Original Poem...1893
America...A poem for July 4
Katherine Lee Bates
O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Til paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
O beautiful for glory-tale,
Of liberating strife,
When once or twice, for man's avail,
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Til selfish gain no longer stain,
The banner of the free!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Til nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!
I don't think I had ever read or known about the original poem
that was the basis for the traditional song
"America the Beautiful"
Did you???
Hooray! Wonderful red, white and blue against that big blue sky. Happy 4th of July to you too, Chieftess. Hope you have a parade and some fireworks. Something I really miss!
ReplyDeleteWe went to the parade but skipped the fireworks LOL!!!
DeleteI guess it's hard to get the right beat with halcyon. Hope you had a nice holiday.
ReplyDeleteHaha!!! Halcyon is a tough one Margaret!!!
DeleteI did not at all! (Chuckling at Margaret's comment too:) How lovely to see this today. Hope you've enjoyed a great 4th!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a fun day!!! We have impromptu guests from Sacramento! My cousin and his wife are escaping from the heat in Sac!!! And we glad they did!!!
DeleteI had no idea this was originally a poem. Thanks for sharing and I hope you had a great 4th.
ReplyDelete