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The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus - Platonic Philosophy

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OF ORPHEUS. 153<br />

Hence every river, hence the spreading sea,<br />

And earth's pure bubbling fountains spring from<br />

thee.<br />

Hear, mighty sire, for boundless bliss is thine,<br />

Greatest cathartic <strong>of</strong> the pow'rs divine :<br />

abode, considering to what he should direct his attention,<br />

and whether he should deprive his father <strong>of</strong> strength, and<br />

unjustly mutilate him in conjunction with Saturn, and the<br />

other brethren, who were obedient to their dear mother; or<br />

leaving these, stay quietly at home. After much fluctuation<br />

<strong>of</strong> thought, however, he :remained peaceably at home, being<br />

angry with his mother, but still more so with his brethren."<br />

He therefore abides, and at the same time proceeds together<br />

with Tethys; for she is conjoined with him according to<br />

the first progeny. But the other Titans are induced to<br />

separation and progression. And the leader <strong>of</strong> these is the<br />

mighty Saturn, as the theologist says; though he evinces<br />

that Saturn is superior to Ocean, by saying that Saturn<br />

himself received the celestial Olympus, and that there<br />

being throned, he reigns over the Titans; but that Ocean<br />

obtained all the middle allotment. For he says, " that Ocean<br />

dwells in the divine streams which are posterior to Olym-<br />

pus, and that he environs the Heaven which is there, and<br />

not the highest Heaven, but as the fable says, that which<br />

fell from Olympus, and was there arranged."<br />

As the latter part <strong>of</strong> what is here said from Proclus, is a<br />

very remarkable Orphic fragment, and is not to be found in<br />

the Collection <strong>of</strong> the Orphic remains by either Gesner or<br />

Hermann, I shall give the original for the sake <strong>of</strong> the<br />

learned reader. Kac roc ye ore o Kpovos vneprepos EGTL TOV<br />

XEYWY TOY ~ E Y KPOYOY<br />

0 K ~UUOU, ~ E ~ T ~ W K0 C ~EO~OYOS<br />

U ?~ahiu<br />

ourov ~araAap~avscv TOY OU~UVLOV OXvp~ov, K~KEL ~POYLC-<br />

~EPTU, ~UC~~EUELY TWY TLTUYWY~ TOY d€ OKEUPOU T?/Y X~&U<br />

arraoav T ~ Y pe~qv* uaLecu yap aurov EY rots 6~urre~iocs<br />

p€16p01~ 701s PETa TOY OXV,UTOY, KaL TOY EKE1 TEPLEHElY OVPQYOU,

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