Unit of the Universe, The
I.
In all the interminable deeps of space
There is no realm where gravitation tires,
Far, errant worlds unwind their awful gyres
And curdling fire-mists fill with many a trace
Of nascent suns their never-fathomed place,
And crumbling systems pale[?] their astral fires
Where star by star some galaxy expires
While ripening worlds renew the eternal race!
Time unbeginning, measureless extent,
And Power that had no limit, & a Soul —
The Life of all, that moves to one event—
To make but one inseparable whole,—
Too vast for thought to traverse,—to name that Power
The all-pervading God, is Wisdom’s priceless dower.
II.
God! Let the worlds confess His master hand
That wheels their orbs, & guides the falling star;
Beckons the wandering comets from afar
And down your hour-glass drip the tiny sand.
His breath to flames the nebulous fire-mist fanned,
And the dim glow-worm’s lamp a step can mar;
Lit the seven torches of Boöte’s car
And the great flambeau of Arcturus grand.
No shining bubble is a dome too small,
No firmament too vast for His abode,
He lives in each as in the mighty All,
The midge’s hour-long life his breath bestowed,
And man’s vast Soul, that winged fire-fly spark
That round his awful throne invades the cloudy dark!
- Title
- Unit of the Universe, The
- First Line
- In all the interminable deeps of space
- Creator
-
George Shepard Burleigh
- Bibliographic Citation
- George S. Burleigh Papers, 1825-1902. John Hay Library, Brown University. Miscellaneous Manuscripts, "U" folder, HA 960
- Date
- 1897
- Subject
- Philosophy
- Animals - Insects
- Astronomical Bodies - Stars, Constellations, Galaxies
-
Transcendentalism
- Comments
- "Boötes seven torches" refers to the constellation Boötes, as described in the accompanying URL. Arcturus is the brightest star in this constellation.
- Boötes Constellation
- Some interesting insect references in the final lines. Especially winsome is his image of the human soul as a firefly to God.
- Precise date of November 2, 1897
- Rating
- ★★★★
- Media
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The Unit of the Universe