Sal Lumen and Spiritus Mundi Philosophici

The spirit borne upon the face Of this undigested mass, Surrounding it on every side, Made the heavy matter separate From the light, And black night from day. Then from the gathered moisture, The heavier and colder body, It fashioned the measured roundness Which, in a tight embrace, Water or air counterbalances With a weight so firm and equal That, without suffering the same ill, It cannot fall into decay. Then, pouring the soul within And the seeds of the world, It made her the fruitful nurse Of Heaven and the burning fires.