Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled an soard and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
One can imagine the abandon and joy that 19 year-old Magee must have felt on a high flight to 33,000 feet in a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I. To fly such a beautiful and deadly aircraft so close to the heavens at such a young age would have encourage anyone to verse.
Do you have any favorite flying poems or passages you'd like to share? Please use the comments section below to continue this conversation!
Tags: poetry, verse