Good Works Translation from Ancient Greek
This page translates Kern fragments 21-23 from the early Orphic fragments: Plato's "ancient saying" about God, Dike, and the right order of life; the short and fuller forms of the Zeus hymn; the Orphic star-world doctrine; and the Orphic witness to Dike enthroned beside Zeus.
Translation
Kern Fr. 21 — God and Dike
God, as the ancient saying has it, holds the beginning, the end, and the middle of all beings. Moving in a circle according to nature, he runs the straight course.
Justice always follows him, avenger of those who fall short of the divine law. Whoever is going to be happy follows her gladly, humble and ordered.
But if someone is lifted up by pride, exalted by money or honors, or by bodily beauty together with youth and folly, his soul burns with outrage. He thinks he needs no ruler and no guide; he thinks he is able to guide others. Then he is left deserted by God.
Once deserted, he gathers others like himself and leaps about, throwing everything into confusion. To many he seemed to be someone. But after no long time he pays to Justice a penalty no one can blame, and he utterly overturns himself, his house, and his city.
Kern Fr. 21a — The Zeus Hymn
A scholion to Plato gives the short form:
Zeus is the beginning, Zeus the middle; from Zeus all things are fashioned.
Zeus is the foundation of earth and starry heaven.
The fuller Orphic hymn says:
Zeus was first; Zeus, lord of the bright thunderbolt, was last.
Zeus is head, Zeus is middle; from Zeus all things are brought to completion.
Zeus is the foundation of earth and starry heaven.
Zeus became male; Zeus became immortal maiden.
Zeus is the breath of all things; Zeus is the rush of tireless fire.
Zeus is the root of sea; Zeus is sun and moon.
Zeus is king; Zeus, lord of the bright thunderbolt, is ruler over all.
For he hid all things, then brought them back again into the light of great joy,
up from his holy heart, doing dread deeds.
Kern Fr. 22 — Each Star a World
Heraclides and the Pythagoreans say that each of the stars is a world, containing earth and surrounding air in the boundless aether.
These doctrines are carried in the Orphic writings, for they make each of the stars into a world.
Kern Fr. 23 — Dike Beside Zeus
Those who love just things, who value Good Order most highly, preserve houses, cities, and countries.
They preserve also irresistible and holy Justice. Orpheus, who disclosed to us the most sacred rites, says that she sits beside the throne of Zeus and watches over all human affairs.
So each person should cast judgment as if she is looking upon him, guarding himself and taking care not to disgrace her.
Colophon
This Good Works translation was made from Otto Kern's Orphicorum fragmenta (Berlin: Weidmann, 1922), frr. 21-23, in the early-fragments section of the printed collection. Kern's numbering is retained.
The source witnesses translated here are Plato, Laws 4.715e-716b; the scholion on Plato, Laws p. 451 Bekker; Ps.-Aristotle, On the Cosmos 7; Aëtius / Plutarch / Galen / Stobaeus on the star-world doctrine; and Ps.-Demosthenes, Against Aristogiton 25.11.
Source Text
Kern Fr. 21 — Plato, Laws 4.715e-716b
ὁ μὲν δὴ θεός, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ παλαιὸς λόγος, ἀρχήν τε καὶ τελευτὴν καὶ μέσα τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων ἔχων, εὐθεῖαν περαίνει κατὰ φύσιν περιπορευόμενος. τῷ δ' ἀεὶ συνέπεται Δίκη τῶν ἀπολειπομένων τοῦ θείου νόμου τιμωρός, ἧς ὁ μὲν εὐδαιμονήσειν μέλλων ἑπόμενος συνέπεται ταπεινὸς καὶ κεκοσμημένος, ὁ δέ τις ἐξαρθεὶς ὑπὸ μεγαλαυχίας, ἢ χρήμασιν ἐπαιρόμενος ἢ τιμαῖς, ἢ καὶ σώματος εὐμορφίᾳ ἅμα νεότητι καὶ ἀνοίᾳ φλέγεται τὴν ψυχὴν μεθ' ὕβρεως, ὡς οὔτε ἄρχοντος οὔτε τινὸς ἡγεμόνος δεόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοις ἱκανὸς ὢν ἡγεῖσθαι, καταλείπεται ἔρημος θεοῦ. καταλειφθεὶς δὲ καὶ ἔτι ἄλλους τοιούτους προσλαβὼν σκιρτᾷ ταράττων πάντα ἅμα, καὶ πολλοῖς τισιν ἔδοξεν εἶναί τις, μετὰ δὲ χρόνον οὐ πολὺν ὑποσχὼν τιμωρίαν οὐ μεμπτὴν τῇ δίκῃ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ οἶκον καὶ πόλιν ἄρδην ἀνάστατον ἐποίησεν.
Kern Fr. 21a — Scholia and Ps.-Aristotle, On the Cosmos 7
Ζεὺς ἀρχή, Ζεὺς μέσσα, Διὸς δ' ἐκ πάντα τέτυκται.
Ζεὺς πυθμὴν γαίης τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος.
Ζεὺς πρῶτος γένετο, Ζεὺς ὕστατος ἀρχικέραυνος·
Ζεὺς κεφαλή, Ζεὺς μέσσα· Διὸς δ' ἐκ πάντα τελεῖται·
Ζεὺς πυθμὴν γαίης τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος·
Ζεὺς ἄρσην γένετο, Ζεὺς ἄμβροτος ἔπλετο νύμφη·
Ζεὺς πνοιὴ πάντων, Ζεὺς ἀκαμάτου πυρὸς ὁρμή.
Ζεὺς πόντου ῥίζα· Ζεὺς ἥλιος ἠδὲ σελήνη·
Ζεὺς βασιλεύς, Ζεὺς ἀρχὸς ἁπάντων ἀρχικέραυνος·
πάντας γὰρ κρύψας αὖθις φάος ἐς πολυγηθές
ἐξ ἱερῆς κραδίης ἀνενέγκατο, μέρμερα ῥέζων.
Kern Fr. 22 — Aëtius / Plutarch / Galen / Stobaeus
Ἡρακλείδης καὶ οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι ἕκαστον τῶν ἀστέρων κόσμον ὑπάρχειν, γῆν περιέχοντα ἀέρα τε ἐν τῷ ἀπείρῳ αἰθέρι. ταῦτα δὲ τὰ δόγματα ἐν τοῖς Ὀρφικοῖς φέρεται. κοσμοποιοῦσι γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν ἀστέρων.
Kern Fr. 23 — Ps.-Demosthenes, Against Aristogiton 25.11
τὴν τὰ δίκαι' ἀγαπῶσαν Εὐνομίαν περὶ πλείστου ποιησαμένους, ἣ πάσας καὶ πόλεις καὶ χώρας σῴζει· καὶ τὴν ἀπαραίτητον καὶ σεμνὴν Δίκην, ἣν ὁ τὰς ἁγιωτάτας ἡμῖν τελετὰς καταδείξας Ὀρφεὺς παρὰ τὸν τοῦ Διὸς θρόνον φησὶ καθημένην πάντα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφορᾶν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἕκαστον νομίσαντα βλέπειν οὕτω δεῖ ψηφίζεσθαι, φυλαττόμενον καὶ προορώμενον μὴ καταισχῦναι ταύτην.
Source Colophon
Source edition: Otto Kern, Orphicorum fragmenta, Berlin: Weidmann, 1922, pp. 90-94.
Public scan: https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft
The Greek text above normalizes obvious OCR and font-display noise against Kern's printed page images and omits Kern's apparatus notes. It preserves Kern's fragment numbering and witness labels.