The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus (b. 1848- d. 1887)
Background:
● Lazarus was a writer, poet, and translator who lived in New York City. ● She published her first book of poetry in 1866 and was a prolific writer, publishing dozens of poems and gaining fame for her translation of the Jewish German poet Heinrich Heine. ● She wrote The New Colossus in 1883. It would be auctioned off to raise money for the pedestal that the Statue of Liberty would stand on. ● It was engraved on the base of the pedestal in 1903, 16 years after Lazarus died. ● The poem is influenced by her work with Jewish immigrants. ● The poem personifies the statue, giving it human qualities. ● The rhyme scheme is abbaabba cdcdcd, a Petrarchan sonnet.
Annotated Poem:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, ← refers to the Colossus of Rhodes, a tribute to the Greek god Helios; it was a massive statue that stood at the harbor entrance to the city of Rhodes, Greece, during the rule of Ptolemy III (246-222 BCE). An artist’s rendition can be seen on the right.
With conquering limbs astride from land to land; ← creates an image of Helios which will contrast to the Statue of Liberty herself; he is “conquering” and she will be welcoming, which we see in lines 4-13.
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand ← a contrast to the threat of “conquering limbs”; standing at “sea-washed, sunset gates” suggests that she is patiently waiting.
Content adapted from Biography: Emma Lazarus and the National Park Service: Emma Lazarus. Image sources: Emma Lazarus, Colossus of Rhodes, Statue of Liberty.
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name ← though she is patiently waiting, she is not powerless; the image of “imprisoned lightning” suggests power.
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand ← the “Mother of Exiles,” someone who is there to welcome and comfort those who have left their homelands behind.
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command ← the torch is lighting the way for all who come to this new land.
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. ← it is unclear what exactly what she is referring to here; she may be referencing the Brooklyn Bridge.
“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!” ← lines 9-14 directly address the nations which the immigrants, stating that she will welcome their tired, poor, and huddled masses and allow them to live freely.
Content adapted from Biography: Emma Lazarus and the National Park Service: Emma Lazarus. Image sources: Emma Lazarus, Colossus of Rhodes, Statue of Liberty.