| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 172. Freedom for the Mind |
| | | By William Lloyd Garrison |
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| HIGH walls and huge the body may confine, | |
| And iron grates obstruct the prisoner’s gaze, | |
| And massive bolts may baffle his design, | |
| And vigilant keepers watch his devious ways: | |
| Yet scorns the immortal mind this base control! | 5 |
| No chains can bind it, and no cell enclose: | |
| Swifter than light, it flies from pole to pole, | |
| And, in a flash, from earth to heaven it goes! | |
| It leaps from mount to mount—from vale to vale | |
| It wanders, plucking honeyed fruits and flowers; | 10 |
| It visits home, to hear the fireside tale, | |
| Or in sweet converse pass the joyous hours. | |
| ’T is up before the sun, roaming afar, | |
| And, in its watches, wearies every star! | |
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