PLUTO

 

Unknown to Gustav Holst

Pluto, the Dwarf planet

Inhabits the Kuiper belt

And is no longer the ninth planet

Of our solar system

Not even the biggest Dwaft

But Second to Eris

MARS

 

Gustav Holst’s bringer of war

The red planet

A place of high mountains

And deep canyons

Red dust deserts

And frozen Polar Regions

VENUS

 

Gustav Holst’s bringer of peace

Second planet from the Sun,

Earth's "sister planet"

To the ancients

The Morning Star

Or the Evening Star

Shrouded by opaque

Highly reflective

Clouds of sulphuric acid

NEPTUNE

 

Gustav Holst’s Mystic

Farthest planet from the Sun

Beautiful ice giant

Whose brilliant blue

Appearance belies

The deadly atmosphere

Of frozen methane

URANUS

 

Gustav Holst’s magician

Beautiful ice giant

Whose clouds of methane

Present a featureless disk

Of blue-green colour

SATURN

 

Gustav Holst’s

The bringer of old age

In a state of perpetual storm

Saturn the mighty gas giant

With Iconic rings of dust and ice

An image comforting and reliant

MERCURY

 

Gustav Holst’s

Winged Messenger

The lifeless silver sphere

Races around our fiery star

As fast as its name sake

The fast-flying Roman deity,

Messenger to the gods