--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was one bursting now, a delicate…" description: "\"There was one bursting now, a delicate constellation of many-coloured stars which drifted down and lingered in the still air… The final rocket went up,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/jan-struther-13125_air_there-was-one-bursting-now-a-delicate-co_3072991.png" --- # There was one bursting now, a delicate constellation of… ![“There was one bursting now, a delicate constellation of many-coloured stars which drifted down and lingered in the still air… The final rocket went up, a really large one, a piece of reckless extravagance. Its sibilant uprush was impressive, dragonlike; it soared twice as high as any they had had…” quote by Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/jan-struther-13125_air_there-was-one-bursting-now-a-delicate-co_3072991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/jan-struther-13125_air_there-was-one-bursting-now-a-delicate-co_3072991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/jan-struther-13125_air_there-was-one-bursting-now-a-delicate-co_3072991.png) > “There was one bursting now, a delicate constellation of many-coloured stars which drifted down and lingered in the still air… The final rocket went up, a really large one, a piece of reckless extravagance. Its sibilant uprush was impressive, dragonlike; it soared twice as high as any they had had before… The sparks from the rocket came pouring down the sky in a slow golden cascade, vanishing one by one into a lake of darkness.” [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a vivid, extravagant rocket launch, using celestial imagery to convey awe and excess. **In simple terms:** A grand, reckless rocket dazzles the sky. Key Takeaway Appreciate the beauty of bold, daring acts. Themes wonder excess imagery Mood awe melancholy Type poetic descriptive When to use this quote - fireworks display - celebration - artistic description Key Concepts rocket celebration transience Questions to Reflect On - What does the rocket symbolize? - When does spectacle become hollow? A Different Perspective The extravagance may mask underlying emptiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constellations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constellations/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Extravagance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extravagance/) [Happy independence day usa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-independence-day-usa/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Independence day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence-day/) [Lakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lakes/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Reckless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless/) [Rockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rockets/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [“I love you and I will until the end of time.And just as she said the words, two bright stars drifted past them overhead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-love-you-and-i-will-until-the-end-of-time-and-just-as-she-said-the/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [“As time went by, it mattered less and less that in 1969 a rocket went from Florida to the moon and men walked there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-marie-macdonald/as-time-went-by-it-mattered-less-and-less-that-in-1969-a-rocket-went/) [Ann-Marie MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-marie-macdonald/) > [We need an America with the wisdom of experience. 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Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/from-the-prodigious-hilltops-of-new-hampshire-let-freedom-ring-from/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [That which distinguishes this day from all others is that then both orators and artillerymen shoot blank cartridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/that-which-distinguishes-this-day-from-all-others-is-that-then-both/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/but-what-do-we-mean-by-the-american-revolution-do-we-mean-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) ## More by Jan Struther > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. 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I insisted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/i-can-t-abide-cats-myself-but-of-course-we-have-to-have-one-in-the/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [swans ... always look as though they'd just been reading their own fan-mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/swans-always-look-as-though-they-d-just-been-reading-their-own-fan/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [It seemed to her sometimes that the most important thing about marriage was not a home or children or a remedy against sin, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-seemed-to-her-sometimes-that-the-most-important-thing-about/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Physical weather certainly is beyond our control. ... 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