Poem by Joseph Addison

Ode

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heav'ns, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim:
Th' unwearied Sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty Hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The Moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list'ning Earth
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets, in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball?
What though nor real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found?
In Reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever singing, as they shine,
'The Hand that made us is Divine.' 

1. To Sir Godfrey Kneller, on his Picture of the King
2. The Lord My Pasture Shall Prepare
3. An Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
4. A Song for St. Cecilia's Day, at Oxford
5. To Mr. Dryden

William Sankey Ode ("Men of England, ye are slaves") The Northern Star, February 29, 1840

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