The Glory of Aten

Aten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. In his poem "Great Hymn to the Aten", Akhenaten praises Aten as the creator, and giver of life. Here is a modern poem about the life giving sun. It has one curious and deliberate feature; can you spot it?...

The Glory of Aten

The sun is at noonday, such brightness above
And Aten is warming the earth with this love
Now sunrise, now sunset, the passage of days
And Aten is glorious, and much deserves praise

None can stare at the Aten, see face to face
The light is so bright, so burning in space
And from Aten's embrace, the planets did form
And solar flares blazing, the particles storm

In Egypt, beneath sands, a story untold
Of wise Akhenaten, and Aten of old
Established the worship by Pharaoh's decree
Saw Nile at sunset, sun reflected on sea

The hymn that he wrote, the hymn to recite
Of glorious Aten, of shining in light
Of sun on the hills, of sun on the plain
And wonders of rainbow, just after the rain

All mortals must die, our frame is so frail
But Aten remains, and Aten won't fail
Until one last day, the nova brings end
Farewell to the Aten, the Maker and Friend