IN PRAISE OF GOD

 

                IN PRAISE OF GOD

          Given below is a poem with the title “All Things Bright And Beautiful”. It is written by an Anglo-Irish hymn writer and poet Cecil Frances Alexander. Her full name was Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander. She was born in Dublin ,Ireland in April 1818 and died in Londonderry, United Kingdom in October 1818 at the age of 77 years.

            Mrs. Alexander had started writing poetry when she was a little girl. As she grew up, she continued writing hymns and poems. Their total number touched about 400. Besides “All Things Bright and Beautiful” she is also famous for “There Is A Green Hill Far Away” and “The Christmas Carol. “ Her love for God and devotion to God were immense. She was greatly loved by the poor and one of her achievements for them was a school for the deaf.

 

            In the eyes of Mrs. Alexander God is the creator of all bright and beautiful things, creatures great and small, wise and wonderful things, little birds with glowing colours, colourful purple-headed mountains, flowing rivers, sweet mornings and evenings, pleasant seasons like summer and winter, delicious fruits, tall trees, green meadows, and,  in fact,  all bright and beautiful things which we see with the eyes also given by God himself.

 

            The poem ends with the lines:

            How great is God Almighty,

            Who has made all things well.

 

Finally, look at the full text of the poem:

 

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.

 

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

23 July 2025