Search Results for: the art of the essay

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Perfect World God of lost souls, thou who are lost amongst the gods, hear me: Gentle Destiny that watchest over us, mad, wandering spirits, hear me: I dwell in the midst of a perfect race, I the most imperfect. I, a human chaos, a nebula of confused elements, […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems And When My Joy Was Born And when my Joy was born, I held it in my arms and stood on the house-top shouting, “Come ye, my neighbours, come and see, for Joy this day is born unto me. Come and behold this gladsome thing that laugheth in the […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems When My Sorrow Was Born When my Sorrow was born I nursed it with care, and watched over it with loving tenderness. And my Sorrow grew like all living things, strong and beautiful and full of wondrous delights. And we loved one another, my Sorrow and I, and we […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Two Learned Men Once there lived in the ancient city of Afkar two learned men who hated and belittled each other’s learning. For one of them denied the existence of the gods and the other was a believer. One day the two met in the marketplace, and amidst […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Eye Said the Eye one day, “I see beyond these valleys a mountain veiled with blue mist. Is it not beautiful?” The Ear listened, and after listening intently awhile, said, “But where is any mountain? I do not hear it.” Then the Hand spoke and said, “I am […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems Said A Blade of Grass Said a blade of grass to an autumn leaf, “You make such a noise falling! You scatter all my winter dreams.” Said the leaf indignant, “Low-born and low-dwelling! Songless, peevish thing! You live not in the upper air and you cannot tell the sound […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Great Longing Here I sit between my brother the mountain and my sister the sea. We three are one in loneliness, and the love that binds us together is deep and strong and strange. Nay, it is deeper than my sister’s depth and stronger than my brother’s strength, […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Astronomer In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, “Behold the wisest man of our land.” Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed. After a while I […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems Crucified I cried to men, “I would be crucified!” And they said, “Why should your blood be upon our heads?” And I answered, “How else shall you be exalted except by crucifying madmen?” And they heeded and I was crucified. And the crucifixion appeased me. And when I was […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Greater Sea My soul and I went to the great sea to bathe. And when we reached the shore, we went about looking for a hidden and lonely place. But as we walked, we saw a man sitting on a grey rock taking pinches of salt from a […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems Faces I have seen a face with a thousand countenances, and a face that was but a single countenance as if held in a mould. I have seen a face whose sheen I could look through to the ugliness beneath, and a face whose sheen I had to lift […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems Defeat “I am like thee, O, Night, dark and naked; I walk on the flaming path which is above my day-dreams, and whenever my foot touches earth a giant oak tree comes forth.” “Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman, for thou still lookest backward to see how […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems Defeat Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness; You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs, And sweeter to my heart than all world-glory. Defeat, my Defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance, Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot And not […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Good God and the Evil God The Good God and the Evil God met on the mountain top. The Good God said, “Good day to you, brother.” The Evil God did not answer. And the Good God said, “You are in a bad humour today.” “Yes,” said the […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Blessed City In my youth I was told that in a certain city every one lived according to the Scriptures. And I said, “I will seek that city and the blessedness thereof.” And it was far. And I made great provision for my journey. And after forty days […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems On the Steps of the Temple Yestereve, on the marble steps of the Temple, I saw a woman sitting between two men. One side of her face was pale, the other was blushing. —Kahlil Gibran About Kahlil Gibran Khalil Gibran (جبران خليل جبران) was a writer, visual artist, and […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Grave-digger Once, as I was burying one of my dead selves, the grave-digger came by and said to me, “Of all those who come here to bury, you alone I like.” Said I, “You please me exceedingly, but why do you like me?” “Because,” said he, “They come […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Three Ants Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom of his tribe, they stood there conversing. The first ant said, “These hills and plains are the most barren […]

< Return to Kahlil Gibran Poems The Two Cages In my father’s garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which my father’s slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other is a songless sparrow. Every day at dawn the sparrow calls to the lion, “Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner.” […]