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| The Forge of Vulcan, ca. 1660, Luca Giordano |
Burned the hidden forge of
Hephaestus,
Divine smith of gods and
heroes,
Where bronze-skinned
Cyclopes
Toiled without end.
Amid rivers of living fire
And showers of blazing sparks,
The weapons of heaven were
wrought
Upon anvils older than time.
Each trembling of the
mountain,
The ringing of immortal
hammers;
Each torrent of flame,
The breath of the eternal
furnace
Breaking forth into the
world of men.