 |
||
Pausanias on the Orphic Hymns
But those who are conversant with the writings of the poets know with respect to the hymns of Orpheus that each them is very short and that the whole of them does not amount to any considerable number. The Lycomedae are well acquainted with them and sing them in the mysteries of Ceres. These hymns are next to those of Homer for the elegance of their composition but on account of their superior sanctity they are preferred for religious purposes to those of Homer.
Pausanias, The Description of Greece, translation by Thomas Taylor, vol.3, R. Priestley,1824, p.62