ON
THE
ETERNITY
OF
THE
SUPREME
BEING
.
BY
CHRISTOPHER
SMART
,
M.
A.
HAIL
,
wond'rous
Being
,
who
in
power
supreme
Exists
from
everlasting
,
whose
great
name
Deep
in
the
human
heart
,
and
every
atom
The
Air
,
the
Earth
,
or
azure
Main
contains
In
undecypher'd
characters
is
wrote
—
IN
COMPREHENSIBLE
!
—
O
what
can
words
,
The
weak
interpreters
of
mortal
thoughts
,
Or
what
can
thoughts
(
tho'
wild
of
wing
they
rove
Thro'
the
vast
concave
of
th'
aetherial
round
)
If
to
the
Heaven
of
Heavens
they'd
wing
their
way
Adventurous
,
like
the
birds
of
night
they're
lost
,
And
delug'd
in
the
flood
of
dazzling
day
.
—
May
then
the
youthful
,
uninspired
Bard
Presume
to
hymn
th'
Eternal
;
may
he
soar
Where
Seraph
,
and
where
Cherubin
on
high
Resound
th'
unceasing
plaudits
,
and
with
them
In
the
grand
Chorus
mix
his
feeble
voice
?
He
may
—
if
Thou
,
who
from
the
witless
babe
Ordainest
honour
,
glory
,
strength
,
and
praise
,
Uplift
th'
unpinion'd
Muse
,
and
deign'st
t'
assist
,
GREAT
POET
OF
THE
UNIVERSE
,
his
song
.
Before
this
earthly
Planet
wound
her
course
Round
Light's
perennial
fountain
,
before
Light
Herself
'gan
shine
,
and
at
th'
inspiring
word
Shot
to
existence
in
a
blaze
of
day
,
Before
"
the
Morning-Stars
together
sang
,
And
hail'd
Thee
Architect
of
countless
worlds
Thou
art
—
all-glorious
,
all-beneficent
,
All
Wisdom
and
Omnipotence
thou
art
.
But
is
the
aera
of
Creation
fix'd
At
when
these
worlds
began
?
Could
ought
retard
Goodness
,
that
knows
no
bounds
,
from
blessing
ever
,
Or
keep
th'
immense
Artificer
in
sloth
?
Avaunt
the
dust-directed
crawling
thought
,
That
Puissance
immeasurably
vast
,
And
Bounty
inconceivable
,
could
rest
Content
,
exhausted
with
one
week
of
action
—
No
—
in
th'
exertion
of
thy
rigteous
power
,
Ten
thousand
times
more
active
than
the
Sun
,
Thou
reign'd
,
and
with
a
mighty
hand
compos'd
Systems
innumerable
,
matchless
all
,
All
stampt
with
thine
uncounterfeited
seal
.
But
yet
(
if
still
to
more
stupendous
heights
The
Muse
unblam'd
her
aching
sense
may
strain
)
Perhaps
wrapt
up
in
contemplation
deep
,
The
best
of
Beings
on
the
noble
theme
Might
ruminate
at
leisure
,
Scope
immense
Th'
eternal
Power
and
Godhead
to
explore
,
And
with
itself
th'
omniscient
mind
replete
.
This
were
enough
to
fill
the
boundless
All
,
This
were
a
Sabbath
worthy
the
Supreme
!
Perhaps
enthron'd
amidst
a
choicer
few
,
Of
Spirits
inferior
,
he
might
greatly
plan
The
two
prime
Pillars
of
the
Universe
,
Creation
and
Redemption
—
and
a
while
Pause
—
with
the
grand
presentiments
of
glory
.
Perhaps
—
but
all's
conjecture
here
below
,
All
ignorance
,
and
self-plum'd
vanity
—
O
Thou
,
whose
ways
to
wonder
at's
distrust
,
Whom
to
describe's
presumption
(
all
we
can
—
And
all
we
may
—
)
be
glorified
,
be
prais'd
.
A
Day
shall
come
,
when
all
this
Earth
shall
perish
,
Nor
leave
behind
ev'n
Chaos
;
it
shall
come
When
all
the
armies
of
the
elements
Shall
war
against
themselves
,
and
mutual
rage
,
To
make
Perdition
triumph
;
it
shall
come
,
When
the
capacious
atmosphere
above
Shall
in
sulphureous
thunders
groan
,
and
die
,
And
vanish
into
void
;
the
earth
beneath
Shall
sever
to
the
center
,
and
devour
Th'
enormous
blaze
of
the
destructive
flames
.
Ye
rocks
,
that
mock
the
raving
of
the
floods
.
And
proudly
frown
upon
th'
impatient
deep
,
Where
is
your
grandeur
now
?
Ye
foaming
waves
,
That
all
along
th'
immense
Atlantic
roar
,
In
vain
ye
swell
;
will
a
few
drops
suffice
To
quench
the
inextinguishable
fire
?
Ye
mountains
,
on
whose
cloud-crown'd
tops
the
cedars
Are
lessen'd
into
shrubs
,
magnific
piles
,
That
prop
the
painted
chambers
of
the
heavens
,
And
fix
the
earth
continual
;
Athos
,
where
;
Where
,
Tenerif's
thy
stateliness
to-day
?
What
,
Aetna
,
are
thy
flames
to
these
?
—
No
more
Than
the
poor
glow-worm
to
the
golden
sun
.
Nor
shall
the
verdant
vallies
then
remain
Safe
in
their
meek
submission
;
they
the
debt
Of
nature
and
of
justice
too
must
pay
.
Yet
I
must
weep
for
you
,
ye
rival
fair
,
Arno
and
Andalusia
;
but
for
thee
More
largely
and
with
filial
tears
must
weep
,
O
Albion
,
O
my
country
!
Thou
must
join
,
In
vain
dissever'd
from
the
rest
,
must
join
The
terrors
of
th'
inevitable
ruin
.
Nor
thou
,
illustrious
monarch
of
the
day
;
Nor
thou
,
fair
queen
of
night
;
nor
you
,
ye
stars
,
Tho'
million
leagues
and
million
still
remote
,
Shall
yet
survive
that
day
;
Ye
must
submit
,
Sharers
,
not
bright
spectators
of
the
scene
.
But
tho'
the
earth
shall
to
the
center
perish
,
Nor
leave
behind
ev'n
Chaos
;
tho'
the
air
With
all
the
elements
must
pass
away
,
Vain
as
an
ideot's
dream
;
tho'
the
huge
rocks
,
That
brandish
the
tall
cedars
on
their
tops
,
With
humbler
vales
must
to
perdition
yield
;
Tho'
the
gilt
Sun
,
and
silver-tressed
Moon
With
all
her
bright
retinue
,
must
be
lost
;
Yet
Thou
,
Great
Father
of
the
world
,
surviv'st
Eternal
,
as
thou
wert
:
Yet
still
survives
The
soul
of
man
immortal
,
perfect
now
,
And
candidate
for
unexpiring
joys
.
He
comes
!
He
comes
!
the
awful
trump
I
hear
;
The
flaming
sword's
intolerable
blaze
I
see
;
He
comes
!
th'
Archangel
from
above
.
"
Arise
,
ye
tenants
of
the
silent
grave
,
"
Awake
incorruptible
and
arise
:
"
From
east
to
west
,
from
the
antarctic
pole
"
To
regions
hyperborean
,
all
ye
sons
,
"
Ye
sons
of
Adam
,
and
ye
heirs
of
Heaven
—
"
Arise
,
ye
tenants
of
the
silent
grave
,
"
Awake
incorruptible
and
arise
.
"
'Tis
then
,
nor
sooner
,
that
the
restless
mind
Shall
find
itself
at
home
;
and
like
the
ark
,
Fix'd
on
the
mountain-top
,
shall
look
aloft
O'er
the
vague
passage
of
precarious
life
;
And
,
winds
and
waves
and
rocks
and
tempests
past
,
Enjoy
the
everlasting
calm
of
Heaven
:
'Tis
then
,
nor
sooner
,
that
the
deathless
soul
Shall
justly
know
its
nature
and
its
rise
:
'Tis
then
the
human
tongue
new-tun'd
shall
give
Praises
more
worthy
the
eternal
ear
.
Yet
what
we
can
,
we
ought
;
—
and
therefore
,
Thou
,
Purge
Thou
my
heart
,
Omnipotent
and
Good
!
Purge
Thou
my
heart
with
hyssop
,
lest
like
Cain
I
offer
fruitless
sacrifice
,
and
with
gifts
Offend
and
not
propitiate
the
Ador'd
.
Tho'
Gratitude
were
blest
with
all
the
powers
Her
bursting
heart
could
long
for
,
tho'
the
swift
,
The
fiery-wing'd
Imagination
soar'd
Beyond
Ambition's
wish
—
yet
all
were
vain
To
speak
Him
as
he
is
,
who
is
INEFFABLE
.
Yet
still
let
reason
thro'
the
eye
of
faith
View
Him
with
fearful
love
;
let
truth
pronounce
,
And
adoration
on
her
bended
knee
With
heaven-directed
hands
confess
His
reign
.
And
let
th'
Angelic
,
Archangelic
band
With
all
the
Hosts
of
Heaven
,
Cherubic
forms
,
And
forms
Seraphic
,
with
their
silver
trumps
And
golden
lyres
attend
:
—
"
For
Thou
art
holy
,
"
For
Thou
art
One
,
th'
Eternal
,
who
alone
"
Exerts
all
goodness
,
and
transcends
all
praise
.
"