Osman's Dream

"I dreamt of a dream
 I saw a goodly tree sprang forth from my bosom
 And grew in beauty and in strength until the embracing verdure of its branches canopied the horizon
 Under its shade stood four mountains
 And from its roots gushed four rivers that gurgled through lush valleys glittering with stately cities
 With domes, pyramids and towers
 The Crescent shone on their summits
 And from their galleries sounded the Muezzin's call
 Whose echoing prayers swirled around beneath the living roof of the all-overarching tree
 Suddenly there arose a mighty wind
 And turned the points of the sword shaped leaves towards the city of Constantinople
 Placed at the junction of two seas and two continents
 Like a diamond set between two sapphires and two emeralds
 To form the most precious stone in a ring of universal empire!"