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-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus"

This sonnet written in 1883 by poet Emma Lazarus appears on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty placed there in 1903. On this day in 1949 Emma Lazarus was born in New York City. She is most known for her work in advocacy on behalf of Jewish refugees and immigrants inspiring her most famous poem, “Song of a Semite.“ You can find her poems at your local NYPL branch.

(via nypl)

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