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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 3, lines 1–2 · Night, mother of gods and men
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Hymn 3 · Night
ΝΥΚΤΟΣ, θυμίαμα δαλούς
Of Night · incense: torches
3.1
The Orphic Hymns 3.1 · Night, mother of gods and men
The hymn to Night, one of the first powers of the world in the Orphic stories, sung over burning torches.
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ΝΥΚΤΟΣ1
Nyktós
Of Night
. θυμίαμα2
thymíama
Incensewhat is burned
δαλούς3
daloús
torchesfirebrands
. ἀείσομαι4
aeísomai
I will sing of
Νύκτα5
Nýkta
Night
, γενέτειραν6
genéteiran
the mothershe who gave birth
θεῶν7
theôn
of gods
ἠδὲ8
ēdè
and
ἀνδρῶν9
andrôn
of men
καὶ10
kaì
too
. Νὺξ11
Nỳx
Night
is
γένεσις12
génesis
the origincoming-to-be
πάντων13
pántōn
of all things
; καλέσωμεν14
kalésōmen
let us call
ἣν15
hḕn
her
Κύπριν16
Kýprin
Aphroditethe Cyprian
καὶ17
kaì
too
. Of Night. Incense: torches. I will sing of Night, the mother of gods and of men too. Night is the origin of all things; let us call her Aphrodite too.
Of Night. Incense: torches. I will sing of Night, the mother of gods and of men too. Night is the origin of all things; let us call her Aphrodite too.
Interpretation
Of Night. Incense: torches. I will sing of Night, mother of gods and of men too. Night is the origin of all things; let us call her Aphrodite too.
In the Orphic accounts of how the world began, Night is one of the first powers, older than Zeus, and the poems say she gave oracles from a cave and advised the gods. So "mother of gods and men" is meant literally. The second line goes further and calls her Kypris, the Cyprian, a name of Aphrodite: in this way of thinking the dark that comes before everything is also the force that brings things together and makes them be born.
The heading asks for torches, daloi, in place of the usual incense.
3.3
The Orphic Hymns 3.3 · Hear, dark-gleaming goddess
The prayer turns to Night herself: her stars, her quiet, her sleep and her dreams.
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Hear, blessed goddess, dark-gleaming, starlit, delighting in quiet and in stillness deep in sleep, cheer, delightful, lover of night-long revels, mother of dreams, freeing from care, and holding welcome rest from toil,