From Petelia
Greek English
1 εὑρήσεις δ’ Ἀίδαο δόμων ἐπ’ ἀριστερὰ κρήνην, ‘Thou shalt find to the left of the House of Hades a Well-spring,
2 παρ’ δ’ αὐτῆι λευκὴν ἑστηκυῖαν κυπάρισσον· And by the side thereof standing a white cypress.
3 ταύτης τῆς κρήνης μηδὲ σχεδὸν ἐμπελάσειας. To this Well-spring approach not near.
4 εὑρήσεις δ’ ἑτέραν, τῆς Μνημοσύνης ἀπὸ λίμνης But thou shalt find another by the Lake of Memory,
5 ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ προρέον· φύλακες δ’ ἐπίπροσθεν ἔασιν. Cold water flowing forth, and there are Guardians before it.
6 εἰπεῖν· ‘Γῆς παῖς εἰμι καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος, Say: “I am a child of Earth and of Starry Heaven;
7 αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ γένος οὐράνιον· τόδε δ’ ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί· But my race is of Heaven (alone). This ye know yourselves.
8 δίψηι δ’ εἰμ(ὶ) αὔη καὶ ἀπόλλυμαι· ἀλλὰ δότ’ αἶψα And lo, I am parched with thirst and I perish. Give me quickly
9 ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ προρέον τῆς Μνημοσύνης ἀπὸ λίμνης’. The cold water flowing forth from the Lake of Memory.”
10 καὐ⟨τοί σο⟩ι δώσουσι πιεῖν θείης ἀπ⟨ὸ κρήν⟩ης, And of themselves they will give thee to drink from the holy Well-spring,
11 καὶ τότ’ ἔπειτ’ ἄ⟨λλοισι μεθ’⟩ ἡρώεσσι ἀνάξεις. And thereafter among the other Heroes thou shalt have lordship....’
How to cite
The gold tablet from Petelia. Greek: Hermann Diels, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker II, 4th ed. (Berlin 1922), 66 B 17, vv. 1–11, p. 175. English: Gilbert Murray, in Jane Ellen Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion (Cambridge 1903), pp. 660–661. Edition by the Orphic Church, MMXXVI. https://orphic.church/library/gold-tablets/petelia/ Cite by line, as From Petelia 6. The tablet is held at the British Museum, London, 1843,0724.3.
CompactFrom Petelia 6, ed. the Orphic Church (2026), https://orphic.church/library/gold-tablets/petelia/
A lineFrom Petelia 6
What the Orphic Church made here, its edition, arrangement and setting, is given under the Orphic License, version 1.0. Diels's Greek and Murray's English are free to all by their age. orphic.church/license