Gamow imagined Hoyle in a cosmic opera, suddenly materialized from nothing in the space between the brightly shining galaxies, bursting majestically into song:

The universe, by Heaven's decree
Was never formed in time gone by,
But is, has been, shall ever be—
For so say Bondi, Gold and I.
Stay, O Cosmos, O Cosmos, stay the same!
We the Steady State proclaim!

The aging galaxies disperse,
Burn out, and exit from the scene.
But all the while, the universe
Is, was, shall ever be, has been.
Stay, O Cosmos, O Cosmos, stay the same!
We the Steady State proclaim!

And still new galaxies condense
From nothing, as they did before.
(Lemaître and Gamow, no offence!)
All was, will be for evermore
Stay, O Cosmos, O Cosmos, stay the same!
We the Steady State proclaim!

(From Mr. Tompkins in Paperback, pp. 60-61; Cambridge University Press, 1965)