The majority of what we possess of Orphic literature has come down to us in fragmentary form, mostly via quotations from late Neoplatonists who were likely using a compilation made in the Hellenistic period that went by the title of the Sacred Discourses in 24 Rhapsodies or the Orphic Rhapsodies for short. (Other texts have also come to light, such as the Orphic cosmological poem discussed in the Derveni papyrus, the ritual script known as the Gurob papyri, the eschatological texts and passwords written on gold lamellae which were buried with the dead, as well as the collection of Orphic Hymns that were likely composed by a community in 2nd century Asia Minor.)
A year or so ago there was a great deal of excitement as an Orphic text surfaced as part of a palimpset found in a monastery in Sinai. The text was written in a book that had been scraped clean and reused to record assorted Vita or Lives of the Saints. Using infrared and other technologies scholars were able to read the material beneath the writings of the monks, and while a notice of this discovery circulated with a brief overview of the contents there was no translation available.
Until now!
While examining some articles by Giulia Rossetto of the Austrian Academy of Sciences I came across her initial translation of the Orphic hexameters from the Library of Saint Catherine’s monastery, which may be part of the Orphic Rhapsodies or a completely independent work. I am providing both the original Greek and her translation here. (The Greek was a bitch to get right, since the PDF wouldn’t permit me to simply copy&paste, so you better enjoy this!)
I cannot begin to express how fucking cool this is.
f. 2r + frg. 7r + frg. 8v
] Ψ̅ [
] αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν’ ἄχνη .. [ ±3 ] .εν. [
. . ἱ]μερόccαν [
] εὐνήν [±2] ±4 ν [ ±14 ] κεν ἄμφωι [
] τέκνω ±19 [ ±8 ] . . . . c]
]… [
] Ἑρμείην χ . . ν ±3 μ]
] θνητοί ἄνθ[ρωποι τὰδε γὰρ π[ ±8 ] ενον [
] εζ ἀρχῆc παρή[ ±5 ] .αναπ. [ ±8 ] . τοc[
] Nυκτὸc ταμ[ ±6 ] αραοιπ[ ±5 ] θεcπεcίη Νύξ [
] Ζηνὶ κελαινεφ[έϊ ±4 ] .νιπ [ ±7 ] εccηι [
] ἔχρηc’ Ἰδαίοιcιν [ ±5 ] ±3 δ[ ±7 ] ροιc [
] ±5 αρχεγο .[ ±15 ] .cεκουθεν [
] ὧc φάτο Φερcεφονηι καὶ ἀπὸ θρόνου ὦρτο φαεινοῦ [
] cευατ’ οτιο[ ±11 κρυφίοιο μελ[ά]θρου [
] ἐκλήϊcεν Διονυcον ἐρίβρομον Εἰραφιώτην [
] ἴκελον [. .]γή . ρ μηνοc περιτελλοέμοιο [
] εἵμαcί τε cτ[±3]οντα kαι ἱμερτοῖc cτεφάνοἱcιν [
] παιδ’ εν χεροιν ±8 εων περικαλλὲc αγαλμα [
] αιν . [.] καρποφόρον Χαρίτων ἄπο κάλλοc ἔχουcα [
] και ῥ ’ επιγονα ±3 ή . .φ. αc⸌μ⸍μήδουcαφρο [
] καί μιν φωνήc[αc’ [
] ἀφρογενὲc Κυθρεια [
] οὗτοc τ. ρπ . . . . [
] τὸν δὲ φερο . . . .[
] ὧc φάτο Φερcεφονη
] ωc . δ . π . . . . [
] καί ραμ . . . . [
] ὦ Ζεῦ . . . .[
. . . . . . . . . . . .
‘And when the foam … lovely bed … both … son … Hermes … and the mortal human beings. These things indeed … from the beginning … of the [starry] Nyx … the divine Nyx … to Zeus,[son of Cronos], god of the dark clouds … proclaimed in the [Mount] Ida … [original] … So he/she spoke to Persephone and stood up from the shining throne … (he/she) hastened … of the hidden/secret house … (he/she) closed/confined Dionysus, loud-shouting, Eiraphiotes like…
οf (something) coming around … with garments … and with lovely crowns … the child in the hands … beautiful gift/statue/image … fruit-bearing … gifted with beauty by the Graces… [Aphrodite] … Αnd she/he addressed her …: foam-born Cythereia … this … So spoke Persephone … and … Zeus …’
f. 2v + frg. 7v + frg. 8r
] ὅν ποτ’ ἐκιccο[ό]ρουν υc[ ±3 ]νί δαcκίωι ἄντρωι [
] ἔτρεφον ἀμβ[ροcί]οιc δι’ επεκόcμεον ω[ ±3 ] καλοῖc [
] νήπ[ιον ±7 ]. θεν ἀτὰρ μέγαν [ ±6 ] Ὄλυμπον [
] εξι [ ±18 ] κατά πετρινον ἄντρο(ν) [
] καλ. [ ±7 ] πωννυ[ ±3 ]cεδ[. .]c ±3 ποκομοιο [
] ωcτετιcευ[ ±6 ] φοc ὄρνιc αγ[ ±9 ] ενoc λίπεc εὐνή(ν) [
] πάμπαν αἱcιοc ἀπ[ ±3 ]τοc εμο. [ ±9 ] . τεονιαc ̣[
] cῶι δὲ πόθωι χ[ ±6 ] ωcαν[ ±10 ]ν αἰθέρα θ’ ἁγνόν [
] πόντον τ’ ἠδ[ ±3 ] εροντοc[ ±5 χθονὶ χεῦμα κελαινό(ν) [
] θυὸν ἀκηχέμ[ενα ±2]. ρ.π.[ ±7 ] ἀλγινόεντοc [
] ετλην δ’ ειc Ἀΐδαο δόμουc cκοτ[ίο]υc καταβῆναι [
] Ἠελίου προλιποῦcα δόμουc ⸌φάοc⸍ λαμπράν τε Cελήνην [
] οὐράνιόν τε πόλον διὰ cὸν πόθον αμροτε κοῦρε [
] ὧc φάτο Κύπριc ἄναccα φίλον δ’ α[±2] πολλακι παιδα [
] αcπίcι ὡc ἀγάπαζε χέραc περὶ γυῖα [β]αλοῦcα[
] καὶ τρέφεν ἠδ’ ἀτίταλλεν ἐν ἀγκα[λί]δεccιν ἔχουcα [
] μίμ[ν]ε δ’ ἄρ εἰν Ἀΐδαο δόμοιc ὑπὸ κεύθεcι γαίηc [
]ρωι τριγόνωι πολυωνυμωι Ἠρικεπαίωι [
]φ[ ±9 ]εζ[ ±4 ]ηc[ ±3 ]υνικηται [
] Φεφονείηιc [
] ⸌cι⸍… λεα ⸌μη⸍τρόc [
] ροε . διὰ χῶρον [
].[ ±4 ] ον ἄνθοc [
] . . χι λάχνηι [
]c υλοιν [
] χ Διονύcωι [
. . . . . . . . . . . .
‘So, they crowned the child with ivy … in a shady cave, they fed him with divine things … they adorned him with beautiful … great Olympus … under the stony cave … wholly good omen …you left the wedding bed … for your desire … and the pure air and the sea … the dark stream… in anguish of heart … of something painful … I suffered for the descent in the dark houses of Hades, after leaving the houses/the light of Helios and the shining Selene and the celestial vault for your desire, immortal young man. So she spoke, Cypris queen … with the shields as she hugged/embraced the dear son many times flinging her arms around him … and nursed and cared for him, holding (him) in her arms; remained in the houses of Hades, under the deep earth … to the three times born, with many names, Herikepaios … of Persephone … of the mother … in the land … the flower … wool/hair … to Dionysus’
f. 6r
. . . . . . . . . . . .
[ ±5 ] νουc κρύβδην εχον ε [
] τον δε καλύψαντεc ννμφηϊον [±2]. νονα [
] κύκλωι δ’ ἀμφὶ θρόνον π. .[ ±5 ] παντεc [
] ἧχι περ οἶνοc ἔφηc τότε τιμ[ ±3 ] . . . . γοc αἴcηc [
] ἄλλοτε δη ±3 πάνα διαμπερέωc ἐτέλεccαν [
] ἄψ δ’ αποπα[.] θελοντοc c̣ων κεφλη . τεκ ±2 υ ±2 μα [
] καὶ τότε δὴ τομονει[ ±3 ] . ον πέλεκυν τολυπεύω(ν) [
] Ἄκμων παιδ[οc] δ’ ἔναντα κατεcτάθη ειλε δ.. αμεοc [
] ἄθ[ ±3 ]ου.ω ειδ[.]ν ἀνώϊcτ’ εργατε δ οὖν τ. ±3 [
] αὐτὰρ ἔπειτ’ [±2] κρατα θενοεμεcον ἦλθε δενοινου [
] πάντα φόβον προϊειc ε[.]πωc προἀ[ ±4 ] Διὸc ἕδρη[ν [
] Κύρβαc τ’ ἀντήμυνεν εγείνετο δ’ ἔργ’ ὑπεροπ [
] πρώτουc δ’ εἰcῆιξ’ ἅρπην μετὰ χερcὶ τιτ [
] φάc ταναδ ἄλλοθεν ἄλλον χεπερὶ [
] Ἠὼc δ’ οὐδ’ ώc άπέλειπε Διόc [
] κ. cεο[.]δ’ εὐπλέκτοιο . [
] γυμνοῦντεc αcφά [
] καὶ τότε δὴ πρωτε [
] ενδε [
. . . . . . . . . . . .‘…
secretly having … having covered the bridechamber … in a circle around the throne …where the wine/Dionysus you said at one time … by ordinance … at another time they finished/completed everything through and through … back from … and even then … Αkmon accomplishing/achieving … axe … stood quiet against the child, you protected … unexpected… and then … (he/she) went … (you) abandoned all fear … seat of Zeus … and the Corybant resisted … (he/she) darted in the first … in the hands the sickle … one from one place, another from another … nor Eos left … of Zeus … of the well-plaited … (they) being exposed/stripped… and even then …’
The House of Vines 
Reblogged this on Gangleri's Grove and commented:
This post by Sannion discusses an important Orphic find. It’s really quite something (and was discovered on a palimpsest. I always think of Palimpsests as little hidden treasure boxes lol. I can only imagine the excitement of the scholars who discovered this. wow).
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