This dead of midnight is the noon of thought,
And Wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars.
At this still hour the self-collected soul
Turns inward, and beholds a stranger there
Of high descent, and more than mortal rank;
An embryo God; a spark of fire divine.
Bio: Catherine Bréchignac is a French physicist. She is a commander of the Légion d'honneur, "secrétaire perpétuel" of the Académie des sciences and former president of the CNRS.
