432. For the Beauty of the Earth

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.

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

Text Information
First Line: For the beauty of the earth
Title: For the Beauty of the Earth
Author: Folliott S. Pierpont, 1835-1917 (1864, alt.)
Meter: 77 77 77
Scripture: Psalm 33:4-9; Psalm 145; Colossians 1:15-18; James 1:17; James 1; Philippians 1:11; Philippians 4:9; Colossians 1:18
Topic: Family; Praise & Adoration; Songs for Children: Hymns
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
Tune Information
Name: DIX
Adapter: William H. Monk (1861)
Composer: Conrad Kocher (1838)
Meter: 77 77 77
Key: F Major

Text Information:

Scripture References:
all st. = Ps. 33:4-9, Ps. 145, Col. 1:15-18, James 1:17

In the spring of 1863 Folliott S. Pierpont (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 Beauty of the Earth" is the only Pierpont hymn still sung today. The eight stanza text, which had as its original refrain "Christ, our God, to thee we raise this, our sacrifice of praise," was intended to be a hymn for the Lord's Supper. Entitled 'The Sacrifice of Praise" (Heb. 13:15), the text was published in Orby Shipley's Lyra Eucharistica(1864).

The Psalter Hymnal includes his original stanzas 1-2 and 4-5 with several changes; most notable is the altered refrain (also found in other modern hymnals), which turns what once was a eucharistic text into a general thanksgiving.

"For the Beauty" helps us to thank the Lord for the beauty of creation around us (st. 1-2); for the joyful love of family and friends (st. 3); and for God's greatest gift, Christ Jesus (st. 4), to whom "we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise."

Liturgical Use:
Many occasions of praise and thanksgiving (including harvest thanksgiving); stanza 4 for Lord's Supper services; stanza 3 for worship that focuses on the family.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

For comments on DIX see PHH 358; for information on the composer see PHH 332.

DIX is a fine setting for part singing. Be sure to sing the retrain as one long line. Use a fairly strong organ registration for the stanzas and add a mixture and/or reed stop for the refrain.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

MIDI file: MIDI Preview(Faith Alive Christian Resources)