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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 7, lines 3–5 · Dear children of black Night
7.3
The Orphic Hymns 7.3 · Dear children of black Night
The stars are the children of Night. They wheel round in fiery circles and are the parents of all things.
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οὐράνιοι1
ouránioi
Heavenly
Ἀστέρες2
Astéres
Stars
, φίλα3
phíla
dear
τέκνα4
tékna
children
μελαίνης5
melaínēs
of black
Νυκτὸς6
Nyktòs
Night
, κυκλέοντες7
kykléontes
wheeling
ἐγκυκλίοις8
enkyklíois
in circling
δίνῃσι9
dínēisi
whirls
, πυριρρόθιοι10
pyrirróthioi
surging with fire
, ἀνταυγεῖς11
antaugeîs
sparklingshining back
, ἀεί12
aeí
ever
πυρόεντες13
pyróentes
fiery
, γενετῆρες14
genetêres
begetters
ἁπάντων15
hapántōn
of all things
, Heavenly Stars, dear children of black Night, wheeling in circling whirls, surging with fire, sparkling, ever fiery, begetters of all things,
Heavenly Stars, dear children of black Night, wheeling in circling whirls, surging with fire, sparkling, ever fiery, begetters of all things,
Interpretation
Heavenly Stars, dear children of black Night, wheeling in circling whirls, surging with fire, sparkling, ever fiery, begetters of all things,
In Hesiod the stars are born of Dawn, but in these hymns Night is the mother of gods and men (Hymn 3), and the stars become her dear children. They wheel through the sky in fiery circles, and they are genetēres hapantōn, "begetters of all things," a large claim that the next lines explain: the stars have a hand in every life.
7.6
The Orphic Hymns 7.6 · Heralds of every fate
The stars show the fate of every person and steer the path of human life. They watch over the seven shining zones of the sky.
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fateful, being the heralds of every fate, steering the god-given path of mortal men, watching over the seven shining zones, wandering in the air,