Poem: High Flight by John Gillespie Magee

[janne_d]

Continuing my personal poetry anthology with a poem by a pilot.


High Flight

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 and soared and swung
High in the sun-lit silence. Hovering 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 untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

-- John Gillespie Magee

This has been a favourite of mine since I first read it - I love the second line and the tone of the poem seems very joyful to me. There's a lot of brightness and playful movement in it as well as the laughter.

I believe that the author was a WWII pilot - I don't know if anyone who wasn't a pilot could have written it.