The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran
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The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran
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Overview
Kahlil Gibran produced some of the world’s most remarkable poems and philosophical essays throughout his almost thirty-year career. This enriching collection of his works includes more than 150 of his stories, prose poems, verse, parables, and autobiographical essays. From The Broken Wings, about the tragic end of a first love, to A Self Portrait, revealing Gibran’s greatest passions through his personal letters to friends and family, each book in this collection serves as an absorbing and comprehensive introduction to the legendary thinker.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781453235539 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Philosophical Library/Open Road |
| Publication date: | 12/20/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 902 |
| Sales rank: | 538,305 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
About the Author
Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) was an essayist, novelist, and mystic poet. He wrote The Prophet, a collection of philosophical essays that went on to become one of the bestselling books of the twentieth century. Though he was born in Lebanon, he moved to Boston’s South End as a child and studied art with Auguste Rodin in Paris for two years before launching his literary career. Much of Gibran’s work contains themes of religion and Christianity as well as spiritual love.
Read an Excerpt
The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran
By Kahlil Gibran
Philosophical Library
Copyright © 1975 Philosophical Library, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4532-3553-9
CHAPTER 1
TEARS AND LAUGHTER
THE CREATION
THE GOD separated a spirit from Himself and fashioned it into beauty. He showered upon her all the blessings of gracefulness and kindness. He gave her the cup of happiness and said, "Drink not from this cup unless you forget the past and the future, for happiness is naught but the moment." And He also gave her a cup of sorrow and said, "Drink from this cup and you will understand the meaning of the fleeting instants of the joy of life, for sorrow ever abounds."
And the God bestowed upon her a love that would desert her forever upon her first sigh of earthly satisfaction, and a sweetness that would vanish with her first awareness of flattery.
And He gave her wisdom from heaven to lead her to the all-righteous path, and placed in the depth of her heart an eye that sees the unseen, and created in her an affection and goodness toward all things. He dressed her with raiment of hopes spun by the angels of heaven from the sinews of the rainbow. And He cloaked her in the shadow of confusion, which is the dawn of life and light.
Then the God took consuming fire from the furnace of anger, and searing wind from the desert of ignorance, and sharp-cutting sands from the shore of selfishness, and coarse earth from under the feet of ages, and combined them all and fashioned Man. He gave to Man a blind power that rages and drives him into a madness which extinguishes only before gratification of desire, and placed life in him which is the spectre of death.
And the God laughed and cried. He felt an overwhelming love and pity for Man, and sheltered him beneath His guidance.
HAVE MERCY ON ME, MY SOUL!
WHY ARE you weeping, my Soul? Knowest thou my weakness?
Thy tears strike sharp and injure,
For I know not my wrong.
Until when shalt thou cry?
I have naught but human words
To interpret your dreams,
Your desires, and your instructions.
Look upon me, my Soul; I have
Consumed my full life heeding
Your teachings. Think of how
I suffer! I have exhausted my
Life following you.
My heart was glorying upon the
Throne, but is now yoked in slavery;
My patience was a companion, but
Now contends against me;
My youth was my hope, but
Now reprimands my neglect.
Why, my Soul, are you all-demanding?
I have denied myself pleasure
And deserted the joy of life
Following the course which you
Impelled me to pursue.
Be just to me, or call Death
To unshackle me,
For justice is your glory.
Have mercy on me, my Soul.
You have laden me with Love until
I cannot carry my burden. You and
Love are inseparable might; Substance
And I are inseparable weakness.
Will e'er the struggle cease
Between the strong and the weak?
Have mercy on me, my Soul.
You have shown me Fortune beyond
My grasp. You and Fortune abide on
The mountain top; Misery and I are
Abandoned together in the pit of
The valley. Will e'er the mountain
And the valley unite?
Have mercy on me, my Soul.
You have shown me Beauty, but then
Concealed her. You and Beauty live
In the light; Ignorance and I are
Bound together in the dark. Will
E'er the light invade darkness?
Your delight comes with the Ending,
And you revel now in anticipation;
But this body suffers with life
While in life.
This, my Soul, is perplexing.
You are hastening toward Eternity,
But this body goes slowly toward
Perishment. You do not wait for him,
And he cannot go quickly.
This, my Soul, is sadness.
You ascend high, through heaven's
Attraction, but this body falls by
Earth's gravity. You do not console
Him, and he does not appreciate you.
This, my Soul, is misery.
You are rich in wisdom, but this
Body is poor in understanding.
You do not compromise
And he does not obey.
This, my Soul, is extreme suffering.
In the silence of the night you visit
The Beloved and enjoy the sweetness of
His presence. This body ever remains
The bitter victim of hope and separation.
This, my Soul, is agonizing torture.
Have mercy on me, my Soul!
TWO INFANTS
A PRINCE stood on the balcony of his palace addressing a great multitude summoned for the occasion and said, "Let me offer you and this whole fortunate country my congratulations upon the birth of a new prince who will carry the name of my noble family, and of whom you will be justly proud. He is the new bearer of a great and illustrious ancestry, and upon him depends the brilliant future of this realm. Sing and be merry!" The voices of the throngs, full of joy and thankfulness, flooded the sky with exhilarating song, welcoming the new tyrant who would affix the yoke of oppression to their necks by ruling the weak with bitter authority, and exploiting their bodies and killing their souls. For that destiny, the people were singing and drinking ecstatically to the health of the new Emir.
Another child entered life and that kingdom at the same time. While the crowds were glorifying the strong and belittling themselves by singing praise to a potential despot, and while the angels of heaven were weeping over the people's weakness and servitude, a sick woman was thinking. She lived in an old, deserted hovel and, lying in her hard bed beside her newly-born infant wrapped with ragged swaddles, was starving to death. She was a penurious and miserable young wife neglected by humanity; her husband had fallen into the trap of death set by the prince's oppression, leaving a solitary woman to whom God had sent, that night, a tiny companion to prevent her from working and sustaining life.
As the mass dispersed and silence was restored to the vicinity, the wretched woman placed the infant on her lap and looked into his face and wept as if she were to baptize him with tears. And with a hunger-weakened voice she spoke to the child saying, "Why have you left the spiritual world and come to share with me the bitterness of earthly life? Why have you deserted the angels and the spacious firmament and come to this miserable land of humans, filled with agony, oppression, and heartlessness? I have nothing to give you except tears; will you be nourished on tears instead of milk? I have no silk clothes to put on you; will my naked, shivering arms give you warmth? The little animals graze in the pasture and return safely to their shed; and the small birds pick the seeds and sleep placidly between the branches. But you, my beloved, have naught save a loving but destitute mother."
Then she took the infant to her withered breast and clasped her arms around him as if wanting to join the two bodies in one, as before. She lifted her burning eyes slowly toward heaven and cried, "God! Have mercy on my unfortunate countrymen!"
At that moment the clouds floated from the face of the moon, whose beams penetrated the transom of that poor home and fell upon two corpses.
THE LIFE OF LOVE
SPRING
COME, my beloved; let us walk amidst the knolls,
For the snow is water, and Life is alive from its
Slumber and is roaming the hills and valleys.
Let us follow the footprints of Spring into the
Distant fields, and mount the hilltops to draw
Inspiration high above the cool green plains.
Dawn of Spring has unfolded her winter-kept garment
And placed it on the peach and citrus trees; and
They appear as brides in the ceremonial custom of
The Night of Kedre.
The sprigs of grapevine embrace each other like
Sweethearts, and the brooks burst out in dance
Between the rocks, repeating the song of joy;
And the flowers bud suddenly from the heart of
Nature, like foam from the rich heart of the sea.
Come, my beloved; let us drink the last of Winter's
Tears from the cupped lilies, and soothe our spirits
With the shower of notes from the birds, and wander
In exhilaration through the intoxicating breeze.
Let us sit by that rock, where violets hide; let us
Pursue their exchange of the sweetness of kisses.
SUMMER
Let us go into the fields, my beloved, for the
Time of harvest approaches, and the sun's eyes
Are ripening the grain.
Let us tend the fruit of the earth, as the
Spirit nourishes the grains of Joy from the
Seeds of Love, sowed deep in our hearts.
Let us fill our bins with the products of
Nature, as life fills so abundantly the
Domain of our hearts with her endless bounty.
Let us make the flowers our bed, and the
Sky our blanket, and rest our heads together
Upon pillows of soft hay.
Let us relax after the day's toil, and listen
To the provoking murmur of the brook.
AUTUMN
Let us go and gather the grapes of the vineyard
For the winepress, and keep the wine in old
Vases, as the spirit keeps Knowledge of the
Ages in eternal vessels.
Let us return to our dwelling, for the wind has
Caused the yellow leaves to fall and shroud the
Withering flowers that whisper elegy to Summer.
Come home, my eternal sweetheart, for the birds
Have made pilgrimage to warmth and left the chilled
Prairies suffering pangs of solitude. The jasmine
And myrtle have no more tears.
Let us retreat, for the tired brook has
Ceased its song; and the bubblesome springs
Are drained of their copious weeping; and
The cautious old hills have stored away
Their colourful garments.
Come, my beloved; Nature is justly weary
And is bidding her enthusiasm farewell
With quiet and contented melody.
WINTER
Come close to me, oh companion of my full life;
Come close to me and let not Winter's touch
Enter between us. Sit by me before the hearth,
For fire is the only fruit of Winter.
Speak to me of the glory of your heart, for
That is greater than the shrieking elements
Beyond our door.
Bind the door and seal the transoms, for the
Angry countenance of the heaven depresses my
Spirit, and the face of our snow-laden fields
Makes my soul cry.
Feed the lamp with oil and let it not dim, and
Place it by you, so I can read with tears what
Your life with me has written upon your face.
Bring Autumn's wine. Let us drink and sing the
Song of remembrance to Spring's carefree sowing,
And Summer's watchful tending, and Autumn's
Reward in harvest.
Come close to me, oh beloved of my soul; the
Fire is cooling and fleeing under the ashes.
Embrace me, for I fear loneliness; the lamp is
Dim, and the wine which we pressed is closing
Our eyes. Let us look upon each other before
They are shut.
Find me with your arms and embrace me; let
Slumber then embrace our souls as one.
Kiss me, my beloved, for Winter has stolen
All but our moving lips.
You are close by me, My Forever.
How deep and wide will be the ocean of Slumber;
And how recent was the dawn!
THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE
MY WEARIED heart bade me farewell and left for the House of Fortune. As he reached that holy city which the soul had blessed and worshipped, he commenced wondering, for he could not find what he had always imagined would be there. The city was empty of power, money, and authority.
And my heart spoke to the daughter of Love saying, "Oh Love, where can I find Contentment? I heard that she had come here to join you."
And the daughter of Love responded, "Contentment has already gone to preach her gospel in the city, where greed and corruption are paramount; we are not in need of her."
Fortune craves not Contentment, for it is an earthly hope, and its desires are embraced by union with objects, while Contentment is naught but heartfelt.
The eternal soul is never contented; it ever seeks exaltation. Then my heart looked upon Life of Beauty and said, "Thou art all knowledge; enlighten me as to the mystery of Woman." And he answered, "Oh human heart, woman is your own reflection, and whatever you are, she is; wherever you live, she lives; she is like religion if not interpreted by the ignorant, and like a moon, if not veiled with clouds, and like a breeze, if not poisoned with impurities."
And my heart walked toward Knowledge, the daughter of Love and Beauty, and said, "Bestow upon me wisdom, that I might share it with the people." And she responded, "Say not wisdom, but rather fortune, for real fortune comes not from outside, but begins in the Holy of Holies of life. Share of thyself with the people."
SONG OF THE WAVE
THE STRONG SHORE is my beloved
And I am his sweetheart.
We are at last united by love, and
Then the moon draws me from him.
I go to him in haste and depart
Reluctantly, with many
Little farewells.
I steal swiftly from behind the
Blue horizon to cast the silver of
My foam upon the gold of his sand, and
We blend in melted brilliance.
I quench his thirst and submerge his
Heart; he softens my voice and subdues
My temper.
At dawn I recite the rules of love upon
His ears, and he embraces me longingly.
At eventide I sing to him the song of
Hope, and then print smooth kisses upon
His face; I am swift and fearful, but he
Is quiet, patient, and thoughtful. His
Broad bosom soothes my restlessness.
As the tide comes we caress each other,
When it withdraws, I drop to his feet in
Prayer.
Many times have I danced around mermaids
As they rose from the depths and rested
Upon my crest to watch the stars;
Many times have I heard lovers complain
Of their smallness, and I helped them to sigh.
Many times have I teased the great rocks
And fondled them with a smile, but never
Have I received laughter from them;
Many times have I lifted drowning souls
And carried them tenderly to my beloved
Shore. He gives them strength as he
Takes mine.
Many times have I stolen gems from the
Depths and presented them to my beloved
Shore. He takes in silence, but still
I give for he welcomes me ever.
In the heaviness of night, when all
Creatures seek the ghost of Slumber, I
Sit up, singing at one time and sighing
At another. I am awake always.
Alas! Sleeplessness has weakened me!
But I am a lover, and the truth of love
Is strong.
I may weary, but I shall never die.
A POET'S DEATH IS HIS LIFE
THE DARK WINGS of night enfolded the city upon which Nature had spread a pure and white garment of snow; and men deserted the streets for their houses in search of warmth, while the north wind probed in contemplation of laying waste the gardens. There in the suburb stood an old hut heavily laden with snow and on the verge of falling. In a dark recess of that hovel was a poor bed in which a dying youth was lying, staring at the dim light of his oil lamp, made to flicker by the entering winds. He was a man in the spring of life who foresaw fully that the peaceful hour of freeing himself from the clutches of life was fast nearing. He was awaiting Death's visit gratefully, and upon his pale face appeared the dawn of hope; and on his lips a sorrowful smile; and in his eyes forgiveness.
He was a poet perishing from hunger in the city of living rich. He was placed in the earthly world to enliven the heart of man with his beautiful and profound sayings. He was a noble soul, sent by the Goddess of Understanding to soothe and make gentle the human spirit. But alas! He gladly bade the cold earth farewell without receiving a smile from its strange occupants.
He was breathing his last and had no one at his bedside save the oil lamp, his only companion, and some parchments upon which he had inscribed his heart's feeling. As he salvaged the remnants of his withering strength he lifted his hands heavenward; he moved his eyes hopelessly, as if wanting to penetrate the ceiling in order to see the stars from behind the veil of clouds.
And he said, "Come, oh beautiful Death; my soul is longing for you. Come close to me and unfasten the irons of life, for I am weary of dragging them. Come, oh sweet Death, and deliver me from my neighbours who looked upon me as a stranger because I interpret to them the language of the angels. Hurry, oh peaceful Death, and carry me from these multitudes who left me in the dark corner of oblivion because I do not bleed the weak as they do. Come, oh gentle Death, and enfold me under your white wings, for my fellowmen are not in want of me. Embrace me, oh Death, full of love and mercy; let your lips touch my lips which never tasted a mother's kiss, nor touched a sister's cheeks, nor caressed a sweetheart's fingertips. Come and take me, my beloved Death."
Then, at the bedside of the dying poet appeared an angel who possessed a supernatural and divine beauty, holding in her hand a wreath of lilies. She embraced him and closed his eyes so he could see no more, except with the eye of his spirit. She impressed a deep and long and gently withdrawn kiss that left an eternal smile of fulfillment upon his lips. Then the hovel became empty and nothing was left save parchments and papers which the poet had strewn about with bitter futility.
Hundreds of years later, when the people of the city arose from the diseased slumber of ignorance and saw the dawn of knowledge, they erected a monument in the most beautiful garden of the city and celebrated a feast every year in honour of that poet, whose writings had freed them. Oh, how cruel is man's ignorance!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran by Kahlil Gibran. Copyright © 1975 Philosophical Library, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Philosophical Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
- Contents
- Preface
- Timeline
- Selected Quotes
- TEARS AND LAUGHTER
- The Creation
- Have Mercy on Me, My Soul!
- Two Infants
- The Life of Love
- The House of Fortune
- Song of the Wave
- A Poet’s Death Is His Life
- Peace
- The Criminal
- The Playground of Life
- Song of Fortune
- The City of the Dead
- Song of the Rain
- The Widow and Her Son
- The Poet
- Song of the Soul
- Laughter and Tears
- Song of the Flower
- Vision
- Song of Love
- Two Wishes
- Song of Man
- Yesterday and Today
- Before the Throne of Beauty
- Leave Me, My Blamer
- A Lover’s Call
- The Beauty of Death
- The Palace and the Hut
- A Poet’s Voice
- The Bride’s Bed
- BETWEEN NIGHT & MORN
- The Tempest
- Slavery
- Satan
- The Mermaids
- We and You
- The Lonely Poet
- Ashes of the Ages and Eternal Fire
- Between Night and Morn
- SECRETS OF THE HEART
- The Secrets of the Heart
- My Countrymen
- John the Madman
- The Enchanting Houri
- Behind the Garment
- Dead Are My People
- The Ambitious Violet
- The Crucified
- Eventide of the Feast
- The Grave Digger
- Honeyed Poison
- SPIRITS REBELLIOUS
- Madame Rose Hanie
- The Cry of the Graves
- Kahlil the Heretic
- THE BROKEN WINGS
- Foreword
- Silent Sorrow
- The Hand of Destiny
- Entrance to the Shrine
- The White Torch
- The Tempest
- The Lake of Fire
- Before the Throne of Death
- Between Christ and Ishtar
- The Sacrifice
- The Rescuer
- THE VOICE OF THE MASTER
- part one: The Master and the Disciple
- The Master’s Journey to Venice
- The Death of the Master
- part two: The Words of the Master
- Of Life
- Of the Martyrs to Man’s Law
- Thoughts and Meditations
- Of the First Look • Of the First Kiss • Of Marriage
- Of the Divinity of Man
- Of Reason and Knowledge
- Of Music
- Of Wisdom
- Of Love and Equality
- Further Sayings of the Master
- The Listener
- Love and Youth
- Wisdom and I
- The Two Cities
- Nature and Man
- The Enchantress
- Youth and Hope
- Resurrection
- part one: The Master and the Disciple
- THOUGHTS AND MEDITATIONS
- The Poet From Baalbek
- The Return of the Beloved
- Union
- My Soul Preached to Me
- The Sons of the Goddess and the Grandsons of the Monkeys
- Decayed Teeth
- Mister Gabber
- In the Dark Night
- The Silver-Plated Turn
- Martha
- Vision
- Communion of Spirits
- Under the Sun
- A Glance at the Future
- The Goddess of Fantasy
- History and the Nation
- The Speechless Animal
- Poets and Poems
- Among the Ruins
- At the Door of the Temple
- Narcotics and Dissecting Knives
- The Giants
- Out of Earth
- O Night
- Earth
- Perfection
- Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
- A Story of a Friend
- Ashes of the Ages and Eternal Fire
- A SELF-PORTRAIT
- Gibran to His Father, April, 1904
- To Jamil Malouf, 1908
- To Ameen Guraieb, Feb. 12, 1908
- To Nakhi Gibran, March 15, 1908
- To Ameen Guraieb, March 28, 1908
- To Nakhli Gibran, Sept. 27, 1910
- To Yousif Howayek, 1911
- From May Ziadeh, May 12, 1912
- To Saleem Sarkis, Oct. 6, 1912
- To Ameen Guraieb, Feb. 18, 1913
- To May Ziadeh, undated
- To Mikhail Naimy, Sept. 14, 1919
- To Emil Zaidan, 1919
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, Oct. 8, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, May 24, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1920
- To May Ziadeh, Nov. 1, 1920
- To May Ziadeh, 1920
- To Mikhail Naimy, Jan. 1, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1921
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1922
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1922
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1922
- To Emil Zaidan, 1922
- To Mikhail Naimy, Aug. 11, 1923
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1923
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1923
- To Mikhail Naimy, Sept. 7, 1924
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1925
- To Edmond Wehby, March 12, 1925
- To May Ziadeh, 1925
- To May Ziadeh, 1926
- To May Ziadeh, 1928
- To Mikhail Naimy, 1928
- To Mikhail Naimy, March, 1929
- To Mikhail Naimy, March 26, 1929
- To Mikhail Naimy, May 22, 1929
- To May Ziadeh, 1930
- To May Ziadeh, 1930
- From Felix Farris, 1930
- To Felix Farris, 1930
- MIRRORS OF THE SOUL: Edited by Joseph Sheban
- Is It All Possible?
- The Environment That Created Gibran
- The Birthplace of Gibran
- Words of Caution
- Gibran’s Dual Personality
- Gibran’s Painting and Poetry
- The Philosophy of Gibran
- “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You”
- Solitude and Seclusion
- The Sea
- Handful of Beach Sand
- The Sayings of the Brook
- For Heaven’s Sake, My Heart!
- The Robin
- The Great Sea
- Seven Reprimands
- During a Year Not Registered in History
- The Women in the Life of Gibran
- THE WISDOM OF KAHLIL GIBRAN
- Image Gallery