Hymn to the Earth (Hommage à la terre)


I greet you, O Earth, O Earth bearer of grain,
Bearer of gold, bearer of health, bearer of apparel, bearer of humanity,
Bearer of fruit, bearer of towers, beneficent, beautiful, still,
Patient, varied, fragrant, fertile,
Dressed in a damask coat of flowers,
Laced by streams, multi-hued.
I greet you, O heart, root, rounded pediment,
Foot of the great beast we call the World,
Chaste bride of Heaven, sure foundation
Of such a large many-storeyed edifice.
I greet you, O sister, mother, nurse, welcoming
The King of animals. Nothing, O great princess,
But lives for you. So many whirling skies
Send their astral flares to lighten you;
To heat you, the fire arches its pure warmth
Across the naked expanses;
To refresh you, the air is gladly shook,
Now a harsh Bora, now a gentle Zephyr;
To drain you, the waters trace a veined network
Of seas, rivers, fountains across your body.
Ah! It vexes me that most of the finest minds
Should disdain you so, O Earth,
And that bigger hearts, superb, should give up
Rustic toil and care of the fields
To more brutish men, men of no value,
Whose bodies are iron, and whose spirits are leaden.

French poem by Guillaume de SALLUSTE DU BARTAS






Author / Auteur :
Translation / Traduction / Übersetzung / Traducción : Tom Everett








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