Love
On Copernicus his opinion of the earths turning round
From Clarastella (1650), Occasional Poems
Copernicus was of opinion
That the Earths globe by spherick motion
Turn'd round, and that the Heav'ns were fixt: the man
Was drunk sure or on shipboard, when his brain
Hatcht this Maeander; for to such the land
Doth only seem to move when they do stand.
When Noahs floud had turn'd the land to Sea
And the earth seem'd one floating Isle to be,
The world then rid on waves indeed, and then
Ith' Ark there was no terra firma seen:
Yet true we find what was but Phansie then,
(For th' world if we but understand the men
That live therein) for they alas turn round
And scotomized sail on firmest ground:
Or drunk with madnes, with their poreblind eies
Think States wel setled totter though they rise.
A strange Vertigo or Delirium,
Oth' brain it is, that thus possesses'um;
Whilst like to fashions grown Orbicular,
Kingdomes thus turn'd, and overturned are:
Nothing but fine Eutopian worlds ith' moon
Must be new form'd by revolution.
Nor doth the State alone on fortuns wheels
Run round, alas our rock Religion, reels:
We have saild so far the Antipodian way
That into darkness we have turnd our day.
Amidst these turnings 'tis some comfort yet,
Heav'n doth not flie from us, though we from it.
Cite this poem
MLA
Heath, Robert. “On Copernicus his opinion of the earths turning round.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/heath_r/62/.
Chicago
Heath, Robert. “On Copernicus his opinion of the earths turning round.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/heath_r/62/.
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