,,the ,,forerunner                      
,,his ,,parables ,,and ,,poems          
,,books ,,by ,,kahlil ,,gibran          
8,he is the ,william ,blake of the      
twentieth century40                     
--,,auguste ,,rodin4      ,,the ,,madman
 7#aiah7    ,with three original        
drawings by the author4    8,his is an  
irresistible vigor and clarity of       
thought and feeling1  together with a   
power of simple picturing1 which makes  
it unforgettable4  ,it is the voice and 
genius of the ,arabic people40--,the    
,new ,york ,evening  ,post4    8,never  
have ,i read anything like it1 never has
 a little book brought me  so deep and  
passionate a pleasure4 ,he has breathed 
the spirit of the  ,east on our cold and
 indifferent souls2 and ,i1 for one1    
feel almost as  if ,i had been          
suffocated by the breath of an intense  
beauty40--,the  ,liberator4             
,,twenty ,,drawings 7#aiai7    ,with an 
,introductory ,essay by ,alice ,raphael4
    8,it is ,rodin that comes instantly 

to mind as a comparison4 ,he has sensed 
a relation between man and the universe1
 and1 with his astounding  technique1 is
 able to make us sense it too4 ,mr4     
,knopf is entitled to our               
gratitude40--,detroit ,journal4         
,these may be had at all bookshops or   
from the publisher                      
,,alfred ,a4 ,,knopf                    
#bbj ,,west ,,forty-,,second ,,street   
,,new ,,york                            
,illustration3 drawing signed ,k4       
,gibran1 #aibj                          
,,the ,,forerunner                      
,,his ,,parables ,,and ,,poems          
,,by                                    
,,kahlil ,,gibran                       
,illustration3 colophon                 
,,new ,,york       ,,alfred  ,a  ,,knopf
      ,,mcmxx                           
,,copyright1 #aibj1 ,,by                
,,kahlil ,,gibran                       
,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states  
,,of ,,america          ,,contents      
,,god',s ,,fool  #i    ,,love #ae       

,,the ,,king-,,hermit #ag    ,,the      
,,lion',s ,,daughter #bb    ,,tyranny   
#bf    ,,the ,,saint #bg    ,,the       
,,plutocrat #bi    ,,the ,,greater      
,,self #cj    ,,war ,,and ,,the ,,small 
,,nations #cb    ,,critics #cc          
,,poets #ce    ,,the ,,weather-,,cock   
#cg    ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,aradus #ch   
,,out ,,of ,,my ,,deeper ,,heart #ci    
,,dynasties #da    ,,knowledge ,,and    
,,half-,,knowledge #dd    8,,said ,a    
,,sheet ,,of ,,snow-,,white ,,paper44440
 #df    ,,the ,,scholar ,,and ,,the     
,,poet #dg    ,,values #ej    ,,other   
,,seas #ea    ,,repentance #eb    ,,the 
,,dying ,,man ,,and ,,the ,,vulture #ec 
,,beyond ,,my ,,solitude #ee    ,,the   
,,last ,,watch #eg           ,,the      
,,five ,,illustrations       ,,in ,,this
 ,,volume ,,are ,,re-       ,,produced  
,,from ,,original       ,,drawings ,,by 
,,the ,,author      ,you are your own   
forerunner1 and the towers you have     
builded are but the  foundation of your 
giant-self4 ,and that self too shall be 

a foundation4    ,and ,i too am my own  
forerunner1 for the long shadow         
stretching before me  at sunrise shall  
gather under my feet at the noon hour4  
,yet another  sunrise shall lay another 
shadow before me1 and that also shall be
  gathered at another noon4    ,always  
have we been our own forerunners1 and   
always shall we be4 ,and all  that we   
have gathered and shall gather shall be 
but seeds for fields yet  unploughed4   
,we are the fields and the ploughmen1   
the gatherers and the  gathered4        
,when you were a wandering desire in the
 mist1 ,i too was there1 a  wandering   
desire4 ,then we sought one another1 and
 out of our eagerness  dreams were born4
 ,and dreams were time limitless1 and   
dreams were space  without measure4     
,and when you were a silent word upon   
,life's quivering lips1 ,i too was      
there1 another silent word4 ,then ,life 
uttered us and we came down the  years  
throbbing with memories of yesterday and
 with longing for  tomorrow1 for        

yesterday was death conquered and       
tomorrow was birth  pursued4    ,and now
 we are in ,god's hands4 ,you are a sun 
in ,his right hand and ,i an  earth in  
,his left hand4 ,yet you are not more1  
shining1 than ,i1 shone  upon4    ,and  
we1 sun and earth1 are but the beginning
 of a greater sun and a  greater earth4 
,and always shall we be the beginning4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,you are your own forerunner1 you the   
stranger passing by the gate of my      
garden4    ,and ,i too am my own        
forerunner1 though ,i sit in the shadows
 of my trees  and seem motionless4      
,,god',s ,,fool      ,once there came   
from the desert to the great city of    
,sharia a man who  was a dreamer1 and he
 had naught but his garment and a staff4
    ,and as he walked through the       
streets he gazed with awe and wonder at 
the  temples and towers and palaces1 for
 the city of ,sharia was of surpassing  
beauty4 ,and he spoke often to the      
passersby1 questioning them about  their

 city--but they understood not his      
language1 nor he their language4    ,at 
the noon hour he stopped before a vast  
inn4 ,it was built of yellow  marble1   
and people were going in and coming out 
unhindered4    8,this must be a shrine10
 he said to himself1 and he too went in4
 ,but  what was his surprise to find    
himself in a hall of great splendour and
  a large company of men and women      
seated about many tables4 ,they were    
eating and drinking and listening to the
 musicians4    8,nay10 said the dreamer4
 8,this is no worshipping4 ,it must be a
 feast  given by the prince to the      
people1 in celebration of a great       
event40    ,at that moment a man1 whom  
he took to be the slave of the prince1  
approached him1 and bade him be seated4 
,and he was served with meat and  wine  
and most excellent sweets4    ,when he  
was satisfied1 the dreamer rose to      
depart4 ,at the door he was  stopped by 
a large man magnificently arrayed4      
8,surely this is the prince himself10   

said the dreamer in his heart1 and  he  
bowed to him and thanked him4    ,then  
the large man said in the language of   
the city3    8,sir1 you have not paid   
for your dinner40 ,and the dreamer did  
not  understand1 and again thanked him  
heartily4 ,then the large man bethought 
him1 and he looked more closely upon the
 dreamer4 ,and he saw that he was  a    
stranger1 clad in but a poor garment1   
and that indeed he had not  wherewith to
 pay for his meal4 ,then the large man  
clapped his hands and  called--and there
 came four watchmen of the city4 ,and   
they listened to  the large man4 ,then  
they took the dreamer between them1 and 
they were  two on each side of him4 ,and
 the dreamer noted the ceremoniousness  
of  their dress and of their manner and 
he looked upon them with delight4       
8,these10 said he1 8are men of          
distinction40    ,and they walked all   
together until they came to the ,house  
of ,judgment  and they entered4    ,the 
dreamer saw before him1 seated upon a   

throne1 a venerable man with  flowing   
beard1 robed majestically4 ,and he      
thought he was the king4 ,and  he       
rejoiced to be brought before him4      
,now the watchmen related to the judge1 
who was the venerable man1 the  charge  
against the dreamer2 and the judge      
appointed two advocates1 one  to present
 the charge and the other to defend the 
stranger4 ,and the  advocates rose1 the 
one after the other1 and delivered each 
his  argument4 ,and the dreamer thought 
himself to be listening to addresses  of
 welcome1 and his heart filled with     
gratitude to the king and the  prince   
for all that was done for him4    ,then 
sentence was passed upon the dreamer1   
that upon a tablet hung about  his neck 
his crime should be written1 and that he
 should ride through  the city on a     
naked horse1 with a trumpeter and a     
drummer before him4  ,and the sentence  
was carried out forthwith4    ,now as   
the dreamer rode through the city upon  
the naked horse1 with the  trumpeter and

 the drummer before him1 the inhabitants
 of the city came  running forth at the 
sound of the noise1 and when they saw   
him they  laughed one and all1 and the  
children ran after him in companies from
  street to street4 ,and the dreamer's  
heart was filled with ecstasy1 and  his 
eyes shone upon them4 ,for to him the   
tablet was a sign of the king's         
blessing and the procession was in his  
honour4    ,now as he rode1 he saw among
 the crowd a man who was from the desert
  like himself and his heart swelled    
with joy1 and he cried out to him  with 
a shout3    8,friend6 ,friend6 ,where   
are we8 ,what city of the heart's desire
 is this8  ,what race of lavish         
hosts8--who feast the chance guest in   
their palaces1  whose princes companion 
him1 whose king hangs a token upon his  
breast  and opens to him the hospitality
 of a city descended from heaven40      
,and he who was also of the desert      
replied not4 ,he only smiled and        
slightly shook his head4 ,and the       

procession passed on4    ,and the       
dreamer's face was uplifted and his eyes
 were overflowing with  light4          
,,love          ,they say the jackal and
 the mole      ,drink from the self-same
 stream      ,where the lion comes to   
drink4        ,and they say the eagle   
and the vulture      ,dig their beaks   
into the same carcass1      ,and are at 
peace1 one with the other1      ,in the 
presence of the dead thing4        ,o   
love1 whose lordly hand      ,has       
bridled my desires1      ,and raised my 
hunger and my thirst      ,to dignity   
and pride1      ,let not the strong in  
me and the constant      ,eat the bread 
or drink the wine      ,that tempt my   
weaker self4      ,let me rather starve1
      ,and let my heart parch with      
thirst1      ,and let me die and perish1
      ,ere ,i stretch my hand      ,to a
 cup you did not fill1      ,or a bowl  
you did not bless4          ,,the       
,,king-,,hermit      ,they told me that 
in a forest among the mountains lives a 

young man in  solitude who once was a   
king of a vast country beyond the ,two  
,rivers4  ,and they also said that he1  
of his own will1 had left his throne and
 the  land of his glory and come to     
dwell in the wilderness4    ,and ,i     
said1 8,i would seek that man1 and learn
 the secret of his heart2  for he who   
renounces a kingdom must needs be       
greater than a kingdom40    ,on that    
very day ,i went to the forest where he 
dwells4 ,and ,i found him  sitting under
 a white cypress1 and in his hand a reed
 as if it were a  sceptre4 ,and ,i      
greeted him even as ,i would greet a    
king4    ,and he turned to me and said  
gently1 8,what would you in this forest 
of  serenity8 ,seek you a lost self in  
the green shadows1 or is it a           
home-coming in your twilight80    ,and  
,i answered1 8,i sought but you--for ,i 
fain would know that which made  you    
leave a kingdom for a forest40    ,and  
he said1 8,brief is my story1 for sudden
 was the bursting of the  bubble4 ,it   

happened thus3 ,one day as ,i sat at a  
window in my palace1 my  chamberlain and
 an envoy from a foreign land were      
walking in my garden4  ,and as they     
approached my window1 the lord          
chamberlain was speaking of  himself and
 saying1 #8,i am like the king2 ,i have 
a thirst for strong wine  and a hunger  
for all games of chance4 ,and like my   
lord the king ,i have  storms of        
temper4' ,and the lord chamberlain and  
the envoy disappeared  among the trees4 
,but in a few minutes they returned1 and
 this time the  lord chamberlain was    
speaking of me1 and he was saying1 #8,my
 lord the  king is like myself--a good  
marksman2 and like me he loves music and
  bathes thrice a day4'0    ,after a    
moment he added1 8,on the eve of that   
day ,i left my palace with  but my      
garment1 for ,i would no longer be ruler
 over those who assume my  vices and    
attribute to me their virtues40    ,and 
,i said1 8,this is indeed a wonder1 and 
passing strange40    ,and he said1      

8,nay1 my friend1 you knocked at the    
gate of my silences and  received but a 
trifle4 ,for who would not leave a      
kingdom for a forest  where the seasons 
sing and dance ceaselessly8 ,many are   
those who have  given their kingdom for 
less than solitude and the sweet        
fellowship of  aloneness4 ,countless are
 the eagles who descend from the upper  
air to  live with moles that they may   
know the secrets of the earth4 ,there   
are  those who renounce the kingdom of  
dreams that they may not seem distant   
from the dreamless4 ,and those who      
renounce the kingdom of nakedness and   
cover their souls that others may not be
 ashamed in beholding truth  uncovered  
and beauty unveiled4 ,and greater yet   
than all of these is he  who renounces  
the kingdom of sorrow that he may not   
seem proud and  vainglorious40    ,then 
rising he leaned upon his reed and said1
 8,go now to the great city  and sit at 
its gate and watch all those who enter  
into it and those who  go out4 ,and see 

that you find him who1 though born a    
king1 is without  kingdom2 and him who  
though ruled in flesh rules in          
spirit--though  neither he nor his      
subjects know this2 and him also who but
 seems to  rule yet is in truth slave of
 his own slaves40    ,after he had said 
these things he smiled on me1 and there 
were a  thousand dawns upon his lips4   
,then he turned and walked away into the
  heart of the forest4    ,and ,i       
returned to the city1 and ,i sat at its 
gate to watch the passersby  even as he 
had told me4 ,and from that day to this 
numberless are the  kings whose shadows 
have passed over me and few are the     
subjects over  whom my shadow has       
passed4          ,,the ,,lion',s        
,,daughter      ,four slaves stood      
fanning an old queen who was asleep upon
 her throne4  ,and she was snoring4 ,and
 upon the queen's lap a cat lay purring 
and  gazing lazily at the slaves4       
,the first slave spoke1 and said1 8,how 
ugly this old woman is in her  sleep4   

,see her mouth droop2 and she breathes  
as if the devil were  choking her40     
,then the cat said1 purring1 8,not half 
so ugly in her sleep as you in  your    
waking slavery40    ,and the second     
slave said1 8,you would think sleep     
would smooth her  wrinkles instead of   
deepening them4 ,she must be dreaming of
 something  evil40    ,and the cat      
purred1 8,would that you                
,illustration3 drawing signed ,k4       
,gibran1 #aibj    might sleep also and  
dream of your freedom40    ,and the     
third slave said1 8,perhaps she is      
seeing the procession of all  those that
 she has slain40    ,and the cat purred1
 8,aye1 she sees the procession of your 
forefathers  and your descendants40     
,and the fourth slave said1 8,it is all 
very well to talk about her1 but  it    
does not make me less weary of standing 
and fanning40    ,and the cat purred1   
8,you shall be fanning to all eternity2 
for as it is  on earth so it is in      
heaven40    ,at this moment the old     

queen nodded in her sleep1 and her crown
 fell to  the floor4    ,and one of the 
slaves said1 8,that is a bad omen40     
,and the cat purred1 8,the bad omen of  
one is the good omen of another40       
,and the second slave said1 8,what if   
she should wake1 and find her crown     
fallen6 ,she would surely slay us40     
,and the cat purred1 8,daily from your  
birth she has slain you and you  know it
 not40    ,and the third slave said1    
8,yes1 she would slay us and she would  
call it  making sacrifice to the gods40 
,and the cat purred1 8,only the weak are
 sacrificed to the gods40    ,and the   
fourth slave silenced the others1 and   
softly he picked up the  crown and      
replaced it1 without waking her1 on the 
old queen's head4    ,and the cat       
purred1 8,only a slave restores a crown 
that has fallen40    ,and after a while 
the old queen woke1 and she looked about
 her and  yawned4 ,then she said1       
8,methought ,i dreamed1 and ,i saw four 
caterpillars  chased by a scorpion      

around the trunk of an ancient oaktree4 
,i like not  my dream40    ,then she    
closed her eyes and went to sleep again4
 ,and she snored4 ,and  the four slaves 
went on fanning her4    ,and the cat    
purred1 8,fan on1 fan on1 stupids4 ,you 
fan but the fire that  consumes you40   
,,tyranny      ,thus sings the          
,she-,dragon that guards the seven caves
 by the sea3    8,my mate shall come    
riding on the waves4 ,his thundering    
roar shall fill  the earth with fear1   
and the flames of his nostrils shall set
 the sky  afire4 ,at the eclipse of the 
moon we shall be wedded1 and at the     
eclipse  of the sun ,i shall give birth 
to a ,saint ,george1 who shall slay me40
    ,thus sings the ,she-,dragon that   
guards the seven caves by the sea4      
,,the ,,saint      ,in my youth ,i once 
visited a saint in his silent grove     
beyond the hills2  and as we were       
conversing upon the nature of virtue a  
brigand came  limping wearily up the    
ridge4 ,when he reached the grove he    

knelt down  before the saint and said1  
8,o saint1 ,i would be comforted6 ,my   
sins are  heavy upon me40    ,and the   
saint replied1 8,my sins1 too1 are heavy
 upon me40    ,and the brigand said1    
8,but ,i am a thief and a plunderer40   
,and the saint replied1 8,i too am a    
thief and a plunderer40    ,and the     
brigand said1 8,but ,i am a murderer1   
and the blood of many men  cries in my  
ears40    ,and the saint replied1 8,i   
too am a murderer1 and in my ears cries 
the  blood of many men40    ,and the    
brigand said1 8,i have committed        
countless crimes40    ,and the saint    
replied1 8,i too have committed crimes  
without number40    ,then the brigand   
stood up and gazed at the saint1 and    
there was a  strange look in his eyes4  
,and when he left us he went skipping   
down the  hill4    ,and ,i turned to the
 saint and said1 8,wherefore did you    
accuse yourself  of uncommitted crimes8 
,see you not that this man went away no 
longer  believing in you80    ,and the  

saint answered1 8,it is true he no      
longer believes in me4 ,but he  went    
away much comforted40    ,at that moment
 we heard the brigand singing in the    
distance1 and the  echo of his song     
filled the valley with gladness4        
,,the ,,plutocrat      ,in my wanderings
 ,i once saw upon an island a           
man-headed1 iron-hoofed  monster who ate
 of the earth and drank of the sea      
incessantly4 ,and for a  long while ,i  
watched him4 ,then ,i approached him and
 said1 8,have you  never enough2 is your
 hunger never satisfied and your thirst 
never  quenched80    ,and he answered   
saying1 8,yes1 ,i am satisfied1 nay1 ,i 
am weary of eating  and drinking2 but ,i
 am afraid that tomorrow there will be  
no more earth  to eat and no more sea to
 drink40          ,,the ,,greater ,,self
      ,this came to pass4 ,after the    
coronation of ,nufsibal1 ,king of       
,byblus1 he  retired to his bed         
chamber--the very room which the three  
hermit-magicians of the mountain had    

built for him4 ,he took off his  crown  
and his royal raiment1 and stood in the 
centre of the room  thinking of himself1
 now the all-powerful ruler of ,byblus4 
,suddenly he turned2 and he saw stepping
 out of the silver mirror which  his    
mother had given him1 a naked man4      
,the king was startled1 and he cried out
 to the man1 8,what would you80    ,and 
the naked man answered1 8,naught but    
this3 ,why have they crowned you  king80
    ,and the king answered1 8,because ,i
 am the noblest man in the land40       
,then the naked man said1 8,if you were 
still more noble1 you would not be      
king40    ,and the king said1 8,because 
,i am the mightiest man in the land they
  crowned me40    ,and the naked man    
said1 8,if you were mightier yet1 you   
would not be  king40    ,then the king  
said1 8,because ,i am the wisest man    
they crowned me king40    ,and the naked
 man said1 8,if you were still wiser you
 would not choose to  be king40    ,then
 the king fell to the floor and wept    

bitterly4    ,the naked man looked down 
upon him4 ,then he took up the crown and
 with  tenderness replaced it upon the  
king's bent head4    ,and the naked man1
 gazing lovingly upon the king1 entered 
into the  mirror4    ,and the king      
roused1 and straightway he looked into  
the mirror4 ,and he  saw there but      
himself crowned4          ,,war ,,and   
,,the ,,small ,,nations      ,once1 high
 above a pasture1 where a sheep and a   
lamb were grazing1 an  eagle was        
circling and gazing hungrily down upon  
the lamb4 ,and as he was  about to      
descend and seize his prey1 another     
eagle appeared and hovered  above the   
sheep and her young with the same hungry
 intent4 ,then the two  rivals began to 
fight filling the sky with their fierce 
cries4    ,the sheep looked up and was  
much astonished4 ,she turned to the lamb
 and  said1    8,how strange1 my child1 
that these two noble birds should attack
 one  another4 ,is not the vast sky     
large enough for both of them8 ,pray1 my

  little one1 pray in your heart that   
,god may make peace between your  winged
 brothers40    ,and the lamb prayed in  
his heart4                ,illustration3
 drawing signed ,k4 ,gibran1 #aibj      
,,critics      ,one nightfall a man     
travelling on horseback toward the sea  
reached an  inn by the roadside4 ,he    
dismounted1 and confident in man and    
night like  all riders toward the sea1  
he tied his horse to a tree beside the  
door  and entered into the inn4    ,at  
midnight1 when all were asleep1 a thief 
came and stole the  traveller's horse4  
,in the morning the man awoke1 and      
discovered that his horse was stolen4   
,and he grieved for his horse1 and that 
a man had found it in his heart  to     
steal4    ,then his fellow-lodgers came 
and stood around him and began to talk4 
,and the first man said1 8,how foolish  
of you to tie your horse outside  the   
stable40    ,and the second said1       
8,still more foolish1 without even      
hobbling the  horse60    ,and the third 

man said1 8,it is stupid at best to     
travel to the sea on  horseback40       
,and the fourth said1 8,only the        
indolent and the slow of foot own       
horses40    ,then the traveller was much
 astonished4 ,at last he cried1 8,my    
friends1  because my horse is stolen1   
you have hastened one and all to tell me
 my  faults and my shortcomings4 ,but   
strange1 not one word of reproach have  
you uttered about the man who stole my  
horse40          ,,poets      ,four     
poets were sitting around a bowl of     
punch that stood on a table4    ,said   
the first poet1 8,methinks ,i see with  
my third eye the fragrance of  this wine
 hovering in space like a cloud of birds
 in an enchanted  forest40    ,the      
second poet raised his head and said1   
8,with my inner ear ,i can hear  those  
mist-birds singing4 ,and the melody     
holds my heart as the white  rose       
imprisons the bee within her petals40   
,the third poet closed his eyes and     
stretched his arm upward1 and said1  8,i

 touch them with my hand4 ,i feel their 
wings1 like the breath of a  sleeping   
fairy1 brushing against my fingers40    
,then the fourth poet rose and lifted up
 the bowl1 and he said1 8,alas1         
friends6 ,i am too dull of sight and of 
hearing and of touch4 ,i cannot  see the
 fragrance of this wine1 nor hear its   
song1 nor feel the beating  of its      
wings4 ,i perceive but the wine itself4 
,now therefore must ,i drink  it1 that  
it may sharpen my senses and raise me to
 your blissful  heights40    ,and       
putting the bowl to his lips1 he drank  
the punch to the very last  drop4       
,the three poets1 with their mouths     
open1 looked at him aghast1 and there   
was a thirsty yet unlyrical hatred in   
their eyes4          ,,the              
,,weather-,,cock      ,said the         
weather-cock to the wind1 8,how tedious 
and monotonous you are6  ,can you not   
blow any other way but in my face8 ,you 
disturb my ,god-given  stability40      
,and the wind did not answer4 ,it only  

laughed in space4          ,,the ,,king 
,,of ,,aradus      ,once the elders of  
the city of ,aradus presented themselves
 before the  king1 and besought of him a
 decree to forbid to men all wine and   
all  intoxicants within their city4     
,and the king turned his back upon them 
and went out from them laughing4        
,then the elders departed in dismay4    
,at the door of the palace they met the 
lord chamberlain4 ,and the lord         
chamberlain observed that they were     
troubled1 and he understood their  case4
    ,then he said1 8,pity1 my friends6  
,had you found the king drunk1 surely he
  would have granted you your petition40
          ,,out ,,of ,,my ,,deeper      
,,heart      ,out of my deeper heart a  
bird rose and flew skyward4    ,higher  
and higher did it rise1 yet larger and  
larger did it grow4    ,at first it was 
but like a swallow1 then a lark1 then an
 eagle1 then as  vast as a spring cloud1
 and then it filled the starry heavens4 
,out of my heart a bird flew skyward4   

,and it waxed larger as it flew4 ,yet   
it left not my heart4           99      
99       99       99       99    ,o my  
faith1 my untamed knowledge1 how shall  
,i fly to your height and see  with you 
man's larger self pencilled upon the    
sky8    ,how shall ,i turn this sea     
within me into mist1 and move with you  
in  space immeasurable8    ,how can a   
prisoner within the temple behold its   
golden domes8    ,how shall the heart of
 a fruit be stretched to envelop the    
fruit also8    ,o my faith1 ,i am in    
chains behind these bars of silver and  
ebony1 and ,i  cannot fly with you4     
,yet out of my heart you rise skyward1  
and it is my heart that holds you1  and 
,i shall be content4                    
,illustration3 drawing signed ,k4       
,gibran1 #aibj          ,,dynasties     
,the ,queen of ,ishana was in travail of
 childbirth2 and the ,king and the      
mighty men of his court were waiting in 
breathless anxiety in the great  hall of
 the ,winged ,bulls4    ,at eventide    

there came suddenly a messenger in haste
 and prostrated  himself before the     
,king1 and said1 8,i bring glad tidings 
unto my lord  the ,king1 and unto the   
kingdom and the slaves of the ,king4    
,mihrab the  ,cruel1 thy life-long      
enemy1 the ,king of ,bethroun1 is dead40
    ,when the ,king and the mighty men  
heard this1 they all rose and shouted   
for joy2 for the powerful ,mihrab1 had  
he lived longer1 had assuredly  overcome
 ,ishana and carried the inhabitants    
captive4    ,at this moment the court   
physician also entered the hall of      
,winged  ,bulls1 and behind him came the
 royal midwives4 ,and the physician     
prostrated himself before the king1 and 
said1 8,my lord the ,king shall  live   
for ever1 and through countless         
generations shall he rule over the      
people of ,ishana4 ,for unto thee1 ,o   
,king1 is born this very hour a son1    
who shall be thy heir40    ,then indeed 
was the soul of the ,king intoxicated   
with joy1 that in the  same moment his  

foe was dead and the royal line was     
established4    ,now in the ,city of    
,ishana lived a true prophet4 ,and the  
prophet was  young1 and bold of spirit4 
,and the ,king that very night ordered  
that the  prophet should be brought     
before him4 ,and when he was brought1   
the ,king  said unto him1 8,prophesy    
now1 and foretell what shall be the     
future of  my son who is this day born  
unto the kingdom40    ,and the prophet  
hesitated not1 but said1 8,hearken1 ,o  
,king1 and ,i will  indeed prophesy of  
the future of thy son1 that is this day 
born4 ,the  soul of thy enemy1 even of  
thy enemy ,king ,mihrab1 who died       
yestereve1  lingered but a day upon the 
wind4 ,then it sought for itself a body 
to  enter into4 ,and that which it      
entered into was the body of thy son    
that1  is born unto thee this hour40    
,then the ,king was enraged1 and with   
his sword he slew the prophet4    ,and  
from that day to this1 the wise men of  
,ishana say one to another  secretly1   

8,is it not known1 and has it not been  
said from of old1 that  ,ishana is ruled
 by an enemy40          ,,knowledge     
,,and ,,half-,,knowledge      ,four     
frogs sat upon a log that lay floating  
on the edge of a river4  ,suddenly the  
log was caught by the current and swept 
slowly down the  stream4 ,the frogs were
 delighted and absorbed1 for never      
before had they  sailed4    ,at length  
the first frog spoke1 and said1 8,this  
is indeed a most  marvellous log4 ,it   
moves as if alive4 ,no such log was ever
 known  before40    ,then the second    
frog spoke1 and said1 8,nay1 my friend1 
the log is like  other logs1 and does   
not move4 ,it is the river1 that is     
walking to the  sea1 and carries us and 
the log with it40    ,and the third frog
 spoke1 and said1 8,it is neither the   
log nor the  river that moves4 ,the     
moving is in our thinking4 ,for without 
thought  nothing moves40    ,and the    
three frogs began to wrangle about what 
was really moving4 ,the  quarrel grew   

hotter and louder1 but they could not   
agree4    ,then they turned to the      
fourth frog1 who up to this time had    
been  listening attentively but holding 
his peace1 and they asked his opinion4  
,and the fourth frog said1 8,each of you
 is right1 and none of you is  wrong4   
,the moving is in the log and the water 
and our thinking also40    ,and the     
three frogs became very angry1 for none 
of them was willing to  admit that his  
was not the whole truth1 and that the   
other two were not  wholly wrong4       
,then the strange thing happened4 ,the  
three frogs got together and pushed  the
 fourth frog off the log into the river4
          8,,said ,a ,,sheet ,,of       
,,snow-,,white ,,paper44440      ,said a
 sheet of snow-white paper1 8,pure was  
,i created1 and pure will ,i  remain for
 ever4 ,i would rather be burnt and turn
 to white ashes than  suffer darkness to
 touch me or the unclean to come near   
me40    ,the ink-bottle heard what the  
paper was saying1 and it laughed in its 

dark heart2 but it never dared to       
approach her4 ,and the multicoloured    
pencils heard her also1 and they too    
never came near her4    ,and the        
snow-white sheet of paper did remain    
pure and chaste for  ever--pure and     
chaste--and empty4          ,,the       
,,scholar ,,and ,,the ,,poet      ,said 
the serpent to the lark1 8,thou flyest1 
yet thou canst not visit the  recesses  
of the earth where the sap of life      
moveth in perfect silence40    ,and the 
lark answered1 8,aye1 thou knowest over 
much1 nay thou art wiser  than all      
things wise--pity thou canst not fly40  
,and as if he did not hear1 the serpent 
said1 8,thou canst not see the  secrets 
of the deep1 nor move among the         
treasures of the hidden empire4  ,it was
 but yesterday ,i lay in a cave of      
rubies4 ,it is like the heart of  a ripe
 pomegranate1 and the faintest ray of   
light turns it into a  flame-rose4 ,who 
but me can behold such marvels80    ,and
 the lark said1 8,none1 none but thee   

can lie among the crystal  memories of  
the cycles3 pity thou canst not sing40  
,and the serpent said1 8,i know a plant 
whose root descends to the bowels  of   
the earth1 and he who eats of that root 
becomes fairer than  ,ashtarte40    ,and
 the lark said1 8,no one1 no one but    
thee could unveil the magic  thought of 
the earth--pity thou canst not fly40    
,and the serpent said1 8,there is a     
purple stream that runneth under a      
mountain1 and he who drinketh of it     
shall become immortal even as the  gods4
 ,surely no bird or beast can discover  
that purple stream40    ,and the lark   
answered1 8,if thou willest thou canst  
become deathless even  as the gods--pity
 thou canst not sing40    ,and the      
serpent said1 8,i know a buried temple1 
which ,i visit once a  moon3 ,it was    
built by a forgotten race of giants1 and
 upon its walls are  graven the secrets 
of time and space1 and he who reads them
 shall  understand that which passeth   
all understanding40    ,and the lark    

said1 8,verily1 if thou so desirest thou
 canst encircle with  thy pliant body   
all knowledge of time and space--pity   
thou canst not  fly40    ,then the      
serpent was disgusted1 and as he turned 
and entered into his  hole he muttered1 
8,empty headed songster60    ,and the   
lark flew away singing1 8,pity thou     
canst not sing4 ,pity1 pity1  my wise   
one1 thou canst not fly40               
,,values      ,once a man unearthed in  
his field a marble statue of great      
beauty4 ,and  he took it to a collector 
who loved all beautiful things and      
offered it  to him for sale1 and the    
collector bought it for a large price4  
,and they  parted4    ,and as the man   
walked home with his money he thought1  
and he said to  himself1 8,how much life
 this money means6 ,how can any one give
 all this  for a dead carved stone      
buried and undreamed of in the earth for
 a  thousand years80    ,and now the    
collector was looking at his statue1 and
 he was thinking1  and he said to       

himself1 8,what beauty6 ,what life6 ,the
 dream of what a  soul6--and fresh with 
the sweet sleep of a thousand years4    
,how can any  one give all this for     
money1 dead and dreamless80             
,,other ,,seas      ,a fish said to     
another fish1 8,above this sea of ours  
there is another  sea1 with creatures   
swimming in it--and they live there even
 as we live  here40    ,the fish        
replied1 8,pure fancy6 ,pure fancy6     
,when you know that everything  that    
leaves our sea by even an inch1 and     
stays out of it1 dies4 ,what  proof have
 you of other lives in other seas80     
,,repentance      ,on a moonless night a
 man entered into his neighbour's garden
 and stole  the largest melon he could  
find and brought it home4    ,he opened 
it and found it still unripe4    ,then  
behold a marvel6    ,the man's          
conscience woke and smote him with      
remorse2 and he repented  having stolen 
the melon4                ,illustration3
 drawing signed ,k4 ,gibran1 #aibj      

,,the ,,dying ,,man ,,and ,,the         
,,vulture          ,wait1 wait yet      
awhile1 my eager friend4      ,i shall  
yield but too soon this wasted thing1   
,whose agony overwrought and useless    
,exhausts your patience4      ,i would  
not have your honest hunger      ,wait  
upon these moments3      ,but this      
chain1 though made of a breath1      ,is
 hard to break4      ,and the will to   
die1      ,stronger than all things     
strong1      ,is stayed by a will to    
live      ,feebler than all things      
feeble4      ,forgive me comrade2 ,i    
tarry too long4      ,it is memory that 
holds my spirit2      ,a procession of  
distant days1      ,a vision of youth   
spent in a dream1      ,a face that bids
 my eyelids not to sleep1      ,a voice 
that lingers in my ears1      ,a hand   
that touches my hand4      ,forgive me  
that you have waited too long4      ,it 
is over now1 and all is faded3--        
,the face1 the voice1 the hand and the  
mist      that brought them hither4     

,the knot is untied4      ,the cord is  
cleaved4      ,and that which is neither
 food nor drink is withdrawn4           
,approach1 my hungry comrade2      ,the 
board is made ready1      ,and the fare1
 frugal and spare1      ,is given with  
love4      ,come1 and dig your beak     
here1 into the left side1      ,and tear
 out of its cage this smaller bird1     
,whose wings can beat no more3      ,i  
would have it soar with you into the    
sky4      ,come now1 my friend1 ,i am   
your host tonight1      ,and you my     
welcome guest4          ,,beyond ,,my   
,,solitude      ,beyond my solitude is  
another solitude1 and to him who dwells 
therein my  aloneness is a crowded      
market-place and my silence a confusion 
of  sounds4    ,too young am ,i and too 
restless to seek that above-solitude4   
,the voices  of yonder valley still hold
 my ears1 and its shadows bar my way and
 ,i  cannot go4    ,beyond these hills  
is a grove of enchantment and to him who
 dwells  therein my peace is but a      

whirlwind and my enchantment an         
illusion4    ,too young am ,i and too   
riotous to seek that sacred grove4 ,the 
taste of  blood is clinging in my mouth1
 and the bow and the arrows of my       
fathers  yet linger in my hand and ,i   
cannot go4    ,beyond this burdened self
 lives my freer self2 and to him my     
dreams are  a battle fought in twilight 
and my desires the rattling of bones4   
,too young am ,i and too outraged to be 
my freer self4    ,and how shall ,i     
become my freer self unless ,i slay my  
burdened selves1  or unless all men     
become free8    ,how shall my leaves fly
 singing upon the wind unless my roots  
shall  wither in the dark8    ,how shall
 the eagle in me soar against the sun   
until my fledglings leave  the nest     
which ,i with my own beak have built for
 them8          ,,the ,,last ,,watch    
,at the high-tide of night1 when the    
first breath of dawn came upon the      
wind1 the ,forerunner1 he who calls     
himself echo to a voice yet unheard1    

left his bed-chamber and ascended to the
 roof of his house4 ,long he  stood and 
looked down upon the slumbering city4   
,then he raised his head1  and even as  
if the sleepless spirits of all those   
asleep had gathered  around him1 he     
opened his lips and spoke1 and he said3 
8,my friends and my neighbours and you  
who daily pass my gate1 ,i would  speak 
to you in your sleep1 and in the valley 
of your dreams ,i would  walk naked and 
unrestrained2 far heedless are your     
waking hours and deaf  are your         
sound-burdened ears4    8,long did ,i   
love you and overmuch4    8,i love the  
one among you as though he were all1 and
 all as if you were  one4 ,and in the   
spring of my heart ,i sang in your      
gardens1 and in the  summer of my heart 
,i watched at your threshing-floors4    
8,yea1 ,i loved you all1 the giant and  
the pigmy1 the leper and the  anointed1 
and him who gropes in the dark even as  
him who dances his days  upon the       
mountains4    8,you1 the strong1 have ,i

 loved1 though the marks of your iron   
hoofs are  yet upon my flesh2 and you   
the weak1 though you have drained my    
faith  and wasted my patience4    8,you 
the rich have ,i loved1 while bitter was
 your honey to my mouth2 and  you the   
poor1 though you knew my empty-handed   
shame4    8,you the poet with the       
barrowed lute and blind fingers1 you    
have ,i loved  in self indulgence2 and  
you the scholar1 ever gathering rotted  
shrouds  in potters' fields4    8,you   
the priest ,i have loved1 who sit in the
 silences of yesterday  questioning the 
fate of my tomorrow2 and you the        
worshippers of gods the  images of your 
own desires4    8,you the thirsting     
woman whose cup is ever full1 ,i have   
loved you in  understanding2 and you the
 woman of restless nights1 you too ,i   
have  loved in pity4    8,you the       
talkative have ,i loved1 saying1 #8,life
 hath much to say'2 and  you the dumb   
have ,i loved1 whispering to myself1    
#8,says he not in silence  that which ,i

 fain would hear in words8'    8,and you
 the judge and the critic1 ,i have loved
 also2 yet when you have  seen me       
crucified1 you said1 #8,he bleeds       
rhythmically1 and the pattern  his blood
 makes upon his white skin is beautiful 
to behold4'    8,yea1 ,i have loved you 
all1 the young and the old1 the         
trembling reed  and the oak4    8,but   
alas6 it was the over-abundance of my   
heart that turned you from  me4 ,you    
would drink love from a cup1 but not    
from a surging river4 ,you  would hear  
love's faint murmur1 but when love      
shouts you would muffle  your ears4     
8,and because ,i have loved you all you 
have said1 #8,too soft and yielding  is 
his heart1 and too undiscerning is his  
path4 ,it is the love of a  needy one1  
who picks crumbs even as he sits at     
kingly feasts4 ,and it is  the love of a
 weakling1 for the strong loves only the
 strong4'    8,and because ,i have loved
 you overmuch you have said1 #8,it is   
but the  love of a blind man who knows  

not the beauty of one nor the ugliness  
of  another4 ,and it is the love of the 
tasteless who drinks vinegar even as    
wine4 ,and it is the love of the        
impertinent and the overweening1 for    
what stranger could be our mother and   
father and sister and brother8'         
8,this you have said1 and more4 ,for    
often in the marketplace you pointed    
your fingers at me and said mockingly1  
#8,there goes the ageless one1 the  man 
without seasons1 who at the noon hour   
plays games with our children  and at   
eventide sits with our elders and       
assumes wisdom and  understanding4'     
8,and ,i said #8,i will love them more4 
,aye1 even more4 ,i will hide my love   
with seeming to hate1 and disguise my   
tenderness as bitterness4 ,i will  wear 
an iron mask1 and only when armed and   
mailed shall ,i seek them4'    8,then ,i
 laid a heavy hand upon your bruises1   
and like a tempest in the  night ,i     
thundered in your ears4    8,from the   
housetop ,i proclaimed you hypocrites1  

pharisees1 tricksters1  false and empty 
earth-bubbles4    8,the short-sighted   
among you ,i cursed for blind bats1 and 
those too near  the earth ,i likened to 
soulless moles4    8,the eloquent ,i    
pronounced fork-tongued1 the silent1    
stone-lipped1 and  the simple and       
artless ,i called the dead never weary  
of death4    8,the seekers after world  
knowledge ,i condemned as offenders of  
the holy  spirit and those who would    
naught but the spirit ,i branded as     
hunters of  shadows who cast their nets 
in flat waters and catch but their own  
images4    8,thus with my lips have ,i  
denounced you1 while my heart1 bleeding 
within  me1 called you tender names4    
8,it was love lashed by its own self    
that spoke4 ,it was pride half slain    
that fluttered in the dust4 ,it was my  
hunger for your love that raged  from   
the housetop1 while my own love1        
kneeling in silence1 prayed your        
forgiveness4    8,but behold a miracle6 
8,it was my disguise that opened your   

eyes1 and my seeming to hate that  woke 
your hearts4    8,and now you love me4  
8,you love the swords that strike you   
and the arrows that crave your  breast4 
,for it comforts you to be wounded and  
only when you drink of  your own blood  
can you be intoxicated4    8,like moths 
that seek destruction in the flame you  
gather daily in my  garden3 and with    
faces uplifted and eyes enchanted you   
watch me tear the  fabric of your days4 
,and in whispers you say the one to the 
other1 #8,he  sees with the light of    
,god4 ,he speaks like the prophets of   
old4 ,he  unveils our souls and unlocks 
our hearts1 and like the eagle that     
knows  the way of foxes he knows our    
ways4'    8,aye1 in truth1 ,i know your 
ways1 but only as an eagle knows the    
ways of  his fledglings4 ,and ,i fain   
would disclose my secret4 ,yet in my    
need for  your nearness ,i feign        
remoteness1 and in fear of the ebbtide  
of your  love ,i guard the floodgates of
 my love40    ,after saying these things

 the ,forerunner covered his face with  
his hands  and wept bitterly4 ,for he   
knew in his heart that love humiliated  
in its  nakedness is greater than love  
that seeks triumph in disguise2 and he  
was ashamed4    ,but suddenly he raised 
his head1 and like one waking from sleep
 he  outstretched his arms and said1    
8,night is over1 and we children of     
night  must die when dawn comes leaping 
upon the hills2 and out of our ashes a  
mightier love shall rise4 ,and it shall 
laugh in the sun1 and it shall be       
deathless40