The Divine in All: Selections from "The Hymns of Orpheus," Part 2 of 2

“O Goddess, Earth, of Gods and men the source, Endued with fertile, all destroying force; All-parent, bounding, whose prolific powers, Produce a store of beauteous fruits and flowers, All-various maid, the eternal world’s strong base Immortal, blessed, crowned with every grace; From whose wide womb, as from an endless root, Fruits, many-formed, mature and grateful shoot. Deep bosomed, blessed, pleased with grassy plains, Sweet to the smell, and with prolific rains. All flowery daemon, center of the world, Around thy orb, the beauteous stars are hurled With rapid whirl, eternal and Divine, Whose frames with matchless skill and wisdom shine.”

“I Call strong Pan, the substance of the whole, Ethereal, marine, Earthly, general soul, Immortal fire; for all the world is thine, And all are parts of thee, O power Divine. Come, blessed Pan, whom rural haunts delight, Come, leaping, agile, wandering, starry light; The Hours and Seasons, wait thy high command, And round thy throne in graceful order stand.”

“The piercing eye of Justice bright, I sing, Placed by the throne of Heaven’s Almighty King, Perceiving thence, with vision unconfined, The life and conduct of the human kind To thee, revenge and punishment belong, Chastising every deed, unjust and wrong; Whose power alone, dissimilars can join, And from the equality of truth combine: For all the ill, persuasion can inspire, When urging bad designs, with counsel dire, It is thine alone to punish; with the race Of lawless passions, and incentives base; For thou art ever to the good inclined, And hostile to the men of evil mind.”

“The Holy king of Gods and men I call, Celestial Law, the righteous seal of all; The seal which stamps whatever the Earth contains, Nature’s firm basis, and the liquid plains: Stable, and starry, of harmonious frame, Preserving laws eternally the same: Thy all-composing power in Heaven appears, Connects its frame, and props the starry spheres; And shakes weak Envy with tremendous sound, Tossed by thy arm in giddy whirls around.”