by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887)

Language: English 
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!"

Note: the second piece in Hoiby's song cycle was originally a setting of Thornton Wilder's "Goodbye, Goodbye, World," but after difficulty obtaining international publication rights from the Wilder family, Hoiby withdrew the song and replaced it with this one. Only the words in quotes are set to music.

Composition:

    Set to music by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "The New Colossus", 2018, published 2019, copyright © 2019, first performed 2019 [ baritone and piano ], Saint Louis, E. C. Schirmer

Text Authorship:

  • by Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887), "The New Colossus", written 1883

See other settings of this text.


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , David Sims [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 106