Translated by Catherine Proppe, June 16, 2015
7. Ἄστρων, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To Astron[1]
Divine connection: aromatics
Ἄστρων οὐρανίων ἱερὸν σέλας ἐκπροκαλοῦμαι
Starry, heavenly, holy light: emerge.
εὐιέροις φωναῖσι κικλήσκων δαίμονας ἁγ(ν)ούς.
Sacred phonics call on divinities pure.
Ἀστέρες οὐράνιοι, Νυκτὸς φίλα τέκνα μελαίνης,
Star-filled heavens, Night’s beloved children in black
ἐγκυκλίοις δίναισι περιθρόνια κυκλέοντες.
Encircled, whirling ‘round Her throne revolving,
ἀνταυγεῖς, πυρόεντες, ἀεὶ γενετῆρες ἁπάντων,
Refracting light, fired within, eternally giving birth to 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 illuminated zones[2] tending aerial planets[3],
οὐράνιοι χθόνιοί τε, πυρίδρομοι, αἰὲν ἀτειρεῖς,
Heavenly; earthly, too; fiery courses 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
Sparkle, glitter, and gladden the night,
ἔλθετ' ἐπ' εὐιέρου τελετῆς πολυΐστορας ἄθλους
Bring holy fulfillment to many challenging inquiries
ἐσθλὸν ἐπ' εὐδόξοις ἔργοις δρόμον ἐκτελέοντες
Noble, honorable works’ courses bring to completion.
[1] The starry night sky: arising above (ἀ) + spread/strewn (στρων); basis for the word astronomy.
[2] The seven classical planetary zones:
“For the moon [1. Io (Ίώ) (Moon)] completes its own circle in a month, waxing and waning and vanishing, the sun [2. Helios (Ήλιος) (Sun)] and the stars which accompany it in its course, the so-called Morning Star [3. Aphrodite (Άφροδίτη) (Venus)], and the star of Hermes [4. Hermes (Έρμῆς) (Mercury)], in a year, the Fiery Star [5. Ares (Ἅρης) (Mars)] in double of that period, the star of Zeus [6. Zeus (Ζεύς) (Jupiter)] in six times that again (i.e. twelve years), and last of all, the star of Kronos [7. Kronos (Κρόνος) (Saturn)], so-called, in two and a half times the period of the star next below it.” (Sir Thomas L. Heath, Greek Astronomy , quoting De Mundo (from Aristotelian corpus cc. 5-6) (New York: Dover Publications, 1991) 159-160.
[3] The planets paths’ are wandering, irregular (πλαγκτοι).
[4] The immortal Goddess of Night was the third deity to emerge from Chaos at creation. In Hesiod’s Theogony (123-124) (trans. Evelyn-White), circa 750 BCE, at the beginning of creation Chaos first brought forth Earth, then Darkness, and Night:
“Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth…[then] from Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night…”
[5] A peplos is a robe.
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