Il Profeta

by Kahlil Gibran

Il profeta, pubblicato nel 1923, tratta di una raccolta di pensieri in prosa strutturato a domande e risposte: per ogni argomento, un personaggio fa una domanda al Profeta, il quale risponde per metafore e analogie. É un’opera che per certi versi sembra un testo religioso, pur tuttavia non inserendosi in nessuna religione, ma un punto d’incontro tra Oriente e Occidente che spazia dalla Bibbia all’induismo, dal buddismo al sufi smo fi no a Nietzsche.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Philosophy, Fiction, Spirituality, Religion, Literature

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Kahlil Gibran (Arabic: جبران خليل جبران ) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer.
Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon (then part of Ottoman Mount Lebanon), 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.
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.

Reviews

[K.S.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I'm reading The Prophet again, words that I read twenty-seven years ago still ring clearly in my mind as I read them again today. It was a wonderful moment a few evenings ago to find myself reciting aloud and from memory passages that had struck me then--and now--to the very core. Kahlil Gibran spent a couple of years revising The Prophet. Since it is a short book, the concepts come across as distilled. The influences of his native Lebanon as well as his love for scripture, come through in the scriptural-like language. I am savoring this book slowly this time, taking little sips at a time.

[BookHunter M ُH َM َD · Rating 4 out of 5]

في منتصف التسعينات تقريبا تحول عمى الى السلفية و هجر مكتبته العامرة بمختلف الكتب بأن تركها في بيت جدى بعد زواجه و انتقاله لشقته الجديدة. لم أكن أفهم وقتها ما السلفية و ما علاقتها بهجر المكتبة التي كان يلتصق بها و كأنه جنين في بطن أمه واضعا فراشه و مكتبه و كل حياته فيها منذ أن وعيته حتى نهاية تلك اللحظة التي أعطانى فيها مفتاح غرفة المكتبة التي كانت مهجورة منذ سنوات و انا ما زلت في منتصف العقد الثانى قائلا لى هي لك بكل ما فيها.

أرى نظرات الحسد في عيون البعض الأن و خصوصا بعد أن فتحت الباب فوجدتها مكدسة بأعداد من مجلات العربى و فصول في الأدب و النقد و عالم المعرفة و مجموعة كاملة من كتب طه حسين طبعة دار المعارف و بعض الكتب لأنيس منصور و احسان عبدالقدوس و طه حسين و الشعراوى و محمد عبدالحليم عبدالله.

وجدتنى أصيح كعلى بابا عندما دخل المغارة و أقول أحمدك يا رب

عزمت على البدأ بكتاب دينى تبركا بهذا اليوم المشهود و لتكن فاتحة خير لقراءة موفقة و لفرط سذاجتى اخترت هذا الكتاب فقط لأن عنوانه هو النبى.

طبعا فتى لم يزل بعد مراهقا و حصيلته من الكتب لا تزيد عن بضعة كتب لإحسان عبدالقدوس و السحار و أجاثا كريستى و روايات مصرية للجيب ستصدمه اللغة الراقية لجبران و لن يفهم فلسفة الكلمات ناهيك عما وراء الكلمات.

حتى الأن تظل تجربة القراءة لجبران مثيرة و لذيذة على صعوبتها و دسامتها إلا أن وسامة حرفه و رقة تعبيراته و عمق تركيباته تأسرك من عالمك و تأخذك بعيدا لعالم تحلق فيه الفراشات التي تشع نورا ربانيا و كأنك في حديقة النبى تحفك الملائكة.
01
أحبوا بعضكم بعضا ولكن لا تحيلوا الحب إلى قيد:
بل أتيحوا له بالأحرى أن يكون بحرا يموج بين شطآن أرواحكم ..
ليملأ الواحد كأس الآخر ... لكن لا تشربوا من كأس واحدة
وليعط الآخر من خبزه .. لكن لا تأكلوا من نفس الرغيف
غنوا وارقصوا معا ، وافرحوا ، لكن ليبق كل واحد منكم وحيدا
مثلما تبقى أوتار الفيتارة وحدها ، رغم أنها ترتعش بنفس الموسيقى
02
أولادكم ليسوا لكم
أولادكم أبناء الحياة المشتاقة إلى نفسها, بكم يأتون إلى العالم, ولكن ليس منكم.
ومع أنهم يعيشون معكم, فهم ليسوا ملكاً لكم.
أنتم تستطيعون أن تمنحوهم محبتكم, ولكنكم لا تقدرون أن تغرسوا فيهم بذور أفكاركم, لأن لهم أفكارا خاصةً بهم.
وفي طاقتكم أن تصنعوا المساكن لأجسادكم.
ولكن نفوسهم لا تقطن في مساكنكم.
فهي تقطن في مسكن الغد, الذي لا تستطيعون أن تزوروه حتى ولا في أحلامكم

[هدى يحيى · Rating 4 out of 5]

ولا تقل في ذاتك : قد وجدت الحق
بل قل بالأحرى : قد وجدت حقا

♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

الحب لا يعطي إلا من نفسه، ولا يأخذ إلا من نفسه
والحب لا يملك، ولا يطيق أن يكون مملوكاً
وحسب الحب أنه حب


♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

إذا الحب أوما إليكم فاتبعوه
حتى وان كانت مسالكه وعرة وكثيرة المزالق
وإذا الحب لفكم بجناحيه فاطمئنوا اليه
حتى وإن جرحتكم النصال المخبوءه تحت قوادمه
وإذا الحب خاطبكم فصدقوه
حتى وان عبث صوته باحلامكم كما تعبث ريح الشمال بازهار الحديقة


♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

إذا أحب أحدكم فلا يقولن
إن الله في قلبي
وليقل بالأحرى
إنني في قلب الله
ولا يخطرن لكم ببال أن في مستطاعكم توجيه الحب
بل إن الحب إذا وجدكم مستحقين هو الذي يوجهكم

♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

ربنا وإلهنا
إننا لا نستطيع أن نلتمس منك حاجة
لأنك تعرف حاجتنا قبل أن تولد في أعماقنا
أنت حاجتنا
وكلما زدتنا من ذاتك زدتنا من كل شئ

♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

وإن يكن مبتغاكم أن تنزلوا طاغية عن عرشه
فاعملوا أولاً على تحطيم ذلك العرش الذي أقمتموه له في قلوبكم
إذ كيف لطاغية أن يحكم شعباً حراً وأبياً
ما لم يكن في حرية ذلك الشعب شيء من الاستبداد
وفي إبائه شيء من الذل؟


♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

نحن نتكلم عندما توصد أمامنا أبواب السلام عن افكارنا
وعندما نعجز عن الوصول لحالة السكون في وحدة قلوبنا
نتحول لنستولي على شفاهنا
فالصوت يلهينا ويسلينا
وفي الكثير من كلامنا يكاد فكرنا ينفجر من الألم والكآبة
لأن الفكر طائر من طيور الفضاء ن يمكنه ان يبسط جناحيه في قفص الألفاظ
ولكنه لا يستطيع أن يطير


♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

أولادكم ليسوا لكم
أولادكم أبناء الحياة المشتاقة إلى نفسها
بكم يأتون إلى العالم
ولكن ليس منكم
ومع أنهم يعيشون معكم
فهم ليسوا ملكاً لكم
أنتم تستطيعون أن تمنحوهم محبتكم
ولكنكم لا تقدرون أن تغرسوا فيهم بذور أفكاركم
لأن لهم أفكارأً خاصةً بهم
وفي طاقتكم أن تصنعوا المساكم لأجسادكم
ولكن نفوسهم لا تقطن في مساكنكم
فهي تقطن في مسكن الغد
الذي لا تستطيعون أن تزوروه حتى ولا في أحلامكم
وإن لكم أن تجاهدوا لكي تصيروا مثلهم
ولكنكم عبثاً تحاولون أن تجعلوهم مثلكم
لأن الحياة لا ترجع إلى الوراء
ولا تلذ لها الإقامة في منزل الأمس
أنتم الأقواس وأولادكم سهام حية قد رمت بها الحياة عن أقواسكم

فإن رامي السهام ينظر العلامة المنصوبة على طريق اللانهاية
فيلويكم بقدرته لكي تكون سهامه سريعة بعيدة المدى
لذلك
فليكن التواؤكم بين يدي رامي السهام الحكيم لأجل المسرة والغبطة
لأنه كما يحب السهم الذي يطير من قوسه
هكذا يحب القوس الذي يثبت بين يديه


♥،♥،♥،♥،♥،♥

كلٌمـا عمٌق الحزنٌ حفرَةً في كينونتك،،ازدادت قُدرتك على احتواء فَرح أكثر

[Mansoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prophet made me feel profoundly spiritual when I was nineteen. It was a great way to experience spirituality and romance as a teenager, but as I got older, its lusty descriptions of the true meaning of love, marriage, and life just seem like pretty, but shallow, wordplay.

Now, don't write to me and prove me wrong on this, because I like the idea very much. I believe that Khalil Gibran was quite the player. The Prophet has a seductive tone that avoids making any concrete statements, which is the strategy used by career players (see SNL's The Ladies' Man).

Nonetheless, I still recommend everyone read The Prophet. Whether you take the prose as deep advice or empty rhetoric, it is beautiful wordplay.

[Lee Transue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite your religious views, be they absent or strong, Gibran has given us a work of beauty that proves, to me at least, that faith is not necessary to be good and right.

A favorite quote from the book:

"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."

Lee

[Man0sh · Rating 5 out of 5]

أعتقد أنها ستكون أروع شئ قرأته وسأقرأه عن الأنسانية والحب والعطاء والحكمة
كتاب رائع يستحق الاقتناء وقرائته أكثر من مرة
أبدع ثروت أباظه في ترجمته ويكأنه علي لسان عربي وليس بمترجم

أشد المقطوعات أثارت أعجابي
في المأكل والمشرب
وحين تنحر ذبيحتك ناجها في سريرتك قائلا:"إن الفدرة التي تذبحك هي نفسها... تذبحني؛وأنا مثلك مصيري الفناء.
فإن الناموس الذي أسلمك إلى يدي سوف يسلمني إلى يد أشد بأسا.
وحين تقضم التفاحة بين اسنانك،ناجها قائلا:"لسوف تحيا بذورك في جسدي، وتزهر براعم غدك في قلبي، ويصبح عبيرك أنفاسي؛ومعا نبتهج على مر الفصول".

وفي الفرح والحزن
حين يستخفك الفرح ارجع الي اعماق قلبك قتري انك في الحقيقة تفرح بما كان مصدر حزنك وحين يغمرك الحزن تأمل قلبك من جديد فستري أنك في الحقيقة تبكي مما كان يوماً مصدر بهجتك

الجريمة والعقاب
من أراد منكم أن يجلد الجاني فليمتحن سريرة المجني عليه

وفي الوداع
إن ما يبدو لأعينكم أضعف ما فيكم وأكثره اضطراباً هو في الحق أقوي ما فيكم وأشده ثباتاً

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Of course I remember almost nothing of this book, except that it was an arduous journey through the elementary and unspecific explanation of religious doctrine that tries to be open and liberal, but is actually very conservative and full of ideology that I feel is unrewarding mostly due to the difficulty in actual application. If anyone reads this, although I see no reason why they would, listen to my words. The truth, however you define it, however you need it, is simple. When you see it you know. When you don't, or can't, there is doubt. Do not fill yourself with the doubt of uncertainty. Know thyself, and be good to others.

As the great Prophet has done before me, I shall tear off the shroud of mystic truth which has become my body and mind and shed it upon the streets where the needy walk, so that they might find compassion and knowledge in the tattered cloth of my foolish youth. For the Prophet offers his own words as truth for others and in turn so shall I lay the same trap, in the hope that the darkness in which I wrap you shall make you forge your own dagger with which to cut yourself free from the books you once called teachers. Because I will not deny anyone that truth; all things are teachers. But all teachers lie, by accident or intention, to make others see the world their way. And of course you will blame me for doing the same, but I will try my best not to impose any other doctrine than to not be led astray by the nectar of another's truth. The wine tastes fine until it is drunk in full, and then one cannot find their way home. Allow me to sober you many who have lavished Gibran with 5 stars. His is the work of dreamers and that is what everyone loves, but dreamers do just that, wasting their lives into the infinite circles of their mind, calculating the perfection of time and space. I would rather you lower yourself to the plain of human excrement, so that you one day exclaim in great truth, "The Prophet is a shit stick! Good for nothing more than wiping away reality." Because that is what Gibran wants you to do. Wipe away reality, and live in a fantasy that cannot exist.

In truth Gibran oscillates a great deal in his tackling of his subject matter, life. In some regards he appears dead on because of his continued juxtaposition of opposites often claiming things embody their "other," saying each is to be taken in measure. "For even as love crowns you, so shall he crucify you." As much as I would agree with this sentiment (no one could really ever disagree with it), it is too general, like most of his assertions.

He excites his audience to be good, as if this were an inherent part of our nature, just bursting though the seems of our mortality. There just really isn't anything to disagree with, and that is what makes his statements so dangerous and a plague on the unwary. He gives us hope beyond measure, and humanity, in all its desire, fills its tiny cup with all that it can hold. Gibran gives us too much and consequently too little. What would one do with boundless love? Quit their job, leave home, become a traveler on a distant shore whom others beg for knowledge and truth. Though we all may have the capacity to become prophets, it is likely most of us won't. The children of god are fed with food, not promises of the eternal.

Ah, so much to write, but not all is bad. Gibran does say some nice things here and there, but I just happen to take issue with religious folk who don't think the dissemination of their message is harmful. What is harmful? The incomplete is harmful. To knowingly give someone a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing or withheld is a dangerous business. At which point you will want to ask me, if their is no accessible truth that can be put into words, they why not go to the philosophical fish mongers and beg for scraps at the end of their business day? The only answer I can give, ironically, is to become your own paragon through the study of books and then the burning of them. Gibran will set you on a path with a happy ending, and as I've said I find it hard to disagree with some of his more choice observations, "He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked."

But as one of my favorite philosophers said "There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.(Schmendrick the Magician). Gibran offers us daily peace, and life and death in one hand, and the promise of the wandering life of the spirit in our daily toil, a place to recline when the world overwhelms. I commend his attempt to sooth the mind of his listeners but we have all received a lolly from the dentist or doctor, whose truth fades quickly in the passing of sugary time. And at the end we are left with the stick of truth, as the Prophet's listeners are left with nothing, because they cannot stand on their own. He leaves them with a host of unfinished dreams and unrefined motivations. They have inherited an unwieldy burden, one they cannot overcome if they take the Prophets words as truth.

The problem is that this is a philosophy book masquerading as a beautiful story...which is the poison in the ear. It's easy to gobble up "truth" when it's coated in confection. So just be careful out there and remember what the Prophet said.

"If the teacher is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom (even if you beg), but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind"

Gibran gets a second star just for that line.

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows us that love is central to everything. Gibran expresses his ideas as poetic essays. He talks about life and death, love, religion, and spiritualism in such a profound manner that it will sink deep into our souls. This is my favorite book among all the works of Gibran.

“Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.”

[Ahmad Ebaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

ليس هناك فرصة أفضل لإعادة كتابة هذه المراجعة من هذه الأيام حيث يثور الجميع من حولي على اكليشيه "خليك زي حماده", و "be like Bill"
فنبي جبران, مثل مدير أحد تلك الصفحات, يقوم بوضع أنماط محددة لحياتنا, عن طريق نصائح مباشرة مبتذلة. ومُقتي لهذا الشكل من النصائح مهما كان محتواها ومهما كان قائلها يفوق مُقت سام هاريس لنعوم تشومسكي, أو حتى مُقت كريستوفر هيتشنز للأم تريزا. وهذا لا يعني أن نصائح جبران كانت جيدة بأي حال.

الكتاب هو محاولة لمحاكاة نبي نيتشة المسمى زرادشت في كتاب "هكذا تكلم زرادشت", لكن عدد قراء كتاب جبران على الجودريدز تقريباً ضعفي قراءة كتاب نيشته.
خليط من هراء التنمية البشرية مع سجع الكهان تحت عنوان المدرسة الرومانسية لخليل جبران..
ولأجل الرومانسية باع الكتاب مبيعات هائلة؛ حيث كان مصدراً جيداً لاقتطاع عبارات عميقة بما يكفي لإرفاقها بجواب رومانسي للقرين المختار

لا تكن مثل أحد, واحظَ بتجربتك الخاصة؛ فذلك أكثر مرحاً.

[Sean Barrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the right book finds its way into your life at the right moment, and sometimes the words are exactly what you need to hear at that exact point in your life.

The Prophet depicts life and action and motive as they should be. In all, it is a wise soul (a prophet) sharing his learning and wisdom to a people that need spiritual guidance in order to become the best humans they can be. It is delivered in a semi-biblical fashion to give the words more weight; they are inspiring and uplifting, and they are spoken with pure altruism.

Although drastically different in styles, content and purpose, I’d like to compare this to both Meditations for the life wisdom it shares and to Siddhartha for the spiritual oneness it advocates for. These poetic essays here, though very short, are dense, intelligent and compassionate.

I like this quote in particular:

"The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals"

People often speak of growth, both personal and spiritual, but perhaps we have been going about it the wrong way? It’s not about growing upwards and becoming greater; it’s about expanding, unfolding, and revealing more of our true selves as we live and we learn.

There’s an important life lesson here, for sure.

__________________________________

You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________

[Megan Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I can write this review. I really don't. It makes me feel extremely vulnerable, to contemplate putting so much of my heart out on view for people on the internet to see. I also don't know if I have the words.

Reading this book was both devastating and awe-inspiring. I was moved beyond words, particularly when I started reading it, started to let the words wash over me, when I realized how familiar they were, not the words, but the meanings behind them. It felt like something I'd been swimming in my whole life and never realized it.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahlil Gibran was one of the leading Maronite philosophers of the first half of the twentieth century. Born in Lebanon in 1883, his poetry accompanied by artwork has been translated into over twenty languages. I decided to read his opus The Prophet, which is awe inspiring poetry written in novella form. A classic that often surfaces on goodreads classics groups, The Prophet is a worthy edition to one's classics collection.

Gibran's philosopher Al-Mustafa has traveled by boat to visit the Orphalese people and speak words of wisdom to them. Almitra becomes especially enamored in Al-Mustafa's teachings and either hangs onto or collaborates with him in his words as he wows the Orphalese with both his wisdom and knowledge. Gibran's words translated into English are like reading any religion's scriptures and flow like the honey of the Middle East. Passages speak of "a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly" and "knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream" yet each page of this thin volume evokes powerful philosophy. It is of little wonder that Almitra and her people would become enamored with the words of Al-Mustafa.

Almitra was also a seeress in her own right and desired that Al-Mustafa remain in Orphal and that they join forces in prophecy. I found this thinking to be progressive for its time or any time. Some of Almitra's forward thinking included: "Blessed be this day and this place and your spirit that has spoken." She is keen in her perceptive skills and values having one like Al-Mustafa in her midst. Yet, his destiny is not to remain in one sea faring village but to travel the region preaching words of wisdom to all people.

The version I read was a pocket book that also included a few of Gibran's sketches of Al-Mustafa. Between the poetry and drawings, he has created a masterpiece that flowed on the pages. While I am used to reading psalms and prophetic teachings, I did not find Gibran's words to be anything that out of the ordinary but in comparison to the majority of secular works, his words are powerful. Although not my absolute favorite, I am glad that I read this opus and would read more of Gibran's poetry. 3.75 stars rounded to 4.

[Zaki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think people are making this out to be something it's not. It's bombastic nonsense.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever get a case of déjà vu? I certainly did with this collection of poetic wisdom.

Every other page, I got the distinct feeling I’d heard Gibran’s words before. Actually, I felt I was back in the pews, listening to my dad give one of approximately three thousand sermons I’ve listened to him preach over the years (that's a solid figure).

Nothing sounded new to my ears.

It got so bad, I set the book aside and turned to the Interweb for a bit of research.

Turns out, Gibran’s paternal grandfather converted from Islam to Christianity, and the author spent most of his formative years attending a small school run by a priest.

I knew there had to be something like this in Gibran’s history because so much of this collection echos the bible I grew up memorizing (see one example at review’s end).

And, really, the author published this slim volume in 1923, so I don’t know why I was expecting some ancient, sacred, non-biblical text, here. Apparently, Gibran’s work caught fire in America in the 50s and 60s, when people were jaded by mainstream Protestantism and looking for spiritualism without dogma. Gibran was also into Sufi mysticism, Nietzschean rebellion, and Blakean pantheism, and I do hear traces of universalism at some points in the text.

Mostly, though, I just hear pastor Morgan talkin' ‘bout that old time religion, which is a bit disappointing, given I’d worked myself up to expect something different.

My bad. The wisdom here is good, so I’m giving it four stars. It’s just nothing... new. At least, not from my over-churched perspective.

Book/Song Pairing: Old Time Religion (Woody Guthrie)

…

Gibran’s version:

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,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as
the north wind lays waste the garden.

Sermon version: 


God’s love brings pleasure
but also pain.
Because God’s love ultimately
calls us to grow up.
And we grow through
suffering and blessing alike,
which the bible represents, respectively,
as “north” and “south” winds.

Bible version:

Song of Solomon 4:16
“Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its spices be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!

and

Job 5:18
“For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.”

[Jahn Sood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure that this book lived up to the thousands of recomendations that I got to read it. It is very beautiful, many of the lines are great, but as a whole, it seems like a sort of ode to indecision. Maybe I didn't take enough time with it, but seemed to me to be so heavily focussed on balance and contradictions that it didn't make any extreme proclamations. Maybe balance is more real than that which is self-glorifying, but I just wasn't as moved as I wanted to be. Maybe at a different time in my life I would have soaked this up. Then again, I read this book in a car with loud music playing after recovering only half way from the flu, so I might have been biased and unnecesarily bitter and disbelieving. My reaction might also be coming off Thoreau which is beautiful to read, but also has intense philosophy behind it. I think this book is more like looking at something beautiful but not particularly deep. Philosophical porn, if you will. I bet that will offend the people that really take it seriously. Shit, that isn't my intention. I think I will take the book back to maine and re-read it there on a mountain or on the beach and think about it in that context and then maybe it will have a deeper effect...if I ever make it back to maine. I hope so.

[هدى يحيى · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your ‎temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one ‎religion, and it is the spirit

*

Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a ‎truth.' Say not, ' I have found the path of the soul.' Say ‎rather, 'I have met the soul walking upon my path.' For the ‎soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, ‎neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a ‎lotus of countless petals

*

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and ‎daughters of Life's longing for itself

*

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.‏

*

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, Though his ‎voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste ‎the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify ‎you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. ‎Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your ‎tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he ‎descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to ‎the earth‏.‏

*

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and ‎love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your ‎nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the ‎seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your ‎laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. 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. And think not you can direct the course ‎of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has ‎no other desire but to fulfil itself‏.‏

*

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be ‎your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings ‎its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much ‎tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of ‎love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully

*

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

*

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you ‎might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days ‎of abundance

*

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.‏
To judge you by your failures is to cast blame upon the ‎seasons for their inconstancy

*

‏‏For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and ‎thirst‏?‏

*

‏Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails ‎of your seafaring soul‏.‏
If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but ‎toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas‏.‏
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, ‎unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction‏.‏
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of ‎passion, that it may sing‏;‏
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion ‎may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the ‎phoenix rise above its own ashes‏\‏

*

‏You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a ‎care, nor your nights without a want and a grief, but rather ‎when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above ‎them naked and unbound

[Dolors · Rating 4 out of 5]

The richness of his poetic prose and its inherent musicality is what I take with me from Al-Mustafá, Gibran’s famous Prophet.
There is also a universal spirituality that doesn’t succumb to the pressure of organized dogma that makes of this short fable a classic that might appeal to any reader regardless of his present, absent or muddled religious beliefs.
The roundness of the last chapter reminds me of the serene wisdom of the ancient aphorisms in The Tao Te Ching because it allows multiple interpretations that don’t compete against each other: philosophy and mysticism go hand in hand along the natural cycle of existence rather than being at odds in constant disparity of visions that often lead to uncertainty, and eventually, to corroding guilt.

Precious gifts arrive at the right moment and allow joy to coexist with misery, hope with despair, gratitude with frustration, without forcing us to choose one over the other. One door closes so that many others might be opened if we are courageous enough to persist, if we keep on walking. Accepting life as it comes with all its imperfect balances is far from easy and sometimes we crave for that comforting presence that will becalm the stirred waters of a troubled conscience, the disparate chorus of contradictory longings, the festering pain of unhealed wounds.
May you be fortunate to find that soothing voice that will appease storms within you, be it in the form of poetic allegory, unconditional support from those who truly care about you, or both; and be blessed, like I was, like I am.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran is a short but invaluable book of philosophy and encouragement. It is the story of The Prophet who gives his last lectures to the habitants of the seaside town of Orphalese before leaving in a boat to shores unknown. It is filled with wisdom. Despite the religious implication of the title, the philosophy here is more that of Spinoza.
"You will be free not when your days are without worry and your nights are without desire of pain. You will be free when your life is surrounded by these things and you raise yourself above them, nude and with constraint." (p.63)
"Because it is the morning dew of little things in which the heart finds its morning and refreshes itself." (p.76)
"And for the two, bee and flower, to give and to receive, the pleasure is a need and a boundless joy." (p.90)
The book is filled with hundreds of beautiful quotes such as these which are useful to nourish the soul beset by the crises that we are living through at any moment in our lives. It was given to me by a friend I knew here in Paris but left to Montreal years ago, and like the Prophet, she left me these words for which I eternally grateful. Merci Geneviève, wherever you are on earth or otherwise.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that is almost dreamlike in scope...the kind of dream you have when you think that you have found a piece to the puzzle of life. But Gibran truly has found more than one piece of the puzzle...a book that will be your friend for the rest of your life.

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

يلقِّب البعض هذا الكتاب بإنجيل جبران. أعتقد أن هذا هو الوصف الأنسب لكتاب اقتبس كاتبه حروفه من نور سماوي.
ترجمة ثروت عكاشة جعلت النص العربي يبدو كأنه هو النص الأصلي الذي كُتب به الكتاب.

أحمد الديب
2008

تسجيل صوتي كامل ومفهرس للكتاب، على يوتيوب:
https://youtu.be/z4gMG3iUMmo
وعلى ساوندكلاود:
https://soundcloud.com/ahmadeddeeb/se...

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Verily I say unto you that
you will find no profundity here
unless, perhaps, you take up that bong
or eat that mushroom.
Nor will you find anything that thousands of others
did not say long, long before, far more magnificently.
And you may very well sob, asking yourself,
"Why did I waste an hour of my time thus?"
Fear not. You may happen upon an opportunity to weave it
into a novel.
Now, return to Plato, Aeschylus, Aristophanes... for your profundity,
and do not forget that life is too short for tripe.

[persephone ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the beauty of this book is beyond words, i am speechless

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read a classic to start off the new year. As with every classic, this too turned up in a new light. With echoes of Schopenhauer, Kant and even Comte, this deep poem suddenly took new life in this reading. Now what is left is to search out which way the influence spread before flowering in this expression - east to west, the other way, or is it an early amalgamation of all philosophy like all truly great poems are.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the story of Almustafa, the Prophet, who is departing the city of Orphalese after a 12 year visit. But before he leaves, before he boards the ship that will return him to his homeland, he is asked by the residents of the city to enlighten them on a variety of subjects that deal with life and life's issues. You will find wisdom, compassion, love, friendship, teaching, and maybe best of all, beauty. This book is a virtual roadmap for how to live your life to complete fulfillment.

[Greta G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English by the Lebanese-American artist, philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran, originally published in 1923.

The prophet, Almustafa, has lived in the foreign city of Orphalese for 12 years and is about to board a ship which will carry him home.

"Long were the days of pain I have spent within its walls, and long were the nights of aloneness; and who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?"

He is stopped by a group of people, who ask of him to give them his truth.

"In your aloneness you have watched with our days, and in your wakefulness you have listened to the weeping and the laughter of our sleep. Now therefore disclose us to ourselves, and tell us all that has been shown you of that which is between birth and death."

He speaks to them of love:

"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, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you."
"And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course."

He speaks of marriage:

"Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."

On children:

"You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday."

On giving:

"You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.” The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish."

On joy and sorrow:

"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."

On reason and passion:

"Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas."

On self-knowledge:

"For the soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals."

On pleasure:

"And now you ask in your heart, “How shall we distinguish that which is good in pleasure from that which is not good?” Go to your fields and your gardens, and you shall learn that it is the pleasure of the bee to gather honey of the flower, But it is also the pleasure of the flower to yield its honey to the bee. For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life, And to the flower a bee is a messenger of love, And to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy. People of Orphalese, be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees."

He also speaks about work, pain, eating and drinking, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws and judgment, freedom, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, beauty, religion and prayer, and death.

This short book holds no deep wisdom, and the Prophet reveals no hidden truth ; he's merely a wise teacher :
"If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind."

Preferably to be read barefooted.

[✨ A ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prophet, Al Mustafa, is about to board a ship after his exile of 12 years in Orphalese, to return to his home. Before he embarks, he is stopped by the towns people to impart some last wisdom.



This is a collection of 26 poetic essays that vary in subject from love, pain, friendship, giving and many more.

Growing up, our house was filled with Kahlil Gibran books. My parents have a huge collection of his works and have always encouraged me to give them a try. However I've always been a bit daunted and never knew exactly where to start. My mother suggested The Prophet.

I was so overjoyed when I received this copy, which came to me as a surprise.

My edition (the Alma Classics edition, published 2020) included illustrations by Gibran himself. I loved looking at them and they were such a great addiction to the poetry itself.

My heart felt full while reading this spiritual classic. The wisdom imparted spoke to me. And I feel like even if poetry isn't your thing you'd still find something in this book that speaks to you.

I highly recommend taking your time, savour it in small increments and reflect on each essay.


« Thank you to Jonathan Ball publishers for gifting me a copy »

[Ross Blocher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like a real spoil sport, but The Prophet strikes me as pretentious and overwrought. Kahlil Gibran is hoping to produce a work of wisdom for the ages (apparently many accept it as such), but so much is either obvious, wrong, meaningless, or inconsequential. Gibran's maxims, delivered through the mouth of "Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved" are reminiscent of (and likely emulating) Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. At times he reaches that level, and as a guidebook it has more concentrated wisdom than the Bible... but that is not a high bar. The best I can say about The Prophet is that it is harmless and occasionally beautiful.

The plot is a simple, clever one: a prophet has been waiting for years for a ship to come and bear him home. When it finally arrives, he heads toward the port, only to be surrounded by the people of Orphalese who beseech him for wisdom as he walks to the shore. Each chapter is scripturally structured, consisting of a broad question asked by some cipher of a townsperson and Almustafa's pontification in response. "Then a mason came forth and said, Speak to us of Houses. And he answered and said..."

Sometimes the advice is beautiful. When speaking of marriage, the prophet says, "But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you." (There are truckloads of metaphors that rely on dancing, winds, wings, and music.) That would be fine, but then he restates the same point at least three times. "Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf." Yeah, we get it.

Other passages are simply nonsense, or nothing but pretty words that do not resolve into anything meaningful. I'm scanning the book looking for a good example. Here we go: "You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one." The owl analogy (anowlogy?) says the opposite of what he's positing. If you're supposed to seek the secret of death in the heart of life, then the owl should learn the secret of day by examining the night, yes? Life and death are one, as the river and sea are one? How so? How is that useful? It is purposely vague, which is the secret of effective scripture, but frustrating to my ears. It is a very short book, but I had to reach each passage multiple times to determine whether I could make any sense of the prophet's tortured phrases. He cops to this toward the end: "If these be vague words, then seek not to clear them. Vague and nebulous is the beginning of all things, but not their end, And I fain would have you remember me as a beginning. Life, and all that lives, is conceived in the mist and not in the crystal. And who knows but a crystal is mist in decay?"

What? No it isn't.

The Prophet is a cacophony of mixed metaphors and grandiose windbaggery. Many sentences are inverted, or expectations challenged, so the wisdom can be superficially presented as sage correction. "When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, 'I am in the heart of God.'" WHOA. You said one thing, and then turned it around!

Anyway, you get the idea. There are lovely pieces of observation, but they are buried deep as jewels within a mountain shrouded by the toxic mists of confusion and error. See? I can make bad metaphors, too. The edition I read was accompanied by Gibran's illustrations, which remind me of William Blake's: mostly studies of bodies stacked next to each other in odd poses that likely have deep meaning for Gibran. If you want a fun way to experience this, you can see Roger Allers' 2014 animated rendition with Liam Neeson speaking as the prophet.

[Pakinam Mahmoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

"إذا أحببت فلا تقل: «إنَّ الله في قلبي»، بل قُل بالأحرى: «أنا في قلب الله.» .."

النبي..أشهر كتب جبران خليل جبران و قد كتبه بالإنجليزية وترجم إلى أكثر من 100 لغة ويعتبر واحد من أكثر الكتب مبيعاً علي الاطلاق...
كرس جبران كل وقته من عام ١٩١٩ إلي عام ١٩٢٣ لكتابة هذا الكتاب الذي يعتبره حياته و ولادته الثانية..

الكتاب يعتبر كتاب فلسفي يحتوي علي عصارة تجارب جبران و نظرته للحياة و بيعرض فيه افكاره عن الأطفال،الزواج،الحياة،الموت،المحبة ،العطاء وحاجات كتير ...

"إنَّ أولادكم ليسوا أولادًا لكم.إنَّهم أبناء وبنات الحياة المشتاقة إلى نفسها، بكم يأتون إلى العالم، ولكن ليس منكم."

طبعاً كعادة جبران اللغة في منتهي العذوبة و الاسلوب سلس و في أجزاء في الكتاب مكتوبة حلو جداً خصوصا أراءه في جزء الابناء و الزواج وفي أجزاء تانية تحسه بيتكلم عن أفكار مش حتتحقق غير في المدينة الفاضلة ولا تمت بصلة أوي للحياة الواقعية...

"إنَّكُم لستم محصورين في سجون أجسادكم، كلا، ولستم مقيدين بجدران بيوتكم وحدود حقولك فإن الذات الخفية التي تمثل حقيقتكم هي روح حرة طليقة تغلف الأرض وتركب دقائق الأثير..."

حلو الكتاب طبعاً بس يعني بمنتهي الأمانة أنا منبهرتش أوي..

"أو ليس الخوف من الحاجة هو الحاجة بعينها؟.."

[فايز غازي Fayez Ghazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

- مع بداية العام 2019 لدي إعادة لكتابات جبران، لكتابة مراجعة تفيه بعض حقه علينا، سأكتفي الآن بقول قيل عند إصدار هذا الكتاب وانتشاره في الغرب :"هذا هو الإنجيل الجديد"!

[Irmak · Rating 5 out of 5]

54 sayfalık dev kitap.
El Mustafa yıllardır beklediği gemiye binip yaşadığı yerden uzaklaşacakken halk ona merak ettiklerini sorup El Mustafa'dan hakikati isterler. Bunun üzerine sorulan her soruya karşılık öğütler alırlar.
Aşk, acı, özgürlük, suç ve ceza, dostluk, ölüm ve daha bir çok konu.
Dostluk ile suç ve ceza kısmını ayrı bir sevdim ben. Altını çizmek istemediğim tek bir yer bile olmadı desem yeridir. Ama en önemlisi yazarı sevdim.
Ermiş ara ara açıp bakacağım tam bir başucu kitabı oldu benim için.