Religion

Hymn LXIV: To Law

by Orpheus (Orphic Hymns) hymns c. 2nd–3rd c. AD (ascribed to the legendary Orpheus)

Translated by Thomas Taylor (1824) · From The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus (1824)

Religion

The holy king of Gods and men I call,
Celestial Law, the righteous seal of all:
The seal which stamps whate'er the earth contains,
And all conceal'd within the liquid plains:
Stable, and starry, of harmonious frame,
Preserving laws eternally the same.
Thy all-composing pow'r in heav'n appears,
Connects its frame, and props the starry spheres ;
And unjust Envy shakes with dreadful sound,
Toss'd by thy arm in giddy whirls around.
'Tis thine the life of mortals to defend,
And crown existence with a blessed end ;
For thy command alone, of all that lives,
Order and rule to ev'ry dwelling gives.
Ever observant of the upright mind,
And of just actions the companion kind.
Foe to the lawless, with avenging ire,
Their steps involving in destruction dire.
Come, blest, abundant pow'r, whom all revere,
By all desir'd, with fav'ring mind draw near ;
Give me thro' life on thee to fix my sight,
And ne'er forsake the equal paths of right.

MLA

Orpheus (Orphic Hymns). “Hymn LXIV: To Law.” Translated by Thomas Taylor. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/orpheus/64/.

Chicago

Orpheus (Orphic Hymns). “Hymn LXIV: To Law.” Translated by Thomas Taylor. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/orpheus/64/.

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