Great Hades, master of the dark afterworld,
honored host of our beloved dead, husband
of fair-haired Persephone, holder of the riches
of the deep earth, eldest son of full-hearted Rhea
and Cronus of the shining sickle, I praise you.
Hades, kind one, unyielding one, gracious granter
of respite to the suffering, of welcome
to those who have passed from our world, I thank you
for your gift of shelter and hospitality.

Noble Hades, lord of the afterworld, upon
your head the shining helm that veils the one it crowns
in darkness, within your grasp the fearful staff
with which you split the world asunder. Hades,
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Hades, holder of all the wealth within the world,
yours are all the priceless treasures buried in
the earth’s deep bones, the silver and the gold,
the copper and the iron, the many-colored gems.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Within your realm, O Hades, are treasures too
of life and abundance. The precious seeds of fruit
and grain, the soft black soil that clings to root and leaf,
without these gifts would mankind fail to flourish.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Kindly host of the dead, receiver of all who pass
from the earth into your deep, abyssal realm,
granter of rest for the weary, sweet reunion
for those too long parted by your well-wrought gates.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Fair-minded Hades, even-handed one who holds
in hand the lot of all whose earthly lives have ended.
The greatest of kings, the lowest of beggars,
all receive reward or sanction by your will.
I praise and honor you, I thank you for your blessings.

Great Hades, master of the darkened deep,
master of the realm beneath our feet who hears
the echoes of our steps, who takes the echoes
of our lives. Hades, you know the need for an end
to life, you know the worth of a well-deserved rest,
you know the thanks of men and women weary
from long lives of worry and toil, you know the joy
of sweet reunion as friends long parted join
together once again within your storied land.
The dim and misty underworld is yours, O Hades;
yours are the Fields of Asphodel, yours the endless
pits of Tartarus in which are cast the wicked
and the vile. Yours too are the Fortunate Isles,
the land of fair Elysium where dwell the righteous
and the good. Hades, receiver of burnt offerings,
receiver of the blood of beasts, well-honored god:
in the end, all come to you. Hades, I praise you.

Great-hearted Hades, lord of the afterworld,
noble husband of gracious Persephone,
daughter of the earth who shares your golden throne;
advocate of the dead whose wrath falls on those
who deny them due burial, or whose dishonor
endures beyond the grave. Relentless Hades,
agent of vengeance, friend of the Furies, long is
your arm, long your memory. Lord of riches,
lord of wealth, yours is the abundance of the depths,
the cold, unyielding treasure of metal and stone;
yours is the black dirt turned by the plow each spring,
the sun-warmed soil that hides the seed. Hades, dark-haired
son of Kronos, ruler of the world beyond us,
inevitable host of men and women,
I thank you for your care of those who have passed;
I praise you, I honor you, I revere your name.

I call to Hades, lord of the dusky underworld,
lord of the dead, provider of hearth and home
to those who have passed from our presence. Mighty one,
elder son of ancient Kronos and good Rhea,
devoted husband of tender Persephone,
to your hall do all men make their way one day.
The riches of the earth are yours as well, Hades;
all the precious gems locked inside sturdy stone,
all the rich ores held within your realm; the seeds
buried in the soil, waiting to pierce the surface,
are likewise of your domain. Benevolent Hades,
granter of wealth, from your hands fall riches untold;
master of dreams, through you do our beloved dead
yet speak; holder of the gates of the world to come,
Hades, final friend of mankind, I call to you.

Hades, great lord of subterranea,
lord of the afterworld, lord of the dead,
dweller in shadows, kind host of those dear ones
who have passed from our lives, those we long for,
those whose love and life we celebrate,
whose loss we feel in our blood, our bones:
mighty Hades, child of the Titans,
brother to Zeus and to Poseidon–
who among you divided all the realms–
husband of shining Persephone,
holder of all wealth beneath the earth,
of precious gems, of gleaming gold and silver,
I honor you, and thank you for your gifts,
your hospitality, your goodness to those
who–once among us–live now with you,
in your splendid halls. All praise to Hades.