"Come on, you heavenly beings, let us hold a feast!"
Commands Zeus - his swift messenger rushes off - 
And along they come from the Underworld, from the heights and the lakes,
They all climb up to Olympus without delay.

The god of grapes leaves the area he has conquered,
The fabled banks of the Indus, rich in flowers;
Leaving the lofty, shaded Mount Helicon is
Apollo, and Cypria leaves her island home.

Nymphs leave springs lined with moss,
Groups of Dryads leave the quiet grove,
And he who is master of the ocean's waves,
They all willingly attend the feast.

And now watch them in their glowing robes
As they form an endless circle, something which is not subject to change,
A radiant circle dancing around our thunderer,
Whose eyes shine out, transfigured by youth.

He makes a gesture: and Hebe fills the golden bowls,
He makes a gesture: and Ceres hands out ambrosia,
He makes a gesture: and sweet hymns of joy resound;
And whatever he decreed is what happened.

The foreheads and cheeks of the guests have already turned red with pleasure,
Sly Eros smiles silently to himself:
The doors swing open - with a gentle tread
A noble woman slips into the assembly.

There can be no disputing that she is one of the Uranid
Race, a garland of stars is shining around her head;
Shining majestically on that face which is tired of life,
On her pale visage, is the glow of heaven.

But her yellow hair has been cut,
A miserable dress covers her pure body.
Her sore hands indicate that there has been suffering:
The divine woman has been subject to the heavy shame of bondage.

Jupiter peers into her features:
"It is you - it isn't you, Urania!"
"It IS me." - The gods stagger up, leaving their bowls,
Amazed, and they cry: what? Urania!

"I can no longer recognise you. In your glorious beauty,"
Says Zeus - "you went away from me to go to the Earth.
You were going to acquaint the sons of Earth with the gods
And you were intending to lead them into my dwelling.

That which Pandora once boasted about
Is truly insignificant and paltry,
It seems to me, compared to what I kitted you out with,
The jewellery that my love hung around your head."

"Oh lord, what you instructed me to do at that time
Was something that I felt impelled towards by my own heart and 
I fulfilled the task willingly, yes, I admit it;
However, the fact that my work did not bear fruit

Is something that you, oh mighty one, will have to take up with Fate,
To which all things that have come into being are subject;
Humans confuse good and evil,
They are held captive by sensuality and delusion.

One of them made me plough his field,
For another I had to serve as housekeeper indoors,
One of them made me rock his babies to sleep,
For another I was supposed to hand out adulatory poems.

One of them locked me down a deep mine
In order to dig out jangling metal for him;
Another chased me through bloody battles
Waged for glory - this is how the agony of the poor kept changing.

Even this diadem - these golden stars - 
Which you bestowed on me when I left
They would happily have set fire to it
And burnt it up during the winter frosts."

"Accursed brood," commands Zeus with a savage voice,
"I shall decree the quickest possible annihilation for them!"
The castle in the clouds rises up in response to his fury
And the air, sea and land quake in the distance.

He violently snatches the lightning out of the talons of
The eagle; high above his lofty head he brandishes
The burning flames, intending to scorch the Earth,
Which had outrageously hurt his dearest one.

He steps forward in order to destroy it,
The red lightning is threatening, but the look in his eye is even more so.
The anxious world prepares to die - 
Then the arm of the avenger sinks, he steps back,

And calls Urania to look down.
In the far distance she sees a loving couple,
On a green meadow with a stream flowing around it,
The rustic altar is adorned with an image of her,

The two of them are kneeling in front of it offering a sacrifice,
Yearning for the divine being who has fled;
And like a powerful sea of harmonies
The sound of their supplications wells up around the goddess.

A tear fills her dark eye,
The pain of the lovers has reached her;
Her displeasure changes, like a bowstring
Touched by the moist morning dew, she now softens.

"Forgive me," begs the goddess, appeased,
"I was too hasty in my anger, there are still some who serve me
Remaining on Earth: although I was also despised
There are a number of pious hearts still devoted to me.

Oh let me descend to those poor humans
To teach them what your lofty will is,
And with a motherly care show them in dreams
The land where the flower of perfection blossoms."

"So be it," declares Zeus, "I shall give you a rich send-off;
Go off, daughter, with renewed, strong determination!
And if you feel that your strength is exhausted, come
Back up to us as a citizen of Heaven.

We shall often see you coming and leaving again,
You will stay away for increasingly long periods,
And eventually - your sufferings will come to an end,
You will be able to call the whole Earth your home.

You who have suffered will be respected there
Even more than we are. It is only temporary, this power
Which we enjoy; the storm will topple our thrones,
But your stars will shine on through the night."