“Thrice-imprisoned,” thou wert e’en as mighty, In the boundless kingdom of the mind, As the whirlwind that compels the ocean, As the thunder that compels the wind.

“Thrice-imprisoned,” thou wert freer truly Than the liegeless Arab on his mare⁠— Freer than the bearers of the sceptre⁠— Freer than the winged lords of the air.

“Thrice-imprisoned,” thou hast sung of freedom As but a few of all her heroes can; Thou hast undermined the triple prison Of the mind and heart and soul of man.

In thy fountained peristyles of Reason Glows the light and flame of desert noons; And in the cloister of thy pensive Fancy Wisdom burns the spikenard of her moons.

Ameen Rihani.