O Persephone, fair daughter of Demeter,
I praise you. Maiden you were, gathering flowers
with your dear companions; swiftly were you taken
away by great Hades, his bride and love to be,
and to rule by his side in his dark, rich kingdom.
For a season do you dwell in your husband's realm
--your mother's grief unbearable, she mourns your loss,
the world turns cold, the verdant fields grow dry and brown--
then return to your mother, to the brilliant sun,
to the renewed bounty of the earth. O goddess,
loveliest of all the jewels of the underworld,
gentle queen of the dead, I praise and honor you.
 |
 |
 |