Prison Cell

By Mahmoud Darwish
This is a poem about the power of imagination and about the capacity of human
beings to survive in terrible environments. The walls of the prison cannot cage
his mind. He chooses freedom.
It is possible…
It is possible at least sometimes…
It is possible especially now
To ride a horse
Inside a prison cell
And run away…
The poet starts by highlighting the power of imagination, and how anything is
possible if you just believe in it. The speaker begins with the phrase “It is possible”
as a way to call up his imagination. Without imagination and belief, a person
would forever be a prisoner. He says it’s sometimes possible to escape, even in the
worst situations. he can imagine himself riding a horse, even though I’m stuck in a
prison cell. Through my thoughts, I can break free and run away.
It is possible for prison walls
To disappear.
For the cell to become a distant land
Without frontiers:
What did you do with the walls?
I gave them back to the rocks.
And what did you do with the ceiling?
I turned it into a saddle.
And your chains?
I turned it into a pencil.
Again through the power of imagination the prisoner was able to Prison walls can
disappear in his mind. His cell can turn into a vast, open land without any barriers
or limits. The prison guard then asks him what did he do to the walls, the prisoner
replied that he turned them back to their original form. The guard then asks him
what happened to the ceiling, the poet replied said that he turned it into a saddle of
a horse. The guard asks him what had he done to the chains he said that he turned
them into a pencil. In contrast to the inmate, the prison guard lacks imagination.
The inmate, who physically remains locked in the cell, tells the prison guard that
he has made the prison walls disappear. The prison guard responds with anger.
 The prison guard got angry.
He put an end to the dialogue.
He said he didn’t care for poetry.
And bolted the door of my cell.
The prison guard’s reply represents the voice of reality against imagination, a
voice which refuses imagination. The guard’s response suggests a belief that one
cannot use imagination to escape physical confines. By bolting the door to the cell,
the guard attempts to mark the reality of the inmate’s situation, which should be
one of suffering and remorse. The guard was frustrated by him and became angry.
He interrupted his thoughts, saying he didn’t care for his imagination or poetry that
it was hopeless and meaningless. He locked the door to his cell tightly.
He came back to see me.
In the morning.
He shouted at me:
Where did all this water come from?
I brought it from the Nile.
And the trees?
From the orchards of Damascus.
And the music?
From my heartbeat.
The next morning, the guard returned and angrily asked where all the water, trees,
and music had come from. He explained that the water came from the Nile River,
the trees from Damascus, and the music from my own heartbeat again through
power of imagination and not giving up . This signifies that help was provided
from different Arab countries and that he is not alone in his fight to freedom.
The prison guard got mad.
He put an end to my dialogue.
He said he didn’t like my poetry.
And bolted the door of my cell.
Again the guard was frustrated by him not giving up and became angrier. He
interrupted his thoughts, saying he didn’t care for his imagination or poetry that it
was hopeless and meaningless. He locked the door to his cell tightly. This shows
how the guard was affected by his words.
 But he returned in the evening:
Where did this moon come from?
From the nights of Baghdad.
And the wine?
From the vineyards of Algiers.
And this freedom?
From the chain you tied me with last night.
That evening, the guard came back, questioning him about where the moon and its
light and wine came from. he told him the moon was from Baghdad and the wine
from Algiers’ vineyards again signifying help from Arab countries. When the
guard asked about freedom, he explained it came from the very chains he used to
restrain me. Through his imagination he was able to break free.
The prison guard grew so sad…
He begged me to give him back
His freedom.
Now the roles were reversed the guard became the prisoner and the prisoner is free.
The guard had tried everything to keep him imprisoned and chained but because of
the poet’s power of imagination and belief he was able to break free. the prison
guard became sad. He begged him to give him back his own freedom, realizing
how trapped he truly was.

The figures of speech in the poem:

1. Metaphor

 "To ride a horse inside a prison cell": Represents the power of

imagination to transcend physical confinement.
 "For the cell to become a distant land without frontiers": The
transformation of the cell into open lands and freedom through imagination.
 "I turned it into a saddle" (ceiling): transforming the ceiling into a saddle
of a horse to ride.
 "I turned it into a pencil" (chains): Symbolizes the power of writing to
break bonds.
 "And the music? From my heartbeat.": he compares the sound of his
heart beat to music. The heart as a source of life and creativity.
  ""The prison walls disappear": The walls are depicted as active agents
that can vanish through the poet's imagination.


2. Symbolism

 Prison walls, ceiling, and chains: Represent oppressive physical and

metaphorical barriers.
 Water from the Nile, trees from Damascus, moon from Baghdad:
Symbolize cultural richness and memory as sources of freedom.
 "This freedom? From the chain you tied me with last night": Suggests
that even oppression can inspire liberation through not giving up.
 The prison guard got angry/sad/mad": The guard becomes a symbol of
oppressive authority, given human emotions to emphasize his
transformation.


3. Personification

“I gave them back to the rocks.” Compares the rocks to a person that you return
something to.

4. Repetition

 "The prison guard got mad. He put an end to my dialogue.": Repeated

for emphasis, showing the ongoing conflict between imagination and
authority.
 "Where did…come from?": Repeated to underline the limitless creativity
of the speaker's mind.

5. Imagery

 "Water from the Nile": Evokes the life-giving essence of the Nile River.
 "Trees from the orchards of Damascus": Conjures images of lush and
fertile lands.
 "Moon from the nights of Baghdad": Brings to mind a peaceful and poetic
night.
6. Irony

 "He said he didn’t care for poetry" and "He said he didn’t like my
poetry": Highlights the irony of the prison guard engaging and being
deeply affected by the poet’s imagination, despite claiming to dislike poetry.

7. Contrast

 Freedom vs. confinement: The speaker’s ability to create freedom contrasts

with the physical reality of imprisonment.
 Prison guard’s authority vs. poet’s creativity: The guard's attempts to
suppress the poet only reveal his own lack of freedom.

8. Hyperbole

 "What did you do with the walls? I gave them back to the rocks.":
Exaggerates the speaker’s transformative imagination.
 "Where did this moon come from? From the nights of Baghdad.":
Amplifies the boundlessness of the speaker’s creativity.

9. Allusion

 "Water from the Nile, trees from Damascus, moon from Baghdad":
References culturally significant places that evoke history, beauty, and
civilization.