| Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. |
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| Walt Whitman. 1819–1892 |
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| 742. The Imprisoned Soul |
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| AT the last, tenderly, | |
| From the walls of the powerful, fortress'd house, | |
| From the clasp of the knitted locks—from the keep of the well-closed doors, | |
| Let me be wafted. | |
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| Let me glide noiselessly forth; | 5 |
| With the key of softness unlock the locks—with a whisper | |
| Set ope the doors, O soul! | |
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| Tenderly! be not impatient! | |
| (Strong is your hold, O mortal flesh! | |
| Strong is your hold, O love!) | 10 |
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