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Excelsior (poem)

Last modified: 2006-10-28 by marc pasquin
Keywords: book | poem | excelsior |
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Alegorical Physical Representation of Purpose

white with the word [EXCELSIOR]
by Eugene Ipavec, 12 september 2006, based on a period illustration.

A flag appears in a rather famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

The shades of night were falling fast,
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,
A banner with the strange device,
Excelsior!
The poem is an allegory about maintaining fixity of purpose while aiming for a lofty goal, "excelsior" being Latin for "ever higher," (and also the state motto of New York). A period illustration is shown in an article on Wikipedia.
Eugene Ipavec, 12 september 2006