“ ‘Let there be light!’ said God; and forthwith light Ethereal, first of things, quintessence pure, Sprung from the Deep, and from her native east To journey through the aery gloom began, Sphered in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun Was not; she in a cloudy tabernacle Sojourned the while. God saw the light was good; And light from darkness by the hemisphere Divided: light the Day, and darkness Night, He named. Thus was the first day even and morn; Nor passed uncelebrated, nor unsung By the celestial choirs, when orient light Exhaling first from darkness they beheld, Birth-day of Heaven and Earth; with joy and shout The hollow universal orb they filled, And touched their golden harps, and hymning praised God and his works; Creator him they sung, Both when first evening was, and when first morn.
“Again, God said, ‘Let there be firmament Amid the waters, and let it divide The waters from the waters!’ And God made The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure, Transparent, elemental air, diffused In circuit to the uttermost convex Of this great round—partition firm and sure, The waters underneath from those above Dividing; for as Earth, so he the World Built on circumfluous waters calm, in wide Crystalline ocean, and the loud misrule Of Chaos far removed, lest fierce extremes Contiguous might distemper the whole frame: And heaven he named the firmament. So even And morning chorus sung the second day.
“The Earth was formed, but, in the womb as yet Of waters, embryon, immature, involved, Appeared not; over all the face of Earth Main ocean flowed, not idle, but, with warm Prolific humour softening all her globe, Fermented the great mother to conceive, Satiate with genial moisture; when God said, ‘Be gathered now, ye waters under heaven, Into one place, and let dry land appear!’ Immediately the mountains huge appear Emergent, and their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds; their tops ascend the sky. So high as heaved the tumid hills, so low Down sunk a hollow bottom, broad and deep, Capacious bed of waters; thither they Hasted with glad precipitance, uprolled, As drops on dust conglobing