Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.
By William ElleryChanning308 Hymn of the Earth
M
My consorts are the sleepless Stars,
And men my giant arms upbear,—
My arms unstained and free from scars.
Rolling around the happy Sun;
My children love the sunny day,
But noon and night to me are one.
I am their Mother, and my veins,
Though built of the enduring stone,
Thrill as do theirs with godlike pains.
The foaming ocean and the springs,
The plains,—O pleasant Company,
My voice through all your anthem rings!
Content to smile, content to share:
My being in your chorus finds
The echo of the spheral air.
No drop of water lose the road;
The issues of the general Soul
Are mirrored in its round abode.