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The Night We Went To Birmingham By Way Of Beachy Head....
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| G.K. Chesterton and his wife Frances |
Well, yes...that is the long way round, but what a joyous and wonderful trip
it will be through the life and works of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, from his novels, to his short stories, his absolutely delightful
poetry,the sly, wickedly hilarious,
The Rolling English Road is
a big favourite. Chesterton was a devoute Catholic, and like C.S. Lewis, wrote copiously on his beliefs and philosophy. Despite
the rather dour expression Chesterton's face in pictures of him, he had a very wicked sense of humour, witness his brilliant
and very biting and wickedly funny satire of the spy novel genre in The Man Who Was Thursday, infact, come along with us and witness everything we can find out about G.K.
Chesterton, his life, quotes, and read some of his works, links to which, we have provided for you, just to the right hand
side there.....Oh.....and watch out for that road........
The Rolling
English Road
by G.K.Chesterton
- Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
- The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
- A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
- And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
- A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
- The night we went to Birmingham by way of
- Beachy Head.
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I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
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And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
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But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
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To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
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Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our
hands,
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The night we went to Glastonbury by way of
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Goodwin Sands.
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His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
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Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
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The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which
was which,
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But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the
ditch.
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God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
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The night we went to Bannockburn by way of
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Brighton Pier.
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My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
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Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
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But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
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And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
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For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be
seen,
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Before we go to Paradise by way of
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Kensal Green.
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the music you hear:
The Rolling English Road
set to music by
Steeleye Span
The webpage of The Church of St. Teresa, Beaconsfield.
Chesterton's home parish. It includes
pictures of Chesterton
and interesting biographical information.
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Some G.K. Chesterton Works
these are a few of the many e-texts to
be found on the Internet. For a fuller listing,
see the above link,
G.K Chesterton's Works On The Web
Father Brown Stories
Others
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