Lordly Zeus observed Man alone without flame
And proclaimed unto him
“Creature, know now the face of a master
And I shall say in mercy that you may command
Not the gods above, but the creatures about you
I give you authority on these beasts”

Sage Athena stood by quivering Man
Leaning on her staff she said
“I grant you my wisdom, drink of it as water
Thirst of it, and I shall bless you
With it, law of man begins”
And Man accepted.

Swift Hermes descended upon the wary Man
Regarding him with a smirk he said
“I’ll give you wit and laughter
Laugh away and tell me stories
And to Hades you and I will travel
You for reward or damnation and me for divine duty”

Noble Apollo appeared from the Sun he guided
Hailing Man with benevolence, Apollo spoke
“To you, I give you nobility and learning
With these, the laws you fashion follow justice
With nobility, the weak are equal to the strong”

Cruel Ares on chariot horrific, replete with savage trophies adorned
Bellows to August Man with all his fury
“They bequeath, while I take, fool! Trust not in their frailties
Instead I display my favoured pet, to inspire you to be better then cattle!”

Rumbling from Tartarus, a creature both elegant and brutal
Its eyes aglow, its jaws forever grinding the forms of nature and man
Between its jagged canines, its face encrusted in the gore of noble life
It spoke, its voice terrifying in its grim majesty
“Lo, I am Empire, ever-consuming, eternal
Give me your greatest sons and daughters, lavish me with songs and poems
Die for me, let me feast on the efforts of the best and the meanest of you
That though you grow fat, and soon vanish, I shall continue in immortality”

And all became ruin.