"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 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 windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high unsurpassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
Written by
Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr
RCAF 1941
The story of how the poem came to be written is quite interesting.
Due to copyright restrictions, I decided not to post it here.
If you are interested, just type "high flight" into a
search engine and take your pick of websites.
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
Music: Elysium
By Rebecca Theroux
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It does not represent any organization.
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The background image is that of John G. Magee, Jr.
