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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 0, lines 1–2 · Learn this prayer, Musaeus
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The address to Musaeus
ΕΥΧΗ ΠΡΟΣ ΜΟΥΣΑΙΟΝ
A prayer to Musaeus
0.1
The Orphic Hymns 0.1 · Learn this prayer, Musaeus
The manuscripts open with a title and a short good wish to the reader, and then Orpheus, the legendary singer, begins teaching his pupil Musaeus how to pray.
· · ·
ΥΜΝΟΙ1
Hýmnoi
The hymnssongs of praise
ΟΡΦΕΩΣ2
Orphéōs
of Orpheus
. χρῶ3
chrô
Use
it
Εὐτυχῶς4
Eutychôs
with good luck
, ἑταῖρε5
hetaîre
friendcomrade
. ΕΥΧΗ6
Euchḗ
A prayer
ΠΡΟΣ7
prós
to
ΜΟΥΣΑΙΟΝ8
Mousaîon
Musaeus
. Μάνθανε9
Mánthane
Learn
δή10
dḗ
now
, Μουσαῖε11
Mousaîe
Musaeus
, περισέμνην12
perisémnēn
the holiestvery august
θυηπολίην13
thyēpolíēn
rite of offeringsacrificing
, εὐχήν14
euchḗn
a prayer
ἣ15
hḕ
which
δή16
dḗ
truly
τοι17
toi
I tell you
, ἐστὶν18
estìn
is
προφερεστέρη19
propherestérē
finermore excelling
ἁπασέων20
hapaséōn
than all
. The hymns of Orpheus. Use it with good luck, friend. A prayer to Musaeus. Learn now, Musaeus, the holiest rite of offering, a prayer which truly, I tell you, is finer than all.
The hymns of Orpheus. Use it with good luck, friend. A prayer to Musaeus. Learn now, Musaeus, the holiest rite of offering, a prayer which truly, I tell you, is finer than all.
Interpretation
The Hymns of Orpheus. Use this book with good luck, friend. A prayer to Musaeus. Learn now, Musaeus, the holiest rite of offering, a prayer which truly is finer than all others.
The wish eutychōs chrō, hetaire, "use it with good luck, friend," stands at the head of the collection in the manuscripts. It speaks to the person who will use the book, and chrō means use: these are prayers meant to be said at an altar, with the incense each heading names.
The speaker is Orpheus, the singer of myth, and the listener is Musaeus, in Greek tradition his pupil or his son. The rite he is about to teach is a thyēpoliē, a sacrifice; the same word was used for mystery rites in general. What follows is a roll call of the gods. Many of them reappear later with a hymn of their own.
0.3
The Orphic Hymns 0.3 · Zeus, Earth, and the lights of heaven
The roll call begins at the top of the world: Zeus, Earth, the lights of the sky, then Poseidon of the sea.
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King Zeus, and Earth, and the holy heavenly flames of the Sun, and the sacred light of the Moon, and all the Stars, and you, Poseidon, earth-holder, dark-haired,