For the beauty of the earth - Folliot Sandford Pierpoint & Conrad Kocher

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 29 August 2006, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

1. THANK++-lf GIFT-TO-us US EARTH BEAUTIFUL.
THANK++-lf YOU-lf MAKE SKY BLUE*.
THANK++-lf LOVE US BIRTH UNTIL NOW.
WE SEE PROOF, EVERY PLACE WE LOOK.

Refrain: PRAISE, WE RAISE-UP-lf YOU-lf,
CHRIST OUR GOD, LIKE ALTAR SMOKE-RAISE-UP.

2. EVERY HOUR, ALL-DAY, ALL-NIGHT
WE ENJOY LIFE YOU-lf GIFT-TO-us US.
(<) HILL, (>) VALLEY, (<) TREE, (>) FLOWER.
(<) SUN, (>) MOON, STAR DOT-SKY. Refrain

3. THANK++-lf OUR EARS, EYES THRILLED.
YOU-lf CAUSE OUR HEART, BRAIN HAPPY.
(<) alt.HEAR, alt.SEE, WORLD YOU-lf MAKE.
SHOW-us US WORLD HAVE HARMONY. Refrain

4. THANK++-lf TEACH-us US LOVE EACH-OTHER.
(<) BROTHER, (>) SISTER, (<) PARENT, (>) CHILDREN.
(<) FRIEND HERE EARTH, (>) FRIEND FAR-AWAY HEAVEN.
MAKE US FEEL SOFT-HEARTED, KIND. Refrain

5. THANK++-lf alt.GIFT-TO-us MANY THINGS.
GOD LOVE (2h)#ALL PEOPLE LIVE EARTH.
GRACE FOR ANGEL, GRACE FOR US.
THEY-rt BLOOM HEAVEN, WE BLOOM EARTH. Refrain

6. IDEA~LIKE YOUR WIFE CHURCH CONNECTED-TO-lf.
HANDS HOLY LIFT-UP-TO-lf (2h)YOU-lf.
EVERY LAND OFFER-TO-lf YOU-lf
LOVE PURE, LOVE TRUE. Refrain

7. MARTYR DIE, YOU-lf CROWN-rt BRIGHT.
PROPHET UNDERSTAND YOUR-lf SECRET DEEP.
PEOPLE ANNOUNCE FAITH STRONG,
CHILDREN SMALL KNOW YOUR-lf NAME. Refrain

8. VIRGIN GENERAL PURE LIKE SNOW.
WE REMEMBER YOUR MOTHER SWEET.
OUR HEART HEART-THROB FOR YOURSELF-lf.
JESUS, VICTIM WITHOUT SIN. Refrain


Notes: GIFT-TO-us - (2h)[X], POs ><, FOs up, nod downwards at wrist > signer to show that something is given as a gift.

YOU-ctr - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

SKY - using the FT of the upturned palm, point > sky and sweep the hand > DS. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - sky.

UNTIL - (2h)[1^], POs down, index fingers travel up the chest on the DS until they end (2h)[1], POs > singer, FOs up.

RAISE-UP - (2h)[B], POs down, FOs away, lower slightly, supinate, and rise up.

ALTAR - (2h)[S], POs down, FOs ><, strike the whole length of the forearms together like TABLE.

SMOKE-RAISE-UP - (2h)[5] circulate slowly around each other while rising.

DOT-SKY - (2h)[5:], POs and FOs diagonally up, hands jab upwards as if dotting the sky with stars.

CAUSE - (2h)[S] are held at the chest as if holding a rope and move forward while opening to (2h)[5]. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - cause.

HARMONY - COOPERATE.

FAR-AWAY - [1], twists while moving away with tongue shuttling from side to side. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Far.

SOFT-HEARTED - HEART + (2h)[5^] descend slightly twice while closing to (2h)[O^] but hands close to heart.

KIND - (2h)[B^], POs ><, FOs away, NDH is held close to heart and DH circles around it.

(2h)#ALL - (2h)[A], POs ><, FOs up, are held at shoulder height and move away while opening to (2h)[L].

GRACE - [O^] or [S], held high and PO > Heaven, supinates and opens to [5] while being brought towards head. For an animated gif of this sign, see Animated dictionary of religious signs - Deaf Missions: Grace.

ANGEL - (2h)[B^] touch FTs to shoulders, then arms extended and bent move slightly as if flying gently.

BLOOM - (2h)[A] are held together but the hands are twisted like the beginning of CHANGE. Hands twist back while opening to (2h)[5:] with the hands still held together.

IDEA~LIKE - a blending where IDEA has a [Y] instead of an [I] in anticipation of LIKE which is signed smoothly right afterwards.

HOLY - H-CLEAN. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Holy - 1.

LIFT-UP - (2h)[B], PO down are held high and swoop down while supinating and then rise up again as if helping something mature and the hands continue up and FTs are directed > Heaven.

PURE - like NICE but the DH moves backwards slightly on the palm, pauses, then moves forward rapidly to show intensity.

MARTYR is an [M] drawn across the throat as if it is being slit. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Martyr.

CROWN (v) - (2h)[L:] (like BIG) place crown on head with large single movement. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Crown.

BRIGHT - (2h)[O^], POs away, FOs up, open to (2h)[5], while separating. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Light - 1.

PROPHET - PREDICT AGENT.

VIRGIN - V-GIRL.

HEART-THROBwg - [O^] - held at heart PO up and FTs open and close one finger at a time but rapidly.

VICTIM - STUCK AGENT.

SIN - (2h)[X] touch their respective sides of the mouth, descend to neutral space and circle antisymmetrically parallel to the chest. For an animated gif of this sign, see Animated dictionary of religious signs - Deaf Missions: Sin.

Lyrics:

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

Refrain: Christ our God, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.

2. For the beauty 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 ear and eye,
for the heart and brain's delight,
for the mystic harmony
linking sense to sound and sight, Refrain 3

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

5. For each perfect gift of thine
to our race so freely given,
graces human and divine,
flowers of earth and buds of heaven, Refrain

6. For thy Bride that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
this pure sacrifice of love, Refrain

7. For the martyrs' crown of light,
for thy prophets' eagle eye,
for thy bold confessors' might,
for the lips of infancy, Refrain

8. For thy virgins' robes of snow,
for thy maiden Mother mild,
for thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesus,Victim undefiled, Refrain

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear the music (without words), go to For the beauty of the earth.

To see another translation of this hymn performed, go to For the beauty of the earthsigning hands

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