Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (VI)

αἰδοίην χρυσοστέφανον καλὴν Ἀφροδίτην 

ᾄσομαι, ἣ πάσης Κύπρου κρήδεμνα λέλογχεν 

εἰναλίης, ὅθι μιν Ζεφύρου μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντος 

ἤνεικεν κατὰ κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης 

ἀφρῷ ἔνι μαλακῷ: τὴν δὲ χρυσάμπυκες Ὧραι 

δέξαντ' ἀσπασίως, περὶ δ' ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἕσσαν, 

κρατὶ δ' ἐπ' ἀθανάτῳ στεφάνην εὔτυκτον ἔθηκαν 

καλὴν χρυσείην, ἐν δὲ τρητοῖσι λοβοῖσιν 

ἄνθεμ' ὀρειχάλκου χρυσοῖό τε τιμήεντος, 

δειρῇ δ' άμφ' ἁπαλῇ καὶ στήθεσιν ἀργυφέοισιν 

ὅρμοισι χρυσέοισιν ἐκόσμεον οἷσί περ αὐταὶ 

Ὧραι κοσμείσθην χρυσάμπυκες ὁππότ' ἴοιεν 

ἐς χορὸν ἱμερόεντα θεῶν καὶ δώματα πατρός. 

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα περὶ χροῒ κόσμον ἔθηκαν 

ἦγον ἐς θανάτους: οἱ δ' ἠσπάζοντο ἰδόντες 

χερσί τ' ἐδεξιόωντο καὶ ἠρήσαντο ἕκαστος 

εἶναι κουριδίην ἄλοχον καὶ οἴκαδ' ἄγεσθαι, 

εἶδος θαυμάζοντες ἰοστεφάνου Κυθερείης. 

χαῖρ' ἑλικοβλέφαρε γλυκυμείλιχε, δὸς δ' ἐν άγῶνι 

νίκην τῷδε φέρεσθαι, ἐμὴν δ' ἔντυνον άοιδήν. 

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶἄλλης μνήσομ' άοιδῆς.

Venerandam auream coronam habentem pulchram Venerem

Canam, quae totius Cypri munimenta sortita est

Maritimae ubi illam zephyri vis molliter spirantis

Suscitavit per undam multisoni maris,

Spuma in molli; hanc autem auricurae Horae

Susceperunt hilariter, immortales autem vestes induere:

Capite vero super immortali coronam bene constructam posuere

Pulchram, auream: tribus autem ansis

Donum orichalchi aurique; honorabilis:

Collum autem molle, ac pectora argentea

Monilibus aureis ornabant, quibus ipsae

Horae ornatae fuere auricurae, quando irent

Ad choream amabilem Deorum, & domos patris.

Verum postquam omne circa corpus ornamentum posuere,

Duxere ad immortales: hi aut amplectebantur videntes,

Manibusque; salutabant, & cupit unusquisque

Esse puellam mulierem, & domum ducere,

Formam admirantes ex violis corona habetis Cythereae.

Salve, nigras habes palpebras, dulciloqua, da vero in certamine

Hoc victoriam ferre, mea at praepara cantione:

At ego & tui, & alterius memor ero cantionis. 

Revered, golden-crowned, ravishing Venus

Will be my song: she who was granted the strongholds of Cyprus

Overlooking the sea: where the vigour of the West Wind’s breath once

Gently lifted her over the many-voiced sea,

On the froth of the billowing waves. There the golden-wreathed Hours

Gave her mirthful welcome, spreading over her the garments of the gods,

And placing on her head the crown of a god, exquisitely wrought,

Beautiful, golden, and through her pierced earlobes

A gift of gold and of mountain-copper, bringing honour upon her. And around

Her delicate neck, and her silvery breast

They adorned her with golden carcanets: the same the golden

Hours themselves are adorned with, when they go

To their father’s house and the lovely dances of the gods.

And truly, after they had ornamented her entire body,

They brought her to the undying gods. Having beheld her, they embraced her,

Giving her their hands: as they were welcoming her, every one of them desired her

To be their own sweet wife, and bring her home with them,

So astonished were they all by the violet-crowned Cytherea.

Hail, dark-lidded, sweet-voiced one: and in this contest

Bring me victory, and beget my song.

And now I will remember you, and also another song. 

Latin text edited and translated by Orla Polten

REFERENCES

Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (6). The Chicago Homer. Northwestern U, n.d. Web. 19 Feb 2016. [Greek text]. Go to site.

Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite [first 11 lines]. Trans. into Latin Giorgius Dartona. In Ezra Pound. “Early Translators of Greek.” Instigations. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1920. 344; Literary Essays. New York: New Directions, 1968. 266. Go to site.

"In Venerem." Homeri Odyssea ad verbum translata, Andrea Divo Iustinopolitano interprete. Eiusdem Batrachomyomachia, Aldo Manutio interprete. Eiusdem Hymni deorum XXXII. Georgio Dartona Cretense interprete. Parisiis: In Officina Christiani Wecheli, MDXXXVII. 242-43. Go to text.