CHORAL ODE I: The Justice of Zeus
(Leader and Chorus, in three movements: Strophe, Antistrophe, Epode)
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STROPHE
Leader
> O Zeus, whose gaze no cloud can veil,
You see the hearts of mortal men.
Their joy is brief, their trust is frail—
They build their towers upon the sand.
Chorus
> The proud man walks a shining road,
His foot upon his brother’s neck.
He laughs, he feasts, he scorns the gods—
Yet ruin waits beyond the gate.
Leader
> The voice of Justice sleeps no more;
Her hands are strong, her eyes are clear.
She wakes when time has filled its course,
And strikes the blow, no prayer can stay.
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ANTISTROPHE
Chorus
> Behold the house that glitters red,
The guilt that clings like blood to stone.
The children bear their father’s sin,
Their mother weeps what she has sown.
Leader
> The gods are patient, not unkind,
Yet memory burns in heaven’s breath.
The scale tilts down, the die is cast,
And pride walks hand in hand with death.
Chorus
> The cry of mortals fills the dark,
For none can flee the woven thread.
Fate, though silent, makes its mark—
And Justice counts the tears they shed.
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EPODE
Leader
> So stands the truth no man can change:
The gods are just, though long they wait.
From pride arises grief and pain,
From grief, at last, humility.
Chorus
> The wise bow low and bear their pain;
The foolish curse the hand of sky.
But all who live shall learn this law:
Through suffering, the heart grows wise.
Leader (final pronouncement)
> O Zeus, whose will no storm can shake—
We learn your mercy through our fall.
Chorus (in unison)
> The law of heaven stands unchecked.
The proud are broken, the humble thrive.
