Hymn to the Waters | Flowing from the firmament

Translation by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)

Hymn to the Waters

Language: English after the Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्)

Our translations: DUT

Flowing from the firmament
Forth to the ocean,
Healing all in earth and air,
never halting.

Indra, Lord of Heav’n, formed their courses
Indra’s mighty laws can never be broken.

Cleansing waters flow ye on,
hasten and help us.
Lo, in the waters, dwelleth One,
Knower of all on earth and sea.
Whose dread command no man may shun,
Varuna, sovran Lord is He.

Onward ye waters onward
Cleansing waters flow ye on,
Hasten and help us.
Dance in the bright beams of the sun.
Cleansing waters flow ye on,
Obey the ruler of the sky
Who dug the path for you to run.

Flowing from the firmament
Forth to the ocean,
Healing all in earth and air,
never halting.

Indra, Lord of Heav’n, formed their courses
Indra’s mighty laws can never be broken.

Cleansing waters flow ye on,
hasten and help us.

Text Authorship:

by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्) by Bible or other Sacred Texts [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Hymn to the Waters", op. 26 no. 8, H 99 no. 2 (1908-1912) [ chorus and piano ], from Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, no. 8, London: Stainer & Bell [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg

This text was added to the website: 2023-06-09
Line count: 27
Word count: 143