Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer, born in 1883 in Lebanon and died in New York in 1931. As a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero. In his early teens, the artistry of Gibran's drawings caught the eye of his teachers and he was introduced to the avant-garde Boston artist, photographer, and publisher Fred Holland Day, who encouraged and supported Gibran in his creative endeavors.
A publisher used some of Gibran's drawings for book covers in 1898, and Gibran held his first art exhibition in 1904 in Boston. In 1908, Gibran went to study art with Auguste Rodin in Paris for two years. He later studied art in Boston. While most of Gibran's early writing was in Arabic, most of his work published after 1918 was in English. He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book 'The Prophet', an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again especially in the 1960s counterculture. Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.

1. A Tear and a Smile

I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the multitude. And I would not have the tears that sadness makes to flow from my every part turn into laughter. I would that my life remain a tear and a smile.

A tear to purify my heart and give me understanding of life’s secrets and hidden things. A smile to draw me nigh to the sons of my kind and to be a symbol of my glorification of the gods.

A tear to unite me with those of broken heart; a smile to be a sign of my joy in existence.

I would rather that I died in yearning and longing than that I lived weary and despairing.

I want the hunger for love and beauty to be in the depths of my spirit, for I have seen those who are satisfied the most wretched of people. I have heard the sigh of those in yearning and longing, and it is sweeter than the sweetest melody.

With evening’s coming the flower folds her petals and sleeps, embracing her longing. At morning’s approach she opens her lips to meet the sun’s kiss.

The life of a flower is longing and fulfilment. A tear and a smile.

The waters of the sea become vapor and rise and come together and are a cloud.

And the cloud floats above the hills and valleys until it meets the gentle breeze, then falls weeping to the fields and joins with the brooks and rivers to return to the sea, its home.

The life of clouds is a parting and a meeting. A tear and a smile.

And so does the spirit become separated from the greater spirit to move in the world of matter and pass as a cloud over the mountain of sorrow and the plains of joy to meet the breeze of death and return whence it came.

To the ocean of Love and Beauty—to God.

2. The Life of Love

Spring

Come, my beloved, let us walk among the little hills, for the snows have melted and life is awakened from its sleep and wanders through the hills and valleys.

Come, let us follow the footsteps of spring in the far-off field;

Come and we will ascend the heights and look upon the waving greenness of the plains below.

The dawn of spring has unfolded the garment concealed by the winter night and the peach tree and the apple wear it, adorned as brides on the Night of Power.

The vines are awakened, their tendrils entwined like the embrace of lovers.

The streams run and leap among the rocks singing songs of rejoicing.

The flowers are bursting forth from the heart of Nature as foam from the crest of sea waves.

Come, my beloved, let me drink of the last of rain’s tears from narcissus cups and make full our spirits of the joyful songs of birds.

Let us breathe the scent of the breeze and sit by yonder rock where hides the violet, and give and take of Love’s kisses.

Summer

Arise, my love, to the field, for the days of the harvest are come and the time of reaping is nigh.

The grain is ripened by the sun in the warmth of its love to Nature;

Come ere the birds reap the fruits of our labor, and the ants consume our land.

Come, let us garner the earth’s yield as the spirit does grains of bliss from fulfilment’s sowing in the depths of our hearts,

And fill our bins with Nature’s bounty as Life does the storehouses of our souls.

Come, my mate, let us make the grass our couch and the heavens our coverlet.

Lay us down our heads on a pillow of soft hay and seek thereon repose from the toil of the day and hearken to the music of the murmur of the brook in the valley.

Autumn

Let us go to the vineyard, my love, and press the grapes and store the wine thereof in vessels as the spirit stores the wisdom of ages.

Let us gather the fruits and distil from the flowers their fragrance.

Let us return to the dwellings, for the leaves of the trees are become yellow and the winds have scattered them to make of them a burial shroud for flowers that died grieving at summer’s passing.

Come, for the birds have taken flight to the sea-shore bearing upon their wings the good cheer of the gardens, bequeathing desolation to the jasmine and the myrtle and the last tears have been shed upon the sod.

Come, let us go, for the brooks have ceased their flowing and the springs are no more, for the tears of their joy are dried up; and the hillocks have cast aside their fine garments.

Come, beloved. For Nature is overcome by sleep and bids farewell to wakefulness with sad and wishful melody.

Winter

Draw nigh unto me, my soul-mate. Draw nigh and let not icy breath separate our bodies. Sit you with me by this fireside, for fire is winter’s fruit.

Speak with me of things of the ages, for mine ears are wearied of the wind’s sighing and the elements’ lamenting.

Make fast door and window, for the angry face of Nature makes sad my spirit and to look upon the city beneath the snows, sitting like a mother bereaved, causes my heart to bleed.

Fill you, then, the lamp with oil, for it is already dim. Put it beside you that I may see what the nights have writ on your face. Bring hither the wine-jar that we may drink and remember the days of the pressing.

Draw nigh to me, loved of my spirit, for the fire is dying and ashes conceal it.

Embrace me, for the lamp is dimmed and darkness has conquered it.

Heavy are our eyes with the wine of years.

Look on me with your sleep-darkened eyes. Embrace me ere slumber embrace us. Kiss me, for the snows have prevailed over all save your kiss.

Ah, my beloved one, how deep is the ocean of sleep! How distant the morning…in this night!

3. A Tale

On the banks of that river in the shade of the walnut and the willow sat a farmer’s son, gazing quietly at the running water. A youth, he was reared among the meadows where everything spoke of love. Where the branches embraced and the flowers inclined one to another and the birds dallied. Where nature in its all preached the gospel of the Spirit.

A youth of twenty years he was, and yestereve he had seen sitting by the spring a maiden among other maidens and he loved her. But he heard tell that she was the daughter of a Prince and he blamed his heart and complained in his self. Yet blaming does not draw away the heart from love, neither does reproof drive away the spirit from the truth. For a man stands between his heart and his soul as a tender branch in the path of the south wind and the north wind.

The youth looked and saw the violet growing by the side of the daisy, and he heard the nightingale calling out to the blackbird, and he wept in his aloneness and his solitude. And so passed the hours of his love before his eyes like the passing of phantom forms. Then he spoke, his affection overflowing with his words and tears, and said:

“Thus does love mock and make jest of me and lead me whither hope is reckoned an error and longing a despised thing. Love, which I have adored, has lifted my heart to a Prince’s palace and brought low my state to a peasant’s hut and led my spirit to the beauty of a nymph of paradise guarded by men and protected by honour…

“I am obedient, O Love. What then do you desire? I did follow you along fiery paths and the flames consumed me. I did open mine eyes and saw naught save darkness; and loosed my tongue, but spoke not save in grief. Yearning embraced me, O Love, with a hunger of the spirit that will not cease except with the kiss of the beloved. I am enfeebled, O Love. Whyfor do you contend with me, you that are strong?

“Whyfor do you oppress me, you that are just? Whyfor do you abandon me, you that are my existence?

“If my blood flows not save by your willing, then pour it out. If my feet move save upon your path, then shrivel them. Do your will in this body, but let my soul rejoice in these meadows, safe in the shadow of your wings…

“The stream goes to the sea, its lover, and the flower smiles at its impassioned, the light, and the cloud descends to its valley, its desired. But there is in me what the brook does not know nor the flower hear nor the cloud understand. Behold me alone in my love, separate in my passion, far off from her who wants me not, a soldier in her father’s armies or a servant in her palace.”

And the youth became silent for a while as though he would learn speech from the murmur of the river and the rustle of leaves on the boughs. Then he said:

“O you, whose name I fear to pronounce, O one concealed from me behind coverings of might and walls of majesty, O being of another world whose meeting I dare not covet save in eternity, where all stand equal, O one to whom the strong show obeisance, before whom heads are bowed, to whom treasure-houses are opened:

“You have possessed a heart sanctified by love, and enslaved a soul ennobled by God, and captivated a mind that was yesterday free with the freedom of the fields. Today it has become a captive of passion.

“I have looked on you, O fair creature, and know now the reason of my coming into this world. And when I knew of your lofty state and saw my humbleness, I learned that the gods possess secrets unknown to men and ways wherein they lead spirits where love holds rule without the laws of mankind. When I looked into your eyes it was told me beyond all doubting that this life is but a paradise whose door is the human heart.

“I saw your grandeur and my lowliness locked in struggle and knew that this earth was no more a resting-place for me. When I did find you sitting among your women, as the rose among the myrtle plants, I bethought me that the bride of my dreams had taken body and was become flesh like myself. But on my knowing your father’s glory I perceived beyond the rose thorns to prick the fingers. What dreams had united, awakening parted…”

The youth rose to his feet and walked toward the spring, cast down in spirit and broken in heart. And in him despair and grief spoke these words:

“Come, O Death, and deliver me, for the earth, whose thorns do strangle its flowers, is no longer a habitable place. Arise now and save me from days that would wrest love from its seat of glory and put in its stead worldly might. Deliver me, O Death! For eternity is more sweet than the world for a trysting-place of Lovers. Yonder shall I await my beloved; there shall I be joined with her.”

He came to the spring and evening was nigh and the sun was lifting her golden mantle from off the meadow. There he sat and wept tears that fell to the ground on which the feet of the Princess had trod. His head fell forward on his breast as though to prevent his heart’s flight.

Upon that minute from beyond the willow trees a maiden appeared, dragging the ends of her garment on the grass. She stopped by the youth and put her soft hand on his head. He looked up at her like a sleeper awaked by the sun’s rays. He saw standing before him the daughter of the Prince, upon which he fell on his knees and prostrated himself as did Moses before the burning bush. He wished to speak, but no words came, so his tear-filled eyes took the place of his tongue. Then the girl embraced him and kissed his lips and his eyes, sucking in their hot tears, and said in a voice of flutelike clearness:

“I have seen you, my love, in my dreaming and looked upon your face in my aloneness. You are my spirit’s companion whom I did lose, and my beautiful half that was separated from it on my coming into this world. I have come in secret, my darling, to meet with you, and now do I behold you in my arms. Have not fear, for I have forsaken my father’s glory to follow you to the very ends of the world and drink with you the cup of Life and Death. “Arise my love and let us go to distant places away from mankind.”

There, on the outskirts of the land, the scouts of the Prince happened upon two human skeletons. On the neck of one was a necklet of gold, and near them both was a stone upon which were written these words: “Love has joined us; then who shall put us asunder? Death has taken us; and who shall bring us back?”