Re: TWL: Hail Columbia
They have slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God.
"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 wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or 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, Jr.
High Flight was composed by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an
American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was born in Shanghai,
China in 1922, the son of missionary parents, Reverend and Mrs. John
Gillespie Magee; his father was an American and his mother was originally a
British citizen.
He came to the U.S. in 1939 and earned a scholarship to Yale, but in
September 1940 he enlisted in the RCAF and was graduated as a pilot. He was
sent to England for combat duty in July 1941.
In August or September 1941, Pilot Officer Magee composed High Flight and
sent a copy to his parents. Several months later, on December 11, 1941, his
Spitfire collided with another plane in clouds over England, and Magee, only
19 years of age, crashed to his death.
Joseph:
Thank you for sharing "High Flight" with us.
Although yesterday's events were not directly related to trawlers, it was
indeed a sad day. When our family was on our modified big loop trip we had
the privilege of watching the Shuttle Endeavor lift off. After taking the
tour of the Space Center a few days before, it was one of the highlights of
our adventure.
While growing up in the 50's and 60's, the local TV station in Detroit used
to "sign off" the air every evening by showing a spot featuring High Flight.
It was footage taken from a jet fighter as it performed an "aerial ballet"
while a voice over read High Flight. I always enjoyed it, and thought it
was well done.
Thank you for providing more information about its author.
My apologies to the list for posting this "off-topic" message.
Bob Foss
I just returned from my Boat on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf coast. My wife
called me at 8:03 am Saturday morning from our home in Nacogdoches in a fit
of Panic. She was sure we were being attached and that a bomb had gone off.
I talked to her for a few minutes as she settled down. She explained that
just a few minutes before a thundering roar went over our home and then a
great explosion that shook the house to the point she though all the windows
would break. As we continued to talk the first news reports started coming
in over the TV. She had the TV on trying to find out what happened. It was
the news bulletin that assured her we were not under attack, but the feeling
of despair only deepened when we learned the truth. I packed up and headed
home to find our farm was in the direct debris path of the flight as it went
over Nacogdoches. We now have found, along with our immediate neighbors many
pieces of the craft on our contiguous farms. The largest is the fuel sphere
currently being shown on NBC. It has had a sobering effect on the entire
community of about 30,000. But everyone that can is out helping to locate
debris not as voyeurs, or out of morbid curiosity, but rather in a need to
help. I grew up in Houston near the Space center. I watched Alan Shepard in
fist grade and saw a man on the moon the year I graduated from high school.
I moved to Nacogdoches in 1978, but never though the hero's I grew up with
would come so close to my home. We will miss the young men and women of the
Columbia. They had some much still to give to our world. They did, I hope,
bring the world's attention to the fact the USA sent a crew into space that
was a of multi ethnic, color, religion, and gender make-up. They worked and
died together as a group serving the greater good for the world. This is one
of the lessons the world needs to understand about the USA. I hope this fact
is not lost in the wash; it is the power of their symbolism. God Bless.
Mike Finley
48 LRC Hatteras
Nacogdoches Texas
-----Original Message-----
From: trawler-world-list-bounces@lists.samurai.com
[mailto:trawler-world-list-bounces@lists.samurai.com]On Behalf Of Joseph J.
Blass
Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 12:01 AM
To: trawler-world-list@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: TWL: Hail Columbia
They have slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God.
"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
bject or body of the message.