We do not know if the poem Freedom is by an Indian poet or an Irish poet, as he may be an Irishman, but he is an Indian by heart and soul; a mystic persona. We wonder how Gandhi could not meet him. He should have met Russell. How could he miss meeting him? A votary of Indian culture, he is a poet par excellence; of an extraordinary range of visionary spectrum and delving which a few could have competed with, not even the Brahmins could have what he possessed, clutched it along.  A.E. Russell is a great poet so ahead of time, a theosophist, an occultist, an orientalist and the poems he has written do not appear to be English, but very, very Indian in theme and penetration.

The poet does not want to bring the bird here as it has a free and independent existence of its own so why to bring it here, chain it to the ground? The cage is not its habitat. It is free in spirit, free in flight. Let it fly. Let it wing away. It is not a thing of here. It is but of there, the domain and the world of its own where it is from.

The poet loves the state of it being free and that is why he loves it so much. Actually, freedom matters it, the light heeds it towards. A light ward traveler, it travels towards light.

The poet wishes to meet it there. Wait for. He will also be there and will meet even though it is for the time being far from, but will go and meet.

The bird may be an address to the soul with whom he is having parleys. My bird refers to the soul which knows it not the binding of the body.

The poem is a marvel of spiritual deliverance. The moral crisis which keeps him a-burning lights him up with mystical experiences and feelings.

I Will not follow you, my bird,
I will not follow you.
I would not breathe a word, my bird. 
 To bring thee here anew.

I love the free in thee, my bird,
The lure of freedom drew ;
The light you fly toward, my bird,
I fly with thee unto.

And there we yet will meet, my bird,
Though far I go from you
Where in the light outpoured, my bird,
Are love and freedom too.