But not the first Illusion, the new earth,
The march upon the solitary fire,
The casting of the dice of death and birth
Against a giant, for a blind desire,
The stream uncrossed, the promise still untried,
The metal sleeping in the mountainside.

— Stephen Vincent Benét Western Star (1943)

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Western Star (1943), prelude, section 3, stanza 6, p. 7–8. The last two lines were quoted by Senator George McGovern in his remarks nominating R. Sargent Shriver as his vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket, in a television address from the Capitol (August 5, 1972).

But not the first Illusion, the new earth,
The march upon the solitary fire,
The casting of the dice of death and birth
Against a giant, for a blind desire,
The stream uncrossed, the promise still untried,
The metal sleeping in the mountainside.

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But not the first Illusion, the new earth,The march upon the solitary fire,The casting of the dice of death and birthAgainst a giant, for a blind desire,The stream uncrossed, the promise still untried,The metal sleeping in the mountainside.

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More quotes by Stephen Vincent Benét

Attribution

But not the first Illusion, the new earth,
The march upon the solitary fire,
The casting of the dice of death and birth
Against a giant, for a blind desire,
The stream uncrossed, the promise still untried,
The metal sleeping in the mountainside.