James Vila Blake, Sonnets from Marcus Aurelius 23

23. 

Ὁ ἀδικῶν ἀσεβεῖ: τῆς γὰρ τῶν ὅλων φύσεως κατεσκευακυίας τὰ λογικὰ ζῷα ἕνεκεν ἀλλήλων, ὥστε ὠφελεῖν μὲν ἄλληλα κατ̓ ἀξίαν βλάπτειν δὲ μηδαμῶς, ὁ τὸ βούλημα ταύτης παραβαίνων ἀσεβεῖ δηλονότι εἰς τὴν πρεσβυτάτην τῶν θεῶν.

The unjust man is an impious man, and sins against the gods. For as the Nature of the Universe has constituted reasoning creatures for the sake of one another, that they may be useful and do good to each other in a due manner, but by no means ever to harm any one, so whoever goes aside from this purpose and will of Nature, plainly is impious, and sins against the eldest of all deities.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.1 

23. 

To act unjustly is a traitorous deed,  

Treasonable against the King of Kings, 

Fluent from whom the ancient heavens proceed,  

And marvelous multiplicity of things. 

Compacted all in oneness forth they go, 

And in their way a lovely order sings—  

Peasants, kings, commoners, friend and foe, 

And all assembled to the King of Kings! 

Nature is music’s vast conventicle, 

Wherein each life plays precious melodies 

That congregate in parts majestical, 

And justice is the solemn harmonies. 

Justice is many in One; uncivil to be 

Profaneth the most ancient Deity. 

IMAGE: Titian, Cain and Abel (c. 1544)