Watchers Of The Sky

Seven great astronomers, from Copernicus to Sir John Herschel

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Alfred Noyes was an English poet, best known for his ballads The Highwayman (1906) and The Barrel Organ. At the age of 21, he published his first collection of poems, The Loom Years. From 1903 to 1908, he published five volumes of poetry books, including The Forest of Wild Thyme and The Flower of Old Japan and Other Poems. In 1907, he was given the opportunity to teach English literature at Princeton University. His wife died in 1926, resulting in his conversion to Roman Catholicism. He wrote about his conversion in The Unknown God, published in 1934. In 1953, his autobiography, Two Worlds for Memory, was published. He authored around sixty books, including poetry volumes, novels, and short stories. Noyes' poetry supports patriotism and war heroes, reflects his appreciation for nature, his respect for explorers of the scientific world, and his faith in God.

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Alfred Noyes (1880-1958) was an English poet and author of The Highwayman and The Barrel Organ. Noyes began The Watchers of the Sky one evening when he had the unforgettable experience of being on a summit of the Sierra Madre Mountains, when the first trial was made of the100-inch telescope. The poem talks of Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, William Herschel and Sir John Herschel. Noyse's poem is unique in that he writes of fact and not fiction. He links these men together in verse and at the same time tells a story of historical significance.

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Even from the first, He made his enemies of those almost-minds Who chanced upon some new thing in the dark And could not see its meaning, for he saw, Always, the law illumining it within. So when he heard of that strange optic-glass Which brought the distance near, he thought it out.