HYMN TO THE DAWN

V. 79

[The Rishi prays for the full epiphany of the Dawn of the light of Truth in all its lavish splendour, with all the bountiful companies of its gods and seers, the shining herds of its thought, the rushing steeds of its force, the luminous impulsions with which it comes — companioned, as they are, by the burning rays of the Sun of gnosis. Let the Dawn arrive and the work will no longer be long and tardy.]  

1. O Dawn, come with all thy splendours of heaven, awaken us today to the great felicity, even as once thou awakenedst us, — in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.¹

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

2. Thou who breakest forth into dawning, O daughter of heaven, in him who has the perfect leading of the flaming chariot of light,² so break forth today, — O greater still in thy force, in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

¹The name of the Rishi is here a covert figure for the characteristics of the Sun-birth in man.

² The same figure, with another name; it gives the result of the Sun-birth.

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3. Break forth into light a bearer of treasures, O daughter of heaven, as once thou brokest forth, — O greater still in thy force, in the sonhood of the birth of knowledge, in the inspired hearing of the Truth.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

4. There are bearers of the sacrifice¹ who bring thee out in their speech, by their hymns they manifest thee, O wide and lustrous Dawn; they are glorious with thy plenty, O queen, their gifts are lavish, their boons are full.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

5. When these companies of thy godheads seek to pleasure thee in hope of thy plenitudes, they set their desires all around, they lavish thy undeviating felicity.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

6. These are thy seers; O Dawn, queen of plenty, set in them the splendour of thy heroic powers; lords of thy plenty, they shall lavish on us thy undeviating riches.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

¹Not human priests, but divine powers, the hosts or companies of the Dawn, "ganah", at once priests, seers and patrons of the inner sacrifice, winners and givers of the celestial wealth.

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7. O Dawn, our lady of plenty, bring to them thy illumination, a vast glory; they shall give us enjoyment of the felicity of thy steeds and the felicity of thy herds.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

8. Bring to us too, O daughter of heaven, powers of impulse full of the troopings of thy light; let them come companioned with the rays of thy Sun, linked with the purity of his bright and burning light-givings.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

9. Break forth into light, O daughter of heaven! And spin not out too long the work. For thee thy sun afflicts not with his burning ray as he afflicts the foe and the thief.¹

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

10. So much thou shouldst give or more than this; for to thy adorers thou breakest forth into the full wideness of thy glories and thou art not limited in thy dawning.

O, thy birth is complete! O, truth is in the tramp of thy steeds!

¹The labour towards the being of the Truth is long and tedious, because the powers of darkness and division, the lower powers of our being, seize on and appropriate, keep idle or misuse the gains of the knowledge. They are not bearers of the sacrifice, but its spoilers; they are hurt by the full ray of the sun. But this Dawn of knowledge can bear the full illumination and bring to a rapid conclusion the great work.

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HYMN TO THE DAWN

V.80

[The Rishi hymns the divine Dawn, daughter of Heaven, as the bringer of the Truth, the bliss, the heavens of light, creator of the Light, giver of vision, maker, follower, leader of the paths of Truth, remover of the darkness, the eternal and ever youthful goddess of our godward journeying.]

1. Dawn of the luminous journey. Dawn queen of truth, large with the Truth, how wide is the gleam from her rosy limbs, —Dawn divine who brings with her the heaven of light! Her the seers adore with their thoughts.

2. This is she who has the vision and she awakens man and makes his paths easy to travel and walks in his front. How large is her chariot, how vast and all-pervading the goddess, how she brings Light in the front of the days!

3. This is she who yokes her cows of rosy light; her journey does not fail and such is the treasure she makes that it passes not away. She hews out our paths to happiness; divine is she, far-shining her glory, many the hymns that rise to her, she brings with her every boon.

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4. Behold her in her biune energy of earth and heaven, how she comes into being in her whiteness and discloses her body in our front. She follows perfectly the paths of Truth, as one who is wise and knows, and she hedges not in our regions.

5. Lo, how brilliant is her body when she is found and known! How she stands on high as if bathing in light that we may have vision! Driving away all enemies and all darknesses Dawn, the daughter of Heaven, has come with the Light.

6. Lo, the daughter of Heaven like a woman full of happiness moves to meet the gods and her form travels ever nearer to them. Unveiling all blessings for the giver of sacrifice the goddess young for ever has created the Light once more even as in the beginning.

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