Homer's Hymn to the Earth: Mother of All
The speaker addresses Earth as the mother who nourishes living things and gives or takes mortal life. Describing the harvests, growing herds and joyful families of those she favours, the speaker asks her to grant a happy life in return for the song.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Hymn, Classical Poetry · 327 words
First lines
O universal Mother, who dost keep / From everlasting thy foundations deep, / Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee! / All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea, / All things that fly, or on the ground divine / Live, move, and there are nourished-these are thine; / These from thy wealth thou dost sustain; from thee / Fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree / Hang ripe and large, revered Divinity!
Genres
- Hymn — The speaker directly addresses Earth as a deity, praises her sustaining power and closes by asking her to grant a happy life in return for the song.
- Classical Poetry — The title identifies the work as Homer's hymn, and its rhyming verse addresses Earth as the mother of gods and wife of starry Heaven.
Tags
hymn · nature poetry · classical mythology · personification · earth goddess · lyric
What this Textopian page supports
Homer's Hymn to the Earth: Mother of All is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Hymn, Classical Poetry
- Length: 327 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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