To the Oracle at Delphi

　　 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

　　 Great Oracle， why are you staring at me，

　　 do I baffle you， do I make you despair？

　　 I， Americus， the American，

　　 wrought from the dark in my mother long ago，

　　 from the dark of ancient Europa

　　 Why are you staring at me now

　　 in the dusk of our civilization

　　 Why are you staring at me

　　 as if I were America itself

　　 the new Empire

　　 vaster than any in ancient days

　　 with its electronic highways

　　 carrying its corporate monoculture

　　 around the world

　　 And English the Latin of our days

　　 Great Oracle， sleeping through the centuries，

　　 Awaken now at last

　　 And tell us how to save us from ourselves

　　 and how to survive our own rulers

　　 who would make a plutocracy of our democracy

　　 in the Great Divide

　　 between the rich and the poor

　　 in whom Walt Whitman heard America singing

　　 O long-silent Sybil，

　　 you of the winged dreams，

　　 Speak out from your temple of light

　　 as the serious constellations

　　 with Greek names

　　 still stare down on us

　　 as a lighthouse moves its megaphone

　　 over the sea

　　 Speak out and shine upon us

　　 the sea-light of Greece

　　 the diamond light of Greece

　　 Far-seeing Sybil， forever hidden，

　　 Come out of your cave at last

　　 And speak to us in the poet's voice

　　 the voice of the fourth person singular

　　 the voice of the inscrutable future

　　 the voice of the people mixed

　　 with a wild soft laughter

　　 And give us new dreams to dream，

　　 Give us new myths to live by！

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