"To Aphrodite of the Sea"
I sing of Pontia, Anadyomene, foam-born Aphrodite, lady of the white-crested waves
Who draws her chariot to and fro over the jewel-toned, wind-tossed waters.
Ourania you are called, for heavenly your origin, and heavenly your power and dominion,
As great and delightful and worthy of praise, and even more so, as the clear blue sky
Stretching vast above the shore.
Where these shades of azure meet is where you dwell, O goddess,
Enthroned upon the horizon, queen equally of land, sea and sky;
But the fondest of these to you is the sea, for it is both your birthplace, and the epitome of your beauty and majesty.
Of that great genesis many poets have sung, a wholly worthy subject of sweet venerating hymns,
And I too will tell, of how the flesh of paternal Ouranos, he of the first line of blessed gods, fell from heaven into Thalassa's primordial domain.
It shone as it descended, a radiant arc of light,
The very first and very finest of that which men call shooting stars.
And when ruby drops of blood, and fluid of generation, mingled and became one with the purest of saltwater,
All the ancient spirits of the deep began to sing, knowing something miraculous was to occur.
At the peak of a great wave rose ribbons of brilliant foam, curling over themselves in a cascading bow,
Lowering their heads in reverence for the stirring of life, and all beings of the sea did the same, for from their midst
Rose the most beautiful form ever beheld by gods or men.
Carried upon the tides you brought yourself into existence,
Needing no mother or father's assistance.
And all the fish of the seas, and the birds of the air, and even the waves themselves, cried out in joy
At your splendor, wreathed in foam and mist, perfumed with sweet saltwater;
Droplets adorned your perfect wrists and ankles, and your eyes were like shining pearls, taking their hue from the sky and sea held you.
Your spotless form was radiant, illuminating even the dark depths from which you came,
Not like the sun or moon but a light all your own, the finest and brightest of stars upon the dawn horizon;
For that fairest of brilliance you are called goddess of the morning star, and for it I name you Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea.
No words, nor songs nor brushstrokes, can truly reflect that utmost moment of birth,
For your beauty, truest and most divine, can never be imitated.
Yet I still sing of you, O great and blessed goddess -
To honor your most heavenly being,
And to set the pure melody my heart sings in adoration of you into speech, as mortal and fallible as it may be.
And therefore, Hail to you, Aphrodite, goddess of my heart and of the hearts of all beings, goddess and beauty of the sea!
*Note - While Stella Maris is traditionally a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary, throughout my religious life it has become one I strongly associate with Aphrodite. I could go on forever about interpreting Mary in relation to Aphrodite but that's a discussion for another day - *
