คำครู

by Kahlil Gibran, น่านรังษี กิติมา (แปล)

รักสายลมแสงแดด รักทุกสรรพสิ่งที่ก่อเกิดอยู่รอบตัวมนุษย์หัวใจของคาลิลเองเต็มไปด้วยความรัก เขารักผู้ หญิง ที่คู่ควรกับการที่จะรัก เพียงแต่มันเป็นไปไม่ได้ ที่รักนี้จะ ครองคู่กัน ความรักของเขา จึงเป็นประดุจความสัมพันธ์ ทางวิญญาณ… กระนั้น ความเศร้าที่สุด อาจจะเป็นความสุขที่สุดได้ เช่นเดียวกัน ถ้านั่นเป็นเรื่องของความรัก

คําครู…คําที่มีค่ายิ่งกว่าทองคํา ครูกล่าวแก่ศิษย์ถึง ชีวิตมนุษย์ ในแง่มุมต่างๆ กล่าวถึงความสุข ความทุกข์ กล่าวถึงสงครามและสันติ ชีวิตของผู้คน และครูกล่าวถึงคู่รัก ในจินตนาการของครูว่า

“สําหรับคู่ใจในจินตนาการของฉัน และตัวฉันนั้น ก็ เหมือนกับความคิดอันอิสระที่บินว่อนอยู่เบื้องหน้าดวงอาทิตย์ หรือลอยล่องอยู่บนพื้นของสายน้ํา ขับขานเพลงในแสงเดือน เพลงแห่งสันติซึ่งปลอบประโลมวิญญาณ นําไปสู่ความงาม อันเหลือจะพรรณนา…”

ช่างเป็นงานกวีที่อยู่เหนือข้อจํากัดของรูปลักษณ์ แม้ เป็นร้อยแก้ว แต่กลับอ่านได้เหมือนร้อยกรอง และมีท่วง ทํานองแห่งดนตรี และจากท่วงทํานองอันไพเราะนั้น เราอาจรู้สึกว่ามัน ได้แฝงไว้ด้วยความสดชื่นแจ่มใสดุจแสงสว่างแห่งอาทิตย์

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

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

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

[Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We cling to the earth, while the gate of the Heart of The Lord stands wide open. We trample upon the bread of Life, while hunger gnaws at our hearts. How good is Life to Man; yet how far removed is Man from Life." (page/45)

"Into the ears of the rose you whisper a secret whose meaning she grasps; often she is troubled - then she rejoices. Such is the way of God with the soul of Man." (page/71)

"He who understands you is greater kin to you than your own brother. For even your own kindred may neither understand you nor know your true worth." (page/62)

"Man is like the foam of the sea, that floats upon the surface of the water. When the wind blows, it vanishes, as if it had never been. Thus are our lives blown away by Death." (page/26)

Above are just a few of the great sayings in this book. 90 pages consisting of Gibran's profound wisdom. Parables taken from his works which are used as the thoughts of the Masters disciple after the master dies. This is a sweet little book!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahlil Gibran's words are powerful and profound but, also simple enough for everyone to read. The deep, rich message that portrays from his writings instills a joyous feeling upon ones heart. In this little book, only 95 pages, he writes about love, wisdom, reason, knowledge, life, music and wisdom. Kahlil is one of my all time favorite authors, his words raise me up. I wish we all could live in such a way as his words put forth. I can start with me. "God has given you a spirit with wings on which to soar into the spacious firmament of Love and Freedom. Is it not pitiful then that you cut your wings with your own hands and suffer your soul to crawl like an insect upon the earth?"

[Isac Isac]

Not into mysticism and wisdom preaching stuff but khalil is always an exception

"how good is life to man; yet how far removed is man from life"

"life is an island in an ocean of loneliness , an island whose flowers are solitude ,and whose Brooks are thirst."

[Ben Ricketts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative elements in the first two chapters would have made for a lovely book. What the reader gets instead is several small chapters of Gibran waxing philosophical through the archived writings of a fictional character.

This is my first Gibran, and I certainly see the appeal. But it’s often a little too mystical and forcedly spiritual for my tastes. That being said, there are tons of great quotes and lovely moments in this text.

[Josiah Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kahlil Gibran was more than a poet, and this isn’t really something anyone would argue against I don’t think.

The book tells the short story of a man (the master) and how he was a man of goodness and peace and brought harmony to the nations around him and the one he lived in. The book then takes off from the master’s student as he speaks on the Master’s sayings and parables. It’s a very similar structure as The Prophet and I think is best read one chapter a day, almost as a sort of devotional of sorts, little lessons for every day.

This may be heresy whoops, but his words feel like they belong as wisdom literature in our Bibles.
The depth and wealth he depicts through imagination and metaphors that span all of human emotion, passion and rationale. This is from the last chapter of the book:
“Yesterday, my beloved, I was almost alone in the world, and my solitude was as pitiless as death. I was a flower that grows in the shadow of a huge rock, or whose existence Life is not aware, and which is not aware of Life.
But today my soul awakened, and I beheld you standing by my side. I rose to my feet and rejoiced; then knelt in reverence and worshipped before you.”

I would put the whole chapter, but that would be a bit much. I feel like any words I add would take away from this books goodness. I’m thankful Gibran had words to describe the depth and heart of all human emotion all the way to the divine nature of God in relation to us.

[Olli Lukkari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Voice of the Master, the first Lebanese book I've ever read by the way, was loaned to me by a friend. This short book - around 100 pages - was full of poetically beautiful language and symbolic metaphors and shorts stories and conversations.
The Voice of the Master seemed like a book of profound wisdom, and beauty and certain innocence that gets often squished out of people when they age. An absolutely lovely book, - and timeless classic from the year 1979- that could be interpreted in many different ways for sure, the book is indeed quite abstract.

[Kiryat Pichardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿Qué puedo decir? Es filosofía y definitivamente no nos llevamos bien

[Tonja, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good book. I believe as you reread this book throughout the different stages of your life, you will obtain different tidbits of wisdom.

[Kally Sheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do not read this book like you would with a novel. Read, ponder, reflect, and savour.



CONTENTS
Introduction
Bibliography and abbreviations
Acknowledgements

PART ONE The Forerunner

Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you.
Sand and Foam, 14

The Forerunner , Pg. 3-4

You are your forerunner, and the towers you have builded are but the foundatuon of your giant-self. And that self too shall be a foundation.

All that we have gathered and shall gather shall be but seeds for fields yet unploughed. We are the fields and the ploughmen, the gatherers and the gathered.

We sought one another, and out of our eagerness dreams were born. And dreams were time limitless, and dreams were space without measure.

Life uttered us and we came down the years throbbing with memories of yesterday and with longing for tomorrow, for yesterday was death conquered and tomorrow was birth pursued.

God’s Fool, Pg. 5-7
[Aren’t we all God’s fools, one way or the other!]

Love, Pg. 8

The King-hermit, Pg. 9-11

I would no longer be ruler over those who assume my vices and attribute to me their virtues.

‘See that you find him who, though born a king, is without kingdom; and him who though ruled in flesh rules in spirit - though neither he nor his subjects knew this; and him also who but seems to rule yet is in truth slave of his own slaves.’

The Lion’s daughter, Pg. 12-13

Tyranny, Pg. 14

The Saint, Pg. 15-16

The Plutocrat, Pg. 17

‘Have you never enough; is your hunger never satisfied and your thirst never quenched?’

‘I am weary of eating and drinking; but I am afraid that tomorrow there will be no more earth to eat and no more sea to drink.’

The Greater Self, Pg. 18-19

War and the Small Nations, Pg. 20

Critics, Pg. 21-22

Poets, Pg. 23

The Weather-cock, Pg. 24

The King of Aradus, Pg. 25

Out of My Deeper Heart, Pg. 26

Dynasties, Pg. 27-28

Knowledge and Half-knowledge, Pg. 29-30

And the fourth frog said, ‘Each of you is right, and none of you is wrong. The moving is in the log and the water and our thinking also.’

And the three frogs became angry, for none of them was willing to admit that his was not the whole truth, and the other two were not wholly wrong.

Then a strange thing happened. The three frogs got together and pushed the fourth frog off the log into the river.

‘Said a Sheet of Snow-white Paper...’, Pg. 31

Said a sheet of snow-white paper, ‘Pure was I created, and pure will I remain for ever. I would rather be burnt and turn to white ashes than suffer darkness to touch me or the unclean to come near me.’

And the snow-white sheet of paper did remain pure and chaste for ever, pure and chaste - and empty.

The Scholar and the Poet, Pg. 32-33

Values, Pg. 34

Other Seas, Pg. 35

Repentance, Pg. 36

The Dying Man and the Vulture, Pg. 37

Wait, wait yet awhile, my eager friend.
I shall yield but too soon this wasted thing,
Whose agony overwrought and useless
Exhausts your patience.
I would not have your honest hunger
Wait upon these moments:
But this chain, though made of breath,
Is hard to break.
And the will to die,
Stronger than all things strong,
Is stayed by a will to live
Febbler than all things feeble.
Forgive me, comrade, I tarry too long.
It is memory that holds my spirit;
A procession of distant days,
A vision of youth spent in a dream,
A face that bids my eyelids not to sleep,
A voice that lingers in my ears,
A hand that touches my hand.
Forgive me that you have waited too long.
It is over now, and all is faded:
The face, the voice, the hand and the mist that brought them hither.
The knot is untied.
The clod is cleaved.
And that which is neither food nor drink is withdrawn.
Approach, my hungry comrade;
The board is made ready,
And the fare, frugal and spare,
Is given with love.
Come, and dig your beak here, into the left side,
And tear out of its cage this smaller bird,
Whose wings can beat no more:
Come now, my friend, I am your host tonight,
And you my welcome guest.

Beyond My Solitude, Pg. 39

Beyond my solitude is another solitude, and to him who dwells therein my aloneness is a crowded market-place and my silence a confusion of sounds.
Too young am I and too restless to seek that above-solitude. The voices of yonder valley still hold my ears, and its shadows bar my way and I cannot go.
Beyond these hills is a grove of enchantment and to him who dwells therein my peace is but a whirlwind and my enchantment an illusion.

The Last Watch, Pg. 40-44

PART TWO The Complete Short Stories

He who listens to truth is not less than he who utters truth.
Sand and Foam, 65

The Creation, Pg. 47-48

‘A grain of sand is a desert, and a desert is a grain of sand.’
Sand and Foam, 3

The Greater Sea, Pg. 49-50

Revelation, Pg. 51-53

‘Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. And love without beauty is like flowers without fragrance, and fruit without seeds.
Life, Love and Beauty are three entities in one self, free and boundless,
Which know neither change nor separation.’

‘Life without rebellion is like the seasons without spring.
And rebellion without right is like spring in an arid and barren desert.
Life, Rebellion, and Right are three entities in one self,
And in them is neither nor separation.’

‘Life without freedom is like a body without a spirit.
And freedom without thought is like a spirit confounded.
Like, Freedom, and Thought are three entities in one eternal self,
Which neither vanish nor pass away.’

‘Love and all that it begets,
Rebellion and all that it creates,
Freedom and all that it generates,
These three are aspect of God...
And God us the infinite mind of the finite and conscious world.’

The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says, but rather to what he does not say.
Sand and Foam, 14

Finding God, Pg. 54

The Path, Pg. 55-56

A sense of humour is a sense of proportion.
Sand and Foam, 14

The Astronomer, Pg. 57

The Quest, Pg. 58-59

One of you seeks the fountain of youth, and the other seeks the mystery of death. Yet indeen they are but one, and as one they dwell in you both.

Should you really open your eyes and see, you would behold your image in all images. And should you open your ears and listen, you would hear your own voice in all voices.
Sand and Foam, 17

The River, Pg. 60

The Field of Zaad, Pg. 61-62

‘Few of us are able to add fact to different fact and make a truth thereof.’

Perfection, Pg. 63-64

A madman is not less a musician than you or myself; only the instrument on which he plays is a little out of tune.
Sand and Foam, 25

My Soul Counselled Me, Pg. 65-69

Song of Man, Pg. 70-71

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, prisoner 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 I am, existing with ignorance
And heresy.

I was on Sinai when Jehovah 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 that 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.

Satan, Pg. 72-85

Your other self is always sorry for you. But your other self grows on sorrow, so all is well.
Sand and Foam, 26

The Frogs, Pg. 86-87

‘The silence of the night was heavy upon us. And I can see now that there is no need for us to cease our singing for the comfort of those who must fill their emptiness with noise.

He who can put his finger upon that which divides good from evil is he who can touch the very hem of the garment of God.
Sand and Foam, 36

The Poet, Pg. 88-91

Turtles can tell more about the roads than hares.
Sand and Foam, 72

The Wise King, Pg. 92-93

My Countrymen, Pg. 94-100

Your souls are suffering the pangs
Of hunger, and yet the fruit of
Knowledge is more plentiful than
The stones of the valleys.
Your hearts are withering from
Thirst, and yet the springs of
Life are streaming about your
Home - Why do you not drink?

Hypocrisy is your religion, and
Falsehood is your life, and
Nothingness is your ending; why,
Then are you living? Is not
Death the sole comfort for the
Miserable?

Life is a resolution that
Accompanies youth, and a diligence
That follows maturity, and a
Wisdom that pursues senility;

Knowledge is a light, enriching
The warmth of life, and all may
Partake who seek it out;

A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, ‘I will have a camel for lunch today.’ And all morning he went about looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again - and he said, ‘A mouse will do.’
The Madman, 27

The Pomegranate, Pg. 101

The Silver-plated Turd, Pg.102-106

Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow. Solitude is the ally of sorrow as well as a companion of spiritual exaltation.
The Broken Wings, 19

The Arts of the Nations, Pg. 107

The art of the Egyptians is in the occult.
The art of the Chaldeans is in calculation.
The art of the Greeks is in proportion.
The art of the Romans is in echo.
The art of the Chinese is in etiquette.
The art of the Hindus is in the weighing of good and evil
The art of the Jews is in reminiscence and exaggeration.
The art of the Persians is in fastidiousness.
The art of the French is in finesse.
The art of the English is in analysis and self-righteousness.
The art of the Spaniards is in fanaticism.
The art of the Italians is in beauty.
The art of the Germans is in ambition.
The art of the Russians is in sadness.

The Criminal, Pg. 108-109

Law and Law-giving, Pg. 110

The Dancer, Pg. 111

The Curse, Pg. 112

The Seven Selves, Pg. 113-114

He who does not see the angels and devils in the beauty and malice of life will be far removed from knowledge, and his spirit will be empty of affection.
The Broken Wings, 20

Secrets of the Heart, Pg. 115-118

The Old, Old Wine, Pg. 119

The Red Earth, Pg. 120

Upon the Sand, Pg. 121

‘I am but a drop of this great ocean.’

The Pearl, Pg. 122

The Sleep-walkers, Pg. 123

Body and Soul, Pg. 124

Seven Reasons for Self-contempt, Pg. 125

Fame, Pg. 126

Your Thought and Mine, Pg. 127-130

You have your thought and I have mine.

When man makes a law, he either violates it or obey it. If there is a basic law, we are all one before it. He who disdains the mean is himself mean. He who vaunts his scorn of the sinful vaunts his disdain of all humanity.

There are no riches but life; that we are all beggars, and no benefactor exists save life herself.

Power lies in reason, resolution, and truth. No matter how long the tyrant endures, he will be the loser at the end.

He whom he suppose an idealist may be a practical man.

PART THREE Aphorisms and Extracts

And what is word knowledge but a shadow of wordless knowledge?
The Prophet, 112

On God, Faith, and Religion, Pg. 133-134

Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.
Sand and Foam, 71

How ignorant are those who see, without question, the abstract existence with some of their senses, but insist upon doubting until that existence reveals itself to all of their senses! Is not faith the sense of the heart as truly as sight is the sense of the eye?
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, 148

Remember: one just man causes the devil greater affliction than a million blind believers.
The Voice of the Master, 62

On Society and Freedom, Pg. 135-136

It is the mind that yields to the laws made by us, but never the spirit in us.

Human society has yielded for seventy centuries to corrupted laws until it cannot understand the meaning of the superior and eternal laws. A man’s eyes have become accustomed to the dim light of candles and cannot see the sunlight. Spiritual disease is inherited from one generation to another, until it has become part of people, who look upon it, not as a disease, but as a natural gift, showered by God upon Adam. If those people found someone free from the germs of this disease, they would think of him with shame and disgrace.
The Broken Wings, 105-6

The bird has an honour that man does not have. Man lives in the traps of his fabricated law and traditions, but the birds live according to the natural law of God, who causes the earth to turn around the sun.
Spiritual Sayings, 49-50

On Beauty, Pg. 137

Beauty is that which attracts your soul, and that which loves to give and not to receive.
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, 407

One hour devoted to the pursuit of Beauty
And Love is worth a full century of glory
Given by the frightened weak to the string.

From that hour comes man’s Truth; and
During that century Truth sleeps between
The restless arms of disturbing dreams.

In that hour the soul sees for herself
The Natural Law, and for that century she
Imprisons herself behind the law of man,
And she is shackled with iron of oppression.
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, 411

Beauty reveals herself to us as she sits on the throne of glory; but we approach her in the name of lust, snatch off her crown of purity, and pollute her garment with our evil-doing.
The Voice of the Master, 46

On Poetry, Pg. 138-139

Poetry is not an opinion expressed. It is a song that rises from a bleeding wound or a smiling mouth.
Sand and Foam, 21

Poets are unhappy people, for no matter how high their spirits reach, they will still be enclosed in an envelope of tears.
The Broken Wings, 41

Poetry is a flash of lightning; it becomes mere composition when it is an arrangement of words.
Spiritual Sayings, 32

On Truth, Pg. 140-141

The truth that needs proof is only half true.
Spiritual Sayings, 23

Many a doctrine is like a window pane. We see truth through it, but it divides us from the truth.
Sand and Foam, 17

He who does not seek advice is a fool. His folly blinds him from to truth and makes him evil, stubbon and a danger to his fellow man.
The Voice of the Master, 67

On Life, Pg. 142-143

We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.
Sand and Foam, 27

The voice of life in me cannot reach the ear of life in you; but let us talk that we may not feel lonely.

When life does not find a singer to sing her heart, she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.
Sand and Foam, 15

God has placed in each soul a true guide to the great light, but man struggles to find life outside himself, unaware that the life he is seeking is within him.
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, 144

On Woman, Pg. 144-145

Men who do not forgive women their little faults will never enjoy their great virtues.
Sand and Foam, 28

On Man, Pg. 146-147

He who sees his real self sees the truth of real life for himself, for all humanity, and for all things.
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, 140

The real in us is silent; the acquired is talkative.
Sand and Foam, 15

The significance of man is not in what he attains, but rather in what he longs to attain.
Sand and Foam, 12

On Love, Pg. 148-149

Love that does not renew itself every day becomes a habit and in turn a slavery.
Sand and Foam, 28

In remembrance there are no distances; and only in oblivion is there a gulf that neither your voice nor your eye can abridge.
The Garden of the Prophet, 21-2

An Educational Ideal, Pg. 150

Mother, Pg. 151

The Spirit of God on Earth, Pg. 152-153

Life after Life, Pg. 154-155

Let me Go Peacefully, Pg. 156

Slavery, Pg. 157

Everything on earth lives according to the law of nature, and from that law emerges the glory and joy of liberty; but man is denied this fortune, because he set for the God-given soul limited and earthly law of his own.

Man is Food for the Gods, Pg. 158

PART FOUR Prophecies
Extracts from The Prophet and The Garden of the Prophet

A great singer is he who sings our silences.
Sand and Foam, 24

The Prophet on Love, Pg. 161-162

For love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

The Prophet on Children, Pg. 163

The Prophet on Work, Pg. 164-166

Reason and learning are like body and soul. Without the body, the soul is nothing but empty wind. Without the soul, the body is a senseless frame.
The Voice of the Master, 55

The Prophet on Joy and Sorrow, Pg. 167-168

The Prophet on Freedom, Pg. 169-170

The Prophet on Reason and Passion, Pg. 171-172

The Prophet on Life, Pg. 173

Pity the Nation, Pg. 174

The Ecology of Life, Pg. 175-176

Our worst fault is our preoccupation with the faults of others.
Spiritual Sayings, 32

Everything is Alive, Pg. 177

The Prophet on God, Pg. 178-179

PART FIVE Christ and Christianity: Extracts from Jesus the Son of Man
Marry Magdalen, Pg. 183-186

Luke, Pg. 187-188

Nathaniel, Pg. 189-190

Saba of Antioch, Pg. 191-192

Cleopas of Bethroune, Pg. 193-194

A Philosopher, Pg. 195-196

Joseph of Arimathea, Pg. 197

Joseph Surnamed Justus, Pg. 198

Eventide of the Feast, Pg. 199-202

[Abril G. Karera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es el primer libro que leo de este autor y no sé, creo que lo sentí en exceso espiritual que termina siendo motivacional. Haría falta leer el resto de su obra.

[Teosch · Rating 2 out of 5]

"La voz del maestro" (en su versión en italiano "La voce del maestro") es un libro escrito por el autor y artista libanés Khalil Gibran y publicado en 1958-1959.
En esta obra de carácter filosófico, espiritual y moralista, el autor cuenta la historia de un sabio maestro y su discípulo, cuya relación cambia al enfermar el primero de estos. Quien antes era el joven discípulo, impaciente y un poco perdido en su lugar en el mundo, deberá tomar el lugar de su guía para guiar a otros, estudiar los diarios y escritos del sabio y continuar el legado de conocimiento sobre las cuestiones humanas del alma y la mente.
Yo me leí este libro en italiano porque había una versión chiquitita y polvorienta en mi casa, que rescaté de un orden de un librero. Me tinca a mí que, aunque claramente se ve que el setting y los personajes son de medio Oriente, las palabras del libro están escritas bastante neutralmente con tal de que puedan resonar en lectores de diferentes culturas, religiones y partes del mundo. En general dice hartas cosas interesantes y valiosas; para su tiempo, debió haber sido toda una revelación; actualmente, veo muchas influencias de otros lados en muchos de sus mensajes, una especie de collage oriental y occidental en las lecciones que propone.
Hubo un par de frases que yo dije "Wow, a esta quiero volver más veces".
¿Lo recomiendo? Hmm si unx está en una racha de búsqueda espiritual y quiere un autor ameno para principiantes, sure. Si no, les va a latear mucho.

[Paddyspub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lebanon done. 7.7/10
I went into this book not knowing what to expect. Gibran's words are powerful but not convoluted. The book opens with two chapters about a man referred to as The Master and The Disciple. The following chapters are "words fromt The Master". I very much enjoyed both sections. This is my first time reading a book by Khahil Gibran but hopefully wont be my last.

A few excerpts I enjoyed:
"Knowledge is your true patent on nobility, no matter who your father or what your race may be."
"If you could see, my sorrowful friend, that the misfortune that has defeated you in life is the very power that illumines your heart and raises your soul from the pit of derision to the throne of reverence, you would be content with your share and you would look upon it as a legacy to instruct you and make you wise."
"Tarrying is cowardice. To remain forever gazing upon the City of the Past is Folly. Behold, the City of the Future beckons..."
"All this came to pass when Sorrow tore my heart, and Hope strove to mend it."

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Words are too poor and too scant to express the inmost feeling in the heart of man".

“The Reality of Life is Life itself, whose beginning is not in the womb, and whose ending is not in the grave. For the years that pass arc raught but a moment in eternal life: and the world of matter and all in it is but a dream compared to the awakening which we call the terror of Death".

"Man is like the foam of the sea, that floats upon the surface of the water. When the wind blows, it vanishes, as if it had never been. Thus are our lives blown away by Death....

[Sophie Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For Life is a chain made up of many diverse links. Sorrow is one golden link between submission to the present and the promised hope of the future."
Kahlil Gibran is one of my favorite writers, and reading his writings feels like reading some sacred text. His super spiritual style might be off putting to some, but there's always some wonderful wisdom to be found. This wasn't my favorite work by him, as the first half was a bit dry, but overall Gibran is always a comfort to read.

[Claire Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Khalil Gibran book I’ve read. His writing is so beautiful, so mysterious, so full of analogies. Towards the ends, he uses analogies from Christianity and Greek mythology together - one of my favorite combos (like in Till we have faces!)

“The Infant King, swaddled in his mother’s wretched garments, sat upon a throne of burdened hearts and hungry souls, and through his humility wrested the scepter of power from the hands of Jove and gave it to the poor shepherd watching over his flock.”

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic collection of reflections on human nature. Would be enjoyable to those who appreciate the idea of love as a form of religious worship, those who spend time in nature for nourishment, and those who are seeking a sense of spiritual communion with others; after initial chapters, very short passages offer brief moments of pause and appreciation.

[Dilek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bilge, öğrencisine Venedik yolculuğunu anlatıyor. Bu yolculukta sevdiğini kaybediyor. Bilge üzüntüden ölüyor. Bilgenin yaşama dair öğütleri, sevgiliye yazılmış bir mektubu da var. Kendi tarzında, diğer kitaplarına benzeyen felsefî öğretiler.

[Rick Von Krolock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abordar estos conceptos tan importantes del ser humano de esta forma me recordó mis años de Cristiano Católico, si bien se otorgan de similar manera es notable un enfoque más filosófico que religioso

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first for me; poetry. the words are so mesmerising.

[Hernán López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un viaje entre arena y denzura, entre la fragilidad y el olvido, entre el todo y la nada. Plegarias y reencuentros. Magia y devoción.

[Abi Sultoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

mencerna gaya bahasa terjemahan itu sulit

[giulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Conoscete quale sia il vostro vero valore, e non vi perderete”.

[Abdul Sattar Abro · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Confusion is the beginning of knowledge*..
💓

[Nourallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Absolutely stunning. Took my breath away at several parts. I think I love it more than “The Prophet”. Definitely one of my favourites of all time🫶🏽

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the lyrical beauty of the writing that gets to you.

[Oscar Bermúdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro de muchas enseñanzas descritas de un modo diferente a lo habitual.

Creo que es necesaria más de una lectura para poder entenderlo.

[Jose Antonio La Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

Easy to read and insightful.
Full of wisdom.
Thank you very Khalil Gibran.
This book sends a profound message to the reader’s soul.

[William Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mientras más leo a este Nobel, mas me convenzo de su calidad literaria; un perfecto arquitecto de la imagen escrita.

[shaima · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I feel like his writing immediately transports you to another world it’s so good 😭

[Adrián Cartas · Rating 5 out of 5]

De mis favoritos