Some favourite poetry from The Prophet
- Kahlil Gibran
- Jul 1, 2015
- 7 min read

Kahlil Gibran
Get behind me wisdom that does not weep, philosophy that does not laugh , greatness that does not bow before children. K.G
A truth which needs to be proved is a half truth. He who does not spend his time in the kingdom of dreams is a slave to his own days.
I have never expressed hate except as a means of defending myself. had I been stronger, I would not have had to resort to such a weapon.
On Marriage Kahlil Gibran
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
Kahlil Gibran on Love
When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast. All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart. But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God." And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
On Children Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Tear and Smile
My most fervent hope is that my life shall continue as a tear and smile: a tear that preserves the purity of my heart and reveals to me the mysteries of life, a smile which brings me closer to the quintessence of my being and symbolizes my glorification of the gods; a tear with which I share the misfortunes of all wounded hearts, a smile with which I express my joy in existence. There is within me a friend who consoles me every time troubles overwhelm me and misfortunes afflict me. He who does not feel friendship towards himself is a public enemy, and he who finds no confidant within himself will die of despair. For life issues forth from man's inner self and not from what surrounds him. I have come to say one single word, and I shall say it. But if death were to prevent me from doing so, then it will be said tomorrow. For tomorrow will leave no secret in the book of Eternity. Whoever would be a teacher of men let him begin by teaching himself before teaching others; and let him teach by example before teaching by word. For he who teaches himself and rectifies his own ways is more deserving of respect and reverence than he who would teach others and rectify their ways. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) Source: Wisdom of Gibran
Now I realize that the trees blossom in Spring and bear fruit in Summer without seeking praise; and they drop their leaves in Autumn and become naked in Winter without fearing blame. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
Art is one step from the visibly known toward the unknown. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
Oh Jesus, they have built these churches for the sake of their own glory, and embellished them with silk and melted gold. . . . They left the bodies of Thy chosen poor wrapped in tattered raiment in the cold night. . . . They filled the sky with the smoke of burning candles and incense and left the bodies of Thy faithful worshipers empty of bread. . . . They raised their voices with hymns of praise, but deafened themselves to the cry and moan of the widows and orphans. Come again, Oh Living Jesus, and drive the vendors of Thy faith from Thy sacred temple, for they have turned it into a dark cave where vipers of hypocrisy and falsehood crawl and abound. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
Beauty is not in the face; Beauty is a light in the heart. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) Source: Wisdom of Gibran
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain. And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields. And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) Source: The Prophet, p.20 (On Giving)
Much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility: For this hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen... Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
Yoga offers a unique message to everyone caught in cycles of sadness. Instead of just being lost these times are meant to evoke deeper layers of compassion and make you a more complete human being. In other words the more you suffer the more compassion you will experience. By ripping your heart out of your chest you see just how strong and powerful your heart really is. The practice of yoga gives you the tools to recast the experience of pain as one that will one day lead to a final and lasting victory over the source of all suffering. 'The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself, and no heart has ever suffered when it has went in search of its dreams.' "...We give thanks for the air that we breathe, for our bodies, so capable and strong, and to all of life that sustains, nourishes and nurtures. May we remain present in our body and mind and continue to grow, learn and expand our consciousness so as to know our highest Self. May we commit to observing our reactivity and breathe more fully and completely in times of conflict. May we stay grounded so that the choices we make are influenced by our mindfulness and compassion. May we see beyond reason, heal beyond belief, love beyond barriers. May we surrender to this deep work, commit to the beauty of our awakening souls and celebrate the bond of breath that binds all of us-- you, me, this planet and spirit as one." x
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