firmament song (Copernicus) Plato thought a globe the most Perfect of the divine creations, Undoubted in its rigour, Its place in God’s eye: A vessel fit for the firmament. Ptolemy heard music, when he Surveyed the planets: earth And its minions. Fresh to the ear, They could play only a single tune. I study the moon; graph Pegasus, Gemini, the stars in their regions; Remember the fingernail of light As it slid below the horizon; hear the call Of the sun marshalling the planets, Mercury; Venus; our own trusty Earth; Mars; Jupiter; and Saturn, setting them In true motion. Dare I tell how it tunes God’s instrument for me? Stephen Shields
46
