- Source
- Anonymous. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Evelyn-White, Hugh G., editor. London: William Heinmann; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1914.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg030.humanitext-grc2:1-19
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
This hymn praises Gaia, the Earth-mother and source of all blessings, describing the prosperity that people enjoy through her favor, and prays for a pleasant life in return for the song.
γαῖαν παμμήτειραν ἀείσομαι, ἠυθέμεθλον,
I shall sing of Earth, the mother of all, well-founded,
πρεσβίστην, ἣ φέρβει ἐπὶ χθονὶ πάνθʼ ὁπόσʼ ἐστίν,
the eldest, who feeds all things that are upon the ground,
ἠμὲν ὅσα χθόνα δῖαν ἐπέρχεται ἠδʼ ὅσα πόντον
both all things that go upon the divine land, and all that go upon the sea,
ἠδʼ ὅσα πωτῶνται, τάδε φέρβεται ἐκ σέθεν ὄλβου.
and all things that fly; these are fed from your wealth.
ἐκ σέο δʼ εὔπαιδές τε καὶ εὔκαρποι τελέθουσι,
From you people become blessed with children and rich in fruits,
πότνια, σεῦ δʼ ἔχεται1 δοῦναι βίον ἠδʼ ἀφελέσθαι
O mistress, and from you it depends to give life and to take it away
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισιν· ὃ δʼ ὄλβιος, ὅν κε σὺ θυμῷ
from mortal men. Happy is he whom you in your heart
πρόφρων τιμήσῃς· τῷ τʼ ἄφθονα πάντα πάρεστι.
gladly honor; to him all things are present in abundance.
βρίθει μέν σφιν ἄρουρα φερέσβιος ἠδὲ κατʼ ἀγροὺς
For them the life-giving land is heavy with harvest, and in the fields
κτήνεσιν εὐθηνεῖ, οἶκος δʼ ἐμπίπλαται ἐσθλῶν·
it thrives with cattle, and their house is filled with good things.
αὐτοὶ δʼ εὐνομίῃσι πόλιν κάτα καλλιγύναικα
And they themselves with good laws rule their city of beautiful women,
κοιρανέουσʼ, ὄλβος δὲ πολὺς καὶ πλοῦτος ὀπηδεῖ·
and great happiness and wealth follow them.
παῖδες δʼ εὐφροσύνῃ νεοθηλέι κυδιόωσι
Their children exult with fresh-blooming joy,
παρθενικαί τε χοροῖς πολυανθέσιν εὔφρονι θυμῷ
and the maidens in flower-laden dances with merry heart
παίζουσαι σκαίρουσι κατʼ ἄνθεα μαλθακὰ ποίης,
play and skip over the soft flowers of the grass,
οὕς κε σὺ τιμήσῃς,2 σεμνὴ θεά, ἄφθονε δαῖμον.
whom you honor, holy goddess, bounteous spirit.
χαῖρε, θεῶν μήτηρ, ἄλοχʼ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος,
Hail, mother of the gods, wife of starry Heaven,
πρόφρων δʼ ἀντʼ ᾠδῆς βίοτον θυμήρεʼ ὄπαζε·
and gladly in return for my song grant a life pleasing to my heart.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομʼ ἀοιδῆς.3
But I will remember both you and another song.
- 6σεῦ δʼ ἔχεται
The verb ἔχομαι in the middle voice with the genitive (σεῦ) means 'to depend on' or 'to cling to'.
- 16οὕς κε σὺ τιμήσῃς
The relative pronoun οὕς (accusative plural of ὅς) with the Homeric particle κε and the subjunctive express a general condition ('whomever you honor'). The antecedent is implied to be the people enjoying prosperity described in §9-15.
- 19καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομʼ ἀοιδῆς
The verb μιμνήσκομαι ('to remember') takes the genitive case, governing both σεῖο (epic genitive of σύ) and ἄλλης ἀοιδῆς. This is a formulaic closing expression in Epic Hymns.