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The Map Lyrics by Elizabeth Bishop

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Land lies in water; it is shadowed green.
Shadows, or are they shallows, at its edges
Showing the line of long sea-weeded ledges
Where weeds hang to the simple blue from green.
Or does the land lean down to lift the sea from under,
Drawing it unperturbed around itself?
Along the fine tan sandy shelf
Is the land tugging at the sea from under?
The shadow of Newfoundland lies flat and still.
Labrador's yellow, where the moony Eskimo
Has oiled it. We can stroke these lovely bays,
Under a glass as if they were expected to blossom,
Or as if to provide a clean cage for invisible fish.
The names of seashore towns run out to sea,
The names of cities cross the neighboring mountains
-the printer here experiencing the same excitement
As when emotion too far exceeds its cause.
These peninsulas take the water between thumb and finger
Like women feeling for the smoothness of yard-goods.
Mapped waters are more quiet than the land is,
Lending the land their waves' own conformation:
And Norway's hare runs south in agitation,
Profiles investigate the sea, where land is.
Are they assigned, or can the countries pick their colors?
-What suits the character or the native waters best.
Topography displays no favorites; North's as near as West.
More delicate than the historians' are the map-makers' colors.
Credits
Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Bishop

About “The Map” by Elizabeth Bishop

Read the complete lyrics to "The Map" by Elizabeth Bishop. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"The Map" is performed by Elizabeth Bishop. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Map", explore more songs by Elizabeth Bishop using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Map" is credited to Elizabeth Bishop. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "The Map" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Elizabeth Bishop artist page at /artist/elizabeth-bishop for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.