Here's the large placard that adorns America the Beautiful park, not far from my house. As you know, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words to this famous song as a poem after visiting Pikes Peak. She was inspired by the view from up there (and who wouldn't be?). Every American kid learned the words to this song in school. I must say that as a child I couldn't figure out what the heck a "fruited plain" was, and I'm still not quite sure! Ha! I guess it means that our plains are fruitful. Although I can't help imagining an airplane with fruit all over it ;o) And I never learned the second verse, did you? Here it is, in case you can't read the placard on the photo:"O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"
Huh? Okay, I guess it made a lot more sense in 1893!
2 comments:
fascinating -- thanks for sharing the second verse! somewhat refreshing, at least, for an otherwise quite patriotic song to admit that we have flaws! i always liked the idea of America the Beautiful as our national anthem instead of the Star Spangled Banner. much easier to sing and it's about the actual country, rather than about a symbol.
That sure is a great looking plaque. Would love to see such things for myself. I never really did know the 2nd verse to our song, either. Thanks for the information. This patriotic song should remain as it is and should never be messed with. I can remember singing our National Anthem while in Grade School back in the 50's, and reciting the Pledge every day before school started. In my personal opinion, this is the way it should be.
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