<P> The hymn was first published in 1848 in Mrs Cecil Alexander's Hymns for Little Children . It consists of a series of stanzas that elaborate upon verses of the Apostles' Creed . It may have been inspired by Psalm 104, verses 24 and 25: "Oh Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches . So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts". The hymn may have been inspired as well by a verse from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: "He prayeth best, who loveth best; All things great and small; For the dear God who loveth us; He made and loveth all ." Alternatively, inspiration may have come from William Paley's Natural Theology, published in 1802, that argues for God as the designer of the natural world . For example, the hymn's second verse alludes to "wings" and verse 7 refers to "eyes". Paley cited wings and eyes as examples of complexity of design, analogous to that of a watch, with God as the Divine Watchmaker . </P> <P> Alexander's composition of the hymn's text has been attributed to three locations: Llanwenarth House in Govilon, Monmouthshire--the refrain "The purple headed mountains, The river running by" possibly referring to the Sugar Loaf and Blorenge mountains and to the River Usk; Markree Castle near Sligo, and Minehead and the nearby village of Dunster in 1848, in which case the "purple headed mountain" might refer to Grabbist Hill and the river to the River Avill . </P> <P> Alexander's text reads: </P> <P> 1 . All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all . 2 . Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colours, He made their tiny wings . All things bright...3 . The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them high and lowly, And ordered their estate . All things bright...4 . The purple headed mountain, The river running by, The sunset and the morning, That brightens up the sky; − All things bright...5 . The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, − He made them every one: All things bright...6 . The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, We gather every day; − All things bright...7 . He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell, How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well . All things bright...(Amen) </P>

Who wrote the song all things bright and beautiful