To Trietericus. The Fumigation from Aromatics.
Bacchus fanatic, much-nam'd, blest, divine,
Bull-fac'd, Lenæan, bearer of the vine
From fire descended, raging, Nysian king,
From whom initial ceremonies spring
Liknitan Bacchus, pure and fiery bright,
Prudent, crown-bearer, wandering in the night;
Pupil of Proserpine, mysterious pow'r,
Triple, ineffable, Jove's secret flow'r:
Ericapæus, first-begotten nam'd,
Of Gods the father, and the offspring fam'd.
Bearing a sceptre, leader of the choir,
Whose dancing feet, fanatic Furies fire,
When the triennial band thou dost inspire,
Loud-sounding, Tages, of a fiery light,
Born of two mothers, Amphietus bright:
Wand'ring on mountains, cloth'd with skins of deer,
Apollo golden-ray'd, whom all revere.
God of the grape with leaves of ivy crown'd,
Bassarian, lovely, virgin-like, renown'd
Come blessed pow'r, regard thy mystics voice,
Propitious come, and in these rites rejoice.
To Amphietus Bacchus. The Fumigation from every Aromatic except Frankincense.
Terrestrial Dionysius, hear my pray'r,
Awak'ned rise with nymphs of lovely hair:
Great Amphietus Bacchus, annual God,
Who laid asleep in Proserpine's abode,
Did'st lull to drowsy and oblivious rest,
The rites triennial, and the sacred feast
Which rous'd again by thee, in graceful ring,
Thy nurses round thee mystic anthems sing;
When briskly dancing with rejoicing pow'rs,
Thou mov'st in concert with the circling hours.
Come, blessed, fruitful, horned, and divine,
And on these rites with joyful aspect shine
Accept the general incense and the pray'r,
And make prolific holy fruits thy care.
To Silenus, Satyrus, and the Priestesses of Bacchus. The Fumigation from Manna.
Great nurse of Bacchus, to my pray'r incline,
Silenus, honor'd by the pow'rs divine;
And by mankind at the triennial feast
Illustrious dæmon, reverenc'd as the best
Holy, august, the source of lawful rites,
Rejoicing pow'r, whom vigilance delights
With Sylvans dancing ever young and fair,
Head of the Bacchic Nymphs, who ivy bear,
With all thy Satyrs on our incense shine,
Dæmons wild form'd, and bless the rites divine;
Come, rouse to sacred: joy thy pupil king
And Brumal Nymphs with rites Lenæan bring
Our orgies shining thro' the night inspire,
And bless triumphant pow'r the sacred choir.
To Venus. A Hymn.
Heav'nly, illustrious, laughter-loving queen,
Sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien;
Crafty, from whom necessity first came,
Producing, nightly, all-connecting dame:
'Tis thine the world with harmony to join,
For all things spring from thee, O pow'r divine.
The triple Fates are rul'd by thy decree,
And all productions yield alike to thee:
Whate'er the heav'ns, encircling all contain,
Earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main,
Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod,
Awful attendant of the brumal God
Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight,
Mother of Loves, whom banquetings delight
Source of persuasion, secret, fav'ring queen,
Illustrious born, apparent and unseen
Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclin'd,
Prolific, most-desir'd, life-giving, kind:
Great sceptre-bearer of the Gods, 'tis thine,
Mortals in necessary bands to join;
And ev'ry tribe of savage monsters dire
In magic chains to bind, thro' mad desire.
Come, Cyprus-born, and to my pray'r incline,
Whether exalted in the heav'ns you shine,
Or pleas'd in Syria's temple to preside,
Or o'er th' Egyptian plains thy car to guide,
Fashion'd of gold and near its sacred flood,
Fertile and fam'd to fix thy blest abode
Or if rejoicing in the azure shores,
Near where the sea with foaming billows roars,
The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight,
Or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright,
Pleas'd by the dusty banks renown'd of old,
To drive thy rapid, two-yok'd car of gold
Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair,
Where married females praise thee ev'ry year,
And beauteous virgins in the chorus join,
Adonis pure to sing and thee, divine
Come, all-attractive to my pray'r inclin'd,
For thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind.
To Adonis. The Fumigation from Aromatics.
Much-nam'd, and best of dæmons, hear my pray'r,
The des art-loving, deck'd with tender hair;
Joy to diffuse, by all desir'd is thine,
Much form'd, Eubulus, aliment divine:
Female and Male, all charming to the sight,
Adonis ever flourishing and bright;
At stated periods doom'd to set and rise,
With splendid lamp, the glory of the skies.
Two-horn'd and lovely, reverenc'd with tears,
Of beauteous form, adorn'd with copious hairs.
Rejoicing in the chace, all-graceful pow'r,
Sweet plant of Venus, Love's delightful flow'r
Descended from the secret bed divine,
Of lovely-hair'd, infernal Proserpine.
'Tis thine to sink in Tartarus profound,
And shine again thro' heav'ns illustrious round,
With beauteous temp'ral orb restor'd to sight
Come, with earth's fruits, and in these flames delight.
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