40
poems.
Then the wide arch of heav'n, the sky serene,
Was rais'd, a firmament; the great waters slept,
And the broad sky look'd down upon their breast;
Then morning came, again to light the scene,
And the dark waters at the Lord's command
Roll'd back,—and from their bosom earth appear'd.
The gather'd waters God beheld, and, lo!
The new-born earth, with them, pronounced "good."
Then grass and herbs and trees, a gorgeous robe,
Deck'd the broad sterile soil, fresh, fair, and green;
And evening slowly wrapp'd the glowing scene,
And night reign'd on the waters.
Was rais'd, a firmament; the great waters slept,
And the broad sky look'd down upon their breast;
Then morning came, again to light the scene,
And the dark waters at the Lord's command
Roll'd back,—and from their bosom earth appear'd.
The gather'd waters God beheld, and, lo!
The new-born earth, with them, pronounced "good."
Then grass and herbs and trees, a gorgeous robe,
Deck'd the broad sterile soil, fresh, fair, and green;
And evening slowly wrapp'd the glowing scene,
And night reign'd on the waters.
"Let there be,"
The voice of God proclaim'd, "lights in the firmament,
That in the heavens they may mark the years,
And give to earth their radiance. Two shall reign:
The sun, the orb of day; the gentler light
To gleam a softness o'er the shades of night."
And through the vast expanse the stars appear'd.
The first sun sat: the moon with smiling beams
Lit the vast solitude of earth and heaven.
The glorious morning rose; and God, who made
All things so beautiful, now call'd forth life,
That joy might reign through the great wide world,
And all that breath'd the breath of life might praise him.
Then joyous life arose upon the seas,
The voice of God proclaim'd, "lights in the firmament,
That in the heavens they may mark the years,
And give to earth their radiance. Two shall reign:
The sun, the orb of day; the gentler light
To gleam a softness o'er the shades of night."
And through the vast expanse the stars appear'd.
The first sun sat: the moon with smiling beams
Lit the vast solitude of earth and heaven.
The glorious morning rose; and God, who made
All things so beautiful, now call'd forth life,
That joy might reign through the great wide world,
And all that breath'd the breath of life might praise him.
Then joyous life arose upon the seas,
