The Spacious Firmament on High

The spa­cious fir­ma­ment on high

With all the blue ethe­re­al sky

And span­gled heav­ens

a shin­ing frame

Their great Orig­in­al pro­claim.

Th’unwearied sun

from day to day

Does his cre­at­or’s pow­ers dis­play

And pub­lishes to ev­ery land

The work of an al­migh­ty hand.

Soon as the ev­en­ing shades pre­vail

The moon takes up the won­drous tale

And night­ly to the list­en­ing earth

Repeats the sto­ry of her birth;

While all the stars that round her burn

And all the plan­ets in their turn

Confirm the tid­ings as they roll

And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though in so­lemn si­lence all

Move round the dark ter­res­tri­al ball?

What though no real voice nor sound

Amid the ra­di­ant orbs be found?

In rea­son’s ear they all re­joice

And ut­ter forth a glo­ri­ous voice

Forever sing­ing as they shine

The hand that made us is di­vine.