On the pulse of morning

Citation preview

THE

INAUGURAL POEM

ON THE PULSE

OF

MORNING ^?~>

v

AYA ANGELOU

U.S.A. $12.00 Canada $16.00

Read by

the poet

at the Inauguration

of

William Jefferson Clinton 20 January lggj

Read by

the poet

at the Inauguration

of

William Jefferson Clinton 20 January lggj

ON THE

PULSE OF

MORNING

MAYA ANGELOU

ON THE PULSE

OF

MORNING RANDOM HOUSE ML NEW YORK

TON VILLAS

WV BR

PS3551 .N464 053 1993

Copyright

©

1993 by

All rights reserved

Maya Angelou

under International and

Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published the United States

by

Random

and simultaneously

in

House,

Canada by

Inc.,

New

in

York,

Random House

of Canada Limited, Toronto. This

poem was originally published in a softcover by Random House, Inc., New York,

edition

in February 1993.

ISBN O-679-42894-I

Manufactured

in the

United States of America

24689753 FIRST

HARDCOVER EDITION

ON THE

PULSE OF

MORNING

A

A

Rock,

River,

A

Tree

Hosts to species long since departed,

Marked

The

dinosaur,

Of their

On

the mastodon, left

dried tokens

sojourn here

our planet

Any broad Is lost

who

floor,

alarm of their hastening

in the

gloom of dust and

But today, the Rock

cries

ages.

out to

us, clearly,

forcefully,

Come, you may Back and

face

stand

your

upon

doom

my

distant destiny,

But seek no haven I

will give

in

a little

The

angels,

The

bruising darkness

place

down

Facedown

have crouched too long in

in ignorance,

Your mouths

spilling

words

for slaughter.

The Rock

You may

here.

lower than

too long

lain

Armed

shadow,

you no hiding

You, created only

Have

my

cries

stand

out to us today,

upon me;

But do not hide your

face.

m^

Across the wall of the world,

A

River

Come,

sings a beautiful song.

rest

here by

Each of you,

a

my

side.

bordered country,

Delicate and strangely

made proud,

Yet thrusting perpetually under

Your armed Have

My If

of waste upon

shore, currents of debris

you

I

siege.

struggles for profit

left collars

Yet today

It says,

call

you

will study

to

my

upon

my

riverside,

war no more.

breast.

Come,

And

I

clad in peace, will sing the songs

The Creator gave Tree and the

to

Rock were

Before cynicism was

And when you The River

There

The

is

me when

yet

a

I

and the

one.

bloody

knew you

sear across still

knew

your brow nothing.

sang and sings on.

a true

yearning to respond to

singing River and the wise

Rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew

The

African, the Native American, the Sioux,

The

Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek,

The

the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheik,

Irish,

The Gay, The

the Straight, the Preacher,

privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.

They

hear.

They

all

The speaking of the

They hear

the

first

hear Tree.

and

of every Tree

last

Speak to humankind today.

Come

to

me,

Here beside the River. Plant yourself beside the River.

Each of you, descendant of some passed-

On

traveler, has

been paid

for.

me my

You, who gave

first

name, you,

Pawnee, Apache, Seneca, you

Cherokee Nation,

who

Forced on bloody

feet,

Left

me

to the

Other seekers

rested with

me, then

employment of

—

desperate for gain,

Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Arab, the Swede,

The German,

the Eskimo, the Scot,

The

Italian,

You

the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought

the Hungarian, the Pole,

Sold, stolen, arriving

Praying for a dream.

on

a

nightmare

Here, root yourselves beside me. I

am

that

Which I,

I

be moved.

will not

Rock,

the

am

Tree planted by the River,

yours

the River,

I,

—your

Lift

up your

For

this bright

faces,

I,

passages have

you have

its

if

lived again.

day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To

pain,

up your eyes

the dream.

...-.l!.,:

My

also written

Carolina.

^__

in

at

North

ISBN D-b7T-MZA^M-l 5

9

780679"428947

1

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