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On The Pulse Of Morning
A beautifully packaged hardcover edition of the poem that captivated the nation and quickly became a national bestseller.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Paperback
Published January 1, 1993
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1049 people want to read
About the author
Maya Angelou
296 books14.6k followersMaya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
December 6, 2007
I have committed the entire poem to memory. It should be our national poem.
January 24, 2014
without a doubt some of my favorite excepts out of Dr. Maya Angelou's inaugural poem to William Jefferson Clinton on January 20, 1993:
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.
Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers–desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot …
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am the Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours–your Passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
Dr. Maya Angelou
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.
Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers–desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot …
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am the Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours–your Passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
Dr. Maya Angelou
July 21, 2019
Beauty in brevity.
September 7, 2022
Definitely need to read it a second time. Unlike the other poetry from Angelou this one makes you think. I like the hint at political references. I’m not sure it warrants a three star, but it was good nonetheless.
January 5, 2015
My first introduction to Maya Angelou. Unforgettable.
February 1, 2021
"Give birth again
To the dream."
The first time I was old enough to vote was during the 1992 election. Maya Angelou read this beautiful poem at President Clinton's inauguration. I was so moved that I bought this little paperback copy as soon as I saw it in the bookshop. I remember the feeling of hope that it kindled in me then, the feeling that I nearly lost during these last four years. But, then... the first time my son was old enough to vote was during the 2020 election. My hope was reborn, and again, I am moved by this timeless work.
My son and I were brought to tears by Amanda Gorman's words as she read her inaugural poem last month. Listening to her inspired me to dig out my old copy of "On the Pulse of Morning" and share it with my children and students. The dream lives on.
To the dream."
The first time I was old enough to vote was during the 1992 election. Maya Angelou read this beautiful poem at President Clinton's inauguration. I was so moved that I bought this little paperback copy as soon as I saw it in the bookshop. I remember the feeling of hope that it kindled in me then, the feeling that I nearly lost during these last four years. But, then... the first time my son was old enough to vote was during the 2020 election. My hope was reborn, and again, I am moved by this timeless work.
My son and I were brought to tears by Amanda Gorman's words as she read her inaugural poem last month. Listening to her inspired me to dig out my old copy of "On the Pulse of Morning" and share it with my children and students. The dream lives on.
Read
February 20, 2020I've been obsessed with this poem for the last few months. I'm not going to try to analyze it other than to say that there is something in it that is mystical and boundlessly beautiful.
"Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the rock were one."
You can hear her read it here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9nTt...
"Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the rock were one."
You can hear her read it here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9nTt...
July 2, 2021
Come on!! It’s Maya Angelou, how could this not be amazing? It’s short and easy to get though and filled with so much meaning and beauty.
October 21, 2017
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 22, 2013
On the Pulse of Morning was read at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration. Being a supporter of President Clinton I was excited to read this. I hope my political views do not taint this review.
Prior to On the Pulse of Morning I had only read I know Why The Caged Bird Sings, which I enjoyed, but had never ventured into her poetry. Maya Angelou's poem was beautiful, a flow of thought-provoking inspirational words. I am not an "inspirational" reader. I usually find them sappy and Hallmark Channelesque. Although, this was different perhaps it was due to my political views and read with rose-tinted glasses, but I don't think so. Maya Angelou's way of twisting words into lyrics is incomparable. It is short and sweet (like this review) but gets the point across without inhaling breath. Gorgeous.
Prior to On the Pulse of Morning I had only read I know Why The Caged Bird Sings, which I enjoyed, but had never ventured into her poetry. Maya Angelou's poem was beautiful, a flow of thought-provoking inspirational words. I am not an "inspirational" reader. I usually find them sappy and Hallmark Channelesque. Although, this was different perhaps it was due to my political views and read with rose-tinted glasses, but I don't think so. Maya Angelou's way of twisting words into lyrics is incomparable. It is short and sweet (like this review) but gets the point across without inhaling breath. Gorgeous.
January 17, 2008
My favorite poem of all time.
May 9, 2019
I found it a little silly buying 1 poem in a hardcover. I was wrong. This poem deserves to be stand-alone as it encapsulates our past, present and future.
January 23, 2022
Maya Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton on 20 January 1993. She was the second poet to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration after Robert Frost recited his poem "The Gift Outright" at the Presidential Inauguration of JFK on 20 January 1961.
Watch Maya Angelou's reading here.
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon,
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow,
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness
Have lain too long
Facedown in ignorance,
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out to us today,
You may stand upon me,
But do not hide your face.
[...]
- from On the Pulse of Morning
Watch Maya Angelou's reading here.
May 16, 2022
This book "On the pulse of morning" is definitely one of the best books I have ever read and is also very up-lifting. Maya Angelou discusses the irony of getting up every morning, laziness, and the power drive to do something with your life. In the book Angelou really gives you words to think about and will honestly cause you to think differently. For example here's a little taste of the book it's one of my favorite lines that contribute to what I'm saying about this great book.
Lines 14-22
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, But do not hide your face.
If this line from the book doesnt make you think differently I don't know what will. These words made me want to re-evaluate how I think about the mornings and my personal drive. It honestly says a lot and is very empowering. If you want to read something that will help you change your outlook, help you achieve and give you something to think about this is the book for you.
Lines 14-22
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, But do not hide your face.
If this line from the book doesnt make you think differently I don't know what will. These words made me want to re-evaluate how I think about the mornings and my personal drive. It honestly says a lot and is very empowering. If you want to read something that will help you change your outlook, help you achieve and give you something to think about this is the book for you.
November 13, 2017
I feel mixed about this final poem by Maya Angelou. Its conceit is that the things that outlive men and nations, such as rocks, trees, and shores, look askance at our foolishness. Fine. Angelou's approach does not work for me because it is so serious. This conceit might please me with a lighter tone for the ideas is essentially comic, but this poem is as heavy as lead. The weight of human folly seems to be upon Ms. Angelou's shoulders, transfered to the lines herein. This poem was written for and read at the inauguration of President Obama, and it seems gutsy to compose a poem about the transience of nations and human achievement and for such an occasion, which is the reason I gave it that fourth star when my feelings about the work suggested three. I have no doubt that many who heard the poem read at the inauguration ceremony found it very moving, and also find it so when reading it. The tone just does not work for me.
May 21, 2023
“Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.”
On the Pulse of Morning is a beautiful poem that was first delivered by Maya Angelou during President Clinton’s inauguration on January 20, 1993. It can be analyzed on multiple levels, although I would argue that the overarching message is one of unity and solidarity.
Here is a recording of Angelou performing the poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Sf2...
Title: On the Pulse of Morning
Author: Maya Angelou
Year: 1993
Genre: Poetry
Date(s) read: 5/21/23
Reading journal entry #109 in 2023
Angelou, M. (2002). On the pulse of morning. Random House. (Original work published 1993).
May 27, 2021
Maya Angelou's receding of On the Pulse of Morning has only been the second poem read at a US president's inauguration. While Angelou read her text in 1993 for the inauguration of William Jefferson Clinton, Robert Frost before her read The Gift Outright at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1961.
Recurring images in Angelou's poem include the metaphor of the rock, the tree, and the river. Furthermore, the poet pays tribute to the diversity that constitutes the United States of America by repeatedly incorporating markers of nationality, ethnicity, and religion as elements of cultural identity.
Recurring images in Angelou's poem include the metaphor of the rock, the tree, and the river. Furthermore, the poet pays tribute to the diversity that constitutes the United States of America by repeatedly incorporating markers of nationality, ethnicity, and religion as elements of cultural identity.
October 15, 2020
I have read this poem many times before and I probably will continue to read it in forever. The grace in which Maya Angelou selects her words and shapes them into this lyric, descriptive and timeless poem is amazing. I do agree though with some sentiments that it is more of a popular poem than a 'great' poem, but none the less this poem is a piece of tapestry that the original phenomenal woman has given to this earth as a gift.
August 19, 2021
This poem starts with the rock, the river and the tree, which know our human history and we must stand and face it. But at the pulse of morning we have the chance of a fresh start.
"Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds chances
For a new beginning
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness."
The answer in the end is simply to look into our brother's and sister's faces and say good morning.
Great look at remembering the past, but allowing for change.
"Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds chances
For a new beginning
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness."
The answer in the end is simply to look into our brother's and sister's faces and say good morning.
Great look at remembering the past, but allowing for change.
Read
February 5, 2024Read by the poet on the inauguration of William Jefferson Clinton on January 20, 1993.
¨History, despite its wrenching pain,
cannot be unlived, but if faced
with courage, need not be lived again.¨
¨Here on the pulse of a this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister´s eyes,
And into your brother´s face,
Your country,
And say simply
With hope
Good morning.¨
¨History, despite its wrenching pain,
cannot be unlived, but if faced
with courage, need not be lived again.¨
¨Here on the pulse of a this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister´s eyes,
And into your brother´s face,
Your country,
And say simply
With hope
Good morning.¨
March 29, 2021
Read this right before opening statements on the George Floyd murder trial and am clinging to
"And say simply
Very simply
With hope--
Good morning."
Within the next month, we'll see if that is true for everyone in my neighborhood. Minneapolis, the world is watching us. Let's be on the right side of history.
"And say simply
Very simply
With hope--
Good morning."
Within the next month, we'll see if that is true for everyone in my neighborhood. Minneapolis, the world is watching us. Let's be on the right side of history.
June 18, 2022
Alarmingly brilliant we all know why Maya Angelou has garnered the attention of the world and if not well now’s your chance this is one of her finer more beautiful prose a doorstop of pungent spells. The culminating river of American dreaming is beauty, it’s diverse wroth maddened with fits of ancient rites.
May 14, 2023
searching for poetry books for an english project, found this and it was beautiful as expected. it supports my entire argument in my project
(so unbelievably coincide that saw a video of maya angelou sternly talking to this young girl saying she’s MISS ANGELOU TO HER. NOT. MAYA. so now i’m like -_-)
(so unbelievably coincide that saw a video of maya angelou sternly talking to this young girl saying she’s MISS ANGELOU TO HER. NOT. MAYA. so now i’m like -_-)
February 5, 2025
"Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song. It says, Come, rest here by my side.
Each of you, a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more."
A River sings a beautiful song. It says, Come, rest here by my side.
Each of you, a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more."
December 31, 2025
"Women, children, men,
...
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space
To place new steps of change
Here, on the pulse of this fine day"
Thank you, Maya Angelou.
...
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space
To place new steps of change
Here, on the pulse of this fine day"
Thank you, Maya Angelou.
March 29, 2020
Maya Angelou writes the inaugural poem for William Jefferson Clinton in January of 1993. With a style and depth that only Maya Angelou can reach. Written, perhaps, for just his occasion, but with an eternal call across the generations. Great call to humanity and unity.
March 30, 2025
I cried when I first heard Angelou read it and I cried today when I finished it for the third time!
Year ago, maybe 1990, I took a van load of high school students to hear her read. I taught Caged Bird off and one for the next 20 years.
Year ago, maybe 1990, I took a van load of high school students to hear her read. I taught Caged Bird off and one for the next 20 years.
April 3, 2025
Maya Angelou's poetry is beautiful. I particularly love the last line: Here on the pulse of this new day, You may have the grace to look up and out...And say simply, Very simply, With hope--Good morning.
October 29, 2025
Maya Angelou is profound. No matter who you are and what you believe, if you are human, I have a hard time not believing you would not be affected by this woman's writing. Her plight of the human condition touches us all, and we can only learn from her.
August 14, 2017
All poets remind us of our dreams. This poem, read at the first inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton, January 1993 reminds us of the dream of freedom. Maya Angelou is a model poet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews