Homeric Hymn 26 to Dionysos
Evelyn‑White Translation (Loeb, 1914)
I begin to sing of ivy‑crowned Dionysus, the loud‑crying god,
the glorious son of Zeus and renowned Semele.
The rich‑haired nymphs received him in their bosoms from the lord his father,
and fostered him carefully in the glens of Nysa,
and he grew up among the fragrant odours of the earth,
But when the goddesses had brought him up, a god delighting in the dance,
he went to the holy mountain of the gods,
to the house of his father, and all the immortals rejoiced.
And they honored him, and Zeus, the son of Cronos,
set him upon his throne, and he is called the god of the vine.
Hail, child of fair‑faced Semele! He who forgets you
can never gather sweet song into his heart.
Rayor Translation (2014, 2nd ed.)
I begin to sing of ivy‑covered Dionysos, loud‑roaring,
glorious child of Zeus and Semele of the beautiful hair.
The rich‑haired Nymphs received him from the lord father
into their laps, and then raised him carefully in the mountain valleys.
He grew, beloved by the blessed gods, where the mountain
goddesses nurtured him, a god delighting in the dance.
When they saw him, all the immortals rejoiced in their hearts,
and Kronos’ son Zeus sat him on his throne;
he watches over the divine, glowing with a fiery ray.
And they call him the famous, noisy, and seductive,
the joy‑bringer, the one who loves to dance,
and the beautiful child who dispels the cares of mortals.
Hail, child of fair‑faced Semele! No one can forget you
and still gather sweet song into his heart.
© ᴀᴇᴛʜᴇʀ-ɴᴇʀᴇɨɖɛ. ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛֆ ʀᴇֆᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ.