| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | II. The Stars | | By Park Benjamin (1809–1864) |
| | | WHAT marvel is it, that, in other lands | |
| And ancient days, men worshipped the divine | |
| And brilliant majesty of stars that shine | |
| Pure in their lofty spheres, like angel-bands? | |
| With a deep reverence, when evening came, | 5 |
| With her high train of shadows, have I bowed | |
| Beneath the heaven, as each new-lighted flame | |
| Glowed in the sapphire free from mist or cloud: | |
| A holy presence seemed to fill the air, | |
| Invisible spirits, such as live in dreams, | 10 |
| Came floating down on their celestial beams, | |
| And from my heart there rose a silent prayer. | |
| What marvel, then, that men of yore could see | |
| In each bright star a glorious deity? | | | | |
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