Delphic Oracle on the Ascent of the Soul of Plotinus – searchable text

For original page – click here

 

Delphic Oracle on Plotinus cited by Porphyry

μβροτα φορμζειν ναβλλομαι μνον οιδς
μφ γανοο φλοιο μελιχροττοισιν φανων φωνας
ε
φμου κιθρης χρυσέῳ π πλκτρ.
Κλ
ζω κα Μοσας ξυνν πα γηρσασθαι
παμφ
νοις αχασι παναρμοναισ τ ρωας,
ο
ον π Αακδ στσαι χορν κλιχθεν
θαντων μαναισιν μηρεαισ τ οιδας.

λλ γε Μουσων ερς χορς, πσωμεν
ε
ς ν πιπνεοντες οιδς τρματα πσης·
μμι κα ν μσσαισιν γ Φοβος βαθυχατης·
δα
μον, νερ τ προιθεν, τρ νν δαμονος ασ
θειοτ
ρ πελων, τ λσαο δεσμν νγκης
νδρομης, εθων δ πολυφλοσβοιο κυδοιμο
ωσμενος πραπδεσσιν ς ᾐόνα νηχτου κτς
ν
χε πειγμενος δμου πο νσφιν λιτρν
στηρ
ξαι καθαρς ψυχς εκαμπα ομην,
χι θεοο σλας περιλμπεται, χι θμιστες
ν καθαρ πτερθεν λιτροσνης θεμστου.
Κα
ττε μν σκαροντι πικρν κμ ξυπαλξαι
α
μοβτου βιτοιο κα σηρν ελγγων
ν μεστοισι κλδωνος νωστου τε κυδοιμο
πολλ
κις κ μακρων φνθη σκοπς γγθι ναων.

Πολλκι σεο νοιο βολς λοξσιν ταρπος
εμνας φορεσθαι ρωσι σφετρσιν
ρθοπρους ν κκλα κα μβροτον ομον ειραν
θνατοι θαμινν φαων κτνα πορντες
σσοισιν δρκεσθαι πα σκοτης λυγαης.

Οδ σε παμπδην βλεφρων χε νδυμος πνος·
λλ ρ π βλεφρων πετσας κληδα βαρεαν
χλος ν δνσι φορεμενος δρακες σσοις
πολλ
τε κα χαρεντα, τ κεν ῥέα οτις δοιτο
νθρπων, σσοι σοφης μαιτορες πλευν.

Νν δ τε δ σκνος μν λσαο, σμα δ λειψας
ψυχ
ς δαιμονης, μεθ μγυριν ρχεαι δη
δαιμον
ην ρατοσιν ναπνεουσαν ἀήταις,
νθ νι μν φιλτης, νι δ μερος βρς δσθαι,
ε
φροσνης πλεων καθαρς, πληρομενος αἰὲν
μβροσων χετν θεθεν θεν στν ρτων
πε
σματα, κα γλυκερ πνοι κα ννεμος αθρ,
χρυσε
ης γενες μεγλου Δις χι νμονται
Μ
νως κα αδμανθυς δελφεο, χι δκαιος
Α
ακς, χι Πλτων, ερ ς, χ τε καλς
Πυθαγ
ρης σσοι τε χορν στριξαν ρωτος
θαντου, σσοι γενεν ξυνν λχοντο
δα
μοσιν λβστοις, θι τοι καρ ν θαλίῃσιν
α
ἰὲν υφροσνσιν τ ανεται.

μκαρ, σσους
τλσας ριθμος ἀέθλων μετ δαμονας γνος
πωλ
εαι ζαμενσι κορυσσμενος ζωσι.

Στσωμεν μολπν τε χορο τ εδνεα κκλον
Πλωτ
νου, Μοσαι, πολυγηθος· ατρ μεο
χρυσε
η κιθρη τσσον φρσεν εαωνι.

 

I raise an undying song, to the memory of a gentle friend,
a hymn of praise woven to the honey-sweet tones of my lyre
under the touch of the golden plectrum.
The Muses, too, I call to lift the voice with me
in strains of many-toned exultation,
in passion ranging over all the modes of song:
even as of old they raised the famous chant to the glory of Aeacides
in the immortal ardours of the Homeric line.

Come, then, Sacred Chorus,
let us intone with one great sound the utmost of all song,
I Phoebus, Bathychaites, singing in the midst.
Celestial! Man at first but now nearing the diviner ranks!
the bonds of human necessity are loosed for you
and, strong of heart, you beat your eager way
from out the roaring tumult of the fleshly life
to the shores of that wave-washed coast
free from the thronging of the guilty,
thence to take the grateful path of the sinless soul:
where glows the splendour of God,
where Right is throned in the stainless place,
far from the wrong that mocks at law.
Oft-times as you strove to rise above
the bitter waves of this blood-drenched life,
above the sickening whirl, toiling
in the mid-most of the rushing flood
and the unimaginable turmoil,
oft-times, from the Ever-Blessed,
there was shown to you the Term still close at hand:

Oft-times, when your mind thrust out awry
and was like to be rapt down unsanctioned paths,
the Immortals themselves prevented, guiding you
on the straightgoing way to the celestial spheres,
pouring down before you a dense shaft of light
that your eyes might see from amid the mournful gloom.

Sleep never closed those eyes:
high above the heavy murk of the mist you held them;
tossed in the welter, you still had vision;
still you saw sights many and fair
not granted to all that labour in wisdom’s quest.

But now that you have cast the screen aside,
quitted the tomb that held your lofty soul,
you enter at once the heavenly consort:
where fragrant breezes play,
where all is unison and winning tenderness and guileless joy,
and the place is lavish of the nectar-streams the unfailing Gods bestow,
with the blandishments of the Loves,
and delicious airs, and tranquil sky:
where Minos and Rhadamanthus dwell,
great brethren of the golden race of mighty Zeus;
where dwell the just Aeacus,
and Plato, consecrated power,
and stately Pythagoras
and all else that form the Choir of Immortal Love,
that share their parentage with the most blessed spirits,
there where the heart is ever lifted in joyous festival.

O Blessed One,
you have fought your many fights;
now, crowned with unfading life,
your days are with the Ever-Holy.

Rejoicing Muses,
let us stay our song and the subtle windings of our dance;
thus much I could but tell, to my golden lyre,
of Plotinus, the hallowed soul.

 

Source

Greek text cited from Porphyry, ‘The Life of Plotinus’, in Plotinus (1986), Porphyry on Plotinus, Ennead I, ed. A.H. Armstrong (Cambridge MA/London, Harvard University Press), 64-8. English translation by Steven McKenna in Plotinus (1991), The Enneads, trans. S. MacKenna, abridged and introduced by J.M. Dillon (London, Penguin Books), cxx-cxxi. The layout of the English translation follows that published in https://catholicgnosis.wordpress.com/tag/oracle/ (accessed 25 September 2021).