The Song of the Fifty Stars
Alpherat, Caph, and Algenib—three leading stars—
Move in front of all the host,
Turning from East to West,
Over the rounded dome;
And, near the head of the line, the Star of the North,
Polaris, turns his round and marks the hub of the wheel.
From Alpherat, North and East, Andromeda shoots,
Like a branch, with Mirach and Almach; while, far in the South,
Achernar shines, a beacon-light, at the "End of the River."
From Almach pass to Algol, of the changing face,
Called by the Arabs the Demon—
The Medusa of the Greeks.
But, not so fast! lest we forget the little changing star
Whose place is West of Algol, farther South—
Mira, "the Wonderful," in Cetus or the Whale.
Algol leads to Mirfach, the brightest star of Perseus,
Who saved the captive Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus, "the Monarch,"
And royal Cassiopeia.
Then comes, surrounded by her sisters, gentle Alcyone,
The peaceful, daughter of the King who rules the tempestuous winds;
And, running in pursuit of these—the happy Pleiades—
Aldebaran, "the Follower," shines from the eye of the Bull.
Next comes Capella—the Mother Goat—watching her three Kids;
Her yellow light the color of our Sun.
Capella and Rigel move in line, and afterwards comes Nath,
Who marks the horn of the butting Bull.
Orion, the Hunter, on the Equator—the Giant of the Arabs—
Shines glorious North and South;
Bellatrix his left shoulder; Mintaka marks his belt.
After Mintaka comes Betelgeux, right shoulder of Orion;
While, between them in order, though farther North,
Is Zeta of Taurus, the Bull, who marks the other horn.
The next is Menkalinan, the shoulder of the Charioteer;
And, two degrees to the Eastward, the Circle of the Solstice passes by.
While, far down in the South,
Canopus gleams from the stern of Argo, the Ship.
Sirius, Star of the Greater Dog, brightest of all in the heavens,
Is followed by Castor, one of the Twins.
While Procyon—"Dog-in-advance"—the bright "forerunner" of Sirius,
Is followed by Pollux, the greater of the Twins.
Next Regulus comes in the Lion's heart, Denebola, the tip of his tail;
While, between them in order, Merak and Dubhe, the pointers,
Point to their aim in the North.
Two brilliant stars in the Southern Cross are Alpha and Beta Crucis,
The former a glorious double Sun, with a third star in attendance;
To see them ourselves we must travel far,
But we know that the glory is great in the South,
Although from us it is hidden.
Next, in the hand of the Virgin, the pointed Ear of Wheat—
Spica of the Romans—
Not far from the Autumn Equinox.
Now, back to the North we go, and look for Mizar and Alcor—
The Indian Squaw with the little papoose on her back,
And the tip of the tail of the Greater Bear
Where Benetnasch commands.
Now, again to the South, where the forefeet of the Centaur
Are marked by Beta and Alpha;—the former is known as Hadar—"the Ground";—
The latter sun is nearest to ours
And famous as Serk-t, toward whom the ancient Egyptians
Turned their temples in homage—
And, between them in order, the great and distant Arcturus
Shines out warm in the North.
Pulcherrima—most beautiful—must be sought by those who love her;
For she is modest and shy in the presence of the Great One.
Nearby is Gemma, the Bud,
In the beautiful Northern Crown.
Near the point where the "roof-tree" crosses the Zodiac Ring
Is a warm, red star in Scorpio.
This is Antares; while, in the North,
Etanin marks the Dragon's head.
Mu Sagitarii—closer still to the Solstice and Ecliptic—
Marks the northern part of the heavenly Archer's bow.
On summer evenings, high above our heads,
Vega shines with cool and brilliant light;
While, to the South and East, is Altair of the Eagle.
Nearby is the Northern Cross, or Cygnus,
Whom we call "the Swan,"
With Deneb Adige marking her outspread tail.
The nose of Pegasus, the soaring horse,
Shines out in the star Enif, or Epsilon of Pegasus—a triple star—
While Fomalhaut gleams in the South,
Guarding the Fish's Mouth.
Now Scheat and Markab, hand in hand, watch for the stragglers—
Bringing up the rear of all the Fifty Stars that have passed by.