O THE proud purr of it!
Whiz of it, whir of it!
O the fierce might of it,
Flare of it, flight of it,
Spin of it, speed of it,
Grip of it, greed of it!
O the wild will of it,
Throb of it, thrill of it,
Vim of it, verve of it,
Swoop of it, swerve of it!
Like a great dragon-fly over the blue,
So it flared, so it flashed, so it flickered and flew.
Nay, but the Hand of it,
Taking command of it;
And the wise Soul of it,
Keeping control of it;
And the brave Heart of it,
Beating as part of it,
Aiming the dart of it
Into the air:
That is the best of it,
Ruling the rest of it,
That is the marvel and miracle there!
Yonder no engine, witless and blind,
Driven by senseless piston and rod;
Its pinions are courage, its pilot is mind;
Its petrol and steam
Are vision and dream;
Its nostrils are filled with the breath of a god,
For there, like a speck, 'twixt the wings' mighty span,
Sit the Courage and Cunning and Strength of a Man!
O wind thou art humbled, O space thou art slain
By the wiles of a heart, and the wit of a brain!
O the way of it,
Swoop of it, sway of it!
O the wild will of it,
Throb of it, thrill of it!