“Here I am, a youth, a young tree whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would be fruitful.”

This excerpt, taken from To Young Americans of Syrian Origin, is chiseled underneath a bust of famed poet Khalil Gibran on a monument that greets visitors at the Lebanese embassy in Washington, D.C.

The monument was installed in October 2014. It was designed to pay tribute to the favorite son of Lebanon. Gibran was born in the city of Bsharri in 1883 and made his way to the United States in 1895 with his mother and siblings, where they settled in South Boston. 

Gibran showcased talent as a visual artist from an early age, although, it was ultimately his writing, particularly his poetry, that captivated people making him one of the most heralded poets to ever live. 

His best-known literary work, The Prophet, has been translated into more than 100 languages and has sold more than 11 million copies, which makes it one of the top-selling literary works of all time.

Gibran died in 1931 at the age of 48 in New York City. He was buried in his hometown of Bsharri, Lebanon, to which all of his future royalties had been granted. He is considered a literary hero in his home country and deeply admired around the world.