The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God’s almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey him,
By him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children,
He gives our daily bread.
We thank thee, then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food:
No gifts have we to offer
For all thy love imparts,
But that which thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
By Matthias Claudius in German, translated by Jane Montgomery-Campbell.
And that’s simple enough, plain enough, to do without any commentary on my part. Happy Thanksgiving!
Poetry Friday this week is hosted by Julie Larios at The Drift Record.
…and what a gorgeous accompanying illustration.
Thank you for posting this! I have this song in my head now. Who was it that recorded it whose voice I can hear? John Michael Talbot? Anyone?
Oooh, it was driving me crazy, too — it was used for a song in Godspell. Here’s a link.