But　what　can　be　throughout　the　universe；
  In　divers　worlds　on　divers　plan　create；
  This　only　do　I　show；　and　follow　on
  To　assign　unto　the　motions　of　the　stars
  Even　several　causes　which　'tis　possible
  Exist　throughout　the　universal　All；
  Of　which　yet　one　must　be　the　cause　even　here
  Which　maketh　motion　for　our　constellations。
  Yet　to　decide　which　one　of　them　it　be
  Is　not　the　least　the　business　of　a　man
  Advancing　step　by　cautious　step；　as　I。
  Nor　can　the　sun's　wheel　larger　be　by　much
  Nor　its　own　blaze　much　less　than　either　seems
  Unto　our　senses。　For　from　whatso　spaces
  Fires　have　the　power　on　us　to　cast　their　beams
  And　blow　their　scorching　exhalations　forth
  Against　our　members；　those　same　distances
  Take　nothing　by　those　intervals　away
  From　bulk　of　flames；　and　to　the　sight　the　fire
  Is　nothing　shrunken。　Therefore；　since　the　heat
  And　the　outpoured　light　of　skiey　sun
  Arrive　our　senses　and　caress　our　limbs；
  Form　too　and　bigness　of　the　sun　must　look
  Even　here　from　earth　just　as　they　really　be；
  So　that　thou　canst　scarce　nothing　take　or　add。
  And　whether　the　journeying　moon　illuminate
  The　regions　round　with　bastard　beams；　or　throw
  From　off　her　proper　body　her　own　light；…
  Whichever　it　be；　she　journeys　with　a　form
  Naught　larger　than　the　form　doth　seem　to　be
  Which　we　with　eyes　of　ours　perceive。　For　all
  The　far　removed　objects　of　our　gaze
  Seem　through　much　air　confused　in　their　look
  Ere　minished　in　their　bigness。　Wherefore；　moon；
  Since　she　presents　bright　look　and　clear…cut　form；
  May　there　on　high　by　us　on　earth　be　seen
  Just　as　she　is　with　extreme　bounds　defined；
  And　just　of　the　size。　And　lastly；　whatso　fires
  Of　ether　thou　from　earth　beholdest；　these
  Thou　mayst　consider　as　possibly　of　size
  The　least　bit　less；　or　larger　by　a　hair
  Than　they　appear…　since　whatso　fires　we　view
  Here　in　the　lands　of　earth　are　seen　to　change
  From　time　to　time　their　size　to　less　or　more
  Only　the　least；　when　more　or　less　away；
  So　long　as　still　they　bicker　clear；　and　still
  Their　glow's　perceived。
  Nor　need　there　be　for　men
  Astonishment　that　yonder　sun　so　small
  Can　yet　send　forth　so　great　a　light　as　fills
  Oceans　and　all　the　lands　and　sky　aflood；
  And　with　its　fiery　exhalations　steeps
  The　world　at　large。　For　it　may　be；　indeed；
  That　one　vast…flowing　well…spring　of　the　whole
  Wide　world　from　here　hath　opened　and　out…gushed；
  And　shot　its　light　abroad；　because　thuswise
  The　elements　of　fiery　exhalations
  From　all　the　world　around　together　come；
  And　thuswise　flow　into　a　bulk　so　big
  That　from　one　single　fountain…head　may　stream
  This　heat　and　light。　And　seest　thou　not；　indeed；
  How　widely　one　small　water…spring　may　wet
  The　meadow…lands　at　times　and　flood　the　fields？
  'Tis　even　possible；　besides；　that　heat
  From　forth　the　sun's　own　fire；　albeit　that　fire
  Be　not　a　great；　may　permeate　the　air
  With　the　fierce　hot…　if　but；　perchance；　the　air
  Be　of　condition　and　so　tempered　then
  As　to　be　kindled；　even　when　beat　upon
  Only　by　little　particles　of　heat…
  Just　as　we　sometimes　see　the　standing　grain
  Or　stubble　straw　in　conflagration　all
  From　one　lone　spark。　And　possibly　the　sun；
  Agleam　on　high　with　rosy　lampion；
  Possesses　about　him　with　invisible　heats
  A　plenteous　fire；　by　no　effulgence　marked；
  So　that　he　maketh；　he；　the　Fraught…with…fire；
  Increase　to　such　degree　the　force　of　rays。
  Nor　is　there　one　sure　cause　revealed　to　men
  How　the　sun　journeys　from　his　summer　haunts
  On　to　the　mid…most　winter　turning…points
  In　Capricorn；　the　thence　reverting　veers
  Back　to　solstitial　goals　of　Cancer；　nor
  How　'tis　the　moon　is　seen　each　month　to　cross
  That　very　distance　which　in　traversing
  The　sun　consumes　the　measure　of　a　year。
  I　say；　no　one　clear　reason　hath　been　given
  For　these　affairs。　Yet　chief　in　likelihood
  Seemeth　the　doctrine　which　the　holy　thought
  Of　great　Democritus　lays　down：　that　ever
  The　nearer　the　constellations　be　to　earth
  The　less　can　they　by　whirling　of　the　sky
  Be　borne　along；　because　those　skiey　powers
  Of　speed　aloft　do　vanish　and　decrease
  In　under…regions；　and　the　sun　is　thus
  Left　by　degrees　behind　amongst　those　signs
  That　follow　after；　since　the　sun　he　lies
  Far　down　below　the　starry　signs　that　blaze；
  And　the　moon　lags　even　tardier　than　the　sun：
  In　just　so　far　as　is　her　course　removed
  From　upper　heaven　and　nigh　unto　the　lands；
  In　just　so　far　she　fails　to　keep　the　pace
  With　starry　signs　above；　for　just　so　far
  As　feebler　is　the　whirl　that　bears　her　on；
  （Being；　indeed；　still　lower　than　the　sun）；
  In　just　so　far　do　all　the　starry　signs；
  Circling　around；　o'ertake　her　and　o'erpass。
  Therefore　it　happens　that　the　moon　appears
  More　swiftly　to　return　to　any　sign
  Along　the　Zodiac；　than　doth　the　sun；
  Because　those　signs　do　visit　her　again
  More　swiftly　than　they　visit　the　great　sun。
  It　can　be　also　that　two　streams　of　air
  Alternately　at　fixed　periods
  Blow　out　from　transverse　regions　of　the　world；
  Of　which　the　one　may　thrust　the　sun　away
  From　summer…signs　to　mid…most　winter　goals
  And　rigors　of　the　cold；　and　the　other　then
  May　cast　him　back　from　icy　shades　of　chill
  Even　to　the　heat…fraught　regions　and　the　signs
  That　blaze　along　the　Zodiac。　So；　too；
  We　must　suppose　the　moon　and　all　the　stars；
  Which　through　the　mighty　and　sidereal　years
  Roll　round　in　mighty　orbits；　may　be　sped
  By　streams　of　air　from　regions　alternate。
  Seest　thou　not　also　how　the　clouds　be　sped
  By　contrary　winds　to　regions　contrary；
  The　lower　clouds　diversely　from　the　upper？
  Then；　why　may　yonder　stars　in　ether　there
  Along　their　mighty　orbits　not　be　borne
  By　currents　opposite　the　one　to　other？
  But　night　o'erwhelms　the　lands　with　vasty　murk
  Either　when　sun；　after　his　diurnal　course；
  Hath　walked　the　ultimate　regions　of　the　sky
  And　wearily　hath　panted　forth　his　fires；
  Shivered　by　their　long　journeying　and　wasted
  By　traversing　the　multitudinous　air；
  Or　else　because　the　self…same　force　that　drave
  His　orb　along　above　the　lands　compels
  Him　then　to　turn　his　course　beneath　the　lands。
  Matuta　also　at　a　fixed　hour
  Spreadeth　the　roseate　morning　out　along
  The　coasts　of　heaven　and　deploys　the　light；
  Either　because　the　self…same　sun；　returning
  Under　the　lands；　aspires　to　seize　the　sky；
  Striving　to　set　it　blazing　with　his　rays
  Ere　he　himself　appear；　or　else　because
  Fires　then　will　congregate　and　many　seeds
  Of　heat　are　wont；　even　at　a　fixed　time；
  To　stream　together…　gendering　evermore
  New　suns　and　light。　Just　so　the　story　goes
  That　from　the　Idaean　mountain…tops　are　seen
  Dispersed　fires　upon　the　break　of　day
  Which　thence　combine；　as　'twere；　into　one　ball
  And　form　an　orb。　Nor　yet　in　these　affairs
  Is　aught　for　wonder　that　these　seeds　of　fire
  Can　thus　together　stream　at　time　so　fixed
  And　shape　anew　the　splendour　of　the　sun。
  For　many　facts　we　see　which　come　to　pass
  At　fixed　time　in　all　things：　burgeon　shrubs
  At　fixed　time；　and　at　a　fixed　time
  They　cast　their　flowers；　and　Eld　commands　the　teeth；
  At　time　as　surely　fixed；　to　drop　away；
  And　Youth　commands　the　growing　boy　to　bloom
  With　the　soft　down　and　let　from　both　his　cheeks
  The　soft　beard　fall。　And　lastly；　thunder…bolts；
  Snow；　rains；　clouds；　winds；　at　seasons　of　the　year
  Nowise　unfixed；　all　do　come　to　pass。
  For　where；　even　from　their　old　primordial　start
  Causes　have　ever　worked　in　such　a　way；
  And　where；　even　from　the　world's　first　origin；
  Thuswise　have　things　befallen；　so　even　now
  After　a　fixed　order　they　come　round
  In　sequence　also。
  Likewise；　days　may　wax
  Whilst　the　nights　wane；　and　daylight　minished　be
  Whilst　nights　do　take　their　augmentations；
  Either　because　the　self…same　sun；　coursing
  Under　the　lands　and　over　in　two　arcs；
  A　longer　and　a　briefer；　doth　dispart
  The　coasts　of　ether　and　divides　in　twain
  His　orbit　all　unequally；　and　adds；
  As　round　he's　borne；　unto　the　one　half　there
  As　much　as　from　the　other　half　he's　ta'en；
  Until　he　then　arrives　that　sign　of　heaven
  Where　the　year's　node　renders　the　shades　of　night
  Equal　unto　the　periods　of　light。
  For　when　the　sun　is　midway　on　his　course
  Between　the　blasts　of　northwind　and　of　south；
  Heaven　keeps　his　two　goals　parted　equally；
  By　virtue　of　the　fixed　position　old
  Of　the　whole　starry　Zodiac；　through　which
  That　sun；　in　winding　onward；　takes　a　year；
  Illumining　the　sky　and　all　the　lands
  With　oblique　light…　as　men　declare　to　us
  Who　by　their　diagrams　have　charted　well
  Those　regions　of　the　sky　which　be　adorned
  With　the　arranged　signs　of　Zodiac。
  Or　else；　because　in　certain　parts　the　air
  Under　the　lands　is　denser；　the　tremulous
  Bright　beams　of　fire　do　waver　tardily；
  Nor　easily　can　penetrate　that　air
  Nor　yet　emerge　unto　their　rising…place：
  For　this　it　is　that　nights　in　winter　time
  Do　linger　long；　ere　comes　the　many…rayed
  Round　Badge　of　the　day。　Or　else　because；　as　said；
  In　alternating　seasons　of　the　year
  Fires；　now　more　quick；　and　now　more　slow；　are　wont
  To　stream　together；…　the　fires　which　make　the　sun
  To　rise　in　some　one　spot…　therefore　it　is
  That　those　men　seem　to　speak　the　truth　＇who　hold
  A　new　sun　is　with　each　new　daybreak　born＇。
  The　moon　she　possibly　doth　shine　because
  Strook　by　the　rays　of　sun；　and　day　by　day
  May　turn　unto　our　gaze　her　light；　the　more
  She　doth　recede　from　orb　of　sun；　until；
  Facing　him　opposite　across　the　world；
  She　hath　wit