Sonnet · Inspirational
The New Colossus
by Emma Lazarus · 1883
1Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
2With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
3Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
4A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
5Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
6Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
7Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
8The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus — quilloak.com/poems/the-new-colossus
Quick facts
- Poem
- The New Colossus
- Poet
- Emma Lazarus
- Published
- 1883
- Length
- 14 lines
- Form
- Sonnet
- Themes
- Inspirational, Power & Hubris
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 14 lines · 2 stanzas of 6–8 lines
- Line length
- Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the cited edition and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Emma Lazarus1849–1887
- Source record
- WikisourceThe New Colossus by emma-lazarus, Wikisource transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- 1883
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 b3a018f6d185d560…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.