University of Virginia Library

Nor yet the crude materials of the earth,
Were form'd; nor time, nor motion yet had birth:
Nor yet one solitary spark of light
Glar'd thro' the dusky shades of ancient night;
Nor on the barren wastes of endless space,
As yet were circumscrib'd the bounds of place:
When at th' Almighty's word, from nothing springs
The first confus'd original of things.
Whatever now the heav'ns wide arms embrace,
Together then lay blended in a mass;
The dull, the active, the refin'd, and base,
The cold, the hot, the temp'rate, moist and dry,
All mingled in profound disorder lie;
In one prodigious undistinguish'd heap,
Th' extremest contraries of nature sleep:
Nor yet the sprightly seeds of fire ascend,
Nor downwards yet the pond'rous atoms tend.
A monstrous face the new creation wears,
And void of order, form, and light, appears;
'Till the almighty fiat, once again
Pronounc'd, did motion to each part ordain,
Awoke the tender principles of life,
And urg'd the growing elemental strife.
And now confusions infinite arise,
From nature's most remote antipathies:
But while against their furious opposites,
Each hostile atom all its force unites,
Their own lov'd species, thro' the formless mass,
With am'rous zeal officiously they trace,
And join, and mingle in a strict embrace.
The lively shining particles of light,
On dazzling wings attempt their nimble flight.
The fine transparent air, with mighty force,
Thro' fix'd and fluid, upward takes its course.
The grosser seeds with heavy motion press,
And meeting in the midst, the central parts possess;
While the united waves, without controul,
About the slimy surface proudly roll,
'Till an imperial word their force divides,
And lo! the deep by smooth degrees subsides;
And lo! the rising stately mountains leave
Their ouzy beds; and lo! the valleys cleave,
The congregated waters to receive:
And down the sinking billows calmly go;
Part to the subterranean caves below,
And part around the hills in circling currents flow.
And now the slimy, soft-fermented earth,
Prepar'd to give her various species birth,
Obedient to the voice, produces all
Her boundless stores at her Creator's call.
A sudden spring at his command arose,
And various plants their verdant tops disclose;
The teeming ground to rising groves gives way,
Which leaves and blossoms instantly display,
And ev'ry branch with tempting fruit looks gay.
When he again, whose active word fulfill'd
Exactly all the mighty things he will'd,
Commands, and straight the heav'nly arches rise,
And kindling glories brighten all the skies.
A sudden day with gaudy lustre gilds
Th' expanded air, the new-made streams, and fields;
Ten thousand sprightly dazzling lights advance,
And trembling rays in the wide ether dance:
The sun, beyond them all immense and gay,
Assumes the bright dominion of the day;
And whirling up the skies with rapid force,
Along the radiant zone begins his destin'd course.

And now another efficacious word,
The air and earth, and wat'ry region stor'd:
The num'rous vehicles for breath prepar'd,
The mighty summons of their maker heard;
And from the bosom of their native clay
Sprung into life, and caught the vital ray.
Millions of footed creatures range the woods,
Millions with fins divide the crystal floods;
Millions besides, with wanton liberty,
On painted wings rise singing to the sky.

But last of all, two of a nobler kind,
After the brightest model in his mind,
With care the great artificer design'd:
Beyond his other works, complete and fair,
He form'd with ev'ry grace the lovely pair,
Adorn'd with beauty, crown'd with dignity,
Immortal, god-like, rational, and free:
Serene impressions of a stamp divine,
Upon their matchless faces clearly shine:
In deep suspence, and at themselves amaz'd,
With curious eyes they on each other gaz'd;
Themselves, and all the fair creation round
Survey, and still fresh cause of wonder found.

For now, in their primæval lustre gay,
The earth and heav'ns their utmost pride display.
The blazing sun from his meridian height,
Thro' an unclouded sky darts round his flaming light.
The fields, the floods, and all th' enlighten'd air,
In open day look ravishingly fair.
The bright carnation, and the fragrant rose,
Their beauties fresh with heav'nly dew disclose.
The noble Amaranths show their purple dye,
Splendid, as that which paints the morning sky.
Ten thousand od'rous flow'rs of various hue,
In ev'ry shade and plain spontaneous grew;
And down the smooth descent of verdant hills,
From marble fountains gush a thousand rills;
Thro' many a pleasant shade they murm'ring go,
And mingle with the larger streams below,
Which thro' the flow'ry valleys softly flow;
And all along their lovely spacious banks,
Immortal trees are plac'd in equal ranks,
Whose charming shades might God himself delight,
And angels from their heav'nly bow'rs invite.
Here gentle breezes, from their fragrant wings,
Shed all the odours of a thousand springs:
Harmonious birds among the branches sing,
And all the groves with chearful echoes ring.

Hail mighty Maker of the universe!
My song shall still thy glorious deeds rehearse:
Thy praise, whatever subject others chuse,
Shall be the lofty theme of my aspiring muse.