Orion

Orion cum occàsù orìtur,
Orientem in caelum incèdit.
Triangulum scaenam mìtiter concèdit:
Venus occidit, sed Orion orìtur.

Orion rises with the sunset,
Stepping into the eastern sky.
The Triangle meekly yields the stage:
Venus sets, but Orion rises.

Clàvà sublàtà, Orion orìtur,
Sìrius apud calcem làtrat.
Taurus oculò rubrò refert,
Potèns tremèns: Orion orìtur!

Orion rises, his club upraised,
Sirius barking at his heel.
The Bull backs red-eyed down before him,
Strong beast trembling: Orion rises!

Orion subvolat, item cor,
À Betelgeuse et Rigel levàtò,
Orbe annuò oriundò,
À Bellàtrìce, quod orìtur.

Orion soars, and my heart soars too,
Betelgeuse-boosted, Rigel-raised,
Feelings lifted by annual cycles,
Bellatrix-buoyed, because Orion rises.

Zòna et Scùtum stellàrum figò,
Gladius candèscèns à latere gerò.
Noctès diuturnòs regò,
Itinerem in tenebràs faciò: Orion orìtur.

My Belt and Shield of stars I fasten,
I hang my glowing Sword at my side.
The longest nights are mine to rule,
Striding boldly into blackness: Orion rises.

—San Diego
December 1 to 16, 2000