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Star Lore of All Ages
Shines till the envious Serpent slinks away
And pales and trembles at thy steadfast ray.
Hast thou not stooped from Heaven fair star, to be
So near me in this hour of agony ?
So near, so bright, so glorious that I seem
To lie entranced as in some wondrous dream,
All earthly joys forgot, all earthly fears
Purged in the light of thy resplendent sphere,
Kindling within my soul a pure desire
To blend with those its incandescent fire,
To lose my very life in thine, to be
Soul of my soul through all eternity.
And pales and trembles at thy steadfast ray.
Hast thou not stooped from Heaven fair star, to be
So near me in this hour of agony ?
So near, so bright, so glorious that I seem
To lie entranced as in some wondrous dream,
All earthly joys forgot, all earthly fears
Purged in the light of thy resplendent sphere,
Kindling within my soul a pure desire
To blend with those its incandescent fire,
To lose my very life in thine, to be
Soul of my soul through all eternity.
The stars β, γ, δ and μ form a trapezium. This figure was known to the Arabs as "the Female Wolves." They also called the star ε Boötis, "Izar" or "Mizar, " meaning girdle or waist cloth. This is a double star and its exquisite beauty has earned for it the name "Pulcherima," a title bestowed on it by the elder Struve. The two stars can be seen in a small telescope as the components are 3″ apart.
