1. 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 pow'r display, And publishes to every land The work of an Almighty Hand. 2. Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale; And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth; While 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. 3. What though in solemn silence all Move round the dark terrestrial ball? What though no real voice nor sound Amid the radiant orbs be found? In reason's ear they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice, Forever singing as they shine, "The hand that made us is divine."
Lyrics: Joseph Addison
Music: Franz Joseph Haydn
Tune: CREATION
Meter: L.M.D.
Joseph Addison, 1672–1719
“The Spacious Firmament” was written by Joseph Addison—one of England’s outstanding writers. These verses were part of a larger essay titled “An Essay on the Proper Means of Strengthening and Confirming Faith in the Mind of Man.” Addison prefaced his work with the words: “The Supreme Being has made the best arguments for His own existence in the formation of the heavens and earth.” Addison’s poem first appeared in The Spectator newspaper in 1712.