Khalil Gibran Poems

Kahlil Gibran was a poet, philosopher, and artist. Kahlil Gibran was born in Lebanon, a land that has produced many prophets and is widely considered to be on the greatest Arabic prophets of our age. His writings have been translated into many languages and his fame and influence have spread far beyond the middle East. Kahlil's most famous work is his short book "The Prophet" (1923). The prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays which deal with issues such as birth and death.
In 1895 Gibran and his family moved to the US where Kahlil lived until his death in 1931

" 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 "

1.Joy and Sorrow

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
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.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

2.The Beauty of Death

Part One - The Calling

Let me sleep, for my soul is intoxicated with love and

Let me rest, for my spirit has had its bounty of days and nights;

Light the candles and burn the incense around my bed, and

Scatter leaves of jasmine and roses over my body;

Embalm my hair with frankincense and sprinkle my feet with perfume,

And read what the hand of Death has written on my forehead

Let me rest in the arms of Slumber, for my open eyes are tired;

Let the silver-stringed lyre quiver and soothe my spirit;

Weave from the harp and lute a veil around my withering heart.

Sing of the past as you behold the dawn of hope in my eyes, for

It's magic meaning is a soft bed upon which my heart rests.

Dry your tears, my friends, and raise your heads as the flowers

Raise their crowns to greet the dawn.

Look at the bride of Death standing like a column of light

Between my bed and the infinite;

Hold your breath and listen with me to the beckoning rustle of

Her white wings

Come close and bid me farewell; touch my eyes with smiling lips.

Let the children grasp my hands with soft and rosy fingers;

Let the ages place their veined hands upon my head and bless me;

Let the virgins come close and see the shadow of God in my eyes,

And hear the echo of His will racing with my breath.

Part Two - The Ascending

I have passed a mountain peak and my soul is soaring in the

Firmament of complete and unbound freedom;

I am far, far away, my companions, and the clouds are

Hiding the hills from my eyes.

The valleys are becoming flooded with an ocean of silence, and the

Hands of oblivion are engulfing the roads and the houses;

The prairies and fields are disappearing behind a white specter

That looks like the spring cloud, yellow as the candlelight

And red as the twilight.

The songs of the waves and the hymns of the streams

Are scattered, and the voices of the throngs reduced to silence;

And I can hear naught but the music of Eternity

In exact harmony with the spirit's desires.

I am cloaked in full whiteness;

I am in comfort; I am in peace.

Part Three - The Remains

Unwrap me from this white linen shroud and clothe me

With leaves of jasmine and lilies;

Take my body from the ivory casket and let it rest

Upon pillows of orange blossoms.

Lament me not, but sing songs of youth and joy;

Shed not tears upon me, but sing of harvest and the winepress;

Utter no sigh of agony, but draw upon my face with your

Finger the symbol of Love and Joy.

Disturb not the air's tranquility with chanting and requiems,

But let your hearts sing with me the song of Eternal Life;

Mourn me not with apparel of black,

But dress in color and rejoice with me;

Talk not of my departure with sighs in your hearts; close

Your eyes and you will see me with you forevermore.

Place me upon clusters of leaves and

Carry my upon your friendly shoulders and

Walk slowly to the deserted forest.

Take me not to the crowded burying ground lest my slumber

Be disrupted by the rattling of bones and skulls.

Carry me to the cypress woods and dig my grave where violets

And poppies grow not in the other's shadow;

Let my grave be deep so that the flood will not

Carry my bones to the open valley;

Let my grace be wide, so that the twilight shadows

Will come and sit by me.

Take from me all earthly raiment and place me deep in my

Mother Earth; and place me with care upon my mother's breast.

Cover me with soft earth, and let each handful be mixed

With seeds of jasmine, lilies and myrtle; and when they

Grow above me, and thrive on my body's element they will

Breathe the fragrance of my heart into space;

And reveal even to the sun the secret of my peace;

And sail with the breeze and comfort the wayfarer.

Leave me then, friends - leave me and depart on mute feet,

As the silence walks in the deserted valley;

Leave me to God and disperse yourselves slowly, as the almond

And apple blossoms disperse under the vibration of Nisan's breeze.

Go back to the joy of your dwellings and you will find there

That which Death cannot remove from you and me.

Leave with place, for what you see here is far away in meaning

From the earthly world. Leave me.