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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 16, lines 9–10 · Come with a lovely face
16.9
The Orphic Hymns 16.9 · Come with a lovely face
The closing prayer asks Hera, the many-named queen, to come kindly and with a glad face.
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ἀλλά1
allá
But
, μάκαιρα2
mákaira
blessed
θεά3
theá
goddess
, πολυώνυμε4
polyṓnyme
many-named
, παμβασίλεια5
pambasíleia
queen of all
, ἔλθοις6
élthois
may you come
εὐμενέουσα7
eumenéousa
kindly
, γήθουσα8
gḗthousa
rejoicing
, with a
καλῷ9
kalôi
lovely
προσώπῳ10
prosṓpōi
face
. But, blessed goddess, many-named, queen of all, may you come kindly, rejoicing, with a lovely face.
But, blessed goddess, many-named, queen of all, may you come kindly, rejoicing, with a lovely face.
Interpretation
But, blessed goddess, many-named queen of all, may you come kindly and rejoicing, with a lovely face.
The Hera of epic is often angry, and her quarrels with Zeus run all through the Iliad. The hymn asks for the other face of the goddess: let her come kindly and glad. "Many-named" suits a goddess worshipped both as the queen of heaven and as the protector of marriage.
17.1
The Orphic Hymns 17.1 · Lord of horses, holder of the trident
Poseidon, the sea god, is called with his oldest titles: earth-holder, dark-haired, lord of horses.
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Of Poseidon. Incense: myrrh. Hear, Poseidon, earth-holder, dark-haired, lord of horses, holding the bronze-wrought trident in your hands, you who dwell in the foundations of the deep-chested sea,