Classic Poem

The first day at Jehovah's word,
Which brought from nothing all,
Did heav'n, and earth, and light afford,
To form the spacious ball.

The next, a firmament so wide,
A large expanded sky,
That might the waters' course divide,
And bear the clouds on high.

The third, severing land from seas,
Ere sun and rain were seen;
Made earth produce herbs, grass, and trees,
To paint her face with green.

The forth, sun, moon, and stars of light,
Within their circling spheres,
Set up to rule the day and night,
And mark out months and years.

The fifth made finny tribes to move,
And cut the floods beneath;
And feather'd hosts to fly above,
And wing their airy path.

The sixth, all earthly beasts did bring,
And form the grazing herb;
Then man to be the creatures' king
His maker great preferr'd.

On man he did his image draw;
Thus fair at first he stood,
When God review'd his works, and saw
That all was very good.

[But soon as man, by sin's inroad,
Was stain'd, the change was sad!
Of all the six days work of God,
The best was very bad!]