Comes by night
a fairer light,
a pearl, the gentle moon;
comes to light,
in sable night,
a star, the sailor's boon.
Clouds around
the compass wound
unfurl their banners pale;
once aground,
asea are found
and off the strand asail.
For breathes an air
of sweetness there
about the wide expanse;
it makes the mere
sublime and fair
and fitted for the dance.
Steals a light
across the night
to perch upon the prow;
profuse and bright,
a frothy white,
it spills over the bow.
Great vessels glide
upon the tides
of periwinkle pale;
side-by-side,
the swells astride,
they rove the tidal trail.
The firmament,
the nightly scent,
exalt their Maker's name;
the dews' descent,
the skies' lament,
shall wring from earth the same.
sounding out the wonder
of a moonlit summer evening
and the opening verses of Psalm 19
titled from
"All Creatures of Our God and King"