Orphic hymn
"To the Mousai, Fumigation from Frankincense. Daughters of Mnemosyne
and Zeus, loud-sounding, and divine, renowned, Mousai Pierides, sweetly
speaking Nine; to those whose breasts your sacred furies fire, much
formed, the objects of supreme desire. Sources of blameless virtue to
mankind, who form to excellence the youthful mind: who nurse the soul,
and give her to descry the paths of right with reason’s steady eye.
Commanding queens, who lead to sacred light the intellect refined from
error’s night; and to mankind each holy rite disclose, for mystic
knowledge from your nature flows. Kleio, and Erato who charms the
sight, with thee, Euterpe, ministering delight: Thalia flourishing,
Polymnia famed, Melpomene from skill in music named: Terpsikhore,
Ourania heavenly bright, with thee who gavest me to behold the light.
Come, venerable, various powers divine, with favouring aspect on your
mystics shine; bring glorious, ardent , lovely, famed desire, and warm
my bosom with your sacred fire." - Orphic Hymn 76 to the Muses
Solon's hymn
"Resplendent daughters of Mnemosyne and Olympian Zeus, Pierian Mousai,
hearken to my prayer. Grant that I have prosperity from the blessed
gods and a good reputation always from all men; grant that in these
circumstances I be sweet to my friends and bitter to my enemies, viewed
with respect by the former and with dread by the latter." - Greek
Elegaic Solon, Frag 13
Hesiodic hymn
"From the Mousai Helikoniades (of Helikon) let
us begin to sing, who hold the great and holy mount of Helikon, and
dance on soft feet about the deep-blue spring and the altar of the
almighty Kronion [Zeus], and, when they have washed their tender bodies
in Permessos or in the Hippokrene (Horse's Spring) or Olmeios, make
their fair, lovely dances upon highest Helikon and move with vigorous
feet. Thence they arise and go abroad by night, veiled in thick mist,
and utter their song with lovely voice, praising Zeus the aigis-holder,
and queenly Hera of Argos who walks on golden sandals, and the daughter
of Zeus the aigis-holder bright-eyed Athena, and Phoibos Apollon, and
Artemis who delights in arrows, and Poseidon the earth holder who
shakes the earth, and revered Themis, and quick-glancing Aphrodite, and
Hebe with the crown of gold, and fair Dione, Leto, Iapetos, and Kronos
the crafty counsellor, Eos (Dawn), and great Helios (Sun), and bright
Selene, Gaia (Earth), too, and great Okeanos, and dark Nyx (Night), and
the holy race of all the other deathless ones that are for ever.
And one day they taught Hesiod glorious song while he was shepherding
his lambs under holy Helikon, and this word first the goddesses said to
me - the Mousai of Olympos, daughters of Zeus who holds the aigis:
'Shepherds of the wilderness, wretched things of shame, mere bellies,
we know how to speak many false things as though they were true; but we
know, when we will, to utter true things.'
So said the ready-voiced daughters of great Zeus, and they plucked and
gave me a rod, a shoot of sturdy laurel, a marvellous thing, and
breathed into me a divine voice to celebrate things that shall be and
things there were aforetime; and they bade me sing of the race of the
blessed gods that are eternally, but ever to sing of themselves both
first and last. But why all this about oak or stone?
Come thou, let us begin with the Mousai who gladden the great spirit of
their father Zeus in Olympos with their songs, telling of things that
are and that shall be and that were aforetime with consenting voice.
Unwearying flows the sweet sound from their lips, and the house of
their father Zeus the loud-thunderer is glad at the lily-like voice of
the goddesses as it spread abroad, and the peaks of snowy Olympos
resound, and the homes of the immortals. And they uttering their
immortal voice, celebrate in song first of all the reverend race of the
gods from the beginning, those whom Gaia (Earth) and wide Ouranos
(Heaven) begot, and the gods sprung of these, givers of good things.
Then, next, the goddesses sing of Zeus, the father of gods and men, as
they begin and end their strain, how much he is the most excellent
among the gods and supreme in power. And again, they chant the race of
men and strong Gigantes, and gladden the heart of Zeus within Olympos,
- the Mousai Olympiades (of Olympos), daughters of Zeus the
aigis-holder.
Them in Pieria did Mnemosyne (Memory), who reigns over the hills of
Eleuther, bear of union with the father, the son of Kronos, a
forgetting of ills and a rest from sorrow. For nine nights did wise
Zeus lie with her, entering her holy bed remote from the immortals. And
when a year was passed and the seasons came round as the months waned,
and many days were accomplished, she bare nine daughters, all of one
mind, whose hearts are set upon song and their spirit free from care, a
little way from the topmost peak of snowy Olympos. There are their
bright dancing-places and beautiful homes, and beside them the Kharites
(Graces) and Himeros (Desire) live in delight. And they, uttering
through their lips a lovely voice, sing the laws of all and the goodly
ways of the immortals, uttering their lovely voice. Then went they to
Olympos, delighting in their sweet voice, with heavenly song, and the
dark earth resounded about them as they chanted, and a lovely sound
rose up beneath their feet as they went to their father. And he was
reigning in heaven, himself holding the lightning and glowing
thunderbolt, when he had overcome by might his father Kronos; and he
distributed fairly to the immortals their portions and declared their
privileges.
These things, then, the Mousai sang who dwell on Olympos, nine
daughters begotten by great Zeus, Kleio and Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene
and Terpsichore, and Erato and Polyhymnia and Ourania and Kalliope, who
is the chiefest of them all, for she attends on worshipful princes:
whomsoever of heaven-nourished princes the daughters of great Zeus
honour, and behold him at his birth, they pour sweet dew upon his
tongue, and from his lips flow gracious words. All the people look
towards him while he settles causes with true judgements: and he,
speaking surely, would soon make wise end even of a great quarrel; for
therefore are there princes wise in heart, because when the people are
being misguided in their assembly, they set right the matter again with
ease, persuading them with gentle words. And when he passes through a
gathering, they greet him as a god with gentle reverence, and he is
conspicuous amongst the assembled: such is the holy gift of the Mousai
to men.
For it is through the Mousai and far-shooting Apollon that there are
singers and harpers upon the earth; but princes are of Zeus, and happy
is he whom the Mousai love: sweet flows speech from his mouth. For
though a man have sorrow and grief in his newly-troubled soul and live
in dread because his heart is distressed, yet, when a singer, the
servant of the Mousai, chants the glorious deeds of men of old and the
blessed gods who inhabit Olympos, at once he forgets his heaviness and
remembers not his sorrows at all; but the gifts of the goddesses soon
turn him away from these.
Hail, children of Zeus! Grant lovely song and celebrate the holy race
of the deathless gods who are for ever ... These things declare to me
from the beginning, ye Mousai who dwell in the house of Olympos, and
tell me which of them first came to be." - Hesiod, Theogony 1
