The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1

"The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1" by Emma Lazarus is a collection of narrative, lyric, and dramatic poetry written during the late 19th century. This volume not only showcases her poetic talents but also provides insight into her life experiences and emotional depth, reflecting themes such as longing, grief, and identity. The works include notable pieces like "The New Colossus," which connects her to American culture and identity, and the elegiac "Sunrise," mourning the assassination of President James A. Garfield, establishing her as a significant voice in her time. The opening of this collection includes a biographical sketch that reveals the deeply introspective nature of Lazarus as a poet. It discusses her early influences, the profound melancholy that permeated her work, and how historical events shaped her poetry. The subsequent excerpt introduces the poem "Epochs," in which Lazarus explores phases of life through rich imagery and emotional resonance. The poem unfolds various stages, from the innocence of youth to the acceptance of life's trials and the pursuit of hope, capturing the essence of human existence and personal growth through both joy and sorrow. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Emma Lazarus was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. She is remembered for writing the sonnet "The New Colossus", which was inspired by the Statue of Liberty, in 1883. Its lines appear inscribed on a bronze plaque, installed in 1903, on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus was involved in aiding refugees to New York who had fled antisemitic pogroms in eastern Europe, and she saw a way to express her empathy for these refugees in terms of the statue. The last lines of the sonnet were set to music by Irving Berlin as the song "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" for the 1949 musical Miss Liberty, which was based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty. The latter part of the sonnet was also set by Lee Hoiby in his song "The Lady of the Harbor" written in 1985 as part of his song cycle "Three Women".