For the Beauty of the Earth

Representative Text

1 For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.

Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

2 For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light, [Refrain ]

3 For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild, [Refrain]

4 For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God's grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven. [Refrain]

Psalter Hymnal, 1987

Author: Folliott Sandford Pierpoint

In the spring of 1863, Folliott S. Pierpoint (b. Bath, Somerset, England, 1835; d. Newport, Monmouthshire, England, 1917) sat on a hilltop outside his native city of Bath, England, admiring the country view and the winding Avon River. Inspired by the view to think about God's gifts in creation and in the church, Pierpont wrote this text. Pierpont was educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, England, and periodically taught classics at Somersetshire College. But because he had received an inheritance, he did not need a regular teaching position and could afford the leisure of personal study and writing. His three volumes of poetry were collected in 1878; he contributed hymns to The Hymnal Noted (1852) and Lyra Eucharistica (1864). "For the Be… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: For the beauty of the earth
Title: For the Beauty of the Earth
Author: Folliott Sandford Pierpoint (1864)
Meter: 7.7.7.7.7.7
Place of Origin: England
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Lord of all, to Thee we raise
Notes: Spanish translation: See "Por lo hermoso en derredor" by George Paul Simmonds, "Por la excelsa majestad"> by Federica Pagura
Copyright: Public Domain
Liturgical Use: Opening Hymns

Notes

Folliett Sandford Pierpoint originally wrote this hymn for use during the Communion of the High Anglican Church. The original refrain "Christ, our God, to thee we raise; This our sacrifice of praise" was meant to mirror the portrayal of Christ's ultimate sacrifice -- just as the host would be lifted during the communion as a token of God's gift to us, a "sacrifice of praise" would be lifted in return. Later editions of the text emphasize the thanksgiving aspect of the verses. --Greg Scheer, 1995

Tune

DIX (Kocher)

An early form of the tune DIX was composed by Conrad Kocher (b. Ditzingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, 1786; d. Stuttgart, Germany, 1872). Trained as a teacher, Kocher moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work as a tutor at the age of seventeen. But his love for the music of Haydn and Mozart impelled him t…

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