ALL HINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

 

                ALL HINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

            In the beginning of his mythological poem Endymion, the English poet

John Keats (1795--1821)  says;

 

             “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever,

            Its loveliness increases; it will never

            Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

            A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

            Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

           

            In her-above-mentioned poem the Anglo-Irish poetess and hymnwriter Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) says:

 

            All things bright and beautiful,

             All creatures great and small,

             All things wise and beautiful,

             The Lord God made them all.

 

            She is right the whole creation consists of big and small beautiful things. We  have the sun and the moon, as also glowworms and sparks of fire. If there

 are huge elephants and camels, lions and tigers, there  are also tiny sparrows and ants.

 

            If a tree is fruitfully beautiful, a rose is wonderfully small and colourfull.

 

            What about a dewdrop, a small petal of any lovely flower, a  big star in rhe sky and a small lamp in a cottage on earth.

 

            Cecil  Francis Alexander says:

           

            The cold wind in the winter,

            The pleasant summer sun,

            The ripe fruits in the garden,

            He made them every one.

This whole poem is like a hymn. It praises God for creating all bright and beautiful things for mankind.

            The poem ends with the following most appropriate stanza:

                        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

3^rd June 2026