America the Beautiful is undoubtedly one of the most wondrous American poems ever penned. According to a Super Bowl ad for Coca Cola, it is a song widely sung in many foreign tongues. This current controversial phenomenon has got me thinking about the ideas expressed in Katharine Lee Bates' poem, as well as the question of what constitutes genuine American culture.
Why would I consider it a threat to have people of other languages singing a poem that lauds the blessings and best aspirations of my own land? After all, America was founded as a haven for immigrants and refugees from other countries. This is one of the attributes that makes the USA unique among the nations of the world.
Of course, upon reflection, I do have to admit that much of our genuine American heritage has been, and continues to be, under attack, not only by foreign powers, but even by leaders and institutions that formerly could be trusted to uphold, cherish and applaud that heritage. Much of the entertainment and info media, representatives and jurists in our government, even many churches and civic organizations are shying away from a full-bodied patriotism, if not actually treating such sentiments as ridiculous and hopeless anachronisms.
One of the reasons I particularly love Bates' poem is the sense of both gratitude and realism permeating its imagery. This was no flowery, doggerel-choked Valentine composed while wearing rose-colored glasses, and the writer was no cockeyed optimist.
America the Beautiful is, rather, a fervent prayer, reportedly written on the occasion of Bates' personal visit to Pike's Peak in Colorado, where she was impressed by the grandeur of the surrounding countryside.
Taken aback not only by the majesty of "spacious skies" and "purple mountains," but also by the scenes of farmers' labors ("waves of grain"..."fruited plain"), she was moved to set a heartfelt appeal to Heaven in verse: "[may] God shed His grace on Thee." This isn't a statement of something that had occurred already (not "God HAS shed"), but clearly a hope and yearning for divine grace to be poured out upon an already blessed land, coinciding with the following petition: "and [may He] crown Thy good with brotherhood" (not "crowned," but, "crown"--present tense).
"Brotherhood" is a telling request, especially in a land that had so recently been torn by civil war, and that conflict so closely tied to the scourge and abolition of slavery in our union. The writer was doubtless mindful not only of America's beauty, but of her blemishes as well.
From the manifest beauty and bounty of our land, Bates moves on to praise the splendor of America's character, which, to her, is embodied by the Pilgrims who braved the perils of carving out a new civilization when faced with a hostile "wilderness."
The following stanza mentions the nation's "heroes." Here is a part of our heritage where modern-day attacks are most obvious and most keenly felt. Few things can define a people's mindset and spirit as clearly as do its heroes--its "idols," as it were. Bates' heroic flames--those whom she considers to be facets of the nation's beauty--are "proved" not on the silver screen or the athletic field, not in the classroom or the boardroom, but on the battlefield.
"Liberating strife" was something close to the heart of most Americans in her day. There is, and was then, an everyday kind of heroism--those who strive for a better life for themselves and their children. But precious few actually "prove" their surpassing love for country and countrymen by committing themselves, body and soul, to securing and standing guard over our precious freedoms.
"And mercy more than life"--This line brings into view the unique character of the American soldier among the soldiers of the world and of the past. How does one exercise "mercy" on the field of armed conflict? First of all, by not fighting unless the need is forced upon you. And, secondly, by seeking victory as a means of achieving a just and genuine peace. Ideally, the US armed forces do battle in order to maintain security for our citizens and peaceful relations with neighboring countries, not for conquest or retribution.
Of course, there are episodes where foreign conflicts have been ill-advised or even disastrous, but love of "mercy more than life" still remains a fitting requirement for our true heroes. When the blood of battle is on a warrior's hands, all the more reason the soldier should be able to return home with a clear conscience, knowing that there had been no other course to take toward peace. A military has a culture all its own, but respect for, and gratitude for, our fallen and living heroes is definitely a cornerstone of our genuine culture as Americans.
"God mend Thine every flaw"--Again, what a poignant line, and how apropos in today's troubled and pessimistic era. Nations, every bit as much as individuals, are guilty of sinning against God, other nations, and their own citizens. Bates certainly understands this--knows that freedom, in the hands of fallen sinners, is a double-edged sword. Even the most industrious worker is tempted by sloth or ingratitude...the greed of CEOs and entrepreneurs can overtake and supersede their good intentions of free enterprise and philanthropy...our freely elected officials get caught siphoning off public funds for nefarious ends. The "flaws" in our nation's tapestry are legion, and all are in need of divine "mending."
The two mending needles Bates mentions, "self-control" and "law," are so needful in our own day, it hardly needs mentioning. God is the author of what our founders called "inalienable rights...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Only God can supply us with the grace to mend our souls when we take those liberties and abuse them. Especially should WE be mindful of what our "right" to privacy and "freedom of choice" have meant for untold millions of unborn babies, poisoned and tortured and dismembered in their mothers' wombs...May God forgive and mend
all our souls!
Bates' closing stanza takes her prayer for America from the battlefields and the challenges of the present to the vision she and our founders had of the nation's future. They shared a "patriot dream that sees beyond the years" into the ideal, eternal age. To them, the ideal of America was truly "one nation under God," a nation our Creator would deem worthy to bless for the beauty, not just of its topography and generosity and justness of governance, not merely for its heroism and the kindness of its citizens...but the beauty of its pure devotion to a heavenly vision.
America, to them, wasn't some idol carved from a virgin wilderness to the glory of mankind, but a means to an even greater end. A handmaiden for the Lord of the nations to grace with His message of a glorious future kingdom, filled with "alabaster cities," devoid of "human tears." This is no jingoistic manifest destiny of American triumphalism...It is literally the "Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ." Bates' dream, our founders' dream, the true American dream, is for every citizen of our land to somehow enter that ultimate City not made by human hands. They dreamt that "all success" would be "nobleness" (the ultimate good as defined by a holy Lawgiver), and "every gain divine"--as Paul said when faced with his life's end, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
May our great God, the Refiner of hearts and of nations, burn away the dross of our sin and selfishness and, by the grace found in His Son Jesus Christ, renew all our "patriot dreams" for the glory of His ultimate, eternal kingdom.
