Friday, July 22, 2011

Emma Lazarus' birthday

Emma Lazarus
Today is Emma Lazarus' birthday. Born July 22, 1849, Lazarus wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus," which has become the voice of the Statue of Liberty. Penned in 1883, and bolted to the base of Liberty herself in 1903, the poem is short enough that you can memorize it, which I highly recommend.

Here is the text of "The New Colossus":
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

1 comment:

  1. Really a beautiful piece of writing. Thanks for sharing that today.

    ReplyDelete

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