From Thomas Taylor’s translation of The Orphic Hymns (1792)
To Musæus Attend Musæus to my sacred song And learn what rites to sacrifice belong. Jove (Zeus) I envoke, the earth (Gaia), and solar light (Helios), The moon’s (Mene) pure splendor, and the stars of night; Thee Neptune (Poseidon), ruler of sea profound, Dark-hair’d, whose waves begirt the solid ground; Ceres (Demeter) abundant, and of lovely mien, And Proserpine (Persephone) infernal Pluto’s (Hades) queen; The huntress Dian (Artemis), and bright Phœbus (Apollo) rays, Far-darting God, the theme Delphic praise; And Bacchus (Dionysos) , honur’d by the heav’nly choir, And raging Mars (Ares) , and Vulcan (Hephaestus) god of fire; The mighty pow’r who from foam to light, And Pluto (Hades) potent in the realms of night; With Hebe young, and Hercules the strong, And to whom the care of births belong; Justice and Piety august I call, And much-fam’d nymphs, and Pan the god of all. To Juno ( Hera) sacred, and to Mem’ry (Mnemosyne) fair, And the chaste Muses (Mousai) I address my pray’r; The various year, the Graces and the Hours, Fair-haired Latona (Leto), and Dione’s pow’rs; Armed Curetes (Kouretes) household Gods I call, With those who spring from Jove the king of all; Th’ Idæn Gods (Olympians), the angel of the skies, And righteous Themis, with sagacious eyes; With ancient night, and day-light I implore, And Faith, and Justice dealing right I adore; Saturn (Cronus) and Rhea, and great Thetis too, Hid in a veil of bright celestial blue: I call great Ocean, and the beauteous train Of nymphs, who dwell in chambers of the main; Atlas the strong, and ever in its prime, Vig’rous Eternity (Aeon) and endless Time (Chronos); The Stygian (Styx) pool, and placid Gods beside, And various Genii (daemon), that o’er men preside; Illustrious Providence, the noble train Of dæmon forms, who fill th’ ætherial plain; Or live in air, in water, earth, or fire, Or deep beneath the solid ground retire. Bacchus (Dionysos) and Semele the friends of all, And white Leucothea of the sea I call; Palæmon bounteous, and Adrastria great, And sweet-tongu’d Victory (Nike), with success elate; Great Esculapius (Asklepios), skill’d to cure disease, And dread Minerva (Pallas), whom fierce battles please; Thunder and winds in mighty columns pent, With dreadful roaring struggling hard for vent; Attis, the mother of the pow’rs on high, And fair Adonis, never doom’d to die, End and beginning he is all to all, These with propitious aid I gently call; And to my holy sacrifice invite, To Hecate The pow’r who reigns in deepest hell and night; I call Einodian Hecate, lovely dame, Of earthly, wat’ry, and celestial frame, Sepulchral, in saffron veil array’d, Pleas’d with dark ghosts that wander thro’ the shade; Persian, unconquerable huntress hail! The world’s key-bearer never doom’d to fail; On the rough rock to wander thee delights, Leader and nurse be present to our rites; Propitious grant our just desires success, Accept our homage, and the incense bless .
