A hymn that I love
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 and lowly, And ordered their estate.
The purple-headed mountain, The river running by, The sunset and the morning, That brighten 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 for our 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 made all things so well.
As a child, in Svarna School in Kolkata, this was our daily school prayer, and at first, I was not clear about all the words (verse 3 is generally omitted nowadays.)
on this hymn, written by Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander (from Dublin, Ireland)
in the village of Dunster. It serves well as a secular prayer. Today, as I get more interested in Nature and wildlife, this prayer takes on added meaning.