One of my favorite poems is exhibited on a brass plaque on the inner wall of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. The great American poet Emma Lazarus wrote the poem in 1883. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
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!"
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing this, Sarah. Though I've been to NY several times, I've never had the option to see the Statue of Liberty. It has either been closed because no ferries were running, or closed for repairs, or some other reason.
I knew the last part of the plaque: "Give me your tired, your poor..."
I did not know the first part. This really struck me: "whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome."
We are a nation of immigrants. Today, even with all the infighting we experience in our country, immigrants still look to come here. I pray we can find a balanced way to welcome immigrants when things do fall apart in their country; and to help other countries to stabilize so people won't feel the need to leave their country at all. Like most human problems, it is not something we can do alone. It is a worldwide problem.
Maggie, I agree with you 100%. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
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