An Airman's Ecstasy

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High Flight (An Airman's Ecstasy)
by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

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 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.



My eternal thanks JC Magee for this great inspiration. Today is his birthday. Take a few minutes and remember him by reading his bio at Wikipedia

[SkippyBing]

Although I well remember first reading High Flight as the intro to a collection of Second World War aviation tales I've always been partial to Homer Simpson's version "break the surly bonds of gravity and punch the face of God!"!

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As a young kid I would get up really early and turn on the boob tube to watch the morning cartoons in L.A., as we had a local station that began the day (at 5:55 a.m.) with a P51 doing aerobatics to the reading of High Flight. I will never forget those fleeting moments that touched my heart before B. Bunny and friends took over the screen. My guess is that an airman will always remember the first time he (or she) first came into contact with JG Magee's ode to the wonders of the wild blue yonder. Its like the memory of hearing JFK dying... you never forget.

Homer Simpsons version is pretty clever in a way... the first line and the last line put together; propels a misquote into eternity :roll: then again, we all have our favorite and not so favorite Simpson moments. I wonder if there any like wise referrals to Flanders Field.

Those of you who are lucky to share this day with JG Magee... raise a glass of good beer along with me in tribute and salute to the poet whose sonnet has over the years become a mantra to all pilots!