
Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Back to Show
Poetry in America
Hymmnn and Hum Bom! by Allen Ginsberg
Season 1
Episode 4
Read two of Ginsberg’s most emotionally transporting poems, the “Hymmnn” from Kaddish, and the anti-war chant “Hum Bom!” with rock star Bono, former United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, and a chorus of clergy and religious practitioners. Hosted by Elisa New.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:27
Contemplate the physical—and figurative—journeys charted by all immigrants.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:45
Explore the transformation of America’s long tradition of urban verse by hip hop artists.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:26
Explore Galway Kinnell's poem with E.O. Wilson, Robert Hass, Laura McPhee and other guests

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:26
Explore Gwendolyn Brooks's poem with John McCain, Anna Deavere Smith, and other guests.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:27
Explore Robert Pinsky's poem with Stuart Weitzman, Johnson Hartig, and the poet himself.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:33
Explore W.H. Auden's poem with guests Samantha Power, David Brooks, and Peter Sacks.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:26
“What happens to a dream deferred?” Bill Clinton, Herbie Hancock, and others weigh in.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:27
Can a building have a soul? Frank Gehry, Zhang Xin, Robert Polito, and others weigh in.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:26
Explore Hayden's poem with Joe Biden, Elizabeth Alexander, Angela Duckworth, and others.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:27
Can basketball be poetic? NBA players Shaq, Pau Gasol, and Shane Battier weigh in.

Unlock with PBS Passport
25:29
Host Elisa New explores Emily Dickinson's poem with Cyntha Nixon, Yo-Yo Ma, and others.