Katharine Lee Bates, a 33-year-old English literary teacher at Wellesley College, took part in a “carefree expedition to Pike’s Peak” in Colorado in 1893 when she looked out “over the ocean like a fertile country that spreads so far under the vast sky. . “
In an instant, he said, “the opening sentence of the hymn floated to my mind.” The lines become “America the Beautiful.”
Everyone knows the first verse, with its rise “the waves of the wheat” and “the majesty of the purple mountain.” But how many have read – let alone sung – the whole song?
This complete song is more than poetic appreciation of the natural wonders of this country. This awakens America’s ever-expanding vitality, celebrates its storied past and – most importantly – awakens its unlimited future potential.
It praised the pioneer ancestors who defeated “the path of freedom. . . crossing the wilderness “and paying tribute to the defenders of the nation in war,” the brave heroes. . . who is more than their loved ones themselves. “
Furthermore: It looks forward to a day when America’s “alabaster cities” will finally “sparkle with human tears.”
This song always evokes deep emotions. “I can’t read dialogue without swallowing too much,” an early reader wrote Bates. The voice shook as the crowd solemnly sang songs outside the White House in 1941 after Pearl Harbor and, six decades later, at Ground Zero after 9/11.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II read his earnest prayer – “America, America, God bestowed his mercy on you” – when he got off his plane on his first trip to this country.
Many impressive recordings and performances – from Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Mariah Carey and others – all share a touching simplicity, without the vocal acrobatics that too often accompanies “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Music plays a big role in the song’s mystique. Samuel Howe, a church organist, composed it on the 1882 ferry trip from Coney Island to his home in Newark – for a completely different hymn. It was attached to the words of Bates in 1904 after his death.
Today is of course a day to fully appreciate this extraordinary appreciation for America and all that it represents. Have a noble Fourth!
“Beautiful America”
By Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929)
Music by Samuel Augustus Howe (1847-1903)
O beautiful for the vast sky,
For wheat waves,
For the majesty of the purple mountain
On a fruitful plain!
America! America!
God pours out His mercy on you
And crown your kindness with brotherhood
From the sea to the shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrims feet
The intense, fiery stress
The road to freedom beats
Crossing the wilderness!
America! America!
God fix every defect,
Confirm your soul in self-control,
Your freedom in law!
O beautiful for proven heroes
In a dispute that liberates.
Who more than loves their own country
And grace is more than life!
America! America!
May your golden Lord be purified
Until all success becomes nobleness
And every benefit is divine!
O beautiful for patriot dreams
That looks after years
Your marble cities shine
Not affected by human tears!
America! America!
God pours out His mercy on you
And crown your kindness with brotherhood
From the sea to the shining sea!
