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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 82, lines 1–3 · Father of rain
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Hymn 82 · Notos, the South Wind
ΝΟΤΟΥ, θυμίαμα λίβανον
Of Notos · incense: frankincense
82.1
The Orphic Hymns 82.1 · Father of rain
The hymn to Notos, the South Wind, sung over frankincense. He brings the rain clouds up from the south.
· · ·
ΝΟΤΟΥ1
Nótou
Of Notosthe South Wind
. θυμίαμα2
thymíama
Incense
λίβανον3
líbanon
frankincense
. In
Λαιψηρὸν4
Laipsēròn
a swift
πήδημα5
pḗdēma
leap
διʼ6
di’
through
ἠέρος7
ēéros
the air
ὑγροπόρευτον8
hygropóreuton
on wet pathswet-travelling
, δονούμενον9
donoúmenon
whirled
ἔνθα10
éntha
here
καὶ11
kaì
and
ἔνθα12
éntha
there
ὠκείαις13
ōkeíais
by swift
πτερύγεσσι14
pterýgessi
wings
, ἔλθοις15
élthois
may you come
σὺν16
sỳn
with
νοτίαις17
notíais
the rainsouthern
νεφέλαις18
nephélais
clouds
, γενάρχα19
genárcha
fatherfounder of a family
ὄμβροιο20
ómbroio
of rain
; Of Notos. Incense: frankincense. In a swift leap through the air on wet paths, whirled here and there by swift wings, may you come with the rain clouds, father of rain;
Of Notos. Incense: frankincense. In a swift leap through the air on wet paths, whirled here and there by swift wings, may you come with the rain clouds, father of rain;
Interpretation
Of Notos. Incense: frankincense. In a swift leap through the air along wet paths, whirled this way and that on swift wings, come with the rain clouds, father of rain;
Notos is the South Wind, and for the Greeks he was the wet wind; Herodotus calls the south and southwest winds the rainiest of all. His name runs through the Greek words for moisture: notios, the word used here for his clouds, means both "southern" and "rainy," and noteros, "damp," which described the spray in the hymn to Boreas, is built on it. Here he is the genarchēs of rain, the founder of its family.
82.4
The Orphic Hymns 82.4 · Your privilege from Zeus
Zeus gave Notos his task: to send the rain clouds down from the air to the earth.
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for this is your air-roaming privilege from Zeus: to send rain-bearing clouds from the air to the earth.