The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus - Platonic Philosophy

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80 THE MYSTICAL HYNNS 'Tis thine all Nature's music to inspire With various-sounding, harmonizing lyre 65 : is evident why Apollo in this hymn is said to fix his roots beyond the starry-eyed darlmess; for this signifies that Gods are inserted by him in the etherial worlds; roots being indicative of sumits (a~porvres) and such, according to the Orphic and Chaldaic theologists, are the Gods. Hence Proclus (in MS. Comment. in Parmenid. lib. vi.) beautifully observes, " As trees by their summits are firmly established in the earth, and all that pertains to them is through this earthly ; after the same manner divine natures are by their summits looted in the one, and each of thern is a unity and one, through an unconfused union with the one itself.'' ~aSamp yap ra G~v6pa rats eavrwv ~opv$ais EPLB- PVVTUl Ty yg, KUl €51 yr)tVU TU KUT'EKE~YC&S, TOY UUTOV TPOTOY Kai 7a S~ia, Tars eavrwv atcporr)criv ev~ppr{wrai ry EYL, Kar EKasov avrwv was E ~ XUL L EY, 61a rqv npos TO EU aouyxvrov 65 Gesner well observes, in his notes on this hymn, that the comparison and conjunction of the musical and astro- nomical elements are most ancient; being derived from Orpheus and Pythagoras to Plato. The lyre of Apollo, however, is not only indicative of the harmony of the universe, of which this divinity is the source, but particu- larly adumbrates according to the Orphic and Pythagoric doctrine, the celestial harmony, or the melody caused by the revolutions of the celestial spheres. This harmony of the spheres is admirably unfolded by Simplicius in his Com- mentary on the second book of Aristotle's Treatise on the Heavens, as follows : '' The Pythagoreans said, that an harmonic sound is produced from the motion of the celestial bodies ; and they scientifically collected this from the analogy of their intervals ; since not only the ratios of the intervals of the sun and moon, and Venus and Mercury, but also of the other stars, were discovered by them." Simplicius
OF ORPHEUS. 81 Now the last string thou tun'st to sweet accord 66, Divinely warbling, now the highest chord ; adds, a Perhaps the objection of Aristotle to this assertion of the Pythagoreans may be solved as folloms, according to the philosophy of those men : all things are not commen- surate with each other, nor is every thing sensible commen- surate to every thing, even in the sublunary region. This is evident from dogs, who scent animals at a great distance, and which are not smelt by men. How ~nuch more, there- 66 The following quotations from Nicomachus (Harm. lib. i. p. 6) illustrates the meaning of the hypate and nete,:or the highest and lowest string, in the lyre of Apollo : '' From the motion of Saturn (says he) the most remote of the planets, the appellation of the gravest sound, hypate, is derived ; but from the lunar motion, which is the lowest of all, the most acute sound is called nete, or the lowest." But Gesner observes, that a more ancient, and as it were archetypal, appellation is derived from the ancient triangu- lar lyre, a copy of which was found among the pictures lately dug out of the ruins of Herculaneuin ; in which the highest chord next to the chin of the musician is the longest, and consequently (says he) the sound is the most grave. Gesner proceeds in observing, that three seasons of the year are so compared together in a musical ratio, that hypate signifies the Winter, nete the Summer, and the Dorian measure represents the intermediate seasons, Spring and Autumn. Now the reason why the Dorian melody is assigned to the Spring, is because that measure wholly con- sists in temperament and moderation, as we learn froin Plutarch in his Treatise De Musica. Hence it is with great propriety attributed to the Spring, considered as placed between Winter and Summer; and gratefully tem- pering the fervent heat of the one, and the intense cold of the other.
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THE MYSTICAL HYMNS OF ORPHEUS.
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ADVERTISEMENT. IN the ' Advertiseme
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INTRODUCTION. THE Grecian theology,
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INTRODUCTION, ix age, possessed a d
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INTRODUCTION. xi ineffable evolutio
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INTRODUCTION. xiii highest things a
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INTRODUCTION. XV simply considered,
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INTRODUCTION, xvii the God himself.
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INTRODUCTION. xix which this theolo
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INTRODUCTION. xxi the intelligible
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INTRODUCTION. xxiii causally perman
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ISTRODUCTION. xxv tion of which all
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INTRODUCTION. xxvii venerable excel
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INTRODUCTION. xxix by any other mod
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INTRODUCTION. xxxi others about the
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INTRODUCTION. xxxiii of celestial G
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INTRODUCTION. xxxv mysteries, or ha
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INTRODUCTION. xxxvii Farther still,
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INTRODUCTION. xxxix he says, " that
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ISTRODUCTION. xl i jection of the D
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INTRODUCTION. xliii opinion, that i
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INTRODUCTION. xlv as from a perenni
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INTRODUCTION. xlvii himself ; night
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INTRODUCTIOK. xlix So great indeed
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INTRODUCTION. li bians; and on this
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INTRODUCTION. liii With respect to
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that such a pursuit must be a great
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THE LEARN, 0 Musaeus, from my sacre
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OF ORPHEUS. Saturn and Rhea, and gr
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End and Beginning (greatest this to
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OF ORPHEUS. 9 Guard of the race, en
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OF ORPHEUS. I I Hear, blessed Venus
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OF ORPHEUS. Dissolving anxious care
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OF ORPHEUS. By Fate's decree you co
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OF ORPHEUS. TO ETHER. THE FUMIGATIO
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Ericapous, celebrated pow'l; Ineffa
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OF ORPHEUS. v I I. TO THE STARS. TH
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OF ORPHEUS. Agile and vig'rous, ven
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OF ORPHEUS. With stars surrounded,
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OF ORPHEUS. Mother of ages, fruit-p
Page 85 and 86: OF ORPHEUS. THE FUMIGATION FROM ARO
Page 87 and 88: OF ORPHEUS. Pure ornament of all th
Page 89 and 90: Ol? ORPHEUS. Thron'd on a circling
Page 91 and 92: OF ORPHEUS. 35 Thee, shepherds, str
Page 93 and 94: OF ORPHEUS. XI I. TO HERCULES. HEAR
Page 95 and 96: OF ORPHEUS. Thy mighty head support
Page 97 and 98: XIV. THE FUMIGATION FROM AROMATLCS.
Page 99 and 100: OF ORPHEUS, 43 Thou joy'st in mount
Page 101 and 102: OF ORPHETJS. 45 Mother of Gods and
Page 103 and 104: OF ORPHEUS. Ev'n Nature trembles at
Page 105 and 106: OF ORPHEUS. 49 Propitious hear my p
Page 107 and 108: XVII. THE FUMIGATION FROM MYRRH. HE
Page 109 and 110: OF ORPHEUS, 53 Thy throne is fix'd
Page 111 and 112: The sea all-shining, and each beast
Page 113 and 114: OF ORPHEUS. XXI. TO THE CLOUDS. THE
Page 115 and 116: XXIII. THE FUMIGATION FROM MYREH. 0
Page 117 and 118: OF ORPHEUS. xxv. TO PROTEUS 49. PRO
Page 119 and 120: OF ORPHEUS. XXVII. TO THE MOTHER OF
Page 121 and 122: OF OEPHEUS. 65 With winged feet 'ti
Page 123 and 124: Whose holy form in budding fruits w
Page 125 and 126: OF ORPHEUS. XXXI. TO THE CURETES. A
Page 127 and 128: OF ORPHEUS. Gymnastic virgin of ter
Page 129 and 130: OF ORPHEUS, Hear me, 0 Goddess, whe
Page 131 and 132: OF ORPHEUS. XXXIII. TO VICTORY. THE
Page 133 and 134: OF ORPHEUS. 77 Rural, light-bearer,
Page 135: OF ORPHEUS. 79 The world's wide bou
Page 139 and 140: OF ORPHEUS. All Nature's tribes to
Page 141 and 142: OF ORPHEUS, She in Ortygia's honour
Page 143 and 144: OF ORPIIEUS. TO THE TITANS. THE FUM
Page 145 and 146: OF ORPI-IEUS. XXXVIII. TO THE CURET
Page 147 and 148: OF ORPHEUS. XXXIX. TO CORYBAS 75. T
Page 149 and 150: OF ORPHEUS. In verdure flourishing,
Page 151 and 152: XLII. TO MISA. THE FURTIGATION FROM
Page 153 and 154: OF ORPHEUS. 97 All-colour'd Seasons
Page 155 and 156: OF ORPHEUS. X LV. TO DIONYSIUS BASS
Page 157 and 158: OF ORPHEUS, XLVII. TO BACCHUS PERIC
Page 159 and 160: OF ORPHEUS. Blest Phrygian God, the
Page 161 and 162: OF ORPHEUS. A HYMN, HEAR me, Jove's
Page 163 and 164: OF ORPHEUS. 107 With Pan exulting o
Page 165 and 166: OF ORPHEUS, 109 Liknitan Bacchus, p
Page 167 and 168: OF ORPHEUS. LIII. TO AMPHIETUS BACC
Page 169 and 170: OF ORPI-IEUS. TO VENUS. A HYMN. HEA
Page 171 and 172: OF ORPHEUS, LVI. TO ADONIS. THE FUM
Page 173 and 174: OF ORPHEUS. LVIII. THE FUMIGATION F
Page 175 and 176: OF ORPHEUS, Of all that Ceres' fert
Page 177 and 178: OF ORPHEUS. LIX. TO THE FATES. THE
Page 179 and 180: OF ORPHEUS, LX. TO THE GRACES 97. T
Page 181 and 182: OF OORPHEUS. LXII. TO JUSTICE. THE
Page 183 and 184: LXIV. TO LAW. THE holy king of Gods
Page 185 and 186: OF ORPHEUS, Stay furious contests,
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OF ORPHEUS. 131 Strong, lenient God
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OF ORPHEUS, TO THE FUItIES lo4. THE
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OF ORPHEUS. LXX. TO THE FURIES. THE
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LXXI. TO MELINOE. THE FUMIGATIOhT F
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OF ORPHEUS, LXXII. TO FORTUNE. THE
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OF ORPHEUS. LXXIII. TO THE DIIEMON1
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OF ORPHEUS. LXXV. THE FUMIGATION FR
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OF OR'PHEUS. Clio, and Erato who ch
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OF ORPHEUS, XVIII. TO AURORA. THE F
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OF' ORPHEUS. LXXX. TO BOREAS Il2. T
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OF ORPHEUS. LXXXII. TO THE SOUTH WI
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OF ORPHEUS. 153 Hence every river,
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OF ORPHEUS. TO VESTA lI4. THE FUMIG
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OF ORPHEUS. 157 In thee the Gods ha
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OF ORPHEUS. LXXXV. TO SLEEP. THE FU
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OF ORPHEUS, But from the wicked tur
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OF ORPHEUS. Not youth itself thy cl
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166 ADDITIONAL NOTES. been partaker
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168 ADDITIONAL NOTES. become 810s e
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1'70 ADDITIONAL NOTES. demiurgus, a
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172 ADDITIONAL NOTES, energies of t
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174 ADDITIONAL NOTES. Heaven derive
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176 ADDITIONAL NOTES. into light ag
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178 ADDITIONAL NOTES, the second, w
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180 ADDITIONAL NOTES, is the leader
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182 ADDITIONAL NOTES. high, viz. th
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184 ADDITIONAL NOTES. Homerg0 does
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186 ADDITIONAL NOTES* celebrated. F
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188 ADDITIONAL NOTES. former as fat
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190 ADDITIONAL NOTES. part of Heave
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192 ADDITIONAL NOTES. 3s our whoIe
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194 ADDITIONAL NOTES. They say then
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196 ADDITIONAL NOTES. Plato 33 moth
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198 ADDITIONAL NOTES. porpo@ov $weu
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200 ADDITIONAL NOTES. vov), or thro
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202 ADDITIONAL NOTES, punish, and t
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204 ADDITIONAL NOTES. world, and ci
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