Good Works Translation from Ancient Greek

This page translates Kern fragment 32: gold-leaf burial texts from Petelia, Eleutherna, Thurii, and Rome, with Kern's related Cretan Great Mother inscription. The witnesses are short ritual passports and declarations; close variants are kept as separate voices.

Translation

Kern Fr. 32a — Petelia: The Lake of Memory

You will find, at the left of Hades' house, a spring.

Beside it stands a white cypress.

Do not draw near to that spring.

You will find another spring, from the lake of Memory,

with cold water flowing forth. Guardians stand before it.

Say:

"I am a child of Earth and starry Heaven.

My family is heavenly. You yourselves know this.

I am dry with thirst and perishing.

Give me quickly the cold water flowing from the lake of Memory."

Then they themselves will give you to drink from the holy spring.

And after that you will rule among the other heroes.

The ending of the leaf is broken:

... the sign ... to die ...

... this I wrote ...

... I spoke ... darkness covering around.

Kern Fr. 32b — Eleutherna: The Ever-Flowing Spring

"Dry with thirst, I am perishing."

"Then let me drink from the ever-flowing spring on the right, there by the cypress."

"Who are you? Where are you from?"

"I am a son of Earth and starry Heaven."

Kern Fr. 32b IV — Phaistos: The Great Mother

A great wonder to human beings the Mother of all shows forth.

For the holy, and for those who uphold their lineage, she gives her gift.

But for those who transgress, the race of gods works the opposite.

All you reverent, sweet-speaking, pure ones, enter

into the god-filled temple of the Great Mother.

You will know god-filled works, worthy of this immortal temple.

Kern Fr. 32c — Thurii: Pure from the Pure Ones

Pure, I come from the pure ones, queen of those below,

Eucles, Eubouleus, and the other immortal gods.

For I too declare that I am of your blessed race.

But Fate and the other immortal gods subdued me,

... and the thunderbolt from the star-striker.

I have flown out from the grievous, heavy circle.

With swift feet I have stepped onto the longed-for crown.

I have gone under the bosom of the Mistress, the queen below.

With swift feet I have stepped away from the longed-for crown.

"Blessed and happy one, you shall be a god instead of a mortal."

A kid, I fell into milk.

Kern Fr. 32d — Thurii: The Suppliant Before Persephone

Pure, I come from the pure ones, chthonic queen,

to Eucles and Eubouleus and all the other gods and daemons.

For I too declare that I am of your blessed race.

I have paid penalty for deeds that were not just,

whether Fate subdued me or the lightning-struck thunderbolts.

Now I come as a suppliant before holy Persephone,

so that she may graciously send me to the seats of the pure.

Kern Fr. 32e — Thurii: The Same Prayer in Another Leaf

Pure, I come from the pure ones, chthonic queen,

to Eucles and Eubouleus and the other gods and daemons.

For I, of your race, declare that I am blessed.

I have paid penalty for deeds that were not just,

whether Fate subdued me or the thunderbolts of the lightning.

Now I come as a suppliant before glorious Persephone,

so that she may graciously send me to the seats of the pure.

Kern Fr. 32f — Thurii: The Right-Hand Road

But whenever the soul leaves the light of the sun,

go to the right, keeping watch over all things.

Rejoice, having suffered the suffering.

You had not suffered this before.

You became a god from a human being.

A kid, you fell into milk.

Rejoice, rejoice, travelling the right-hand road

to the holy meadows and groves of Persephone.

Kern Fr. 32g — Rome: Caecilia Secundina

Pure, she comes from the pure ones, chthonic queen.

Eucles, Eubouleus, and splendid child of Zeus:

I hold this gift of Memory, renowned among human beings.

"Caecilia Secundina, go according to law, having become divine."

Colophon

This Good Works translation was made from Otto Kern's Orphicorum fragmenta (Berlin: Weidmann, 1922), fr. 32, in the early-fragments section of the printed collection. Kern's numbering is retained.

The source witnesses translated here are the gold leaves that Kern groups under fr. 32: Petelia, Eleutherna, three Thurii purity leaves, the Thurii right-hand-road leaf, and the Roman Caecilia Secundina leaf, together with Kern's related Phaistos Great Mother inscription.

Source Text

Kern Fr. 32a — Petelia

εὑρήσσεις δ' Ἀίδαο δόμων ἐπ' ἀριστερὰ κρήνην,

πὰρ δ' αὐτῆι λευκὴν ἑστηκυῖαν κυπάρισσον·

ταύτης τῆς κρήνης μηδὲ σχεδὸν ἐμπελάσειας.

εὑρήσεις δ' ἑτέραν, τῆς Μνημοσύνης ἀπὸ λίμνης,

ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ προρέον· φύλακες δ' ἐπίπροσθεν ἔασιν.

εἰπεῖν· "Γῆς παῖς εἰμι καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος,

αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ γένος οὐράνιον· τόδε δ' ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί.

δίψηι δ' εἰμὶ αὔη καὶ ἀπόλλυμαι· ἀλλὰ δότ' αἶψα

ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ προρέον τῆς Μνημοσύνης ἀπὸ λίμνης."

καὐτοί σοι δώσουσι πιεῖν θείης ἀπὸ κρήνης,

καὶ τότ' ἔπειτ' ἄλλοισι μεθ' ἡρώεσσιν ἀνάξεις.

... ιης το δειγ ... θανεῖσθαι

... τόδ' ἔγραψα ...

... σκότος ἀμφικαλύψας.

Kern Fr. 32b — Eleutherna

δίψαι αὖος ἐγὼ καὶ ἀπόλλυμαι.

ἀλλὰ πίε μμοι κράνας αἰεινάω ἐπὶ δεξιά, τῆι κυφάρισσος.

τίς δ' ἐσί; πῶ δ' ἐσί;

Γᾶς υἱός ἠμι καὶ Ὠρανῶ ἀστερόεντος.

Kern Fr. 32b IV — Phaistos Great Mother Inscription

θαῦμα μέγ' ἀνθρώποις πάντων Μάτηρ προδίκνυτι,

τοῖς ὁσίοις κίγκρητι καὶ οἳ γονεὰν ὑπέχονται,

τοῖς δὲ παρεσβαίνονσι θεῶν γένος ἀντία πράττει.

πάντες δ' εὐσεβίες τε καὶ εὔγλωθτοι πάριτ' ἁγνοὶ

ἔνθεον ἐς Μεγάλας Ματρὸς ναόν, ἔνθεα δ' ἔργα

γνωσῆθ' ἀθανάτας ἄξια τῶδε ναῶ.

Kern Fr. 32c — Thurii

ἔρχομαι ἐκ καθαρῶν καθαρά, χθονίων βασίλεια,

Εὐκλῆς Εὐβουλεύς τε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι·

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν ὑμῶν γένος ὄλβιον εὔχομαι εἶμεν,

ἀλλά με Μοῖρα ἐδάμασσε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι,

... καὶ ἀστεροβλῆτα κεραυνόν.

κύκλου δ' ἐξέπταν βαρυπενθέος ἀργαλέοιο,

ἱμερτοῦ δ' ἐπέβαν στεφάνου ποσὶ καρπαλίμοισι,

Δεσποίνας δὲ ὑπὸ κόλπον ἔδυν χθονίας βασιλείας·

ἱμερτοῦ δ' ἀπέβαν στεφάνου ποσὶ καρπαλίμοισι·

ὄλβιε καὶ μακαριστέ, θεὸς δ' ἔσηι ἀντὶ βροτοῖο.

ἔριφος ἐς γάλ' ἔπετον.

Kern Fr. 32d — Thurii

ἔρχομαι ἐκ καθαρῶν, καθαρά, χθονίων βασίλεια,

Εὖκλε καὶ Εὐβουλεῦ καὶ ὅσοι θεοὶ δαίμονες ἄλλοι·

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν ὑμῶν γένος εὔχομαι ὄλβιον εἶναι,

ποινὰν δ' ἀνταπέτεισ' ἔργων ἕνεκα οὔτι δικαίων,

εἴτε με Μοῖρα ἐδαμάσσατο εἴτε ἀστεροπῆτι κεραυνῶν.

νῦν δ' ἱκέτης ἥκω παρ' ἁγαυὴν Φερσεφόνειαν,

ὥς με πρόφρων πέμψηι ἕδραις εἰς εὐαγέων.

Kern Fr. 32e — Thurii

ἔρχομαι ἐκ καθαρῶν καθαρά, χθονίων βασίλεια,

Εὖκλε καὶ Εὐβουλεῦ τε καὶ θεοὶ δαίμονες ἄλλοι·

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼν ὑμῶν γένος εὔχομαι εἶναι ὄλβιον,

ποινὰν δ' ἀνταπέτεισ' ἔργων ἕνεκ' οὔτι δικαίων,

εἴτε με Μοῖρα ἐδάμασσ' εἴτε ἀστεροπῆτι κεραυνῶν.

νῦν δὲ ἱκέτης ἥκω παρ' ἁγαυὴν Φερσεφόνειαν,

ὥς με πρόφρων πέμψηι ἕδρας ἐς εὐαγέων.

Kern Fr. 32f — Thurii

ἀλλ' ὁπόταμ ψυχὴ προλίπηι φάος ἀελίοιο,

δεξιὸν ... πεφυλαγμένον εὖ μάλα πάντα.

χαῖρε παθὼν τὸ πάθημα· τὸ δ' οὔπω πρόσθεν ἐπεπόνθεις·

θεὸς ἐγένου ἐξ ἀνθρώπου· ἔριφος ἐς γάλα ἔπετες.

χαῖρε, χαῖρε, δεξιὰν ὁδοιπόρων

λειμῶνάς τε ἱεροὺς καὶ ἄλσεα Φερσεφονείας.

Kern Fr. 32g — Rome

ἔρχεται ἐκ καθαρῶν καθαρά, χθονίων βασίλεια,

Εὔκλεες Εὐβουλεῦ τε, Διὸς τέκος ἀγλά', ἔχω δὲ

Μνημοσύνης τόδε δῶρον ἀοίδιμον ἀνθρώποισιν.

"Καικιλία Σεκουνδεῖνα, νόμωι ἴθι δῖα γεγῶσα."

Source Colophon

Source edition: Otto Kern, Orphicorum fragmenta, Berlin: Weidmann, 1922, pp. 104-109.

Public scan: https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft

The Greek text above normalizes obvious OCR and old-font display noise against Kern's printed page images. It simplifies Kern's apparatus and uses readable source lines for the witnesses translated here.