Behold! The Dawn comes forth, resplendent and most fair. She driveth back the darkness with her rays of light. The eyes of all the world do open; the hearts of living creatures stir with joy. O Uṣas, thou art ever young, thou art ever beautiful, thou art ever clothed in gold.

The night doth flee before thee as a coward before the warrior. The stars fade away like lamps that are extinguished. The moon, so mighty in the dark hours, doth yield its throne. And lo, the sky beginneth to blush with the color of ripe fruit, deepening from green to purple to red.

Thou raisest up the cattle from their rest. The birds awaken and begin to sing their morning songs. The priest arises from his bed and kindleth the sacred fire. All over the earth, in cities and villages, in forests and upon the mountains, thy coming is greeted with joy.

Yet even as thou art celebrated, so too art thou brought low by time. Day after day thou art born anew; night after night thou dost disappear into the realm of the gods. Thy golden robes are donned each morning; thy light is quenched each evening. Never once hast thou faltered; never once hast thou failed to come.

We mortals, O Uṣas, are not like thee. We grow old; we grow weak; our beauty fadeth away. But thou—thou remainest eternally young. What is thy secret? What doth keep thee so fair, so strong, so full of light?

Perhaps it is because thou art divine, and we are but mortal. Yet still we wonder at the mystery of it all. Thou hast been ancient since the beginning of time, yet thou art forever young. Thou hast journeyed through countless ages, yet thy feet do not grow weary.

Come, O Uṣas! Come and grant us some small portion of thy beauty and thy strength. Let our youth be renewed each day, even as thy light is renewed. Let our hearts be as bright as thy rays; let our courage be as steady as thy march across the sky.