Through love they are made blessed, 
The gods; through love
Humans come to be like the gods!
Love makes heaven
More heavenly and turns the earth
Into the kingdom of heaven.

Once, behind Pyrrha’s back,
Poets agree,
The world appeared out of bits of rock
And humans came out of stone.

Their hearts were stone and rock,
Their soul was night,
With the flaming candles of heaven
Never setting them alight.

At that time there were no soft rose chains
Being bound by young cupids
Around their souls;
At that time the tender muses did not
Raise their breasts with songs
Or with the harmony of strings.

Oh, at that time no lovers bound
Wreaths around each other!
Each spring flew sadly back
To Elysium.

Aurora rose ungreeted
From the womb of the sea;
The sun set ungreeted
In the womb of the sea.

They wildly circled around the groves
Under Luna’s misty light,
Carrying an iron yoke.
Longingly, in the theatre of the stars,
Secret tears sought
No gods at that time.

            *

But look! Out of the blue flood emerged
The daughers of heaven, soft and mild,
Carried by Naiads
Onto intoxicated banks.

A youthful surge of May
Sweeps through, like dawn,
On the almighty becoming,
Air, heaven, sea and earth.

The eye of beautiful day laughs
At midnight in the gloomy forests;
Fragrant daffodils
Blossom at the foot of the trees.

The nightingale already warbled
The first song of love,
The waterfall already murmured
Love into a soft breast.

Lucky Pygmalion!
The marble is already melting and glowing!
The god Amor is victorious!
Embrace your children!

            *

Through love they are made blessed, 
The gods; through love
Humans come to be like the gods!
Love makes heaven
More heavenly and turns the earth
Into the kingdom of heaven.

             *

Under golden foaming nectar,
An erotic morning dream,
An eternal banquet of pleasure,
The days of the gods flow by.

Seated on an elevated throne
Kronion (Zeus) waves his thunderbolt;
Olympus sways under the shock
And his locks shake in anger.

He leaves his throne to the gods
And lowers himself to the sons of earth,
With an Arcadian sigh through the grove.
His tamed thunder under his feet,
He sleeps, lulled by Leda’s kisses;
The giant killer falls asleep.

Majestic sun horses are led
Through the wide space of light
By Phoebus’ golden bridle.
His rattling missiles overturn peoples.
His white sun horses,
His rattling missiles - 
Under the influence of love and harmony
Oh, how willingly he would forget them!

Before the spouse of the Kronids (Gaia)
The Uranids submit themselves;
Proudly before their chariot throne
The pair of peacocks show off,
With a golden imperial crown
They adorn their ambrosian hair.

Beautiful princess! Oh, love
Trembles, with sweet impulses
It is reluctant to approach your majesty.
And from her proud heights
The queen of the gods has to
Beg for the belt that will attract,
Appealing to the  devourer of hearts.

              *

Through love they are made blessed, 
The gods; through love
Humans come to be like the gods!
Love makes heaven
More heavenly and turns the earth
Into the kingdom of heaven.

              *

Love is the sun in the realm of night.
Amor’s sweet magical power
Holds sway over Orcus.
The black king looks friendly
When Ceres’ daughter (Proserpine) laughs.
Love is the sun in the realm of night.

They sounded heavenly in hell
And the wild guardians were subdued
By your songs, Thracians.
Minos, with tears on his face
Softened his agonising judgements.
Tenderly, around Megaera’s cheeks
Wild snakes kissed each other.
Whips no longer cracked.
Lured by Orpheus’ lyre
The vulture flew away from Tityus.
Flowing more quietly within their banks,
Lethe and Cocytus listened to
Your songs, Thracians!
You sang of love, Thracians!

             *

Through love they are made blessed, 
The gods; through love
Humans come to be like the gods!
Love makes heaven
More heavenly and turns the earth
Into the kingdom of heaven.

             *

Through eternal nature
Its flowery scent can be detected
And its golden wings are spread.
If there were no moonlight signal
From Aphrodite’s eye,
Nothing from the sunlit hill,
If there were no smile in the sea of stars
From the goddess to me,
Star and sun and moonlight
Would not stir my soul.
Love, it is only love that smiles
Out of the eye of nature,
As from a mirror!

Love stirs the silver brook,
Love teaches it to flow more softly;
It breathes the soul into the cry
Of the rich laments of nightingales.
Love, it is love alone that whispers
In the sound of nature.

Wisdom with the glance of the sun,
Great goddess, step back
Out of the way of love!
Never to conquerors, never to  princes
Should you bend a knee in slavery,
Bend it now to love!

Up the steep path of the stars, who
Led you, bold as a hero,
To the seat of the godhead?
Who rent the veil of the holy of holies,
Who showed you Elysium
Through the crack in the grave?
If love did not draw us on
Could we be immortal?
Would even spirits look for
Their master without it?
Love, only love leads
To the father of nature
Only love leads spirits.

Through love they are made blessed, 
The gods; through love
Humans come to be like the gods!
Love makes heaven
More heavenly, and turns the earth
Into the kingdom of heaven.