The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1

A vibrant tapestry of early verse unfolds in this first volume, gathering Emma Lazarus’s youthful lyricism, sweeping narratives, and dramatic sketches. Listeners will hear the tender immediacy of poems written between ages fourteen and seventeen, alongside the bold, blank‑verse epics “Bertha” and “Elfrida,” composed in a burst of creative urgency. The collection also includes the iconic “The New Colossus,” the timeless inscription that crowns the Statue of Liberty, offering a glimpse of the poet’s emerging public voice.

Beyond the famous lines, the poems reveal a young mind wrestling with loss, longing, and the weight of history. A melancholy undercurrent runs through elegies for friends and family, while classical myth and Romantic yearning shape vivid images of beauty and nature. As the listener journeys through these early works, the intimate blend of personal grief and soaring idealism invites a deeper appreciation of a poet whose quiet determination would later echo far beyond her brief life.