Titan Ocean, obscure and churning deep,
Across whose face men’s ships do swiftly sweep.
Encircling all the earth with your embrace,
The source of life to all in every place.
Three thousand daughters, young and beautiful,
Whose springs are pure, clear fountains, bountiful,
Are yours. Beloved, they satisfy the thirst
Of mortals; through the whole world they’re dispersed.
The lakes, your liquid daughters, cut away
From you, abound with fish who swim and play;
If caught and pulled from out their watery ponds,
They thrash and strive to break free from their bonds.
With roars you crash against the land; the rocks
Cannot withstand for long your awful shocks:
They wear away, and sink beneath your waves.
Your swirling depths to many are their graves.
Abounding, full of riches, who can beat
Your strength; for you alone make your retreat,
Whose tides come in, then flow back to their source,
Retaining your magnificence and force.