Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day, I offer this lovely prayer by the ancient Greek poet, Homer.

Hymn to Earth the Mother of All

O Universal Mother,
who dost keep from everlasting thy foundations deep,
Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee!
All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea,
All things that fly, or on ground divine live, move, and there are nourished ~
These are thine ~ These from thy wealth thou dost sustain;
From thee fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree hang ripe and large,
Revered Divinity!


The life of mortal men beneath thy sway
Is held; thy power both gives and takes away!
Happy are they whom thy mild favours nourish;
All things unstinted round them grow and flourish.
For them, endures the life-sustaining field
Its load of harvest, and their cattle yield
Large increase, and their house with wealth is filled.

Such honoured dwell in cities fair and free,
The homes of lovely women, prosperously;
Their sons exult in youth's new budding gladness,
And their fresh daughters free from care or sadness,
With bloom-inwoven dance and happy song,
On the soft flowers the meadow-grass among,
Leap round them sporting—such delights by thee
Are given, rich Power, revered Divinity.

Mother of gods, thou Wife of starry Heaven,
Farewell! be thou propitious, and be given
A happy life for this brief melody,
Nor thou nor other songs shall unremembered be.

(Hymn to the Earth: Mother of All; Homer; Published by Mrs. Shelley, "Poetical Works", 1839, 2nd edition, 1818)