T'was noontide of summer and midtime of night And stars in their orbits shone braille through the light Of a brighter cold moon made planets of slaves Herself in the heavens, her beam on the waves I gazed a while on her cold smile Too cold, too cold for me There passed, to shroud, a greasy cloud And I turned away to thee Proud evening star, lend thy glory afar And dearer thy beam shall be For joy to my heart is the proud heart Thou barest in heaven at night And more I admire thy distant fire Than that colder lowly light T'was noontide of summer and midtime of night And stars in their orbits shone braille through the light Of a brighter cold moon made planets of slaves Herself in the heavens, her beam on the waves I gazed a while on her cold smile Too cold, too cold for me There passed, to shroud, a greasy cloud And I turned away to thee *