High Flight

High Flight by John Magee

Read by Richard.
Produced by Jana Elizabeth.

Hello,
This is Richard,

What do you think it would feel like to fly a plane? Not just any old plane, but a heroic machine of World War II, the famous Spitfire which could fly at up to 362 miles per hour and was the most agile aircraft of its day. It could turn sharp corners, roll over, loop the loop, and pull into steep climbs or drop into dramatic dives.

This poem was written during the war by a Spitfire pilot. It’s about the sheer thrill and freedom of flying solo, soaring above the clouds, and taking in all the beauty of the empty skies. I will tell you a little more about the writer later, but first here’s his poem.

High Flight

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

And that was High Flight by John Magee. John Magee was born in Shanghai in China in 1922. His father was American and his mother English. He went to a famous English school called Rugby where he learned to love poems written by First World War soldiers including Rupert Brooke - whose poem The Soldier I will also be reading out on Storynory.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Magee was in the United States. He was so keen to join the war, that he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and learned to fly. Canada was Britain’s ally in the war, and many of its brave pilots fought and flew in the Battle of Britain in June 1940. Magee was posted to England in June 1941 and earned his wings as a Spitfire pilot. He was killed in a mid air collision when he was just 19 years old. His life was tragically short but he left us this wonderful poem about flying.

And if you enjoy listening to poems and stories, you can find loads more free audio at Storynory.com.