American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote and performed "On the Pulse of Morning" for the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton in January of 1993. The poem echoes key points in Clinton's inaugural speech, especially that of America's need to own up to its violent history of genocide, slavery, colonialism, and environmental destruction in order to secure a more peaceful and equitable future. The poem aims to inspire in its audience a sense of unity and responsibility towards other people and the planet.

• Read the full text of “On the Pulse of Morning”

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Summary

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Themes

  • 

    The Importance of Facing the Past

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-22
    • Lines 26-33
    • Lines 56-65
    • Lines 73-75
    • Lines 88-90
  • 

    Unity and Responsibility

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 23-106

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “On the Pulse of Morning”

  • Lines 1-2

    A Rock, A ...
    ... long since departed,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-8

    Marked the mastodon, ...
    ... dust and ages.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-13

    But today, the ...
    ... place down here.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 14-18

    You, created only ...
    ... down in ignorance.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 19-22

    Your mouths spilling ...
    ... hide your face.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 23-25

    Across the wall ...
    ... by my side.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 26-31

    Each of you ...
    ... upon my breast.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 32-36

    Yet, today I ...
    ... stone were one.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 37-42

    Before cynicism was ...
    ... the wise Rock.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 43-48

    So say the ...
    ... homeless, the Teacher.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 49-53

    They hear. They ...
    ... beside the River.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 54-55

    Each of you, ...
    ... been paid for.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 56-61

    You, who gave ...
    ... Starving for gold.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 62-65

    You, the Turk, ...
    ... for a dream.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 66-70

    Here, root yourselves ...
    ... have been paid.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 71-75

    Lift up your ...
    ... be lived again.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 76-81

    Lift up your ...
    ... of your hands.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 82-87

    Mold it into ...
    ... For new beginnings.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 88-92

    Do not be ...
    ... steps of change.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 93-98

    Here, on the ...
    ... the mastodon then.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 99-102

    Here on the ...
    ... face, your country

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 103-106

    And say simply ...
    ... Good morning.

    

    

    

    

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• “On the Pulse of Morning” Symbols

  • 

    The Rock, the River, and the Tree

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-4: “A Rock, A River, A Tree / Hosts to species long since departed, / Marked the mastodon, / The dinosaur”
    • Lines 9-12: “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.”
    • Lines 21-22: “The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, / But do not hide your face.”
    • Lines 24-25: “A River sings a beautiful song, / Come rest here by my side.”
    • Lines 29-32: “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,”
    • Lines 35-36: “I and the / Tree and the stone were one”
    • Line 40: “The River sings and sings on.”
    • Line 42: “The singing River and the wise Rock.”
    • Lines 49-50: “They all hear / The speaking of the Tree.”
    • Lines 51-53: “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.”
    • Lines 67-70: “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”
    • Lines 95-96: “the / Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.”
  • 

    Shadow, Darkness, and Gloom

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 8: “the gloom of dust and ages”
    • Line 12: “seek no haven in my shadow”
    • Line 16: “The bruising darkness”
  • 

    Morning

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 72: “this bright morning dawning for you”
    • Line 77: “The day breaking for you.”
    • Line 93: “the pulse of this fine day”
    • Line 99: “the pulse of this new day”
    • Line 106: “Good morning.”
  • 

    Planting and Roots

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 53: “Plant yourself beside me”
    • Line 66: “root yourselves beside me”
    • Line 67: “planted”

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-5: “tokens / Of”
    • Lines 5-6: “here / On”
    • Lines 7-8: “doom / Is”
    • Lines 10-11: “my / Back”
    • Lines 14-15: “than / The”
    • Lines 15-16: “in / The”
    • Lines 17-18: “long / Face”
    • Lines 19-20: “words / Armed”
    • Lines 29-30: “profit / Have”
    • Lines 30-31: “upon / My”
    • Lines 34-35: “songs / The”
    • Lines 35-36: “the / Tree”
    • Lines 37-38: “your / Brow”
    • Lines 38-39: “still / Knew”
    • Lines 41-42: “to / The”
    • Lines 43-44: “Jew / The”
    • Lines 44-45: “Sioux, / The”
    • Lines 45-46: “Greek / The”
    • Lines 46-47: “Sheikh, / The”
    • Lines 47-48: “Preacher, / The”
    • Lines 49-50: “hear / The”
    • Lines 51-52: “Tree / Speaks”
    • Lines 54-55: “passed / On”
    • Lines 56-57: “you / Pawnee”
    • Lines 57-58: “you / Cherokee”
    • Lines 58-59: “then / Forced”
    • Lines 59-60: “of / Other”
    • Lines 71-72: “need / For”
    • Lines 74-75: “faced / With”
    • Lines 76-77: “upon / The”
    • Lines 78-79: “again / To”
    • Lines 82-83: “most / Private”
    • Lines 83-84: “into / The”
    • Lines 85-86: “hearts / Each”
    • Lines 86-87: “chances / For”
    • Lines 88-89: “forever / To”
    • Lines 89-90: “eternally / To ”
    • Lines 94-95: “courage / To”
    • Lines 95-96: “the / Rock”
    • Lines 100-101: “out / And”
    • Lines 101-102: “into / Your”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Rock, A,” “River, A”
    • Line 4: “dinosaur, who”
    • Line 9: “today, the,” “us, clearly, forcefully”
    • Line 14: “You, created”
    • Line 15: “angels, have”
    • Line 21: “today, you”
    • Line 31: “shore, currents”
    • Line 32: “Yet, today”
    • Line 43: “Asian, the,” “Hispanic, the”
    • Line 44: “American, the”
    • Line 45: “Catholic, the,” “Muslim, the,” “French, the”
    • Line 46: “Irish, the,” “Rabbi, the,” “Priest, the”
    • Line 47: “Gay, the,” “Straight, the”
    • Line 48: “privileged, the,” “homeless, the”
    • Line 49: “hear. They”
    • Line 51: “Today, the”
    • Line 52: “humankind. Come,” “me, here”
    • Line 53: “me, here”
    • Line 54: “you, descendant”
    • Line 55: “traveller, has”
    • Line 56: “You, who,” “name, you”
    • Line 57: “Pawnee, Apache,” “Seneca, you”
    • Line 58: “Nation, who,” “me, then”
    • Line 59: “feet, left”
    • Line 60: “seekers--desperate”
    • Line 62: “You, the,” “Turk, the,” “Swede, the,” “German, the”
    • Line 63: “Ashanti, the,” “Yoruba, the,” “Kru, bought”
    • Line 64: “Sold, stolen, arriving”
    • Line 66: “Here, root”
    • Line 69: “I, the,” “Rock, I,” “River, I”
    • Line 70: “yours--your”
    • Line 71: “faces, you”
    • Line 73: “History, despite”
    • Line 74: “unlived, and”
    • Line 75: “courage, need”
    • Line 80: “Women, children, men”
    • Line 83: “need. Sculpt”
    • Line 89: “fear, yoked”
    • Line 93: “Here, on”
    • Line 96: “Rock, the,” “River, the,” “Tree, your”
    • Line 101: “eyes, into”
    • Line 102: “face, your”

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

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    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-13: “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 more hiding place down here.”
    • Lines 21-22: “The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, / But do not hide your face.”
    • Lines 24-25: “A River sings a beautiful song, / Come rest here by my side.”
    • Lines 30-31: “collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.”
    • Lines 32-36: “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 stone were one.”
    • Line 40: “The River sings and sings on.”
    • Line 42: “The singing River and the wise Rock.”
    • Line 50: “The speaking of the Tree.”
    • Lines 51-53: “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.”
    • Lines 66-70: “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”
    • Lines 91-92: “The horizon leans forward, / Offering you space to place new steps of change”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Rock,” “River,”
    • Line 3: “Marked,” “mastodon”
    • Line 4: “dinosaur,” “dry”
    • Line 7: “doom”
    • Line 8: “dust”
    • Line 9: “cries,” “clearly”
    • Line 10: “Come”
    • Line 11: “distant destiny”
    • Line 14: “little lower”
    • Line 17: “lain,” “long”
    • Line 19: “spilling”
    • Line 20: “slaughter”
    • Line 23: “wall,” “world”
    • Line 24: “sings,” “song”
    • Line 27: “strangely,” “proud”
    • Line 28: “perpetually,” “siege”
    • Line 29: “struggles,” “profit”
    • Line 30: “collars”
    • Line 31: “currents”
    • Line 32: “call”
    • Line 33: “Come”
    • Line 34: “Clad,” “sing,” “songs”
    • Line 35: “Creator”
    • Line 37: “Before,” “cynicism,” “bloody,” “sear”
    • Line 38: “Brow,” “knew”
    • Line 39: “Knew nothing”
    • Line 41: “respond”
    • Line 42: “River,” “Rock”
    • Line 46: “Priest”
    • Line 47: “Preacher”
    • Line 48: “privileged”
    • Line 54: “passed”
    • Line 55: “paid”
    • Line 59: “Forced,” “feet”
    • Line 60: “gain”
    • Line 61: “gold”
    • Line 64: “Sold,” “stolen”
    • Line 69: “Rock,” “River”
    • Line 70: “Passages,” “paid”
    • Line 83: “Private”
    • Line 84: “public”
    • Line 85: “hearts”
    • Line 86: “holds”
    • Line 88: “forever”
    • Line 89: “fear”
    • Line 92: “space,” “steps”
    • Line 96: “Rock,” “River”
    • Line 97: “Midas,” “mendicant”
    • Line 98: “mastodon”
    • Line 103: “say simply”

  • Parallelism

    

    

    

    

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    Where parallelism appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “the mastodon, / The dinosaur,”
    • Lines 10-12: “you may stand upon my / Back and face your distant destiny, / But seek no haven in my shadow.”
    • Lines 15-18: “have crouched too long in / The bruising darkness, / Have lain too long / Face down in ignorance.”
    • Lines 30-31: “Have left collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.”
    • Lines 52-53: “Come to me, here beside the River. / Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.”
    • Lines 56-58: “You, who gave me my first name, you / Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you / Cherokee Nation”
    • Lines 60-61: “desperate for gain, / Starving for gold.”
    • Lines 62-63: “You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ... / You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, ”
    • Lines 82-84: “Mold it into the shape of your most / Private need. Sculpt it into / The image of your most public self.”
    • Lines 88-90: “Do not be wedded forever / To fear, yoked eternally / To brutishness.”
    • Lines 97-98: “No less to Midas than the mendicant. / No less to you now than the mastodon then.”
    • Lines 101-102: “into your sister's eyes, into / Your brother's face”
    • Line 102: “, your country”

  • Anaphora

    

    

    

    

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    Where anaphora appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “A Rock, A River, A Tree”
    • Lines 56-58: “You, who gave me my first name, you / Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you / Cherokee Nation, who rested with me”
    • Lines 62-63: “You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ... / You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru,”
    • Lines 69-70: “I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree / I am yours”
    • Line 97: “No less to Midas”
    • Line 98: “No less to you”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “tokens”
    • Line 5: “sojourn”
    • Line 7: “doom”
    • Line 8: “gloom”
    • Line 9: “clearly,” “forcefully”
    • Line 11: “destiny”
    • Line 23: “Across,” “wall”
    • Line 27: “strangely made”
    • Line 29: “profit”
    • Line 30: “collars,” “upon”
    • Line 33: “war,” “more”
    • Line 35: “Creator gave”
    • Line 43: “Jew”
    • Line 44: “Sioux”
    • Line 45: “Greek”
    • Line 46: “Priest,” “Sheikh”
    • Line 47: “Gay,” “Straight,” “Preacher”
    • Line 48: “Teacher”
    • Line 50: “speaking,” “Tree”
    • Lines 51-52: “every Tree / Speaks”
    • Line 54: “passed”
    • Line 55: “traveller,” “has”
    • Line 56: “gave,” “name”
    • Line 57: “Pawnee, Apache,” “Seneca”
    • Line 58: “Cherokee,” “rested,” “me,” “then”
    • Line 59: “bloody feet, left me”
    • Line 60: “seekers”
    • Line 62: “Scot”
    • Line 63: “bought”
    • Line 64: “Sold,” “stolen”
    • Line 77: “day breaking”
    • Line 92: “space,” “place,” “change”
    • Line 99: “day”
    • Line 100: “grace”
    • Line 102: “face”
    • Line 103: “say”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Rock,” “River,” “Tree”
    • Line 2: “Hosts,” “species,” “since,” “departed”
    • Line 3: “Marked,” “mastodon”
    • Line 4: “dinosaur,” “dry”
    • Line 5: “sojourn”
    • Line 7: “broad,” “alarm,” “doom”
    • Line 8: “lost,” “gloom,” “dust”
    • Line 9: “Rock cries,” “us,” “clearly,” “forcefully”
    • Line 10: “Come,” “stand”
    • Line 11: “Back,” “face,” “distant destiny”
    • Line 12: “seek,” “shadow”
    • Line 14: “only,” “little lower”
    • Line 15: “angels,” “long”
    • Line 17: “lain,” “long”
    • Line 19: “spilling”
    • Line 20: “slaughter”
    • Line 23: “Across”
    • Line 24: “sings,” “song”
    • Line 25: “rest,” “side”
    • Line 26: “bordered”
    • Line 27: “Delicate,” “strangely made proud”
    • Line 28: “thrusting perpetually,” “siege”
    • Line 37: “cynicism,” “sear across”
    • Line 43: “Jew”
    • Line 44: “Sioux”
    • Line 45: “Greek”
    • Line 46: “Sheikh”
    • Line 47: “Preacher”
    • Line 48: “Teacher”
    • Line 57: “Apache,” “Seneca”
    • Line 58: “Cherokee”
    • Line 60: “seekers”
    • Line 62: “Turk,” “Scot”
    • Line 63: “Kru,” “bought”
    • Line 69: “Rock,” “River,” “Tree”
    • Line 73: “pain”
    • Line 75: “again”
    • Line 92: “space,” “place,” “steps”
    • Line 96: “Rock,” “River,” “Tree,” “country”

  • Diacope

    

    

    

    

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    Where diacope appears in the poem:

    • Lines 38-40: “Brow and when you yet knew you still / Knew nothing. / The River sings and sings on.”
    • Line 49: “They hear. They all hear”
    • Lines 86-87: “Each new hour holds new chances / For new beginnings.”
    • Lines 103-104: “And say simply / Very simply”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 19-20: “Your mouths spilling words / Armed for slaughter.”
    • Line 23: “the wall of the world”
    • Lines 30-31: “collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.”
    • Lines 37-38: “cynicism was a bloody sear across your / Brow ”
    • Lines 64-65: “arriving on a nightmare / Praying for a dream.”
    • Lines 78-79: “Give birth again / To the dream.”
    • Line 81: “Take it into the palms of your hands.”
    • Lines 82-84: “Mold it into the shape of your most / Private need. Sculpt it into / The image of your most public self.”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “A Rock, A River, A Tree”
    • Lines 3-4: “Marked the mastodon, / The dinosaur,”
    • Line 9: “clearly, forcefully,”
    • Lines 15-18: “have crouched too long in / The bruising darkness, / Have lain too long / Face down in ignorance.”
    • Lines 30-31: “Have left collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.”
    • Lines 43-48: “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.”
    • Lines 60-61: “desperate for gain, / Starving for gold.”
    • Lines 62-65: “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.”
    • Line 80: “Women, children, men,”
    • Lines 88-90: “Do not be wedded forever / To fear, yoked eternally / To brutishness.”
    • Lines 95-96: “the / Rock, the River, the Tree, your country”
    • Lines 101-102: “And into your sister's eyes, into / Your brother's face, your country”

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Mastodon
  • Dry tokens
  • Sojourn
  • Hastening doom
  • Haven
  • Under seige
  • Perpetually
  • Debris
  • Clad
  • Cynicism
  • Yoked
  • Brutishness
  • Midas
  • Mendicant
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “Marked the mastodon”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “On the Pulse of Morning”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Speaker

• “On the Pulse of Morning” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “On the Pulse of Morning”

• More “On the Pulse of Morning” Resources

  • External Resources

    • The Gift Outright — Another inaugural poem, this one by Robert Frost, which was performed at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, and with which Angelou's poem is in conversation.

    • Poetry and Civil Rights — An introduction to the poetry of the Civil Rights Movement.

    • The Poem Out Loud — Watch a video recording of Maya Angelou's performance of "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. 

    • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" — An audio recording and written transcript of King Jr.'s famous civil rights speech, which Angelou references in the poem.

    • Maya Angelou's Biography — Learn more about the poet at the Poetry Foundation.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Maya Angelou

    • Caged Bird

    • Country Lover

    • Harlem Hopscotch

    • Life Doesn't Frighten Me

    • On Aging

    • Phenomenal Woman

    • Remembrance

    • Still I Rise

    • When Great Trees Fall

    • Woman Work

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