The Orphic Hymn to Justice (Dikē)
The Orphic Hymn to Justice (Dikē)
An offering for peace in the Middle-East
I won’t write much by way of introduction except to say: we need Dikē right now. The Greek “Dikē” (pronounced Dee-kay) is usually translated as “justice,” but the word encompasss a wide range of meanings—from “moral” to “lawful custom” to “decent” or even “sensible.” It appeals to balance and equality as the basis for peace and the flourishing of life.
We need Her. Not just in the Middle East, but in Haiti, the American Congress, the border crossings in Gaza and Texas, the jungles and cities of Congo, the rainforests of Amazon and Borneo, the streets of Brooklyn and the favelas of Rio. We need her to show up wherever “evil inclinations or stacked councils” prevail: at Davos, at climate summits and G20 meetings, at UN Security Council decisions, as well as in our own homes and neighborhoods.
I’m making this translation freely available so that we can all pray together for Dikē to prevail. Whatever your religious (or non-religious) persuasion, please take time over the coming weeks to recite it out loud. If you want to add the recommended Frankincense, great. If not, just light a candle or speak it unaccompanied outdoors, to the trees and sky.
Feel free to forward this to friends and repost, because I want it to spread widely—please just credit me accordingly.
I could say so much more about Dikē—about her connection to Pythagorean notions of equality in mathematics, about her relationship with Egyptian gods of scribal measurement and architecture, about her connection to the Greek seasons, and on and on. But the World don’t have time for that right now. So without further ado, here She is.
Orphic Hymn to Dikē (Justice) Incense: Frankincense Eye of Justice, Dikē, I celebrate You with song and dance– All-seeing, Resplendent in form, You who are seated upon the holy throne of Master Zeus beholding from heaven the life of all manner of the dying, a Righteous Avenger, oppressing to the unjust, imposing justice through equality, pitting the lawless and inharmonious against Truth. For on all sides— in all the dubious decisions carried out by mortals’ evil inclinations or bad judgments, by those coveting the whole for themselves through foul play and stacked councils— You alone, trampling upon the unjust, stir up and awaken justice. You are averse to the uncivilized, but as Gentle Reason You attend the decent. So come, Righteous Goddess, appear as Sensible Teachings, show up as Moral Decision-making! Pass good judgments, whenever, however, the fated day of Life Eternal arrives suddenly.
Translation ©2023 Kristin Mathis