11. For Pan

I call mighty Pan, the god of shepherds
and the whole universe together; sky
and sea, the all-regal earth, and deathless
fire: for these are the limbs of Pan himself.
Come, blessed, spinning, cavorting, enthroned
with the Seasons, goat-limbed, Bacchic, frenzy
of gods’ inspiration under the stars.

You strike cosmic harmony with playful
song. You, the aid of imagination
and bringer of terrible images
to mortal fears, delighting in shepherds
and herdsmen among the fountains. Sharp-eyed
hunter, the lover of Echo, you dance
with the nymphs. All-growing god, the father
of all, many-named daimon, the ruler
of the cosmos, increaser, light-bringer,
fruitful Paian, cave-haunting god, heavy
with wrath, truly the horned Zeus, for through you
the boundless plain of the Earth lies firm, but
deeply flowing waters of the tireless
seas yield, and Ocean, surrounding the earth
with waters, and the air that we share for
nourishment, the spark of all life, the eye
of most nimble fire high above: for these
holy things stand apart by your command;
you change the natures of all by your wise
will, nourishing the human race throughout
the boundless world. So come, blessed one, frenzied
with divine inspiration to this most
holy libation; give life a good end
and send out Pan’s passion to the earth’s ends.