Maker Of Heaven And Earth (All Things Bright And Beautiful) Poem by Cecil Frances Alexander
Maker Of Heaven And Earth (All Things Bright And Beautiful)
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;--
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
While this poem is dear to me - I've known it and sung it since I was five years old, I am disturbed by the 'rich man vs. poor man' verse, which is always omitted in every church hymnal I've ever seen. It was certainly omitted in the wonderful Sunday school workbook they handed out in 1957 at the Episcopal church in Downey, California (St. Mark's) and rightly so. The notion that God justly made some human beings wealthy and made others poor was a very Victorian notion that Cecil Frances Alexander unfortunately included in her thinking. She was without doubt a product of her age and environment. I cannot fathom trying to justify the disparities in our world - and the fact that 2/3 of humanity is either starving or living in a state of chronic malnutrition - by saying it's God's intention. I believe the opposite. It is given to us, I believe, to do something about the problem, and poverty is a great social crime (as George Bernard Shaw believed) that all people should work to eliminate. Still, we need to know that verse is there, even if we justly omit it when singing these words. Apart from that verse, the sentiment is spot on. Every creature belongs to God who made all things well.
Ha! Just realized why this seemed familiar to me. Wow, I feel a bit dumb now... Especially since Cecil won't be reading my previous comment ;)
A very good poem indeed! God has created every beautiful thing for us. Rightly you have said that God has also given us eyes to see them and lips to tell about them, without which the world does not exist for us.
A poem beyond imagination in its simple, but beautiful formation, It gives vital information in a language deserving adoration!
Dear God, Golden words are said, By peace I am led, My ego is now dead, Cleansed is my blood!
I fall at the poet's feet, What a miraculous poetic feat, In this poem, God I meet, The poet I kneel to greet!
I wish to translate this gem of a Hymn, most beautiful are all her Hymns.5 Full Stars for her poem and all my love to her God and also my God. Please read my translation into Dutch
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 12:23:15 PM # 1.0.0.1119
I love this poem. Not every poem needs to be complicated and intricate to be great. It's simple, yet beautiful. :)