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TO THE SUN.
TO THE SUN.
Thou glorious lamp of Space! Thou that dost flood
The void of heaven with brightness! in thy glow
Unnumbered worlds, age after age, have trod
In their appointed paths, and yet thy flow
Of brightness hath not ebbed.—Before thy brow
The stars still veil themselves; thy burning glance
Is all unquenched, undimmed, unchanged e’en now,
As when the finger of Omnipotence
Pointed to thee thy throne amid the vast expanse.
The void of heaven with brightness! in thy glow
Unnumbered worlds, age after age, have trod
In their appointed paths, and yet thy flow
Of brightness hath not ebbed.—Before thy brow
The stars still veil themselves; thy burning glance
Is all unquenched, undimmed, unchanged e’en now,
As when the finger of Omnipotence
Pointed to thee thy throne amid the vast expanse.
Yes, all unchanged.—As on that morn when rang
The shout of joy as forth thy rays were spread,
While all the morning stars together sang,
So thou art now. The morning stars have fled,
The towering hill with age has bowed its head,
The sea has changed its home with the dry land,
The earth has gathered in her countless dead,
Again and yet again—but thou dost stand,
Exhaustless and unmoved, upheld by God’s own hand.
The shout of joy as forth thy rays were spread,
While all the morning stars together sang,
So thou art now. The morning stars have fled,
The towering hill with age has bowed its head,
The sea has changed its home with the dry land,
The earth has gathered in her countless dead,
Again and yet again—but thou dost stand,
Exhaustless and unmoved, upheld by God’s own hand.