10. For Physis

O Physis, all-mother goddess, mother
of infinite means, heavenly, ancient,
ever-making daimon, almighty queen,
unbending tamer and shining pilot,
honored above all others, immortal,
first-born, legendary glorifier:
in the night you bring forth light, full of stars,
and invincible. You turn the ankles
of your feet in a silent dance. Awesome
divine ruler, the end, and the endless,
shared by all, but without peer—self-fathered,
and fatherless—lovely, cheerful, and great.
You mingle life, beloved, into a web;
flowery and full of knowledge, you lead
and rule, giving life, maiden nurse of all,
self-sufficient. Dike, the many-named
Peitho of the Graces. You guard the air,
the earth, the sea. You are bitter to fools
but sweet to those who obey. All-giving,
all-wise, queen and nurse of all. You make fruit
grow fat, then melt away. Indeed, you are
father, mother, nurse, nursemaid of all things.
You bring quick birth, blessed one, of many seeds,
and the onrush of seasons. You are deft,
shaping and building, daimon of the sea.
O eternal, skilled and thoughtful mover,
you spin the swift stream into a turning
eddy, fluid and swirling round; you are
ever changing forms on your beautiful
throne; precious, you alone bring the judgment
to fruition. Roaring with thunder, you
stand mighty above the staff-bearers. You,
dauntless, all-taming, fated and Fate, breath
flaming, eternal life, deathless forethought;
you yourself are everything, queen, for you
alone fashion all. So, Goddess, I pray
that you in your season, with wealth, bring peace
as well as health and growth to everyone.