Plethon, George Gemistus – searchable text
For original page – click here
Hymns to the Gods
Ὕμνος πρῶτος διετήσιος, ὁ ἐς Δία
Ζεῦ πάτερ, αὐτοπάτορ, πρέσβιστέ τε δημιοεργέ,
Παγγενέτορ βασιλεῦ, πανυπέρτατε, ἔξοχε πάντων,
Παγκρατὲς, αὐτοεόν τε, καὶ αὐτοὲν, αὐτό τε ἐσθλόν·
Ὃς τάδε σύμπαντ’ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀπειρεσίοιο,
Ὁππόσα μὲν μείζω αὐτὸς, διὰ δ’ αὐτέων τἆλλα
Γείναο, οἷά τε ἠδ’ ἐφ’ ὅσον ἐνέην γε ἄριστα·
Ἵλαθι, σῶζε, ἄγων σὺν τοῖσιν ὅλοισι καὶ ἄμμε
Σῶν διὰ παίδων αἰὲν ἀγαυῶν, οἷς ἐπέτρεψας,
ᾟ σοι καὶ τὰ καθ’ ἡμέας, οἷ’ ἄρ’ ἔδει, πέπρωται.
Ὕμνος δεύτερος, διετήσιος καὶ οὗτος, ὁ ἐς θεούς
Αὐτοεόντος παγγενέταο Ζηνὸς ἀγαυοὶ
Παῖδες ὕπαρχοί θ’, οἵ τε ξὺν δίκῃ ἡγεῖσθ’ ἡμέων·
Μὴ ὑμέας ποτ’ ἀγοὺς ἄμμες λήξαιμεν ἔχοντες,
Μηδὲ νόμοισι χρεώμενοι ὀρθοῖς, ἠδὲ φίλοισιν
Ὕμμιν, καδδύναμιν, μούνοις τε εὖ ἄμμε τιθεῖσιν.
Ἀλλά τοι, ὦ θεοὶ, ἡνίοχον νόον ἰθύνοντες
Ἀμμὸν, ὃν ὕμμιν ὁμόγνιον ὕμμες ἐφιδρύκατ’ ἄμμιν,
Τῇ τ’ ἄλλῃ εὖ τὸν βίοτον διάγεν παρέχοιτε,
Καὶ δὲ Δί’ ἔσχατον ὑμνεῖεν σύν γ’ ὕμμι διδοῖτε.
First annual hymn, to Zeus
Father Zeus, self-father, most ancient creator,
O King, Maker of everything, most excellent and possessor of all things,
Omnipotent, you who are the Being, the One, and the Good in yourself,
you who from eternity generated everything,
the greatest from yourself, the other things from these,
bestowing upon them the greatest excellence possible,
be favourable and save us leading us with the rest of nature
through your always illustrious children, to whom you commended
the destiny fixed by you, as it is suitable, which is destined to us too.
Second hymn, also annual, to the gods
Illustrious children of Zeus, Being in himself and Maker of everything,
O commanders who lead us with justice,
Let us not cease to have you for our guides
and to obey the correct laws you love,
as far as we can, for they are the only ones capable of putting us in the good way.
But you, O Gods, lead the intellect our charioteer,
that you made of similar nature to yourselves,
allow us to lead our lifetime well in all aspects
and above all let us chant with you the supreme Zeus.
Source
C. Alexandre & A. Pellissier, A. (1858), Pléthon. Traité des Lois (Paris, Firmin Didot), 203-5.
Epitaph for Plethon composed by Cardinal Bessarion (1403 – 1472)
Βησσαρίων καρδινάλις τῷ σοφῷ Πλήθωνη
Γαῖαν σώματι, ψυχῇ δ’ ἄστρα Γεώργιος ἴσχει,
παντοίης σοφίης σεμνότατον τέμενος.
Πολλοὺς μὲν φῦσεν ἀνέρας θεοειδέας Ἑλλάς,
προύχοντες σοφίῃ τῇ τε ἄλλῃ ἀρετῇ.
Ἀλλὰ Γεμιστός, ὅσον Φαέθων ἄστρων παραλλάσσει,
τόσσον τῶν ἄλλων ἀμφότερον κρατέει.
Cardinal Bessarion to the wise Pletho
Earth for his body, but George’s soul has its place among the stars.
There, in that most sacred place, all learning has its home.
Greece has inspired many god-like men
both in the field of learning and in other virtues.
But all of them by Plethon are eclipsed
as morning stars are dimmed by Phaeton’s gleam.
Source
C. Alexandre & A. Pellissier (eds.) (1858), Georgius Gemistus Pletho, Traité des lois: ou recueil des fragments, en partie inédits, de cet ouvrage (Paris, F. Didot), 406. English translation by © David Hernández de la Fuente.
Prayer to the One God
Θεὲ παγγενέτορ, πανυπέρτατε, ἔξοχε, παμμέγιστε βασιλεῦ ὕψιστε, πανοίκτιρμον, φιλανθρωπότατε μόνε καὶ συμπαθέστατε, ὡς ἀνεξιχνίαστον, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητον καὶ ἄφατον τὸ τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος πέλαγος,ἡ ἄπειρος φιλανθρωπία. Δέομαι οὖν σου, βασιλεῦ οὐράνιε, ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια, ἡ ὄντως ὀντότης, ἡ τῶν ὄντων ζωὴ, χάρισαί μοι τὴν ἡμέραν τήνδε, καὶ ἐνιαυτὸν, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ νῦν βέβηκα, ἀσκανδάλιστον, ἄνοσον, ἀναμάρτητον, ὑγιᾶ, εὐένδεκτον, καὶ δοίης μοι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ ἐμοῦ βίου εὖ τε καὶ ὥς σοι φίλον διαπερᾶναι. Διέγειρον πρὸς ὑπόμνησιν καὶ τελείωσιν ὧν δεῖ, καὶ ἀποτροπὴν ὧν οὐ δεῖ, ὅπως εὐάρεστός σοι διατελῶ
ἔν τε τῇ μαθήσει, ἔν τε λόγῳ, ἔν τε ἔργῳ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ τοῦ βίου διαγωγῄ, μέλπων σε, ὑμνολογῶν, εὐχαριστῶν καὶ μεγαλύνων σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν καὶ δεσπότην ἡμῶν. Θεὲ, αἰτία πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν, συνευδόκησόν μοι πρὸς τὴν σὴν θείαν γνῶσιν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ βίου εὐβουλίαν καὶ εὐποιΐαν.
O God, creator of all, supreme above all, most excellent, greatest king of all, most high, compassionate to all, alone most generous to man and most kind, how unsearchable and unfathomable and ineffable is the ocean of thy goodness, thy boundless mercy towards man! So I beseech thee, heavenly king, who art very goodness, very truth, the essence of being, the life of all things, grant me that this day, and indeed this month and year at which I stand, be without scandal, without sickness, without sin, healthy, wholly acceptable; and grant me that I may spend the rest of my life well as thou wouldst wish. Bestir me to the remembrance and performance of what I ought, and to the avoidance of what I ought not, so that I continue in thy favour, both in learning, and in word and deed, and in the whole conduct of life, singing of thee, raising hymns to thee, thanking and glorífying thee as our sole true master! O God, the cause of all good things, consent that I may progress to thy divine knowledge and to the exercise of good counsel and good works in this life!
Source
English trans. from C. M. Woodhouse (1986), George Gemistos Plethon: The Last of the Hellenes (Oxford & New York, Oxford University Press), 45.
References
Hladký, V. (2014), The Philosophy of Gemistos Plethon: Platonism in Late Byzantium, between Hellenism and Orthodoxy(Farnham, Surrey, UK; Burlington, VT, Ashgate).
Siniossoglou, N. (2011), Radical Platonism in Byzantium (Oxford, Oxford University Press).