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The Prophet represents the acme of Kahlil Gibran's achievement. Writing in English, Gibran adopted the tone and cadence of King James I's Bible, fusing his personalised Christian philosophy with a spirit and oriental wisdom that derives from the richly mixed influences of his native Lebanon.His language has a breath-taking beauty. Before returning to his birthplace, Almustafa, the 'prophet', is asked for guidance by the people of Orphalese. His words, redolent with love and understanding, call for universal unity, and affirm Gibran's certainty of the correlated nature of all existence, and of reincarnation. The Prophet has never lost its immediate appeal and has become a ubiquitous touchstone of spiritual literature.… (more)
A collection of platitudes in prose format that read like poetry, emulating the ideas espoused by many of the worlds religions. New-age-ish views holding that "...the soul walks on all paths" and "...like a chain you are as weak as your weakest link, and as strong as your strongest link"... sometimes seemingly contradictory stances that don't say much, and sometimes don't make sense, but are enticing nonetheless. I had not encountered Gibran except for a few isolated quotes, which seemed hale and hearty enough, but now after reading "The Prophet" I understand that he and this small book were on in the forefront of the launch of the "New Age Spirituality" perspective. Easy to read, lyrical, but not life-changing. ( )
Book 115 The Prophet. Kahlil Gibran. 20 years later Peter bought this, we still have it and we read this at our wedding. Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master? And he answered saying: 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’s “The Prophet” is a mesmerizing collection of poetic essays that delve into the complexities of the human experience. Introduced to me by my wife, this book has been a beacon of wisdom in my literary journey. Gibran’s prose is both lyrical and profound, offering insights on love, work, joy, sorrow, freedom, and more—each chapter a gem that resonates with timeless relevance. The philosophical depth is matched by the sheer beauty of the language, making it a work that invites reflection and evokes emotion. While some may find the style overly didactic, the majority will appreciate the universal truths and the elegant simplicity with which they are conveyed. It’s a book that deserves a place on the shelf of any contemplative reader, earning a solid 4 out of 5 stars for its enduring ability to inspire and enlighten. ( )
Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.
Quotations
You have been told that, even like a chain, you are as weak as your weakest link. This is but half the truth. You are also as strong as your strongest link. To measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the power of the ocean by the frailty of its foam.
And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of desperation.
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...
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 give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?
And in winter, when you draw the wine, let there be in your heart a song for each cup. And let there be in the song a remembrance for the autumn days, and for the vineyard, and for the winepress.
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understand.
Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.
No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; and when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime. And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness, and knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
And that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
But regret is the beclouding of the mind and not its chastisement.
He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have read the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, than shall you truly dance.
Last words
"A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me."
The Prophet represents the acme of Kahlil Gibran's achievement. Writing in English, Gibran adopted the tone and cadence of King James I's Bible, fusing his personalised Christian philosophy with a spirit and oriental wisdom that derives from the richly mixed influences of his native Lebanon.His language has a breath-taking beauty. Before returning to his birthplace, Almustafa, the 'prophet', is asked for guidance by the people of Orphalese. His words, redolent with love and understanding, call for universal unity, and affirm Gibran's certainty of the correlated nature of all existence, and of reincarnation. The Prophet has never lost its immediate appeal and has become a ubiquitous touchstone of spiritual literature.
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Kahlil Gibran, born in Lebanon, is well known throughout the Arab world as well as the West for his poetry, art and philosophy. The Prophet, one of Gibran’s most celebrated books, is his first published collection of poems and has been translated into more than twenty languages. This 2001 edition of his book includes 12 of Gibran’s own drawings.
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3
I had not encountered Gibran except for a few isolated quotes, which seemed hale and hearty enough, but now after reading "The Prophet" I understand that he and this small book were on in the forefront of the launch of the "New Age Spirituality" perspective.
Easy to read, lyrical, but not life-changing. (