CXCI Fairest of all the lights above,
And with unwearied swiftness move
To form the circles of our years:
Praise the Creator of the skies,
That dress'd thine orb in golden rays;
Or may the Sun forget to rise,
If he forget his Maker's praise!
Thou reigning beauty of the night,
Fair queen of silence, silver Moon,
Whose gentle beams and borrow'd light
Are softer rivals of the noon, --
Arise, and to that Sovereign Power,
Waxing and waning, honours pay,
Who bade thee rule the dusky hour,
And half supply the absent day.
Ye twinkling Stars, who gild the skies
When darkness has its curtains drawn,
Who keep your watch, with wakeful eyes,
When business, cares, and day are gone:
Proclaim the glories of your LORD,
Dispersed through all the heavenly street,
Whose boundless treasures can afford
So rich a pavement for His feet.