The Gift Outright

by Robert Frost

　　

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President John F. Kennedy asked Robert Frost to participate in his inauguration ceremony on January 20, 1961. Frost, the first poet ever to read a poem at a presidential inauguration, intended to deliver a seven line poem he wrote specifically for the occasion, Dedication, but lost his place (perhaps on purpose), so he began reciting this poem he'd committed to memory instead. It would be over thirty years until the next poetry recitation: Maya Angelou recited her poem, On the Pulse of the Morning, at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993. Elizabeth Alexander recited her Praise Song for the Day at President Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony in 2008.

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　　The land was ours before we were the land's. She was our land more than a hundred years Before we were her people. She was ours In Massachusetts, in Virginia, But we were England's, still colonials, Possessing what we still were unpossessed by, Possessed by what we now no more possessed. Something we were withholding made us weak Until we found out that it was ourselves We were withholding from our land of living, And forthwith found salvation in surrender. Such as we were we gave ourselves outright (The deed of gift was many deeds of war) To the land vaguely realizing westward, But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced, Such as she was, such as she would become.

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The Gift Outright was featured as TheShort Story of the Day on Tue, Jan 21, 2020

　　

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Enjoy exploring our collection of 100 Great Poems.

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