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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 61, lines 10–12 · Grant a good mind
61.10
The Orphic Hymns 61.10 · Grant a good mind
The prayer: come as the helper of the initiates, give them a good mind and stop the thoughts that are hateful and fickle.
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ἐλθέ1
elthé
Come
, μάκαιρʼ2
mákair’
blessed one
, ἁγνή3
hagnḗ
pure
, αἰεί4
aieí
always
a
ἐπιτάρροθος5
epitárrothos
helper
μύσταις6
mýstais
to the initiates
; δʼ7
d’
and
δὸς8
dòs
grant
them
ἔχειν9
échein
to have
ἀγαθὴν10
agathḕn
a good
διάνοιαν11
diánoian
mind
, παύουσα12
paúousa
putting an end to
πανεχθεῖς13
panechtheîs
all-hateful
γνώμας14
gnṓmas
thoughts
, οὐχ15
ouch
not
ὁσίας16
hosías
holy
, πανυπέρφρονας17
panypérphronas
utterly arrogant
, ἀλλοπροσάλλας18
alloprosállas
ficklenow to one side, now the other
. Come, blessed one, pure, always a helper to the initiates; and grant them to have a good mind, putting an end to all-hateful thoughts, not holy, utterly arrogant, fickle.
Come, blessed one, pure, always a helper to the initiates; and grant them to have a good mind, putting an end to all-hateful thoughts, not holy, utterly arrogant, fickle.
Interpretation
Come, blessed one, pure, always a helper to the initiates; grant them a good mind, and put an end to thoughts that are hateful to all, unholy, utterly arrogant and fickle.
The prayer asks for a change of mind. Nemesis is to stop the thoughts that would bring her anger down, and the hymn names them: hateful, unholy, arrogant beyond measure, and alloprosalloi, "leaning now to one side, now to the other." That is the word the Iliad uses for Ares, the god of war, who promised to fight for the Greeks and then went over to the Trojans. The same word returns two hymns later, for those who will not come under the yoke of Justice.
62.1
The Orphic Hymns 62.1 · The eye of Justice
A hymn to Dike, Justice as a goddess, who sits beside the throne of Zeus and looks down on the life of mortals.
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Of Dike. Incense: frankincense. I sing the eye of all-seeing Justice, of beautiful form, who sits at the holy throne of lord Zeus, looking down from heaven on the life of mortals of many tribes,