Eternal Spirit of the chainless Mind! Brightest in dungeons, Liberty, thou art, For there thy habitation is the heart -- The heart which love of thee alone can bind; And when thy sons to fetters are consign'd -- To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom -- Their country conquers with their martyrdom, And freedom's fame finds wings on every wind. Chillon! thy prison is a holy place, And thy sad floor an altar -- for 'twas trod Until his very steps have left a trace, Worn as if thy cold pavement were a sod, By Bonnivard! -- May none those marks efface! For they appeal from tyranny to God. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CREMATION OF SAM MCGEE by ROBERT WILLIAM SERVICE THEOCRITUS; A VILLANELLE by OSCAR WILDE THE BURIAL-PLACE by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT THE INDIAN GIRL'S LAMENT by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT NORTHWARD FLIGHT AT DAWN by GAIL BROOK BURKET |