To Cygnus--the Northern Cross

OH sign of strength and grace, oh bird in
flight
That skims the waters of the Milky Way,
And wide, star-flowered pastures of the night
Where Pegasus, the Bears, and Taurus play,
That flies on wings of light across the sky,
Down the blue timeless currents of the air,
Oh fade not from our sight — thy cross on
high,
God’s glory and man’s worth, to us declare.
Shine on the dark uneven floor of earth,
Where, like the groping mole, we seek escape
From creeping shadows of despair and
dearth — The crooked counterfeit of thy dear shape.
Oh swan, sing not thy last and lovely song,
Let not death reign, let not the night be
long.