I recently read 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran and it was an exhilarating find. I was greatly moved by his description of love and the idea that one must follow it's beckoning and experience the great triumph and great sorrow that often go hand in hand with any great force in life. Deeply moving and wise, enjoy!
"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."
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RJ, I hadn't heard of this person before. I liked reading your post. It had alot of religious overtones and I was curious how you found this piece and where I might find more from Kahlil Gibran. Thanks for sharing it...great post and a very good blog!
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Thanks Ron! Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese/American philosopher, artist, and poet who died in 1931. Wikipedia says that he is the third most widely read poet in history behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu. He definitely has religious overtones, something Im not usually a huge fan of, but HIS beautiful truths he beautifully describes are both unique and uplifting. I would suggest starting with his most famous book, The Prophet. A quick read but chock full of beautiful wisdom, I read it for the first time in 45 mins on an eliptical machine! Each small chapret speaks of a different aspect of life. From children to judgment, and love to death. I love his chapter on children and since your a hard working dad and atist I would love to hear what you think about that chapter and the rest of the book!
ReplyDeleteHere's the chapter on children:
http://www.sfheart.com/children.html
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ReplyDeleteI also look at when he says God as spirituality, something that I don't reject, just dogmatic and somewhat hostile spirituality I do. Like when he writes, 'And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.' I see it as love is the powerful vessel in which one can become a better person and more of the self that is most essential and true. I have learned so much from the eternal beauty of love at it's peak and the painful lessons of it's absence.
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