Praise Song for the Day
"Praise Song for the Day" is a poem by the American poet Elizabeth Alexander. It was written for and delivered at the 2009 presidential inauguration of President Barack Obama. The poem is the fourth to be delivered at a United States presidential inauguration, following in the tradition of recitals by Robert Frost (John F. Kennedy, 1961), Maya Angelou (Bill Clinton, 1993), and Miller Williams (Bill Clinton, 1997).[1]
The poem consists of fourteen unrhymed three-line stanzas (tercets) and a one-line coda. Delivered directly after Obama's inaugural address, it has attracted praise for its echo of Obama's idealism[2] and criticism for being an anticlimactic finish to the inauguration.[3] Elizabeth Alexander will publish the poem in the form of a paperback book on 6 February 2009, with a first printing of 100,000 copies.[4]
References
- ^ Italie, Hillel. "Poet Elizabeth Alexander offers `praise song' for Obama's Inauguration Day", Associated Press, 21 January 2009. Retrieved on 21 January 2009.
- ^ Bancroft, Colette. "Elizabeth Alexander's inauguration poem was a message of hope and a call to action, but was it memorable?", St. Petersburg Times, 22 January 2009. Retrieved on 2009-1-22.
- ^ Ulin, David. "Elizabeth Alexander's 'Praise Song for the Day' is too prosaic for Inauguration Day", Chicago Tribune, 21 January 2009. Retrieved on 22 January 2009.
- ^ Spears, Angela. "Inaugural Poem on Sale", Associated Press, 22 January 2009. Retrieved on 2009-1-22.
External links
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