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The Prophet

I was first introduced to Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’ when I was 18. The book had a great influence in shaping my personality along the way. Now, double that age, I still find amusing treasures in it.

For the uninitiated, Gibran (1883 – 1931) was born in Brazil but moved back to Lebanon when his father died. Studied in US and in Lebanon, he traveled far and wide. His mother dies and his love fails, shattering him. He moves to France and learns painting. He has multiple women in his life inspiring and inflicting pain as well. He writes ‘The Prophet’ when he was 40. One reason why you always find me humble is that I come across men like him and wonder, if I can beat what they did at my age! I can’t help feeling like a tip of their toe hair.

‘The prophet’ captures the essence of life in a poetic conversational style – love, marriage, children, giving, freedom, reason, passion, self knowledge etc. Powerful lines profound with subtexts. I am giving you a snippet from the love and marriage section

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 the same cup.
Give one another your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.
Give your hearts but not into each one’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.

As usual, I offer to buy you barrels of beer if you can discuss ‘The Prophet’ with me.

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  1. AnonymousJune 18, 2009 at 4:34 PM

    you may have inspired me to re-read this. I read it along time ago and it did not resonate. Now I am much older i found the quote quite beautiful

    David

    ReplyDelete

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