Page:King Alfred's Version of the Consolations of Boethius.djvu/279



The swift firmament    fleetly whirling,

Every day,    by the Lord's great doing,

This earth encircling. So does man's soul

Like to a wheel    she whirls round herself,

Ofttimes thinking    of that which is earthly,

The Lord's creatures    daily and nightly;

Sometimes in thought    she seeks herself,

At others gives heed    to God Eternal,

Her own Creator. In course she goes

Most like to a wheel,    on herself whirling.

When deeply she muses    on Him who made her,

Then up she is raised    over herself;

But in her own self    she ever abides,

When in her fancy    she follows herself.

Lastly she falls    beneath herself far

When she admires    these frail things earthly,

And loves them all    more than law eternal.

O God of ages,    You gave a home

in heaven to souls;    You send them freely

Glorious gifts,    God Almighty,

In measure fitting    the merits of each

These all are beaming    bright in the heavens

In the clear night,    but nevertheless

Not equal in light    lo! we see often,

When serene is the night,    the stars in heaven,

Not all beaming    with equal brightness.

O God Everlasting! You did also unite

A thing of heaven    to the earthly here,

Soul to body;    ever since they abide,

Both the eternal    and earthly together,