High Flight By John Gillespie Magee Jr.

[conuly]

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 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 ever 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.

https://mailchi.mp/poetryfoundation/ddhhm56x8z?e=ffe607c43e

Comments

[dine]

thanks for reminding me of this poem - I've always loved it!

[chanter1944]

So that's where the spliced quote from '86's January came from. I never knew the whole of it.

Icon used because of the pictured man's ship, name and story. If unfamiliar, the spacefaring vessel in question is the Christa.

[jessie_c]

Then there's the version annotated by the FAA.

[darkoshi]

Thank you for linking to that, it was much funny :)

[darkoshi]

A coincidence - I came across the same poem only 6 days ago, on this page, while looking something up:
https://www.irememberjfk.com/when-tv-stations-signed-off-at-midnight/

edited to add:
This page (linked from the one you posted) has interesting info about the poem and author:
https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/753695/words-to-high-flight/

and it also links to this TV signoff reading of the poem, which was referenced in my above link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoL-KCFbIpA

[siderea]

Oh, that is excellent.

[conuly]

Necessary and useful advice.

[conuly]

Thankies :)

Echoing similar observations above...

[full_metal_ox]

Boy, does that bring back childhood memories of the signoff after Shock Theatre (or awakening at the crack of sign-on before the Saturday morning cartoons) in Dayton, Ohio; “High Flight” preceding the National Anthem was a popular trope in cities where aviation was a prominent industry.