Hey, folks.

A few years ago I read one of Bradbury's poems--perhaps it was about the moon--and I haven't seen it anywhere since then. I believe it was an argument for space travel. I found it in Omni or one of the other "slicks." I know this isn't much to go on, but if nothing else, it gives you guys something with which to test your grasp of Bradbury trivia.

Thanks!

Thanks to Mr. Frank Palumbo for his timely response to my query. Please consult Omni of April 2000--at least I think this is the year; Frank, you might correct me on this.

The poem is reprinted here for your reading pleasure. However, the first few words of the poem are still among the missing, so if you would all please consult your Omni magazines, we can complete the poem.

... ... seen the stars,
Not one, not one
Of all the creatures on this world
In all the ages since the sands
First touched the wind,
Not one, not one,
No beast of all the beasts has stood
On meadowland or plain or hill
And known the thrill of looking at those fires.
Our soul admires what they,
Oh, they, have never known.
Five billion years have flown
In turnings of the spheres,
But not once in all those years
Has lion, dog, or bird that sweeps the air
Looked there, oh, look. Looked there.
Ah, God, the stars. Oh, look, there!

It is as if all time had never been,
Nor Universe or Sun or Moon
Or simple morning light.
Those beasts, their tragedy was mute and blind,
And so remains. Our sight?
Yes, ours? to know now what we are.

But think of it, then choose. Now, which?
Born to raw Earth, inhabiting a scene,
And all of it no sooner viewed, erased,
As if these miracles had never been?
Vast circlings of sounding fire and frost,
And all when focused, what? as quickly lost?

Or us, in fragile flesh, with God's new eyes
That lift and comprehend and search the skies?
We watch the seasons drifting in the lunar tide
And know the years, remembering what's died.

Date of printing of the poem in OMNI magazine was April, 1980 (pg. 90).

No problem. I think I have the old Omni magazine as well, but the poem was printed in The Complete poems of Ray Bradbury (Ballantine/Del Rey, 1982, p. 79). The missing part goes:

THEY HAVE NOT SEEN THE STARS

They have not seen the stars,
Not one, not one
Of all the creatures on this world ...
etc.

There's another stanza with about twenty lines after the above quote, as well.

I've uncovered my very first post ( 11-29-2001 10:43 AM ) and find it more than ironic that it related to a poem. For on my return from NYC last Sunday via train, I was taken by a poem RB wrote long ago. The poem is entered at the outset of Illustrated Life (Weist), and follows below as it appears on p.16:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THOUGHT AND SPACE
A Poem by Ray D. Bradbury (1940)

Space--thy boundaries are
Time and time alone.
No earth-born rocket,
seedling skyward sown,
Will ever reach your cold,
infinite end,
This power is not Man's to
build or send.
Great deities laugh down,
venting their mirth,
At struffling bipeds on
a cloud-wrapped Earth,
Chained solid on a war-swept,
waning globe,
For FATE, who witnesses,
to pry and probe.

BUT LIST! One weapon have
I stronger yet!
Prepare Infinity! And
Gods regret!
Thought, quick as light,
shall pierce the veil,
To reach the lost beginnings
Holy Grail.
Across the sulen void on
soundless trail,
Where new-spawned suns and
chilling planets wail,
One thought shall travel
'midst the gods' playthings,
Past cindered globes where
choking flame still sings.

No wall of force yet have ye
firmly wrought,
That chains the supreme
strength of purest thought.
Unleashed, without a body's
slacking hold,
Thought leaves the ancient
Earth behind to mold.
And when the galaxies have
heeded Death,
And welcomed lastly SPACE'S
poisoned breath,
Still shall thought travel
as an arrow flown.
SPACE--thy boundaries are
TIME--AND TIME ALONE!



[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 04-29-2005).]