Praise to the Gods: Selections from “The Hymns of Orpheus,” Part 2 of 2

TO CUPID, OR LOVE “I Call great Cupid, source of sweet delight, Holy and pure, and lovely to the sight; Darting, and winged, impetuous fierce desire, With Gods and mortals playing, wandering fire: Cautious, and two-fold, keeper of the keys Of Heaven and Earth, the air, and spreading seas; Of all that Ceres’ fertile realms contains, By which the all-parent Goddess life sustains, For thee, all Nature’s various realms obey, Who rules alone, with universal sway.”

TO NEMESIS (GODDESS OF DIVINE RETRIBUTION) “Thee, Nemesis I call, almighty queen, By whom the deeds of mortal life are seen: Eternal, much revered, of boundless sight, Alone rejoicing in the just and right: Changing the counsels of the human breast Forever various, rolling without rest. To every mortal is thy influence known, And humans beneath thy righteous bondage groan; For every thought within the mind concealed Is to thy fight perspicuously revealed. The soul unwilling reason to obey By lawless passion ruled, thy eyes survey. All to see, hear, and rule, O power Divine Whose nature Equity contains, is thine.”

TO ESCULAPIUS (GOD OF MEDICINE) “Great Esculapius, skilled to heal humankind, All-ruling, and physician kind; Whose arts medicinal, can alone assuage Diseases dire, and stop their dreadful rage: Strong lenient God, regard my suppliant prayer, Bring gentle Health, adorned with lovely hair; Convey the means of mitigating pain, And raging, deadly pestilence restrain.”

TO HEALTH “O Much-desired, prolific, general queen, Hear me, life-bearing, Health, of beauteous mien, Mother of all; by thee, diseases dire, Of bliss destructive, from our life retire; And every house is flourishing and fair, If with rejoicing aspect thou art there: Each daedal art, thy vigorous force inspires, And all the world thy helping hand desires; Pluto, life’s bane alone resists thy will, And ever hates thy all-preserving skill.”