“The bird let loose in Eastern skies,
Returning fondly home,
Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam;
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay,
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.”

— Thomas Moore

Oh that I had Wings.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Thomas Moore 108

Irish poet, singer and songwriter 1779–1852

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“The bird let loose in Eastern skies,Returning fondly home,Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor fliesWhere idle warblers roam;But high she shoots through air and light,Above all low delay,Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,Nor shadow dims her way.”

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Thomas Moore 108

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“The bird let loose in Eastern skies,
Returning fondly home,
Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam;
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay,
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.”