TO THE FURIES [EUMENIDES]
The Fumigation from Aromatics.
Listen to me, glorious Furies, renowned and mighty, fearsome powers known for wise counsel;
Sacred and pure, born from Zeus of the earth and Persephone, adorned with lovely hair:
Your piercing gaze, boundless in vision, observes the actions of all the wicked;
Serving Fate, you punish the unjust and vile with fierce wrath.
Dark-hued queens, your gleaming eyes shine with dreadful, radiant, life-destroying light:
Eternal rulers, fearsome and strong, masters of vengeance and harsh torments;
Terrifying to human eyes, with snaky hair slithering in the night;
Come near, take joy in these rituals, for I call upon you with sacred, pleading voice.
Translated by Taylor Thomas