O Agni, friend most cherished of the Atris!
We have kept thy sacred flame alive now
Through countless generations of our kindred,
Since first our ancestor did kindle thee.

What bond existeth between us and thee?
Deeper than friendship, stronger far than kinship,
For thou art tied to us by sacred covenant,
Made fast by fire and butter, prayer and praise.

We know thy nature as a father knoweth
The ways and moods and secret depths of his son.
We know when thou art pleased and when thou burnest
With righteous anger at our negligence.

We know that thou dost care for us with passion,
That thou dost long to hear our voice in prayer,
That thou art jealous of our loyalty,
That thou dost grieve when we neglect thy fire.

And we in turn do hold thee most beloved,
Our first thought in the morning is of thee,
Our last prayer ere we seek our evening slumber
Is always a petition to thy flames.

Forgive us when we stumble, O our fire!
Forgive us when our devotion grows lax,
When through the press of everyday affairs
We fail to tend thy altar as we ought.

We do repent! We come before thee humbly,
With offerings and with sincere hearts contrite.
Accept our shame, burn it away completely,
And grant us grace to be more faithful still.

For who else can we trust the way we trust thee?
Who else hath been so constant through the ages?
Who else hath never failed us, never abandoned,
Though we have failed a thousand times before?

O Agni, take our hearts into thy fire!
Make them as true and strong as is thy burning,
That we may serve thee with undying passion,
Till on that day when all things pass to ashes.