Flying with Wadsworth

The heights by great men reached and kept
were not attained by sudden flight,
For they while their companions slept,
were toiling upward in the night.

I came across the above quote only once, and ages ago, when I was merely some 6 or 7 years old. But human memory is a funny thing. I have written before about such clear recollections from my distant past, and had the urge to document this inspiring instance.

The famous lines by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow conjure for me an image of a soaring eagle or arctic tern. Or an albatross. I remember going across our housing complex in Madurai, to bungalow #3, to check out this new wall mural of the bird in flight. The couplet bounced off the waves beneath. I think the artist was around too.

I am not much into poetry, usually preferring the humorous prose of P. G. Wodehouse or the fast-paced action of Dan Brown. But these short words from a renowned source make me want to dig deeper into Wadsworth's other contributions. Maybe I will, some day...