Only You Rule Me: Melinno’s (Greek) Hymn to Roma

According to some testimonia Melinno was Nossis’ daughter. The Following poem may be a poem to the city of Rome or to strength Personified (in Greek, rhômê)

Melinno, To Roma

“My greetings, Roma, daughter of Ares
Golden-mitred, war-minded ruler,
You inhabit a sacred Olympos on the earth
Forever untouchable.

Eldest one: Fate has given to you alone
a noble glory of unbreakable empire
so that you may lead because you have
the royal power.

And under the yoke of your strong reins
The chest of the earth and grey waves
Bend. You guide all the cities of people
Steadily.

And while expanding time weakens everything
And transforms life from one thing into another
Only your fair wind of empire
Never changes.

Only you have midwifed the strongest men,
Great warriors, the ones you raise up
Like Demeter’s fertile crops
but courageous men.”

εἰς ῾Ρώμην

χαῖρέ μοι, ῾Ρώμα, θυγάτηρ ῎Αρηος,
χρυσεομίτρα δαΐφρων ἄνασσα,
σεμνὸν ἃ ναίεις ἐπὶ γᾶς ῎Ολυμπον
αἰὲν ἄθραυστον.

σοὶ μόνᾳ, πρέσβιστα, δέδωκε Μοῖρα
κῦδος ἀρρήκτω βασιλῇον ἀρχᾶς,
ὄφρα κοιρανῇον ἔχοισα κάρτος
ἀγεμονεύῃς.

σᾷ δ’ ὐπὰ σδεύγλᾳ κρατερῶν λεπάδνων
στέρνα γαίας καὶ πολιᾶς θαλάσσας
σφίγγεται· σὺ δ’ ἀσφαλέως κυβερνᾷς
ἄστεα λαῶν.

πάντα δὲ σφάλλων ὁ μέγιστος αἰὼν
καὶ μεταπλάσσων βίον ἄλλοτ’ ἄλλως
σοὶ μόνᾳ πλησίστιον οὖρον ἀρχᾶς
οὐ μεταβάλλει.

ἦ γὰρ ἐκ πάντων σὺ μόνα κρατίστους
ἄνδρας αἰχματὰς μεγάλους λοχεύεις
εὔσταχυν Δάματρος ὅπως ἀνεῖσα
καρπὸν †ἀπ’ ἀνδρῶν. *