He was
called "filthy" because his skin was dark, unintelligible because he
could barely speak English. When he arrived in this country, he was placed in a
special class for immigrants. But, a few of his teachers saw something in the
way he expressed himself, through his drawings, through his view of the world.
He would soon master his new language.
His mother
had made a difficult decision to take him, his two younger sisters and a
half-brother to America, seeking a better life for their family. They settled
in Boston's South End, at the time the second-largest Syrian-Lebanese-American
community. The family would struggle and the young boy would lose one sister
and his half-brother to tuberculosis. His mother would die of cancer.
He would
write, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive
characters are seared with scars.”
He was born
in poverty on January 6, 1883 in what is now modern day Lebanon.
He believed
in love, he believed in peace, and he believed in understanding.
His name
was Kahlil Gibran, and he is primarily known for his book, "The
Prophet." The book, published in 1923, would sell tens of millions of
copies, making him the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare
and Laozi.
Published
in 108 languages around the world, passages from "The Prophet" are
quoted at weddings, in political speeches and at funerals, inspiring
influential figures such as John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Elvis Presley, John
Lennon, and David Bowie.
He was very
outspoken, attacking hypocrisy and corruption. His books were burned in Beirut,
and in America, he would receive death threats.
Gibran was
the only member of his family to pursue scholastic education. His sisters were
not allowed to enter school, primarily because of Middle Eastern traditions as
well as financial difficulties. Gibran, however, was inspired by the strength
of the women in his family, especially his mother. After one sister, his
mother, and his half-brother died, his other sister, Mariana would support
Gibran and herself by working at a dressmaker's shop.
Of his
mother, he would write:
"The
most beautiful word on the lips of mankind is the word 'Mother,' and the most
beautiful call is the call of 'My mother.' It is a word full of hope and love,
a sweet and kind word coming from the depths of the heart. The mother is
everything – she is our consolation in sorrow, our hope in misery, and our
strength in weakness. She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and
forgiveness."
Gibran
would later champion the cause of women’s emancipation and education.
He believed
that “Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of
a human being.”
In a poem
to new immigrants, he would write, "I believe you can say to the founders
of this great nation. 'Here I am. A youth. A young tree. Whose roots were
plucked from the hills of Lebanon. Yet I am deeply rooted here. And I would be
fruitful.'"
He would
write in "The Prophet":
“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.”
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○
● THE
PROPHET ●
Do not live
half a life
and do not
die a half death
If you
choose silence, then be silent
When you
speak, do so until you are finished
If you
accept, then express it bluntly
Do not mask
it
If you
refuse then be clear about it
for an
ambiguous refusal is but a weak acceptance
Do not
accept half a solution
Do not believe
half truths
Do not
dream half a dream
Do not
fantasize about half hopes
Half the
way will get you no where
You are a
whole that exists to live a life
not half a
life. ~Khalil Gibran
(Book: The
Prophet)
From Old Mind on FB
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