Daughters of Jove, loud-sounding, and divine,

Renown’d, Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine;

To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire,

Much form’d, the objects of supreme desire.

Sources of blameless virtue to mankind,

Who form to excellence the youthful mind:

Who nurse the soul, and give her to descry

The paths of right with reason’s steady eye.

Commanding queens, who lead to sacred light

The intellect refin’d from error’s night;

And to mankind each holy rite disclose,

For mystic knowledge from your nature flows.

Clio, and Erato who charms the sight,

With thee, Euterpe, minist’ring delight:

Thalia flourishing, Polymnia fam’d,

Melpomene from skill in music nam’d:

Terpsichore, Urania heav’nly bright,

With thee who gav’st me to behold the light

Come, venerable, various pow’rs divine,

With fav’ring aspect on your mystics shine;

Bring glorious, ardent, lovely, fam’d desire,

And warm my bosom with your sacred fire.

-Orpheus, Hymn to the Muses