Glory to You!
O Lord, how lovely it is to be your guest.
Breeze full of scents, mountains reaching to the skies,
Waters like a boundless mirror,
Reflecting the sun's golden rays and the scudding clouds
All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing depths of tenderness.
Birds and beasts of the forest bear the imprint of your love.
Blessed are you, mother earth, in your floating loveliness,
Which wakens our yearning for happiness
that will last forever in the land where,
amid beauty that grows not old, Rings out the cry:
Alleluia!
What sort of praises can I give you?
I have never heard the song of the cherubim,
A joy reserved for the spirits above
but I know the praises that nature sings to you.
In winter, I have beheld how silently in the moonlight the whole earth offers you prayer, clad in its white mantle of snow, sparkling like diamonds.
I have seen how the rising sun rejoices in you,
how the song of the birds is a chorus of praise to you.
I have heard the mysterious mutterings of the forests about you,
and the winds winging your praise as they stir the waters.
I have understood how the choirs of stars proclaim your glory as they move forever in the depths of infinite space.
You have brought me into life as if into an enchanted paradise.
We have seen the sky like a chalice of deepest blue,
Where in the heights the birds are singing.
We have listened to the soothing murmur of the forest
And the melodious music of the streams.
We have tasted fruit of fine flavor and sweet-scented honey.
We can live very well on your earth.
It is a pleasure to be your guest.
Glory to you for the feast-day of life.
Glory to you for the perfume of lilies and roses.
Glory to you for each different taste of berry and fruit.
Glory to you for the sparkling silver of early morning dew.
Glory to you for the joy of dawn's awakening.
Glory to you for the new life each day brings.
Glory to you O God, from age to age.
Gregory Petrov
