Some Poems by Khalil Gibran
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Some Poems by Khalil Gibran |
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Posted by gibran on January 02, 19102 at 16:07:25:
Some Poems by Khalil Gibran
Song of Man
I was here from the moment of the Beginning, and here I am still. And I shall
remain here until the end Of the world, for there is no Ending to my grief-
stricken being. I roamed the infinite sky, and Soared in the ideal world, and
Floated through the firmament. But Here I am, pridoner of measurement. I heard
the teachings of Confucius; I listened to Brahma's wisdom; I sat by Buddha
under the Tree of Knowledge. Yet here am I, existing with ignorance And heresy.
I was on Sinai when Jehova approached Moses; I saw the Nazarene's miracles at
the Jordan; I was in Medina when Mohammed visited. Yet here I am, prisoner of
bewilderment. Then I witnessed the might of Babylon; I learned of the glory of
Egypt; I viewed the warring greatness of Rome. Yet my earlier teachings showed
the Weakness and sorrow of those achievements. I conversed with the magicians
of Ain Dour; I debated with the priests of Assyria; I gleaned depth from the
prophets of Palestine. Yet, I am still seeking the truth. I gathered wisdom
from quiet India; I probed the antiquity of Arabia; I heard all than can be
heard. Yet my heart is deaf and blind. I suffered at the hands of despotic
rulers; I suffered slavery under insane invaders; I suffered hunger imposed by
tyranny; Yet, I still possess some inner power With which I struggle to greet
each day. My mind is filled, but my heart is empty; My body is old, but my
heart is an infant. Perhaps in youth my heart will grow, but I Pray to grow old
and reach the moment of My return to God. Only then will my heart fill! I was
here from the moment of the Beginning, and here I am still. And I shall remain
here until the end Of the world, for there is no Ending to my grief-stricken
being.
Song of Love
I am the lover's eyes, and the spirit's Wine, and the heart's nourishment. I am
a rose. My heart opens at dawn and The virgin kisses me and places me Upon her
breast. I am the house of true fortune, and the Origin of pleasure, and the
beginning Of peace and tranquility. I am the gentle Smile upon the lips of
beauty. When youth Overtakes me he forgets his toil, and his Whole life becomes
reality of sweet dreams. I am the poet's elation, And the artist's revelation,
And the musician's inspiration. I am a sacred shrine in the heart of a Child,
adored by a merciful mother. I appear to a heart's cry; I shun a demand; My
fullness pursues the heart's desire; It shuns the empty claim of the voice. I
appeared to Adam through Eve And exile was his lot; Yet I revealed myself to
Solomon, and He drew wisdom from my presence. I smiled at Helena and she
destroyed Tarwada; Yet I crowned Cleopatra and peace dominated The Valley of
the Nile. I am like the ages -- building today And destroying tommorrow; I am
like a god, who creates and ruins; I am sweeter than a violet's sigh; I am more
violent than a raging tempest. Gifts alone do not entice me; Parting does not
discourage me; Poverty does not chase me; Jealousy does not prove my awareness;
Madness does not evidence my presence. Oh seekers, I am Truth, beseeching
Truth; And your Truth in seeking and receiving And protecting me shall
determine my Behaviour.
The Golden Belt
Once upon a day two men who met on the road were walking toward Salamis, the
City of Columns. In mid-afternoon they came to a wide river and there was no
bridge to cross it. They must needs swim, or seek another road unknown to them.
And they said to one another, "Let us swim. After all, the river is not so
wide." And they threw themselves into the water and swam.
And one of the men who had always known rivers and the ways of rivers, in mid-
stream suddenly began to lose himself, and to be carried away by the rushing
waters; while the other who had never swum before crossed the river straightway
amd stood upon the further bank. Then seeing his companion still wrestling with
the stream, he threw himself again into the waters and brought him also safely
to the shore.
And the man who had been swept away by the current said, "But you told me you
could not swim. How then did you cross that river with such assurance?"
And the second man answered, "My friend, do you see this belt which gridles me?
It is full of golden coins that I have earned for my wife and my children, a
full year's work. It is the weight of this belt of gold that carried me across
the river, to my wife and my children. And my wife and my children were upon my
shoulders as I swam."
And the two men walked on together toward Salamis.
The Pearl
Said one oyster to a neighboring oyster, "I have a very great pain within me.
It is heavy and round and I am in distress."
And the other oyster replied with haughty complacence, "Praise be to the
heavens and to the sea, I have no pain within me. I am well and whole both
within and without."
At that moment a crab was passing by and heard the two oysters, and he said to
the one who was well and whole both within and without, "Yes, you are well and
whole; but the pain that your neighbor bears is a pearl of exceeding beauty."
The Red Earth
Said a tree to a man, "My roots are in the deep red earth, and I shall give you
of my fruit."
And the man said to the tree, "How alike we are. My roots are also deep in the
red earth. And the red earth gives you the power to bestow upon me of your
fruit, and the red earth teaches me to receive from you with thanksgiving."
The Full Moon
The full moon rose in glory upon the town and all the dogs of that town began
to bark at the moon.
Only one dog did not bark, and he said to them in a grave voice, "Awake not
stillness from her sleep, nor bring you the moon to the earth with your
barking."
Then all the dogs ceased barking, in awful silence. But the dog who had spoken
to them continued barking for silence, the rest of the night.