1/07/2021

Hymn to Tethys

 

"Tethys I call, with eyes cerulean bright,
hid in a veil obscure from human sight;
Great ocean's Empress, wandering through the deep,
and pleased with gentle gales, the earth to sweep;
Whose blessed waves in swift succession go,
And lash the rocky shore with endless flow:
Delighting in the sea serene to play,
In ships exulting and the watery way.
Mother of Venus, and of clouds obscure,
Great nurse of beasts, and source of fountains pure.
O venerable Goddess, hear my prayer,
And make benevolent my life thy care;
Send, blessed queen, to ships a prosperous breeze,
And waft them safely over the stormy seas."
 

(Tethys mosaic, Antakya Museum, Antioch; Orphic Hymn, trans. T. Taylor)
 
In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning