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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 78, lines 1–3 · Hear, goddess who brings the day
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Hymn 78 · Dawn
ΗΟΥΣ, θυμίαμα μάνναν
Of Dawn · incense: frankincense powder
78.1
The Orphic Hymns 78.1 · Hear, goddess who brings the day
The hymn to Dawn, sung over frankincense powder. Eos brings the daylight to mortals and runs ahead of the Sun as his herald.
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ΗΟΥΣ1
Ēoûs
Of DawnEos
. θυμίαμα2
thymíama
Incense
μάνναν3
mánnan
frankincense powder
. Κλῦθι4
Klŷthi
Hear
, θεά5
theá
goddess
, ἄγουσα6
ágousa
you who bring
φαεσίμβροτον7
phaesímbroton
the light-givingshining on mortals
ἦμαρ8
êmar
day
θνητοῖς9
thnētoîs
to mortals
, Ἠοῖ10
Ēoî
Dawn
, λαμπροφαής11
lamprophaḗs
bright-shining
, ἐρυθαινομένη12
erythainoménē
blushing red
κατὰ13
katà
across
κόσμον14
kósmon
the world
, ἀγγελίεια15
angelíeia
heraldshe who brings the news
μεγάλου16
megálou
of the great
θεοῦ17
theoû
god
, ἀγαυοῦ18
agauoû
the noble
Τιτῆνος19
Titênos
Titan
, Of Dawn. Incense: frankincense powder. Hear, goddess, you who bring the light-giving day to mortals, Dawn, bright-shining, blushing red across the world, herald of the great god, the noble Titan,
Of Dawn. Incense: frankincense powder. Hear, goddess, you who bring the light-giving day to mortals, Dawn, bright-shining, blushing red across the world, herald of the great god, the noble Titan,
Interpretation
Of Dawn. Incense: frankincense powder. Hear, goddess, you who bring the light-giving day to mortals, Dawn, bright-shining, blushing red across the world, herald of the great god, the noble Titan,
Eos is the Dawn, and in Hesiod she is the sister of Helios and Selene, the Sun and the Moon. The "great god, the noble Titan" whose coming she announces is the Sun: Greek and Latin poets sometimes called Helios simply "the Titan," and here Dawn runs ahead of him as his herald. Her first title, phaesimbrotos, "bringing light to mortals," is an old one; Homer gives it to the dawn in the Iliad. Homer's Dawn is rosy-fingered, and this one blushes, erythainomenē, as the eastern sky turns red.
78.4
The Orphic Hymns 78.4 · Night sent under the earth
When Dawn rises, the dark journey of Night goes down under the earth, and the day's work begins.
· · ·
you who at your rising send the gloomy, dark journey of night down to the depths of the earth; leader of work, attendant of life for mortals;