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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SPARK OUT OF HEAVEN, by JOHN RUSSELL MCCARTHY First Line: Dull with toil Last Line: For a star. Subject(s): Progress | |||
Dull with toil When the dawn is red, A market-load Upon her head, -- The long trail echoes A woman's tread. Weary with dreams That lone men know, Across the desert Slow and slow, With caravans The merchants go. Urging on With eager hands, The pioneer Across the sands Drives his oxen To promised lands. (Build us a world, O Pioneer, With toil and glory And bitter tear, That we may follow Toil and tear!) Steam! And the throttle Across the plain Makes neighbors of cities And fields of grain-An iron god By a dreaming brain. Spark out of heaven Streaking down, And night is day In the laboring town. Spark out of heaven Hot and fast, And men have wings Of birds at last. (Build your dreams O Pioneer, That we may follow Toil and tear!) Spark out of heaven Guided and bound, And truth goes flashing The wide world round. Spark and rubber And tempered steel, Five-ton magic On massive wheel, -- Suddenly The giants reel. Out of the dust Where dream-things are, Out of the sky Between star and star, Was wrought at last The magic car. A woman's head Goes laughing free, Lone old merchants Bend the knee, While one man sings At the work of three. Long lonely hills Shall know the tread Of men who gather Grain for bread -- By man-made wonders Men are fed. Not long shall poor In cities dread The ghost of famine Overhead. By spark and steel The ghost is dead! (Build on, brave dreamers! Far and wide The millions gather To your side-Upon your dreams A world shall ride.) Song of the Earth On viewless wing Shall pierce the void Where planets swing -- On Venus' hills Man's voice shall sing. Spark from heaven And brain of man, These two met And dreams began, -- Who shall bound The wonder-plan? For one shall build A wonder-car And ride the blue Where planets are -- Invading heaven For a star. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DECAYING LAMBSKINS by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE CLEARING OF THE LAND: AN EPITAPH by LARRY LEVIS TO THE SOUL OF 'PROGRESS' by MARIANNE MOORE IF THIS IS PARADISE by DORIANNE LAUX FISH PEDDLER AND COBBLER by KENNETH REXROTH |
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