The Song of the Strange Ascetic
If I had been a Heathen,
I'd have praised the purple vine,
My slaves should dig the vineyards,
And I would drink the wine.
But Higgins is a Heathen,
And his slaves grow lean and grey,
That he may drink some tepid milk
Exactly twice a day.
If I had been a Heathen,
I'd have crowned Neaera's curls,
And filled my life with love affairs,
My house with dancing girls;
But Higgins is a Heathen,
And to lecture rooms is forced,
Where his aunts, who are not married,
Demand to be divorced.
If I had been a Heathen,
I'd have sent my armies forth,
And dragged behind my chariots
The Chieftains of the North.
But Higgins is a Heathen,
And he drives the dreary quill,
To lend the poor that funny cash
That makes them poorer still.
If I had been a Heathen,
I'd have piled my pyre on high,
And in a great red whirlwind
Gone roaring to the sky;
But Higgins is a Heathen,
And a richer man than I:
And they put him in an oven,
Just as if he were a pie.
Now who that runs can read it,
The riddle that I write,
Of why this poor old sinner,
Should sin without delight-
But I, I cannot read it
(Although I run and run),
Of them that do not have the faith,
And will not have the fun.
poem by Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
The Song of the Strange Ascetic
If I had been a heathen,
I'd have praised the purple vine,
My slaves should dig the vineyards,
And I would drink the wine;
But Higgins is a heathen,
And his slaves grow lean and grey,
That he may drink some tepid milk
Exactly twice a day.
If I had been a heathen,
I'd have crowned Neaera's curls,
And filled my life with love affairs,
My house with dancing girls;
But Higgins is a heathen,
And to lecture rooms is forced,
Where his aunts, who are not married,
Demand to be divorced.
If I had been a heathen,
I'd have sent my armies forth,
And dragged behind my chariots
The Chieftains of the North;
But Higgins is a heathen,
And he drives the dreary quill,
To lend the poor that funny cash
That makes them poorer still.
If I had been a heathen,
I'd have piled my pyre on high,
And in a great red whirlwind
Gone roaring to the sky;
But Higgins is a heathen,
And a richer man than I:
And they put him in an oven,
Just as if he were a pie.
Now who that runs can read it,
The riddle that I write,
Of why this poor old sinner
Should sin without delight;
But I, I cannot read it
(Although I run and run),
Of them that do not have the faith,
And will not have the fun.
poem by G.K. Chesterton (1913)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The Christian missionary may preach the gospel to the poor naked heathen, but the spiritual heathen who populate Europe have as yet heard nothing of Christianity.
If we allow the consideration of heathen morality and heathen religion to absolve us from the duty of preaching the gospel we are really deposing Christ from His throne in our own souls.
quote by Roland Allen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Happy Heathen: (With limited apologies to G.K.C.)
The heathen's not efficient;
He sits down in the sun
And doesn't care a tuppn'y dump
When the day's work's begun.
He works to eat and eats to live,
All day he'll dance and sing;
And if you mention overtime
He laughs like anything.
But we are most efficient!
And, goodness! Look at us!
Our nights are filled with restless dreams,
Our days with fret and fuss.
And we can have depressions
And modern things like that,
And monoplanes and motor cars
And trousers and a hat.
The heathen's not efficient;
He does not value gold;
And when we'd teach him of its worth
He simply won't be told.
He'll hang gold coins about his neck
For foolish ornament,
While half a bread-fruit or a ham
Bring him complete content.
Oh, we are most efficient;
We'd pile up heaps of gold
And leave it to ungrateful heirs
When we descend to mould.
But the heathen's not efficient;
He is lazy, free, unkempt,
And from the highly civilized
Earns nothing but contempt.
poem by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis
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Heathen
i am a heathen
walking among the heathen.
i am at home
with the wounded,
the bruised, the troubled,
those who wear their scars
for all the world to see.
i know the darkness
as well as the light....
the darkness around us,
the darkness within me....
and i know that tiny spark
of light... that lies within
the mistake made....
that lies beneath the tears
and fears of the soul oppressed....
that reaches out hand for hand
in the sea of human struggling!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Green Soldiers
The Armies marched with banging drums
That made ill the streams, made black the dreams.
The Armies marched with cracking horns,
Each soldier robed in robes of green.
With green swords they cut her down,
Greyed her hairs and dimmed her smiles.
Their drums rung around her ears,
Their trophies hung within her tears.
But, in the night Turning Tide
Brought Light, who shone to crack the ice
That Time had made cold and hard
Around each green soldiers heathen heart.
Whispers. Whispers in my ears and in the hills.
'The ice will crack; the blood will flow',
The ice did crack, the blood ran cold
And drowned each green soldiers heathen soul.
We stood just to watch them die,
Let them bleed until their hearts bled dry.
Alas! things could never be the same
With her smiles so dim and her hairs so grey.
poem by Floyd Zimmerman
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I would not attack the faith of a heathen without being sure I had a better one to put in its place.
quote by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lo And Behold
Lonely by day
Empty and cold
Only to say
Lo and behold
Deep in the night
Down in my dreams
Glorious sight
This soul has seen
There's a well on the hill
You just can't kill for Jesus
There's a well on the hill
Let it be
I don't build no heathen temples
Where the Lord has done laid his hand
There's a well on the hill
Let it be
Everyone's talking 'bout the gospel story
Some shall sink and some shall rise
Everyone's talking 'bout the train to glory
Long, long time 'til it gets here to you, baby
There's a well on the hill
You just can't kill for Jesus
There's a well on the hill
Let it be
I don't build no heathen temples
Where the Lord has done laid a hand
There's a well on the hill
Let it be
song performed by by James Taylor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I'm a heathen when it comes to marriage.
quote by Greta Scacchi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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However, there's no theme or concept behind Heathen, just a number of songs but somehow there is a thread that runs through it that is quite as strong as any of my thematic type albums.
quote by David Bowie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If I be worthy, I live for my God to teach the heathen, even though they may despise me.
quote by Saint Patrick
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I didn't mind being unpopular at school, because everyone else was a heathen.
quote by Jeanette Winterson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Nearly all the synth work on Heathen is mine and some of the piano.
quote by David Bowie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lo & Behold
Lonely by day
Empty and cold
Only to say
Lo and behold
Deep in the night
Down in my dreams
Glorious sight
This soul has seen
Theres a well on the hill
You just cant kill for jesus
Theres a well on the hill
Let it be
I dont build no heathen temples
Where the lord has done laid his hand
Theres a well on the hill
Let it be
Everyones talking bout the gospel story
Some shall sink and some shall rise
Everyones talking bout the train to glory
Long, long time til it gets here to you, baby
Theres a well on the hill
You just cant kill for jesus
Theres a well on the hill
Let it be
I dont build no heathen temples
Where the lord has done laid a hand
Theres a well on the hill
Let it be
song performed by by James Taylor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mere heathen morality, and not Jesus Christ, is preached in most of our churches.
quote by George Whitefield
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Heathen Town
We used to call it sin city
Now its gone way past that.
Painting the town
And then burning it down.
And even thats old hat.
Now there a choir of angles
And the fall of rome
Singing ave maria
Or home sweet home
Chorus:
Its just a heathen town
I hear only evil
As my tongue is tightened.
I used to be god-fearing
Now Im so frightened
cause the devil will drag you under
By the sharp tailfin
Of your checquered cab (? )
Now I cant sit down,
Im going overboard
In this heathen town.
Starts as an a flirtation
And ends up as an expensive habit.
With one eye on her place (? ? )
And thats his prison
And the other on a girl
Dressed as a rabbit.
Now you can live forever
In your fits and starts
The only stake you cannot raise
Is the one driven through your heart.
Chorus
The people all said sit down,
Sit down youre rocking the boat.
The people all said sit down,
Sit down youre rocking the boat.
cause the devil will drag you under
By the sharp lapels of your checkered coat.
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down youre rocking the boat.
song performed by by Elvis Costello
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Valley Of Decision
Assemble yourselves and come to me all you heathen,
For there is hope in the Valley of Decision!
And consider all things very carefully before acting.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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So stick up ivy and the bays, and then restore the heathen ways, green will remind you of the Spring, though this great day denies the thing, and mortifies the earth, and all, but your wild revels, and loose hall.
quote by Henry Vaughan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Laziness
'Idleness is the Enemy of the Soul'
Said St. Benedict.
He was a godly man.
A hard day's graft makes a good disciple!
Personally I'm a Heathen,
I lie in bed till noon
And worship the Bone Idol!
poem by John Thorkild Ellison
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The Inheritance
Slaves and slavery,
Trespassing and kidnapping,
The inheritance of the firstborn son is now overthrown! !
But your first ripe produce from your vineyard is like,
The very sweet fruits of your love!
Love and respect,
Do not mimic to the heathen!
And just as it is prophesied,
But i will come for your sweet fruits always.
One who is quick-tempered always acts foolishly,
But a sound understanding gains honour;
And a merry heart lights up the face,
So be very wise to do the right things always in life.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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