Quotations and Literature Forum

Hello,

I am translating the book "Parrot and Olivier in America" by Peter Carey, and I came across the above mentioned sentence ("I am the future and shall serve thee"). The author says it in connection with the Independence Day celebration. I am not sure, if it is a quotation, or not. However, it is in italics. I tried some googling but have found nothing. So, could you, please, let me know if it reminds you of something? Here are two sentences, connected with the quotation:

"How would one expect the victors to celebrate the anniversary of the ‘Glorious Fourth’, that impossible date when the tides of history surged and, having finally receded, revealed crowns and broken sceptres amid the flotsam on the flat sand. Here the new words, until now unimagined (I am the future and shall serve thee) shining in the wet dawn light."

Thank you for any help.[/b][/i]