The World
Love built a stately house, where Fortune came,
And spinning fancies, she was heard to say
That her fine cobwebs did support the frame,
Whereas they were supported by the same;
But Wisdom quickly swept them all away.
The Pleasure came, who, liking not the fashion,
Began to make balconies, terraces,
Till she had weakened all by alteration;
But reverend laws, and many a proclomation
Reforméd all at length with menaces.
Then entered Sin, and with that sycamore
Whose leaves first sheltered man from drought and dew,
Working and winding slily evermore,
The inward walls and summers cleft and tore;
But Grace shored these, and cut that as it grew.
Then Sin combined with death in a firm band,
To raze the building to the very floor;
Which they effected,--none could them withstand;
But Love and Grace took Glory by the hand,
And built a braver palace than before.
poem by George Herbert
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
This House
(nile rodgers)
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
Our toys are in the attic baby
Pictures on the wall
We can see our memories
From the days past in the mirror
Down the hall, oh yeah
Our love will survive in our own little paradise
So inspired, so inspired
Palatial it may not be
But its a home and a castle to me
A dream from a magazine
And well never give it up cause
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
Ill try to comfort you baby
You try to comfort me yeah
I know you love me
With all your heart, oh yeah
cause you say you do
You know that when you are sad
Ill be there in a flash
At the drop of a hat, oh yeah
cause I want you to feel love
And you dont have to say a thing
You dont have to ask, cause baby
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
Maybe well strike it rich
One day really make it big
And I know because our love is so strong
Well always have a home
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
This house is built
On a foundation of love
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Walls
Walls of stone and walls of brick,
Some walls thin and some walls thick,
Walls so high and walls so low,
Walls to hide and walls to show.
Walls quite short and walls quite tall,
Some walls, last well, some walls fall,
Walls for comfort, walls of hate,
Walls for security, walls ornate.
Some as a barricade, some to support,
Walls of wood and walls of iron wrought,
Walls as a barrier, walls to enclose,
Some are to sit on, some to lean and doze.
Walls we build ourselves, these aren't good,
Walls for privacy, walls that have stood,
So many years through weather foul or fine,
Walls, that are yours, walls that are mine.
Brick by brick they are built to last,
Whether built now or in the past,
They shelter us from so many things,
And shield us from whatever this life brings.
poem by Ernestine Northover
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Walls
Everyone around me
Looked equally strange
Some laughed
Some cried
Some remained indifferent
To me everyone
Is the same—
Strangers! .
Each built around me
A wall of one’s choice
Love indifference shame
I grew up
I sat
I slept
I played
I moved
All within those walls
Destiny went on
Gnawing at me
I grew up
I raved to look
Beyond those walls
In vain!
How these walls
Built silently
Without brick or cement
Shut me to myself!
poem by Indira Babbellapati
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The house built on the sand may oftentimes be built higher, have more fair parapets and battlements, windows and ornaments, than that which is built upon the rock; yet all gifts and privileges equal not one grace.
His True Church
I know many religious people, and one Church with no steeple,
A church that’s built with no walls, built on only believing souls,
Built upon an Eternal Foundation, that being our very Salvation,
Built upon The One Cornerstone, and that is Jesus Christ alone.
Many, who worship in a building, to Truth alone, are unyielding,
Building a church on tradition, God’s Truth, with man’s addition,
Added to the work finished by, Jesus Christ who reigns on high,
Ignoring His words “it is finished”, Grace by many is diminished.
Men making a way to Heaven, not by grace but religious leaven,
Building church in a human way, as they lead many souls astray,
As many souls weekly perch, in the pews of a manmade church,
Relying on their religious activity, to help them work into eternity.
“I will build my Church” He said, that was Christ, who is the Head,
Head of His True Church on earth, filled with souls, by New Birth,
All members being Born Again, into His Church, not one of men,
You’ll find, you no longer search, as a member of God’s Church.
Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life, as Head of the Church of Christ,
And each of us is a living stone, built through faith in Christ alone,
His Church He proceeds to build, to complete as His Father willed,
Leading the only True Church friend, as others shall see in the end.
The Carpenter's Song
My lot grew lighter day by day;
The children grew apace;
I built a little house last May--
No palace like that place.
And--"Father," said she, "sure you know
That once we ate dry bread?
Into our own house now we go!"--
The mother, she is dead!
Her house the undertaker made,
And not the carpenter;
My grace unsaid, the pastor prayed
In loud tones over her.
The day that's spent with merriment,
'Mid blossoms blue and red,
No music lent--my heart was rent!--
The mother, she is dead.
We pulled together many a year;
Like old bird-mates were we;
But who e'er thinks of dying here
While both together be?
Fast barred is every window-blind--
I care not what is said;
Yes, sell the house! I do not mind--
The mother, she is dead!
poem by Carmen Sylva
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Let It Happen
Such a sad procession, winding down the lane
And what a strange impression is branded on my brain
A band was playing -- endless, mindless
It was like a hooligans lament
It was dumb, but it was timeless
I still dont know what it meant
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Behold the lights of london!
The skipper said that his hands shook
His aura eaten by his jealously and all the drugs he took
He said this is the real world buddy!
Toughen up your ass, or itll break.
I said Im not your buddy, buddy,
And your real world is a fake.
(here comes the peace campaigner
She says the end justifies her means
Her words so full of reason fell like napalm on my dreams
I said peace is not a word, never!
She calls me traitor, I just grin
I said youve gotta live it every moment,
Or else youre just sucking wind)
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
(the dj casts his malediction
As the wedding guests appear
It was as cruel as any fiction
I still carry the souvenir)
/
(the dj took his vengeance
As the wedding guests arrived
There was malice in his handshake
Quicksand in his eyes)
As he slunk across the courtyard
From far off I heard a horn
Somewhere in the bleak mid-distance
Something beautiful is born
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
I stumbled down a street of shadows
A black alleluia split the night
(prostitutes / anarchists) and priests were playing stripjack
Underneath the cruel lamplight
I came upon a weeping soldier
He said Im all washed up now, huh
But when I glanced across his shoulder
He held a royal flush
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Im still here, Im still wheeling
Im who I thought I was, or just about
Ill be walking down this boulevard
Until my legs give out
Thoughts like storms and seas are raging
I know it is a matter of degree
But its not the world outside thats changing
Its me!
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Grace is effected
Over me
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Let It Happen
Such a sad procession, winding down the lane
And what a strange impression is branded on my brain
A band was playing -- endless, mindless
It was like a hooligans lament
It was dumb, but it was timeless
I still dont know what it meant
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Behold the lights of london!
The skipper said that his hands shook
His aura eaten by his jealously and all the drugs he took
He said this is the real world buddy!
Toughen up your ass, or itll break.
I said Im not your buddy, buddy,
And your real world is a fake.
(here comes the peace campaigner
She says the end justifies her means
Her words so full of reason fell like napalm on my dreams
I said peace is not a word, never!
She calls me traitor, I just grin
I said youve gotta live it every moment,
Or else youre just sucking wind)
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
(the dj casts his malediction
As the wedding guests appear
It was as cruel as any fiction
I still carry the souvenir)
/
(the dj took his vengeance
As the wedding guests arrived
There was malice in his handshake
Quicksand in his eyes)
As he slunk across the courtyard
From far off I heard a horn
Somewhere in the bleak mid-distance
Something beautiful is born
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
I stumbled down a street of shadows
A black alleluia split the night
(prostitutes / anarchists) and priests were playing stripjack
Underneath the cruel lamplight
I came upon a weeping soldier
He said Im all washed up now, huh
But when I glanced across his shoulder
He held a royal flush
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Im still here, Im still wheeling
Im who I thought I was, or just about
Ill be walking down this boulevard
Until my legs give out
Thoughts like storms and seas are raging
I know it is a matter of degree
But its not the world outside thats changing
Its me!
And whatever needs to happen
Let it happen, let it be
Through all I am protected
Grace is effected
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Over me
Grace is effected
Over me
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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They Came From Distant Places
They came from distant places to this far southern shore
The men who built the city at rest forever more
Some of them could not speak the language but they were strong and young
And they were willing workers and their praises ought be sung
The men who built the city their grandchildren old today
They worked hard to support their wives and families from their old homeland far away
They built the factories, homes and railways and they worked hard for their pay
The men who built the city for years with Nature lay
No monument built to them no last post for them played
For the men who built the city there was never a parade
Only their direct descendants would have heard of them by name
To be honest and hard working is never a claim to fame
The men who built the city their praises remain unsung
And today their grandchildren are not what one would call young.
poem by Francis Duggan
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I built this house just for you!
I built this house just for you
We built it together, but now its coming unglued.
I am your frame because I built you up
But you’re hammering me down, I have to watch out and duck.
Do you want this house and my frame work?
You are showing it and acting like a jerk.
Why listen to your friends because they are just jealous,
I am trying to have a house and your being rebellious.
You must want a new house or a big mansion,
But I am all you’ll need! Are you focused or maybe trancin?
I am all you need or maybe more,
Before me you were considered a whore.
I have your back, but my doesn’t seem good enough,
What more could you want, what other stuff?
I admire your goals and that’s a fact,
But the way you have been acting is totally whack!
I still love you and you know that’s true,
Because when I close my eyes all I see is you!
Please don’t hammer down our house,
On your own, your house would only be suited for a mouse.
So forgive me if this is a little harsh or if it hurts your feelings,
But the truth is the truth and its out and revealing.
So let’s work on our house and build it back up,
Since the truth is out, we will have good luck.
Together our house will be stronger, beautiful, and even a mess.
But if we are honest with one another, the relationship won’t be a guess.
Now it’s all up to you to lay the hammer down and be my shoulder,
But if you don’t stop messing with me, it certainly will be over.
poem by Melanie Weeks
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Pretty Woman
I
That fawn-skin-dappled hair of hers,
And the blue eye
Dear and dewy,
And that infantine fresh air of hers!
II
To think men cannot take you, Sweet,
And enfold you,
Ay, and hold you,
And so keep you what they make you, Sweet!
III
You like us for a glance, you know—
For a word's sake
Or a sword's sake,
All's the same, whate'er the chance, you know.
IV
And in turn we make you ours, we say—
You and youth too,
Eyes and mouth too,
All the face composed of flowers, we say.
V
All's our own, to make the most of, Sweet—
Sing and say for,
Watch and pray for,
Keep a secret or go boast of, Sweet!
VI
But for loving, why, you would not, Sweet,
Though we prayed you,
Paid you, brayed you
in a mortar—for you could not, Sweet!
VII
So, we leave the sweet face fondly there:
Be its beauty
Its sole duty!
Let all hope of grace beyond, lie there!
VIII
And while the face lies quiet there,
Who shall wonder
That I ponder
A conclusion? I will try it there.
IX
As,—why must one, for the love foregone,
Scout mere liking?
Thunder-striking
Earth,—the heaven, we looked above for, gone!
X
Why, with beauty, needs there money be,
Love with liking?
Crush the fly-king
In his gauze, because no honey-bee?
XI
May not liking be so simple-sweet,
If love grew there
'Twould undo there
All that breaks the cheek to dimples sweet?
XII
Is the creature too imperfect,
Would you mend it
And so end it?
Since not all addition perfects aye!
XIII
Or is it of its kind, perhaps,
Just perfection—
Whence, rejection
Of a grace not to its mind, perhaps?
XIV
Shall we burn up, tread that face at once
Into tinder,
And so hinder
Sparks from kindling all the place at once?
XV
Or else kiss away one's soul on her?
Your love-fancies!
—A sick man sees
Truer, when his hot eyes roll on her!
XVI
Thus the craftsman thinks to grace the rose,—
Plucks a mould-flower
For his gold flower,
Uses fine things that efface the rose:
XVII
Rosy rubies make its cup more rose,
Precious metals
Ape the petals,—
Last, some old king locks it up, morose!
XVIII
Then how grace a rose? I know a way!
Leave it, rather.
Must you gather?
Smell, kiss, wear it—at last, throw away!
poem by Robert Browning from Men and Women (1855)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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I Built This House
I built this house from its foundation
It's foundation I made it strong
So that it can't be shaken
By anything
I built this house
On love
Not on lies
I built this house
I turned it into a home
And that was my vision
I built this house
Just like a wise woman
A woman who builds a house on a foundation of a rock
Not like a foolish woman
Who builds a house
On a sand
And then turns and destroys it with her hands
I won't allow anything to break it down
To break my children and my husband
With nonsense
With arguments, alcohol and unfaithfulness
So devil you better live
Cause I built this house
On top of the rock Jesus
poem by Vangile Mtyali
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Out Of Mind Travels
If one chooses to venture into the woods,
Without a guide and alone.
Because of pride one hides,
Without admitting a fear felt inside,
Condoned on one's own.
That choice to be made,
Is theirs alone.
And yet,
With a foolishness decides to continue...
By pushing concerned voices aside!
The experience of this,
Will either make one quickly grow.
Or quicken the end...
Of a stubborn mind that goes...bye bye.
Never to be comprehended or understood!
With a communication seen done publicly...
But,
With self throughout one's neighborhood.
Some people observed seem to enjoy,
These out of mind travels by themselves.
And stuck,
In a rut with the walls built up!
In a twilight zone to stay.
And stuck,
In a rut with the walls built up!
In a twilight zone to stay.
And stuck,
In a rut with the walls built up!
In a twilight zone to stay.
In a twilight zone to stay.
In a rut with the walls built up!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Sandcastles
While sifting through old photographs
Of childhood, black and white,
I came across a scene that stirred
My memory, overnight,
Three children by a sandcastle,
The finest ever made,
My sister, me and Hazel,
Made with bucket, and with spade,
With towers, crenellations
And surrounded by a moat,
The sand was dry, the tide was out
It stood there proud, remote.
Though sixty years have passed since then,
That camera shutter's sight
Caught just one random moment in
An afternoon's delight,
It froze that moment of our lives,
That castle on the sand,
And though the tide swept in that day
That castle, still it stands,
While we watched as the sands of time
Wrought havoc in our lives,
The moat we built could not protect
From husbands, or from wives.
The tide swept in and filled the moat,
The sides began to melt,
The water undermined the walls
And suddenly, they fell,
The love that we had built them with
Was washed right out to sea,
And left no sign of love behind,
For Hazel, Tess or me,
And then we learned the lesson
That our lives revolved around,
That nothing built will last unless
It's built on solid ground.
We spent our lives in dreaming
Building castles in the sand,
Believing that the tide would never turn
To wreck our plans,
We thought love was the answer
'Til discovering, too late,
That love swings on a pendulum,
The other end is hate,
And just as tides flow in and out
And level out the land,
The tides of life wreak havoc with
Our castles in the sand.
7 February 2009
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Its My House
(nickolas ashford/valerie simpson)
Its my house and I live here
(I wanna tell you)
Its my house and I live here
Theres a welcome mat at the door
And if you come on in
Youre gonna get much more
Theres my chair
I put it there
Everything you see
Is with love and care
Its my house and I live here
(I wanna tell you)
Its my house and I live here
On the table, there sits a rose
Through every window
A little light flows
Books of feeling on the shelf above
cause it was built for love
I was built for love
Its my house and I live here
(I wanna tell you)
Its my house and I live here
Theres a candle to light the stairs
Where my dreams await someone to share
Oh, theres music on the radio
And good vibrations wont let me go
I put my name on the ceilin above
cause it was buillt for love
It was built for love, ooh
You say you wanna move in with me
You say you wanna move in with me
Got to follow the rules to get me
Got to follow the rules to get me
You wanna visit my house
Say you wanna drop by
Wanna visit my house, yeah
To see me sometimes
Theres a welcome mat at the door
And if you come on in
Youre gonna get much more
I put my name in the ceilin above
cause it was built for love
It was built for love
Its my house and I live here
(I wanna tell you)
Its my house and I live here
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Loose Change
I built a house of cards
Built a house of rain
Built a house of love
Its hard to build again
Built a road to reason
Built a road to fate
Built a road to the promised land
Right up to the gate
Loose change in my pocket
Future in my hand
Too many distractions
For me to understand
Too many distractions
Got to get back home
Get into something solid
Get out of the zone
Some roads bring renewal
Some roads hide and wait
Some roads promise everything
And steal your fuel away
Loose change in my pocket
Future in my hand
Too many distractions
For me to understand
Some roads I been flyin
Some roads I crashed
Some roads I been sleepin on
Some roads I got back
Some roads I been runnin
Some roads I was stopped
Some roads I been walkin down
Some roads I was lost
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Hymn for Evening
The beam-repelling mists arise,
And evening spreads obscurer skies;
The twilight will the night forerun,
And night itself be soon begun.
Upon thy knees devoutly bow,
And pray the Lord of glory now
To fill thy breast, or deadly sin
May cause a blinder night within.
And whether pleasing vapours rise
Which gently dim the closing eyes,
Which make the weary members bless'd
With sweet refreshment in their rest,
Or whether spirits in the brain
Dispel their soft embrace again,
And on my watchful bed I stay,
Forsook by sleep and waiting day,
Be God for ever in my view
And never He forsake me, too;
But, still as day concludes in night
To break again with new-born light,
His wondrous bounty let me find
With still a more enlighten'd mind
When grace and love in one agree,
Grace from God, and love from me,
Grace that will from heaven inspire,
Love that seals it with desire,
Grace and love that mingle beams,
And fill me with encreasing flames.
Thou that hast Thy palace far
Above the moon and every star,
Thou that sittest on a throne
To which the night was never known,
Regard my voice and make me bless'd,
By kindly granting its request.
If thoughts on Thee my soul employ,
My darkness will afford me joy,
'Till Thou shalt call, and I shall soar,
And part with darkness evermore.
poem by Thomas Parnell
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Today... 'The Cornerstone
Rejected of men for being too good
we crucified you on a cross of wood
But Your Father had other plans for You
for the temple was to be built anew
A building not made of rock or of stone
but one made up of Christians alone
Built of people saved by the grace of God
the Cornerstone is Jesus Christ the Lord
A great temple not built by human skill
but made up of those who follow God's will
The living temple of Your body Lord
because its' builder and maker is God
To build it the old temple had to go
through death so that You could raise it up so.
This is marvellous in our sight O Lord
One in Christ we are the temple of God.
(see also the additional information in the Poet's notes box below)
Heart In My Hands
if i laid down my cross,
by the riverside.
and built a fire
out of things denied.
if i took off my mask,
revealing all i tried to hide.
if i took the chance,
and let you look inside.
would you love me?
would you know me for a man?
would you see me for more
than kingdoms built on sand?
would you if i would?
i know that i can...
i'll stand where i am,
with my heart in my hands.
if we forgot and forgave,
the stumbles and the falls.
if we broke down anger,
and tore down the walls.
if you knew your heart,
would you stop, would you pause?
would your feet follow your longing,
would you answer my call?
would you love me?
would you know me for a man?
would you see me for more
than kingdoms built on sand?
would you if i would?
i know that you can...
just stand where you are,
with your heart in your hands.
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Graceful Pillar
Grace has a pillar of obvious concentration,
Of stone it is built, of a soul and mind it stored.
Grace may live among houses
Where the pier of gratitude is,
Everywhere goes the sea of thankful grace.
Grace has a stationary title of sun and star,
Of goggles the eyes of grace do speak,
Hated is a craving for height, of weight, of general size.
Grace may be open like a shop,
Or the pier of handsome repose is taken by waves
To be eroded and expelled from the land and sea.
poem by Naveed Akram
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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