
Translation of Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus (about 260 B.C.)
Most glorious of the immortals! many-named! all-powerful forever, Zeus! ruler of nature, steering all things according to law, Hail!—for it is the right and duty of all mortals to address thee, For we are the offspring out of thee, taking the one image of thy word, as many mortal creatures as live and creep upon the earth. Wherefore I will hymn thee and sing thy power forever; For thee this whole universe that whirls about the earth obeys, wherever thou dost lead it, and is willingly ruled by thee. Such a servant hast thou—the two-edged, fire-breathing, ever-living thunderbolt in thy invincible hands, Under whose stroke all Nature shudders, and through which thou orderest (keepest straight—in the right path) the universal Reason (λόγοs λόγον ) which moves through all things, and mixes itself with the greater and with the lesser lights— Nor does anything take place upon the earth without thee, O Spirit, nor in the divine ethereal sky, nor in the sea, Save only such things as the base & wicked do in their folly— Yet thou knowest how to make superfluous things fit where they should go, and thou orderest what is without order (lit. makest cosmic what is uncosmic), and things that are not dear are dear to thee. For thus thou dost harmonize into one good things with evil; so that there should be one Eternal Reason, common to all, And this such of mortals as are evil fly from and neglect—miserables, desiring ever posession of goods & chattels, Nor do they behold the universal law of God, nor hear it, which if they would obey, they should have a fair and good life; But they rush headlong, forgetful of the beautiful, some after one thing, some another,— Some having an unholy thirst for fame, some turned to gain with a base unrestrained lust, Some to vice and the sweet works of the body; —Hastening, verily, altogether, to become the contrary of these things.
I thought you might care to see a full translation of this fine piece of ancient Greek religious poetry, especially as it doesn't lie much in the beaten way of readers of the classics, wherefore it may be new to you. I don't think it has ever been translated in print. I have received the paper with the description of the Indian deputation, & also the proofs of your 'Critic' essay on Leaves of Grass, which interested me profoundly—there are materials for a big volume in it. I got too the paper with translation from my essay, for which I owe the editor & translator deep thanks. The translation is very good, though free—but one mistake I should like to correct. I didn't say that the "beauty in L. of G. worked all the deeper," &c. "because it never seemed intended for any aim or purpose"—but "because it (i.e. beauty) was never made an end & object in itself."
I have received a long & interesting letter from Dr. Bucke about my lecture. He is a man I should greatly like to know personally—which perhaps may come about as he talks of visiting Dresden. The translation of L. of G. is progressing well, though the necessity of taking pupils which I am under now costs a good deal of my time.
I hope all is going well with you and yours. I was very sorry to hear of the death of Wendell Philips Phillips , a good friend of Ireland.
Dynamite attempts making a great stir in England now—utterly barbarous & unjustifiable—but if people will sow the wind—!
Yours always William Rolleston.
