A prayer of gratitude for the wonder of all creation is embedded in the Song of the Three Young Men and reads, in part, “Let the earth glorify the Lord, praise him and highly exalt him forever. Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas and streams, O whales and all that move in the waters. All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, praise him and highly exalt him for ever.”
I rise early most mornings to sit in the dark and watch the dawn creep over the West Maui Mountains shedding light across the sea, illuminating the pali of Molokai across the way, dispersing the clouds and awakening life. Whales are everywhere this morning. Excited voices from the lanai next door shout “There it is; see it; there; it’s a breach; wow!” Five or six whales, at least one a new born, laze a few hundred yards off shore. The sea is calm to it’s easy to see many more as far as five miles out. I am surrounded by birds, mostly mynahs and sparrows, in heavy conversation about something.
By this time next week we will have returned home to Walla Walla. I’ll rise early and sit in the dark to watch the dawn creep over the Blue Mountains shedding light across our valley, and the Three Young Men will sing, “Glorify the Lord O beasts of the wild, and all you flocks and herds. O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, praise him and highly exalt him for ever.”
Amen
I would like to rise earlier but in consideration of how important it is for you to arise and greet the dawn alone……..I stay sleeping (yawn)..xoxoxo
Translation matters: The modern translations of this song, quite appropriately and accurately translate Three Young Men rather than the traditional KJV Song of the Three Children. Even the KJV translates the Hebrew common term b'nai Yisrael as \”children of Israel\” instead of literally \”sons of Israel\”. But the mountain people of the South have a country song on this, saying \”Little Daniel prayed, morning, noon and night\”. It's \”Little\” Daniel because they took \”Three Children\” as being small children! If they had used a modern translation, as you did, it would have said \”Young Daniel prayed\”. The archaic language of the King James Version has produced many such misunder-standings!