Far in the deep of the past, in the dawning of life and of day,
Sat Care by the side of a brook and moulded a creature of clay;
Fashioned and framed it and formed it, all seemly and comely and fair,
Bore to the altar of Zeus the body and brake into prayer:--
"Zeus! 'Tis Care, 'tis thy daughter, who calleth," the goddess began,
"See--l have moulded a creature of day in the name of a man;
Breathe in his nostrils, O Zeus! the breath of thy spirit divine;
Fill him with life and with love, mighty Zeus, and let him be mine."
Hearing the voice of the goddess in prayer her sister drew nigh,
Tellus, the Earth, crying "Lord of Olympus! now list to my cry!
Into the man put thy life and thy love, but mine let him be,
For out of my lap was he fashioned with clay that was stolen from me."
Lovingly spake to his daughters great Zeus, "I list to your prayer.
Earth! thou hast given the day for the form that was fashioned by Care;
Therefore, O Care! for a space thy child in his life shall he be,
And, on the day that he dieth, O Earth, he returneth to thee."
So the All-Father gave life to the man and gave answer to prayer;
So he gave answer to Earth and so he gave answer to Care;
And to this day there endureth this law unto all who draw breath:--
"In his life Man belongeth to Care, and belongeth to Earth in his death."
First published in The Queenslander, 25 November 1893
