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/misctracts/plutarchE.html#392d
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