The Silver Sage
Are you ready? Come on along and read some homespun poetry as well as a jot and tittle regarding distinguished poets and their works. Gael offers a positive balance of her own nostalgia notes and poetic meanderings with those of others. [Editor's note: Gael no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]
Pikes Peak
It is a winding, heart-thumping ride to the top of Pikes Peak—at least it is for this acrophobe. As you journey higher, the topography changes every few thousand feet. Once above the timberline, the pink granite rocks and sand give the illusion of a moonscape—and then, at last, the summit house appears out of nowhere. Once you arrive at the summit and catch your breath at both the beauty spread out below, and the fact that you are now breathing air at an elevation of 14,110 feet, you cannot help but marvel that people in the late 1800s made it up at all!
Katharine Lee Bates from Wellesley, Massachusetts, made a trip to Colorado Springs in 1893 and journeyed to the top of Pikes Peak, where she was so inspired by the beautiful view that she wrote a lovely poem called "America the Beautiful." She recorded the following notes in her trip journal:
| One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse. |
On July 4, 1895, her poem first appeared in print in a weekly journal called The Congregationalist. It was subsequently revised twice before becoming a popular lyric for a variety of folk tunes that fit the words. It was often sung to “Auld Lang Syne.” In 1920, the words were published with “Materna,” a tune composed by Samuel A. Ward 38 years earlier, and it became a beloved American favorite. Many people believe it should have been chosen as our national anthem. What do you think?
(Commemorative Plaque – Pikes Peak)
A good rhyme to reflect on in this election year!
By Gael Stuart
The Silver Sage Blog
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