Story of the Aeroplane

“For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be;“Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails,Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales;“Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rained a ghastly dewFrom the nations’ airy navies grappling in the central blue;“Far along the world-wide whisper of the south wind rushing warm,With the standards of the peoples plunging through the thunder-storm;“Till the war-drum throbbed no longer, and the battle-flags were furledIn the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world.”