The hearth is immovable

[sovay]

Εἲς Ἑστίαν

ἑστίη, ἣ πάντων ἐν δώμασιν ὑψηλοῖσιν
ἀθανάτων τε θεῶν χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων τ᾽ ἀνθρώπων
ἕδρην ἀίδιον ἔλαχες, πρεσβηίδα τιμήν,
καλὸν ἔχουσα γέρας καὶ τίμιον: οὐ γὰρ ἄτερ σοῦ
εἰλαπίναι θνητοῖσιν, ἵν᾽ οὐ πρώτῃ πυμάτῃ τε
Ἑστίῃ ἀρχόμενος σπένδει μελιηδέα οἶνον:
καὶ σύ μοι, Ἀργειφόντα, Διὸς καὶ Μαιάδος υἱέ,
ἄγγελε τῶν μακάρων, χρυσόρραπι, δῶτορ ἐάων,
ἵλαος ὢν ἐπάρηγε σὺν αἰδοίῃ τε φίλῃ τε.
ναίετε δώματα καλά, φίλα φρεσὶν ἀλλήλοισιν
εἰδότες: ἀμφότεροι γὰρ ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων
εἰδότες ἔργματα καλὰ νόῳ θ᾽ ἕσπεσθε καὶ ἥβῃ.
χαῖρε, Κρόνου θύγατερ, σύ τε καὶ χρυσόρραπις Ἑρμῆς:
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ὑμέων τε καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ᾽ ἀοιδῆς.

To Hestia

Hestia, who in all the high homes
of immortal gods and mortals who walk the earth,
won the right of a seat forever, the highest honor,
you have a beautiful gift of honor and privilege: for without you
mortals hold no feasts, where whoever begins
for Hestia pours out honey-sweet wine first and last.
And you, slayer of Argos, son of Zeus and Maia,
messenger of the blessed, with your golden wand the giver of good things,
look favorably on me and aid me with her, revered and loved.
You dwell in beautiful homes, dear to one another's thoughts,
both of you knowing the beautiful deeds of people who live on the earth
and following them in mind and youth.
Hail, Kronos' daughter, and you Hermes with your golden wand,
but I will remember myself both you and another song.

She's curled up asleep on my left shoulder. Her brother was purring a storm across my wrists, having learned to stay off the keyboard in only the most technical terms, but he just conked out, too. The runt really wasn't a Hermes; I'll have to translate something else for him. ἄλλη ἀοιδή.

[edit] He woke while I was posting—I needed more range of movement to work a touchpad than to type—and moved up to my right shoulder. I feel like a miracle play.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

D'awwwww!

What a lovely prayer and blessing! And what a great blessing these sweeties already are <3

(Thx for telling me her full name back an entry ago)

[sovay]

What a lovely prayer and blessing! And what a great blessing these sweeties already are

I think so!

(Thx for telling me her full name back an entry ago)

(You're welcome. derspatchel was on the right track with Hermia after all.)

[spatch]

We don't just have shoulder cats, we have shoulder-head-back-arms-and-wrist cats. Mow.

[sovay]

Mow.

Mrrrrrrt.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

...for Hestia pours out honey-sweet wine first and last...

Lovely. These kittens endlessly replenish you.

Nine

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I so hope for pictures of the angel and demon cats. :-)

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I love the Homeric hymns so very much.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Lovely translation. I'm glad the cats are being so darling and angelic-ish.

I can relate, having sometimes worked from the netbook (which I mostly keep as a backup and for train travel) in order to have enough lap left over for Minnie to sit in.

[sovay]

Lovely. These kittens endlessly replenish you.

They are a very good thing right now. I'm doing a lot of holding on.

[sovay]

I so hope for pictures of the angel and demon cats.

I suspect they will repeat the maneuver. They did last night. The trick is for them to repeat it when derspatchel is around with his camera . . .

[sovay]

I love the Homeric hymns so very much.

It seemed the most appropriate thing.

[sovay]

I'm glad the cats are being so darling and angelic-ish.

They're also being rabbit-kicking spitfires, but I believe this is par for the course. I like them.

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

He woke while I was posting...and moved up to my right shoulder.

That is an awesome image. And an awesome poem.
I must be tired, though, since I cannot work out how to make it scan.

[sovay]

I must be tired, though, since I cannot work out how to make it scan.

All the Homeric hymns are dactylic hexameter. The first line is really spondaic.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

... but I believe this is par for the course.

I reckon it is. Cat-acquisition seems to be a trend. My cousin's lady was driving their daughter to school last week and heard an unexpected noise, which on stopping proved to be a kitten who'd taken shelter under the hood. He was extracted without injury, and at first they were only keeping him till they could find a good home, but that stage only lasted for a day or two.

He's named Lemmy Killmeowster, because they found him by the motor(head).

ETA: And there aren't cats on the horizon in my life, but we're apparently going to be adopting one of my aunt and uncle's three dogs, because they're moving to a smaller house. Perhaps I should have said "pet-acquisition."