The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work. <br /> <br />Psalm xix. 1. <br /> <br /> <br />NO cloud obscures the summer sky, <br />The moon in brightness walks on high, <br />And, set in azure, every star <br />Shines, like a gem of heaven, afar! <br /> <br />Child of the earth! oh! lift thy glance <br />To yon bright firmament's expanse; <br />The glories of its realm explore, <br />And gaze, and wonder, and adore! <br /> <br />Doth it not speak to every sense <br />The marvels of Omnipotence? <br />Seest thou not there th' Almighty name, <br />Inscribed in characters of flame? <br /> <br />Count o'er those lamps of quenchless light, <br />That sparkle through the shades of night; <br />Behold them!?can a mortal boast <br />To number that celestial host? <br /> <br />Mark well each little star, whose rays <br />In distant splendor meet thy gaze; <br />Each is a world by Him sustained, <br />Who from eternity hath reigned. <br /> <br />Each, shining not for earth alone, <br />Hath suns and planets of its own, <br />And beings, whose existence springs <br />From Him, th' all-powerful King of kings. <br /> <br />Haply, those glorious beings know <br />Nor stain of guilt, nor tear of woe; <br />But raising still th' adoring voice, <br />For ever in their God rejoice. <br /> <br />What then art thou, oh! child of clay! <br />Amid creation's grandeur, say? <br />?E'en as an insect on the breeze, <br />E'en as a dew-drop, lost in seas! <br /> <br />Yet fear thou not!?the sovereign hand, <br />Which spread the ocean and the land, <br />And hung the rolling spheres in air, <br />Hath, e'en for thee, a Father's care! <br /> <br />Be thou at peace!?th' all-seeing eye, <br />Pervading earth, and air, and sky, <br />The searching glance which none may flee, <br />Is still, in mercy, turned on thee.<br /><br />Felicia Dorothea Hemans<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-stars-14/
