From “Madame Rose Hanie” by Khalil Gibran in Spirits Rebellious
"Before the throne of Freedom,
the trees rejoice with the frolicsome breeze
and enjoy the rays of the sun
and the beams of the moon.
Through the ears of Freedom
these birds whisper
and around Freedom
they flutter to the music of the brooks.
Throughout the sky of Freedom
these flowers breathe their fragrance
and before Freedom’s eyes
they smile when dawn comes.
Everything on earth lives according to
the law of nature,
and from that law emerges the
glory and joy of liberty;
but man is denied this fortune,
because he set for the God-given soul
a limited and earthly law of his own.
He made for himself strict rules.
Man built a narrow and painful prison
in which he secluded his affections and desires.
He dug out a deep grave
in which he buried his heart and its purpose.
If an individual,
through the dictates of his soul,
declares his withdrawal from society and violates the law,
his fellowmen will say
he is a rebel worthy of exile,
or an infamous creature worthy only of execution.
Will man remain a slave of self-confinement until the end of the world ?
Or will he be freed by the passing of time
and live in the Spirit for the Spirit ?"