Stoicism

Hymn to Zeus

tr. E. H. Blakeney (1921) · published 1921, before 1930 · source

Most glorious of Immortals, mighty God, / Invoked by many a name, O sovran King / Of universal Nature, piloting / This world in harmony with Law,—all hail! / Thee it is meet that mortals should invoke, / For we Thine offspring are, and sole of all

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921Κύδιστ᾽ ἀθανάτων, πολυώνυμε, παγκρατὲς ἀεὶ / Ζεῦ, φύσεως ἀρχηγέ, νόμου μέτα πάντα κυβερνῶν, / χαῖρε· σὲ γὰρ πάντεσσι θέμις θνητοῖσι προσαυδᾶν. / ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ γένος ἐσμέν, ἑνὸς μίμημα λαχόντες

Hymn to Zeus ll. 5-9

Created things that live and move on earth / Receive from Thee the image of the One. / Therefore I praise Thee, and shall hymn Thy power / Unceasingly. Thee the wide world obeys, / As onward ever in its course it rolls / Where'er Thou guidest, and rejoices still / Beneath Thy sway so strong a minister / Is held by Thine unconquerable hands,—

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921μοῦνον, ὅσα ζώει τε καὶ ἕρπει θνήτ᾽ ἐπὶ γαῖαν. / τῷ σε καθυμνήσω, καὶ σὺν κράτος αἰὲν ἀείσω. / σοὶ δὴ πᾶς ὅδε κόσμος ἑλισσόμενος περὶ γαῖαν / πείθεται, ᾗ κεν ἄγῃς, καὶ ἑκὼν ὑπὸ σεῖο κρατεῖται· / τοῖον ἔχεις ὑποεργὸν ἀνικήτοις ἐνὶ χερσὶν

Hymn to Zeus ll. 10-14

That two-edged thunderbolt of living fire / That never fails. Under its dreadful blow / All Nature reels; therewith Thou dost direct / The Universal Reason which, commixt / With all the greater and the lesser lights, / Moves thro' the Universe. How great Thou art, / The Lord supreme for ever and for aye!

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921ἀμφήκη, πυρόεντα, ἀειζώοντα κεραυνόν. / τοῦ γὰρ ὑπὸ πληγῆς φύσεως πάντ᾽ ἐρρίγασιν, / ᾧ σὺ κατευθύνεις κοινὸν λόγον ὃς διὰ πάντων / φοιτᾷ, μιγνύμενος μεγάλους μικροῖς τε φάεσσιν, / ὡς τόσσος γεγαὼς, ὕπατος βασιλεὺς διὰ παντός.

Hymn to Zeus ll. 15-19

No work is wrought apart from Thee, O God, / Or in the world, or in the heaven above, / Or on the deep, save only what is done / By sinners in their folly. Nay, Thou canst / Make the rough smooth, bring wondrous order forth / From chaos; in Thy sight unloveliness / Seems beautiful; for so Thou hast fitted things

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921οὐδέ τι γίγνεται ἔργον ἐπὶ χθανὶ σοῦ δίχα, δαῖμον, / οὔτε κατ' αἰθέριον θεῖον πόλον οὔτ᾽ ἐνὶ πόντῳ, / πλὴν ὁπόσα ῥέζουσι κακοὶ σφετέρῃσιν ἀνοίαις. / ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ τὰ περισσὰ ἐπίστασαι ἄρτια θεῖναι, / καὶ κοσμεῖν τὰ ἄκοσμα, καὶ οὐ φίλα σοὶ φίλα ἐστίν.

Hymn to Zeus ll. 20-24

Together, good and evil, that there reigns / One everlasting Reason in them all. / The wicked heed not this, but suffer it / To slip, to their undoing; these are they / Who, yearning ever to secure the good, / Mark not nor hear the law of God, by wise

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921ὧδε γὰρ εἰς ἕν ἅπαντα συνήρμοκας ἐσθλὰ κακοῖσιν, / ὥσθ᾽ ἕνα γίγνεσθαι πάντων λόγον αἰὲν ἐόντα, / ὃν φεύγοντες ἐῶσιν ὅσοι θνητῶν κακοί εἰσι / δύσμοροι, οἵ τ᾽ ἀγαθῶν μὲν ἀεὶ κτῆσιν ποθέοντες / οὔτ᾽ ἐσορῶσι θεοῦ κοινὸν νόμον, οὔτε κλύουσιν,

Hymn to Zeus ll. 25-29

Obedience unto which they might attain / A nobler life, with Reason harmonized. / But now, unbid, they pass on divers paths / Each his own way, yet knowing not the truth,— / Some in unlovely striving for renown, / Some bent on lawless gains, on pleasure some,

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921ᾧ κεν πειθόμενοι σὺν νῷ βίον ἐσθλὸν ἔχοιεν, / αὐτοὶ δ᾽ αὖθ᾽ ὁρμῶσιν ἄνευ καλοῦ ἄλλος ἐπ᾽ ἄλλα. / οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ δόξης σπουδὴν δυσέριστον ἔχοντες, / οἱ δ᾽ ἐπὶ κερδοσύνας τετραμμένοι οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ, / ἄλλοι δ᾽ εἰς ἄνεσιν καὶ σώματος ἡδέα ἔργα,

Hymn to Zeus ll. 30-34

Working their own undoings self-deceived. / O Thou most bounteous God that sittest throned / In clouds, the Lord of lightning, save mankind / From grievous ignorance! Oh, scatter it / Far from their souls, and grant them to achieve / True knowledge, on whose might Thou dost rely / To govern all the world in righteousness;

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921σπεύδοντες μάλα πάμπαν ἐναντία τῶνδε γενέσθαι, / ἀλλὰ Ζεῦ πάνδωρε, κελαινεφές, ἀρχικέραυνε, / ἀνθρώπους ῥύσιο ἀπειροσύνης ἀπὸ λυγρῆς, / ἣν σύ, πάτερ, σκέδασον ψυχῆς ἀπο, δὸς δὲ κυρῆσαι / γνώμης, ᾗ πίσυνος σὺ δίκης μέτα πάντα κυβερνᾷς,

Hymn to Zeus ll. 35-38

That so, being honoured, we may Thee requite / With honour, chanting without pause Thy deeds, / As all men should: since greater guerdon ne'er / Befalls or man or god than evermore / Duly to praise the Universal Law.

Greek · ed. Blakeney 1921ὄφρ᾽ ἂν τιμηθέντες ἀμειβώμεσθά σε τιμῇ / ὑμνοῦντες τὰ σὰ ἔργα διηνεκές, ὡς ἐπέοικε / θνητὸν ἐόντ᾽, ἐπεὶ οὔτε βροτοῖς γέρας ἄλλο τι μεῖζον, / οὔτε θεοῖς, ἢ κοινὸν ἀεὶ νόμον ἐν δίκῃ ὑμνεῖν.