The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus -- Poem and reading notes
The New Colossus 1883 Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, // A famous Greek Colossus With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand // Warm, welcoming words A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame // The gatekeeper of America is a woman 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 // She says America doesn't need fancy ancient histories 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!" // Everyone's welcome in America