Death & Dying

In the Blue Heaven

by Henry van Dyke 1852–1933

From The Poems of Henry van Dyke (1925)

Death & Dying

In the blue heaven the clouds will come and go,
Scudding before the gale, or drifting slow
As galleons becalmed in Sundown Bay:
And through the air the birds will wing their way
Soaring to far-off heights, or flapping low,
Or darting like an arrow from the bow;
And when the twilight comes the stars will show,
One after one, their tranquil bright array
In the blue heaven.

But ye who fearless flew to meet the foe,
Eagles of freedom,--nevermore, we know,
Shall we behold you floating far away.
Yet clouds and birds and every starry ray
Will draw our heart to where your spirits glow
In the blue Heaven.

✦ ✦ ✦

From "The Red Flower and Golden Stars". Dated March, 1919 in the source. Printed beneath the poem: For the American Aviators who died in the war.

MLA

Dyke, Henry van. “In the Blue Heaven.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/vandyke/164/.

Chicago

Dyke, Henry van. “In the Blue Heaven.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/vandyke/164/.

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