by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)
To the Heavens above us
Language: English
To the Heavens above us O look and behold The Planets that love us All harnessed in gold! What chariots, what horses Against us shall bide While the Stars in their courses Do fight on our side? All thought, all desires, That are under the sun, Are one with their fires, As we also are one: All matter, all spirit, All fashion, all frame, Receive and inherit Their strength from the same. (Oh, man that deniest All power save thine own, Their power in the highest Is mightily shown. Not less in the lowest That power is made clear. Oh, man, if thou knowest, What treasure is here!) Earth quakes in her throes And we wonder for why! But the blind planet knows When her ruler is nigh; And, attuned since Creation To perfect accord, She thrills in her station And yearns to her Lord. The waters have risen, The springs are unbound-- The floods break their prison, And ravin around. No rampart withstands 'em, Their fury will last, Till the Sign that commands 'em Sinks low or swings past. Through abysses unproven And gulfs beyond thought, Our portion is woven, Our burden is brought. Yet They that prepare it, Whose Nature we share, Make us who must bear it Well able to bear. Though terrors o'ertake us We'll not be afraid. No power can unmake us Save that which has made. Nor yet beyond reason Or hope shall we fall-- All things have their season, And Mercy crowns all! Then, doubt not, ye fearful-- The Eternal is King-- Up, heart, and be cheerful, And lustily sing:-- What chariots, what horses Against us shall bide While the Stars in their courses Do fight on our side?
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936), "An astrologer's song", appears in Rewards and Fairies, first published 1910 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Peter Bellamy (b. 1944), "The heavens above us", published 1972 [male solo voice, counter-tenor and bass accompaniment, flute organ, and violin], from Merlin's Isle of Gramarye [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-06
Line count: 64
Word count: 286