Underflow

To Urania

2018-09-10T16:42:02Z

I call to Urania of the stars,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
great muse who looks ever to the sky,
bearer of the stellar globe,
well-cloaked in spangled darkness,
yours is the art of the heavenly sphere,
the reading of the starry night,
the distant lights of the many worlds.
Friend of the star-gazer and the poet,
the prophet and the sage, I praise your might.
O Urania, great of wisdom,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Thalia

2018-09-10T16:11:37Z

I call to Thalia, wreathed in ivy,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
good mother of the Corybantes
who dance with spear and shield a-clash,
O merry muse of comedy,
of country rhyme and rustic tales,
bearer of the long-armed crook
with which the shepherd guides his flock,
yours is the laughter that clears the soul,
the simple jest and the sharpened wit.
O ever-blooming Thalia,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Terpsichore

2018-09-10T15:38:58Z

I call to Terpsichore, great of grace,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
beautiful goddess, lissome and lithe,
merry-hearted muse of dance,
giver of comfort and of bliss,
we know you as we whirl and sway,
we find you as the music finds us.
Yours, O goddess, is joy in motion,
yours is the rhythm of the form,
yours the embodiment of song.
Terpsichore, granter of delight
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Polyhymnia

2018-09-09T21:41:53Z

I call to Polyhymnia, blessed one,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
I call to you, goddess whose gift it is
to glorify the holy, to grant us faith,
to inspire us in all devotion,
to fire our souls with love for the gods.
Polyhymnia, sustainer of hope,
yours are the words of reverence,
the heartfelt call to deity;
yours is the spark of divine ecstasy.
Polyhymnia, exalted one,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Melpomene

2018-09-09T18:38:50Z

I call to Melpomene, great of might,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
mother of the Sirens who sing men
to their doom, O muse of tragedy,
goddess who joins the many voices,
goddess who knows the many tales.
Melpomene, you sing of sorrows,
you sing of the bonds of fate,
of greatness brought to a bitter end;
you grant the gift of the heart's release.
Melpomene who bears the sword,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Euterpe

2018-09-08T13:18:46Z

I call to Euterpe who gives such delight,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
goddess who plays upon the flute,
O muse of sweet music, I call out to you.
Yours is the singer and the song;
yours is the rhythm and the tune;
yours is melody, harmony, rhapsody.
Friend of the songsmith and the player,
O goddess, you hold in hand the power
to soothe the spirit, to charge the soul.
Euterpe, granter of joy to all,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Erato

2018-09-07T20:47:57Z

I call to Erato, wreathed in roses,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
goddess who sings of the heart's desire,
who plays so sweetly upon the lyre.
O muse who inspires the words of love
that quicken the breath, that fire the loins,
that bring us together in pleasure and joy,
Erato who is the friend of lovers,
O beautiful goddess, beloved one,
yours is the spark that kindles love's flame.
Erato, summoner of passion,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Clio

2018-09-07T19:05:29Z

I call to Clio, great of knowledge,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
goddess who knows much of ancient days,
of what has been, and thus of what may be.
Great muse of history, you look to the past
and understand its import and its might;
you hold in your heart the lessons of time,
the wisdom that has passed through the world.
Through your power do we hear the words
of those long gone, do we receive their counsel.
Clio, chronicler of the good and the ill,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Calliope

2018-09-07T18:05:42Z

I call to Calliope, eldest of muses,
daughter of Zeus and wise Mnemosyne,
goddess who tells the hero's tale,
recounter of great deeds. Calliope,
mother of sweet-singing Orpheus,
you know well of sorrow and of loss;
you know too of the venturesome soul,
the core of greatness in humanity,
and how to tend a noble story
that it may grow into a legend.
Calliope, easer of the flow of words,
I pray to you, goddess, I honor your gifts.

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To Leto

2018-09-06T19:57:56Z

All praise to Leto, blessed among mothers,
who brought forth fair twins, Artemis and Apollo,
children mighty and shining bright. Leto,
daughter of Coeus and luminous Phoebe,
dark-veiled goddess, gentle and kind,
friend of women who lie in childbed,
of mothers who hold their babes at night,
protector of youth, of all innocent ones,
O Leto, great goddess who hears all prayers,
I call to you with a grateful heart.
I honor you, good and gracious Leto,
I offer you my praise and seek your blessing.

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To Metis

2018-09-06T19:27:03Z

I call now to Metis, wisest of goddesses,
daughter of Ocean and kind-hearted Tethys,
mother of wisdom, of grey-eyed Athena
who sprung full-formed from her father's head.
Yours is the art of reason, O Metis;
yours is the will to understand, yours the drive
toward knowledge; yours is the gift of foresight,
of fine and flawless judgement in all things.
Metis whose counsel is renowned, whose vision
is unmatched, great goddess, I call to you.
I honor you, good and gracious Metis,
I offer you my praise and seek your blessing.

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To Chione

2018-09-06T09:44:09Z

I call to Chione, bright-shining daughter
of Boreas who drives the cold north wind
and mountain-roaring Oreithyia,
mother of Eumolpos who served great Demeter,
who brought to the world her deepest mysteries.
Chione, beautiful goddess, fierce-hearted,
bold of spirit, child of the frozen earth,
yours is the winter, the long, dark nights;
yours is the storm and the deep-drifting snow.
We know you in the darkening days;
we know you in the ice-bound lands. Chione,
goddess of the frost and the rime, I honor you.

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To Amphitrite

2018-09-03T06:10:43Z

Amphitrite, great and sovereign goddess,
bride of Poseidon, mighty sea-queen,
daughter of Nereus, long of beard,
and Doris whose gift of the ocean's bounty
provides for the children of humankind.
Amphitrite, eldest of the Nereids,
fairest of those fabled maids, Amphitrite
who sits enthroned on the ocean floor,
mother of all sea-creatures, of all who dwell
in your briny realm, friend of the sailor
and the fisher-folk, yours is the power
to grant a smooth sail, or to pull a ship down
beneath storm-driven waves. Amphitrite,
unrivaled, unyielding, I pray to you.

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To Bia

2018-09-01T12:57:15Z

Bia, O goddess whose might is well known,
whose calling it is to stand guard at the throne
of thundering Zeus, I offer you my praise.
O able daughter of battle-wise Pallas
and Styx in whose name great oaths are sworn,
sister of Nike, granter of victory,
with whom you share your holy station,
broad-winged one whose will is unmatched,
whose power compels the strongest to bend,
yours is the strength to stand against any,
yours is the irresistible force. Bia,
unyielding one, grant me your gift of fortitude.

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To Eleos

2018-09-01T12:06:48Z

I pray to Eleos, sweet spirit of mercy,
daughter of Nyx who rules the star-strewn night
and Erebos, great one whose gift it is
to wrap us in the comfort of the dark.
Eleos, so long ago your altar stood
in Athens’ marketplace, amid the temples
and assemblies, where all could see your name,
recall your goodness and your might. Eleos,
compassionate goddess, friend of the needy
and the poor, the supplicant and the refugee;
Eleos, protector of the wretched,
provider of sanctuary, I pray to you.

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A Back to School Prayer to Athena

2018-09-01T12:04:59Z

I pray to Athena, learned one, clever one,
daughter of Metis, mother of wisdom,
and great and thundering Zeus. Athena,
yours is the realm of the intellect,
of judgment, of reason, of clear perception;
yours is the might behind great minds.
Grant to me, O goddess, the power of thought,
the will to study, the wit to understand.
Grant to me, goddess, the gift of knowledge.

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To Aegaeon

2018-09-01T12:02:59Z

I call to Aegaeon, great god of the sea,
of the waters once traveled by heroes brave,
of the wicked gales and the foam-flecked surf.
O son of wise Gaia, good mother of all,
and Pontos who is the broad salt sea,
O god of the sea-storm, O mighty Aegaeon,
yours is the tempest that tosses the ship,
the squall that drives her into the deep;
yours are the lives of mariners, to take
or to spare as is your will. Aegaeon,
ancient one, brother of monsters, child of Titans,
I honor you with a full heart, O god of storms.

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To Psyche

2018-09-01T12:00:58Z

I call out to Psyche, sweet breath of the spirit,
fair among mortals, fair too among gods.
Beloved of Eros, your tale is one
of joy and of sorrow, of retribution
and redemption, of determination
and forgiveness. Daughter of humanity,
beautiful above all women, your loveliness
a blessing and a blight; loved by the love god,
betrayed by uncertainty, you would bear any torment,
face any fear, to reunite with your dear one.
Bright-winged goddess who knows the art of transformation,
who knows the work of a great love, I pray to you.

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To Iris

2018-09-01T11:59:03Z

Fleet-footed Iris, swift as the storm,
golden-winged goddess, I call out to you.
Daughter of Thaumus, ancient one of the sea,
and bright-lit Elektra of the thunderhead,
sister of the fearsome Harpies, I honor your might.
Iris of the rainbow, many-colored goddess,
handmaid and herald of deep-eyed Hera,
yours is a duty needful and grave;
messenger and courier, you speak with the voice
of all Olympus–the Trojans and the Argonauts
did tremble at your words. Harbinger of hope,
goddess of the new day, I pray to you.

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To Asteria

2018-09-01T11:57:03Z

Asteria who dwells in darkness, star-bright,
mistress of the spangled skies, I praise your name.
Daughter of Phoebe, great of understanding,
and restless Coeus who seeks to know all;
sister of twice-blessed Leto; mother of Hekate
to whom all honors are given, I pray to you.
Beautiful goddess, pursued by thundering Zeus,
in fleeing you became a quail and fell
into the sea, to rise again an island,
fair Delos of famous name. Asteria,
mistress of auguries, lady of the falling star,
great of glory, I praise your wisdom and your might.

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To Enyo

2018-09-01T11:55:02Z

To Enyo, beautiful, terrible goddess,
I offer my praise. Companion of Ares,
daughter of Hera and thundering Zeus,
you delight in the clash of arms, the loud battle-cries;
you dance upon the blood-soaked ground. Fiery-eyed Enyo,
sister of War, destroyer of cities,
the sword and the spear are yours to wield;
the lives of the young are yours to take.
Keen-eyed goddess, strong of arm and swift of strike,
yours is the frenzy of the field, the madness
of the fray, the pounding pulse of strife.
I honor your work, O goddess; I honor your might.

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To Phobos and Deimos

2018-09-01T11:52:13Z

Phobos and Deimos, great sons of Aphrodite
and Ares who exceeds all warriors,
companion of Enyo, fierce battle-goddess,
and Eris who delights in all strife. Brothers two,
ever-present on the field of war, ever-ready
with spear and with shield, you hold fast the reins
of your father’s bright chariot, O mighty ones,
O spirits of fear. Phobos of the burning eyes,
yours it is to rout the foe, to drive them in panic
from the battleground; Deimos, yours is a subtler power,
yours is the silent chill of dread that drains the heart
of courage. I praise you, O gods; I honor your might.

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To Harmonia

2018-09-01T11:49:54Z

I call to you, Harmonia, child of love and war,
of Ares who is strong of heart, of courage unrivaled,
of Aphrodite whose might it is that binds us all.
Fair bride of Cadmus, great of Thebes, on your wedding day
did gods and mortals all rejoice, for none yet knew
the doom which would befall you, the cursed ornament,
the ruin of all who would possess it. Harmonia,
great goddess who knows the worth of a peaceful life,
yours is the joy in tranquillity, in friendship
and in understanding, yours is the union
of soul and soul, of two hands clasped, of two hearts joined.
Harmonia, gracious one, I pray for your blessing.

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To Eunomia

2018-09-01T11:48:11Z

I call to Eunomia, lady of laws,
daughter of Themis and thundering Zeus,
sister of Dike who is just and Eirene
the peace-bringer, sisters three who hold in hand
the well-being of all, of the community.
Yours are the good laws, the fair and proper order,
for law itself does not make what is right;
yours is the punishment of the evil-doer;
yours too is the care of the powerless,
of those preyed upon by the strong and the cruel.
Eunomia who knows the good of custom and the ill,
I pray to you for wisdom, for the courage to do right.

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To Eirene (Peace)

2018-09-01T11:45:37Z

I pray to Eirene, most gracious of goddesses,
fair of face and tender of heart, daughter of Zeus
and clear-headed Themis; with your sister Seasons
you welcome the springtime with each new year.
O goddess of peace, of the sweetness of concord,
the comfort of friendship, the ending of war,
yours is the olive branch, supple and green;
yours is the blessed horn of plenty, the wealth
of a land free of strife. Easer of tension,
soother of wrath, resolver of conflict,
we pray to you, Eirene, that our lands and our lives
be touched by your gifts, we pray to you for favor.

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