KHALIL GIBRAN ON JOY AND SORROW ( THE PROPHET ) English Text
Khalil Gibran
The Prophet
On Joy and Sorrow
Arabic literature
poetry in prose
Original English text
The writer Khalil Gibran 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, that inspired, from the sixties, the “New Age”.
Below, you can find the text of the prose poetry: “On Joy and Sorrow”, extracted from the book “the Prophet” by Khalil Gibran, in the original English language.
Below below, you can find the video, audio-book, of Poetry by Khalil Gibran: “On Joy and Sorrow” from the book “The prophet” read in English.
Good reading and good listening.
Kahlil Gibran All the poems > here
Index
The Prophet book
by Khalil Gibran
(with the link on yeyebook to where you can read them)
THE COMING OF THE SHIP
ON JOY AND SORROW
ON HOUSES
ON CLOTHES
ON BUYING AND SELLING
ON LAWS
ON FREEDOM
ON PAIN
ON SELF-KNOWLEDGE
ON TEACHING
ON TALKING
ON TIME
ON PRAYER
ON PLEASURE
ON BEAUTY
ON RELIGION
ON DEATH
THE FAREWELL
Khalil Gibran
The Prophet
On Joy and Sorrow
Arabic literature
Original English text
Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
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.
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow”, and other say, “Nay, sorrow is greater”.
But I say unto you, they are inseparable,
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when your are empty are you at standstill and balanced,
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise of fall.
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Kahlil Gibran – On Joy and Sorrow
from: The prophet
Arabic literature – poetry in prose
Original English text
Kahlil Gibran All the poems > here
Video Audio Book
Kahlil Gibran – On Joy and Sorrow
