Daedalus And Icarus, Page 1 Of 2 Poem by John Bliven Morin

Daedalus watched the birds on high,
And wished that he could also fly;
But he did more than wish, bright man,
He studied wings and made a plan.
With Icarus, his son and heir,
Gathered feathers everywhere;
Made frames both strong and light,
Working steadily, day and night.
A thousand feathers for each wing,
Attached with wax and sap and string;
Leather straps to hold them tight,
Leather thongs to guide them right.

At last he proudly said, “My son,
With your help, our wings are done
And now we’ve only them to try;
With care, I think that we can fly.”
Throughout the city, could be heard
“Daedalus thinks that he’s a bird! ”
“Come see the fool, who, with his son
Believes that he can fly like one! ”
As they passed by, among the jeers
Were also words of praise and cheers
“If Daedalus can learn to fly,
Great Zeus, then maybe so can I! ”

And thus the two passed through the town
The cheers did not escape the Crown
The King himself came out to see
Who these two popular men should be
He called his wisest councelors
And asked them all, behind closed doors,
“Is’t possible these two upstarts can
Fly? ” “No! ” they answered, to a man.
“Then let us gather all to see
This prideful pair fail miserably! ”

Daedalus and Icarus led the host
Up the highest mountain on the coast,
Strapped on their feathered wings and stepped
To the edge of the cliff, then off they leapt!
A gasp went up from the left and right,
For at first they plummeted out of sight,
But then an “Oh! ” from all the horde,
As Daedalus and Icarus upward soared,
And thus achieved man’s primal flight,
Away from Crete and out of sight.