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Home  »  library  »  prose  »  A Late Vedic Hymn to Starlit Night

C.D. Warner, et al., comp. The Library of the World’s Best Literature.
An Anthology in Thirty Volumes. 1917.

A Late Vedic Hymn to Starlit Night

By Indian Literature

Translation of Edward Washburn Hopkins

NIGHT comes, the shining goddess, who now looks out afar with many eyes and puts on all her beauties. She, the immortal shining goddess, hath filled the depths and heights alike, and driven away darkness with the light [of the moon and stars]. She comes to me, she, the well-adorned one, a darkness now made sightly. O Sunlight, pay thy debt, and depart [as night in the morning departs]. The bright one is coming. She puts aside her sister [the bright sunset light], and darkness departs. Even such [a kind friend] art thou to us. At thy appearing we go to rest as birds fly home to the tree. To rest come the throngs of men; to rest, the beasts; to rest, the birds; and even the greedy eagles rest. Keep off from us the she-wolf and the wolf. Keep off the thief, O billowy Night, and be our savior now. O Night, as a conqueror brings a herd of cattle, so do I bring [as a sacrifice] this Hymn to thee. Daughter of Heaven, accept it!