For I will raise no wicked prayers to thee,

Naught for myself implore—what could I ask?1075

For you, ye heavenly gods, be all my prayers.

O thou, almighty ruler of the sky,

Who sitt'st as lord upon the throne of heaven,

Enwrap the universe in dismal clouds,

Incite the winds to war on every side,

And let thy thunders crash from pole to pole;1080

Not with such lesser bolts as thou dost use

Against the guiltless homes of common men,