The ancient Greek hymnic tradition translated beautifully and accessibly.
The hymn-as poetry, as craft, as a tool for worship and philosophy-was a vital art form throughout antiquity. Although the Homeric Hymns have long been popular, other equally important collections have not been readily accessible to students eager to learn about ancient poetry. In reading hymns, we also gain valuable insight into life in the classical world. In this collection, early Homeric Hymns of uncertain authorship appear along with the carefully wrought hymns of the great Hellenistic poet and courtier Callimachus; the mystical writings attributed to the legendary poet Orpheus, written as Christianity was taking over the ancient world; and finally, the hymns of Proclus, the last great pagan philosopher of antiquity, from the fifth century AD, whose intellectual influence throughout western culture has been profound.
Greek Poems to the Gods distills over a thousand years of the ancient Greek hymnic tradition into a single volume. Acclaimed translator Barry B. Powell brings these fabulous texts to life in English, hewing closely to the poetic beauty of the original Greek. His superb introductions and notes give readers essential context, making the hymns as accessible to a beginner approaching them for the first time as to an advanced student continuing to explore their secrets. Brilliant illustrations from ancient art enliven and enrichen the experience of reading these poems.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"A gem of a book. . . . Powell, who wears his learning as lightly as seersucker . . . is always sensitive to the Greek, and brings it across into clear, natural English, at the pitch-perfect register for the solemn or the ludic hymn." * Spectator * "An impressive volume that we think lovers of poetry and of classical antiquity will appreciate." * Coffee with the Poets * "This is a useful volume for the study of ancient Greek culture and, with its wealth of mythological and geographical lore, could be an illuminating companion to a tour of Greek sites and museums." * Religious Studies Review *
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
3 maps, 34 color illustrations, 1 b-w illustration
Maße
Höhe: 200 mm
Breite: 133 mm
Dicke: 22 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-520-30287-7 (9780520302877)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of Classical Myth, Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet, Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature; and translations of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid; and many other books.
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Introduction
Meter and Performance
Annotation; the Spelling of Ancient Names and Places; Greek Texts
The Homeric Hymns
The Hymns of Callimachus
The Orphic Hymns
The Hymns of Proclus
1. Zeus
Homeric Hymn 23: To Zeus
Callimachus Hymn 1: To Zeus
Orphic Hymn 15: To Zeus
Orphic Hymn 19: To Zeus the Thunderbolt
Orphic Hymn 20: To Astrapaios Zeus
2. Hera
Homeric Hymn 12: To Hera
Orphic Hymn 16: To Hera
3. Poseidon
Homeric Hymn 22: To Poseidon
Orphic Hymn 17: To Poseidon
4. Athena
Homeric Hymn 11: To Athena
Homeric Hymn 28: To Athena
Callimachus Hymn 5: To Athena; On the Baths of Pallas
Orphic Hymn 32: To Athena
Proclus Hymn 7: To Wise Athena
5. Demeter, Persephone, and Hades
Homeric Hymn 2: To Demeter
Homeric Hymn 13: To Demeter
Callimachus Hymn 6: To Demeter
Orphic Hymn 40: To Eleusinian Demeter
Orphic Hymn 41: To Mother Antaia
Orphic Hymn 29: To Persephone
Orphic Hymn 18: To Plouton
6. Aphrodite
Homeric Hymn 5: To Aphrodite
Homeric Hymn 6: To Aphrodite
Homeric Hymn 10: To Aphrodite
Orphic Hymn 55: To Aphrodite
Proclus Hymn 2: To Aphrodite
Proclus Hymn 5: To the Lycian Aphrodite
7. Hephaistos
Homeric Hymn 20: To Hephaistos
Orphic Hymn 66: To Hephaistos
8. Apollo and the Muses
Homeric Hymn 3: To Apollo
Homeric Hymn 21: To Apollo
Homeric Hymn 25: To The Muses and Apollo
Callimachus Hymn 2: To Apollo
Callimachus Hymn 4: To Delos
Orphic Hymn 34: To Apollo
Orphic Hymn 35: To Leto
Orphic Hymn 76: To the Muses
Proclus Hymn 3: To the Muses
9. Artemis
Homeric Hymn 9: To Artemis
Homeric Hymn 27: To Artemis
Callimachus Hymn 3: To Artemis
Orphic Hymn 36: To Artemis
10. Hermes and Pan
Homeric Hymn 4: To Hermes
Homeric Hymn 18: To Hermes
Orphic Hymn 28: To Hermes
Orphic Hymn 57: To Chthonic Hermes
Homeric Hymn 19: To Pan
Orphic Hymn 11: To Pan
11. Dionysos
Homeric Hymn 1: To Dionysos
Homeric Hymn 7: To Dionysos
Homeric Hymn 26: To Dionysos
Orphic Hymn 30: To Dionysos
Orphic Hymn 45: To Dionysos Bassareus and Triennial
Orphic Hymn 46: To Dionysos Liknites
Orphic Hymn 47: To Dionysos Perikonios
Orphic Hymn 50: To Dionysos Lysios Lenaios
Orphic Hymn 52: To Dionysos, God of the Triennial Feasts
Orphic Hymn 53: To Dionysos, God of Annual Feasts
Orphic Hymn 44: To Semele
12. Ares
Homeric Hymn 8: To Ares
Orphic Hymn 65: To Ares
13. Hestia
Homeric Hymn 24: To Hestia
Homeric Hymn 29: To Hestia
Orphic Hymn 84: To Hestia
14. Sun, Moon, Earth, Hekate, and All the Gods
Homeric Hymns 31 and 32: To the Sun and the Moon
Orphic Hymn 8: To the Sun
Orphic Hymn 9: To the Moon
Proclus Hymn 1: To Helios
Homeric Hymn 30: To Earth Mother of All
Orphic Hymn 26: To Earth
Orphic Hymn 1: To Hekate
Proclus Hymn 6: To the Mother of the Gods, Hekate, and Janus/Zeus
Proclus Hymn 4: To All the Gods
Bibliography
Glossary/Index
