e. Pyramids
You have built the Pyramids upon the hearts Of slaves, but the Pyramids stand now upon
The sand, commemorating to the Ages our Immortality and your evanescence.
Gibran, 1947, stanza 13, line 1-4
Referring to the shape of pyramid itself, ‘Pyramids’ represents the form of the social structure in the society. Like the shape of pyramid, the people in the
society of the poem have been organized into different stages or level from the lowest to the top. In a simple word, ‘Pyramids’ manifest the hierarchy in the
society of the poem. The word ‘Pyramids’ is also written in capital letter. Apparently, the poet wants to strengthen the idea of hierarchy in the society.
f. Palaces, graves
We build palace for you, and you dig graves for us…
Gibran, 1947 stanza 22, line 1-2
As the place of the royals, palace also has the connotation of a monarchy government. Yet, ‘palace’ brings out another meaning that related to the ruler of
society. It is simply to understand that ‘palace’ demonstrates the meaning of power. Grave, whereas, is the place for those who have died and not exist
anymore. When someone says about ‘grave’, the first thing which comes up is death. However, if it is associated with some kind of society system˗˗because the
whole poem is about a kind of society and its system˗˗it evokes the interpretation that ‘grave’ is the symbol of being eliminated from the society.
These two symbols prove the position of each character of ‘You’ and ‘We’. Like any interpretation in the previous types of the figurative language,
again, it seems that the poet wants to focus on how different their positions are, ‘You’ as the ruler, and ‘We’ and the subject.
g. Roses, thorns
We spread your path with roses, and you cover Our beds with thorns
Gibran, 1947 stanza 23, line 1-2
Generally, rose is known as the symbol of love, lovely thing, and any other beautiful stuff and the feeling of joy. In this case, rose can be seen as the symbol
of happiness that then, if it is related with the social condition of ‘You’, rose can interpreted as the symbol of glory and prosperity. Contrast with ‘roses’, ‘thorns’
represents the pain and misery which are obviously related to poverty and sorrow. ‘Roses’ and ‘thorns’ are two things that cannot be separated. A beautiful
rose definitely has its sharp thorns. It is interesting that the poet uses these terms, ‘roses’ and ‘thorns’, to explain symbolically about two contrasting ideas which
live together in the same element.
5. Allusion
As mentioned in previous chapter, allusion is a reference of someone, place, thing, or event in the past which has similar context with the text that the
author wants to allude to. According to Arp and Johnson 2009: 773, “allusions are a means of reinforcing the emotion of the ides of one’s work with the emotion
of ideas of another work or occasion. Because they may compact so much meaning in so small a space, they are extremely useful to the poet”. Sometimes, it
is difficult to avoid the misunderstanding in analyzing an allusion because to understand an allusion, it requires the same knowledge between the poet and also
the reader. Therefore, the researcher provides the historical background of each allusion to see the context that the poet alludes to.
a. Babylon, Nineveh
You have built Babylon upon the bones of the Weak, and erected the palaces of Nineveh upon
The graves of the miserable Gibran, 1947, stanza 14, line 1-3
The first allusion is ‘Babylon’. Babylon was the most famous city in ancient Mesopotamia. The story of Babylon had also been mentioned in some
books of the Bible. According to Walter A. Elwell, an evangelical theological academic, some Prophets in the Bible describe Babylon as a city of pride and
idolatry. He adds “as a result of this biblical imagery, Babylon has transcended its historical significance to become synonymous with sin and pride in Western art
and literature” Elwell, 1996. Besides of its sinful image, Babylon is also known as the city with a great civilization. As Joshua J. Mark, a historian, says in his
article, Outside of the sinful reputation given it by the Bible, the city is known for
its impressive walls and buildings, its reputation as a great seat of learning and culture, the formation of a code of law which pre-dates
the Mosaic Law, and for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon which were man-made terraces of flora and fauna.... Mark, 2011.
The second allusion is ‘Nineveh’. Nineveh was a capital city of Neo- Assyrian Empire. It was known with the great architecture of palaces and temples.
The historian Gwendolyn Leick 2011 notes, “Nineveh, with its heterogeneous population of people from throughout the Assyrian Empire, was one of the most
beautiful cities in the Near East, with its gardens, temples, and splendid palaces”.
However, similar to Babylon, based on Biblical sources, Nineveh was also considered as a city of sin.
Based on these historical explanations, both ‘Babylon’ and ‘Nineveh’ share the same characteristics. They are two similar cities which had created a
great civilization but, at the end, both Babylon and Nineveh were fallen out by God because of the sin done by their leaders. This is maybe the reason why the
poet uses these two allusions ‘Babylon’ and ‘Nineveh to describe what ‘You’ have made in society. Through the allusions the readers can understand the
position of ‘You’ as the group of people who have some kind of power. b.
Ishtar
We have carved Ishtar from solid marble, And made it to quiver in its solidity and
Speak through its muteness. Gibran, 1947, stanza 15, line 1-3
Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, war, and sexual love in Mesopotamian religion. Ishtar is also called as the goddess of love and life. In the relation to the
context, Ishtar refers to any aspects of life which ‘We’ have created with their great fortitude which is symbolized by ‘solid marble’. In the line “And made it to
quiver in its solidity and, Speak through its muteness” Gibran, 1947, stanza 15, line 2-3, the readers can see how ‘Ishtar’ as the representation of life is shown as
a human in figurative way. This can be assumed as the struggle of ‘We’ to create and live their life.
c. Rome and Antioch
You are following Amusement, whose sharp claws Have torn thousands of martyrs in the arenas
Of Rome and Antioch…
Gibran, 1947, stanza 17, line 1-3 According to the history in Book of Acts, Rome and Antioch were the
places where the Apostles started to spread Christianity. In that time, Roman Empire had killed many people who believe to Jesus Christ. They were
slaughtered as the martyrs because of their faith to Jesus Christ. Rome and Antioch are the witnesses of inhumanity in the history of human civilization.
These places are used as an allusion in order to represent inhumanity of‘You’ as the ruler or the owner power in the society of the poem.
d. Iliad, the Book of Job and the Lamentations of Jeremiah
...But we are following Silence, whose careful fingers have woven the
Iliad and the Book of Job and the Lamentations Of Jeremiah.
Gibran, 1947, stanza 17, line 3-6 Iliad is an epic poem which tells about Trojan War from ancient Greek
story. Both Book of Job and the Lamentations of Jeremiah are the books from the Bible’s Old Testament. Book of Job talks about the way Job understands the
sufferings that engulf him and the Lamentation of Jeremiah talks about how Jeremiah lamenting the ruins of Jerusalem.
These literary works˗˗consider Book of Job and the Lamentation of Jeremiah as literary works˗˗ refer to the expressions of grief, suffering, misery,
and anger that linger among ‘We’. It is said that ‘We’ have woven or created some kinds of works based on the condition that they face. Iliad, Book of Job, and
Lamentation of Jeremiah are known as epic works all the time. When they are
used to allude to something of expressing the feeling and condition of ‘We’, it discloses a moral value that through sorrow something beautiful can be revealed.
e. Hamlet and Dante
. . . But we embrace Solitude, in whose Shadow the beauties of Hamlet and Dante arose
Gibran, 1947, stanza 18, line 4-5
The poet uses allusion of William Shakespeare’s masterpieces, Hamlet, and an Italian famous poet of the late Middle Ages, Dante. Hamlet is a play about
a vengeance of Prince Hamlet for his father’s death. According to Jeffrey H. Hacker in Encyclopedia of Knowledge 1991: 122, “Hamlet is a vigorous, active
play dealing with murder and revenge− themes that were also treated by such popular contemporary “revenge tragedies”…”. Then, Dante is one of the poets in
Medieval Ages who criticizes the tyrannical government, especially the papal and Roman Empire, through his works. The allusion of Hamlet and Dante refers to the
way of the poet wants to create ‘We’ as rebel as Dante to revenge as Hamlet does. It is seen in the line “the beauties of Hamlet and Dante arose” Gibran, 1947,
stanza 18, line 5. It is described that ‘Solitude’ has its shadow as beautiful as Hamlet and Dante. This allusion takes a notion that the poet portrays the desire of
‘We’ to fight against ‘You’. f.
Socrates, Paul, Ali Talib, MadhatPasha
You poisoned Socrates and stoned Paul and Destroyed Ali Talib and assassinated
Madhat Pasha, and yet those immortals are With us forever before the face of Eternity
Gibran, 1947, stanza 26, line 1-4
