the author seems to be mourning the loss of people's sense of reason and intuition in the modern age ("all drowned in doubt and shame, and I knew that I had lost my sight"), becoming dependent on technology to guide them through the wilderness.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot was a slave spiritual sung on plantations; slaves sang for the chariot to "swing low, and carry me home". Magellan was the first man to circumnavigate the globe (and is also the GPS software brand).
When he says "Swing Low, Oh Magellan" the author might be yearning for a way to find his way home, on his own power.
the author seems to be mourning the loss of people's sense of reason and intuition in the modern age ("all drowned in doubt and shame, and I knew that I had lost my sight"), becoming dependent on technology to guide them through the wilderness.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot was a slave spiritual sung on plantations; slaves sang for the chariot to "swing low, and carry me home". Magellan was the first man to circumnavigate the globe (and is also the GPS software brand).
When he says "Swing Low, Oh Magellan" the author might be yearning for a way to find his way home, on his own power.