America

Alice Corbin

1881 to 1949

Poem Image

I hear America singing,
        And the great prophet passed,
       Serene, clear, and untroubled,
       Into the silence vast.

       When will the master poet
       Rise with vision strong
       To mold her manifold music
       Into a living song?

I hear America singing,
       Beyond the beat and stress,
       The chant of her shrill, unjaded,
       Empiric loveliness.

       Laughter, beyond mere scorning,
       Wisdom surpassing wit,
       Love, and the unscathed spirit,
       These shall encompass it.