The works of Mrs. Hemans With a memoir of her life, by her sister. In seven volumes |
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 | The works of Mrs. Hemans |  |
THE STARS.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth
his handy-work.”
Psalm xix. I.
No cloud obscures the summer sky,
The moon in brightness walks on high,
And, set in azure, every star
Shines, a pure gem of heaven, afar!
The moon in brightness walks on high,
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Shines, a pure gem of heaven, afar!
Child of the earth! oh! lift thy glance
To yon bright firmament's expanse;
The glories of its realm explore,
And gaze, and wonder, and adore!
To yon bright firmament's expanse;
The glories of its realm explore,
And gaze, and wonder, and adore!
Doth it not speak to every sense,
The marvels of Omnipotence?
Seest thou not there the Almighty name
Inscribed in characters of flame?
The marvels of Omnipotence?
Seest thou not there the Almighty name
Inscribed in characters of flame?
Count o'er those lamps of quenchless light,
That sparkle through the shades of night;
Behold them!—can a mortal boast
To number that celestial host?
That sparkle through the shades of night;
Behold them!—can a mortal boast
To number that celestial host?
Mark well each little star, whose rays
In distant splendour meet thy gaze:
Each is a world, by Him sustain'd
Who from eternity hath reign'd.
In distant splendour meet thy gaze:
Each is a world, by Him sustain'd
Who from eternity hath reign'd.
Each, kindled not for earth alone,
Hath circling planets of its own,
And beings, whose existence springs
From Him, the all-powerful King of Kings.
Hath circling planets of its own,
And beings, whose existence springs
From Him, the all-powerful King of Kings.
Haply, those glorious beings know
No stain of guilt, or tear of woe;
But, raising still the adoring voice,
For ever in their God rejoice.
No stain of guilt, or tear of woe;
But, raising still the adoring voice,
For ever in their God rejoice.
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What then art thou, O child of clay!
Amid creation's grandeur, say?
E'en as an insect on the breeze,
E'en as a dew-drop, lost in seas!
Amid creation's grandeur, say?
E'en as an insect on the breeze,
E'en as a dew-drop, lost in seas!
Yet fear thou not!—the sovereign hand
Which spread the ocean and the land,
And hung the rolling spheres in air,
Hath, e'en for thee, a Father's care!
Which spread the ocean and the land,
And hung the rolling spheres in air,
Hath, e'en for thee, a Father's care!
Be thou at peace! the all-seeing eye,
Pervading earth, and air, and sky—
The searching glance which none may flee,
Is still, in mercy, turned on thee.
Pervading earth, and air, and sky—
The searching glance which none may flee,
Is still, in mercy, turned on thee.
| The works of Mrs. Hemans | |