Eros, king of tyrants, destroying one,
Who’er you touch is weakened and undone.
Your poison tortures more than deadly force,
And yet you laugh, and never feel remorse;
And those you strike, you torment and destroy,
And their destruction fills your heart with joy.
Who’d rise from Chaos, you bring down again,
Whether they be gods or merely mortal men.
By cheating wiles and lies you trick your foes,
And make them love your softly killing blows.
Devouring fire, and all-consuming lust
That brings men down, like Troy, into the dust.
The king of archers, terrible to see,
You cut men down, even as they try to flee.
Unconquered, conquering all your enemies;
Your fire spreading through them like a disease.
Undoing order, everywhere you spread,
If body live, the soul you leave for dead.
Be merciful and stay your killing hand,
That some might be still left alive to stand.