The New Colossus

Liberty Enlightening the World poster

The New Colossus

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!"


Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883

 
A bronze plaque with the words of the poem "The New Colossus" raised on it.
The 1903 bronze plaque located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.  An exact replica of this plaque is now located in the Statue of Liberty Museum.

NPS

Last updated: August 14, 2019

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