The Prophet

By Kahlil Gibran

The Prophet represents the acme of Kahlil Gibran's achievement. Writing in English, Gibran adopted the tone and cadence of King James I's Bible, fusing his personalised Christian philosophy with a spirit and oriental wisdom that derives from the richly mixed influences of his native Lebanon.

His language has a breath-taking beauty. Before returning to his birthplace, Almustafa, the 'prophet', is asked for guidance by the people of Orphalese. His words, redolent with love and understanding, call for universal unity, and affirm Gibran's certainty of the correlated nature of all existence, and of reincarnation. The Prophet has never lost its immediate appeal and has become a ubiquitous touchstone of spiritual literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781848704824

Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and a philosopher best known for his, The Prophet. Born to a Maronite-Christian family in a village occupied by Ottoman rule, Gibran and his family immigrated to the United States in 1895 in search of a better life. Studying art and literature, and inevitably ensconced in the world of political activism as a young man dealing with the ramifications of having to leave his home-land, Gibran hoped to make his living as an artist. With the weight of political and religious upheaval on his shoulders, Gibran's work aimed to inspire a revolution of free though and artistic expression. Gibran's, The Prophet has become one of the best-selling books of all time, leaving behind a legacy of accolades and establishing him as both a literary rebel and hero in his country of Lebanon. Gibran is considered to be the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu.

Book preview

The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran

with an Introduction by

Christine Baker

WORDSWORTH CLASSICS

OF WORLD LITERATURE

The Prophet first published

by Wordsworth Editions Limited in 1996

Published as an ePublication 2013

ISBN 978 1 84870 482 4

Introduction © Christine Baker 1996

Wordsworth Editions Limited

8B East Street, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 9HJ

Wordsworth® is a registered trademark of

Wordsworth Editions Limited

Wordsworth Editions is

the company founded in 1987 by

MICHAEL TRAYLER

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Readers interested in other titles from Wordsworth Editions are invited to visit our website at

www.wordsworth-editions.com

For our latest list of printed books, and a full mail-order service contact

Bibliophile Books, Unit 5 Datapoint,

South Crescent, London E16 4TL

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

[e-mail]

www.bibliophilebooks.com

For my husband

ANTHONY JOHN RANSON

with love from your wife, the publisher

Eternally grateful for your

unconditional love

Introduction

Kahlil Gibran, artist, poet and philosopher, is best known the world over as author of The Prophet. Published in 1923, The Prophet was the third of seven works that Gibran wrote in English. Though most of his life was spent in America, Gibran never lost his passion for his native Lebanon. His writing is steeped in Lebanese Christian mythology blended with the Sufi tradition of Lebanese Muslims, and imbued with a broad, oriental wisdom that derives from richly mixed influences. All his work is informed by a powerful sense of the unique qualities and far-reaching associations of his homeland, and fuses the culture and philosophies of East and West.

Gibran’s career as a writer was initially secondary to his career as a painter. Returning to Boston’s Chinatown after four years of higher education in Beirut, he sold the family business following the tragic deaths of one of his sisters, his brother and mother, and began to paint professionally. When he was little more than a child Gibran’s talent had been spotted by the photographer Fred Holland Day, and he had received commissions to design book covers. Now he gained easy access to artistic circles. He had an affair with the writer Josephine Peabody, who was the first to dub him ‘prophet’. [1] She also introduced him to Mary Haskell, an influential school teacher who became his sponsor and collaborator, editing all his English manuscripts and maintaining a lifelong correspondence that was inspirational to both of them.

Gibran started to write for an Arab émigré newspaper called Al Mohajer (The Emigrant). His philosophical articles, and the books of Arabic stories, verse and prose poems that he published between 1905 and 1908, were characterised by a contentious tone and an anti-establishment stance. Gibran saw society as a corrupting force that encourages the individual to forsake personal conscience for purposes of collective good. Books such as Ara’is al Muruj (Nymphs of the Valley) and Al-Arwah al Mutamarridah (Spirits Rebellious) attacked both state and church, and Al-Arwah al Mutamarridah was banned by the Syrian government after its clergy took offence.

Two years studying painting in Paris – where he exhibited and met Rodin [2] – stemmed the flow of his writing. On his return he moved to New York and soon found the studio known as ‘The Hermitage’ where he was to live for the rest of his life. Here he made portraits, sketching such eminent heads as W. B. Yeats in 1911. He continued to write articles and poems, and his novel, The Broken Wings, a tale based on his own first unhappy love affair as a schoolboy in Beirut, was published in 1913. This was reviewed by May Ziadah, a Lebanese critic living in Cairo, with whom Gibran discovered a close affinity. Although the two never met, Gibran considered May as the love of his life, and they corresponded regularly until his death. [3]

With the encouragement of Mary Haskell, Gibran began to write in English. A poem called The Perfect World appeared in 1915, and in 1918 Alfred Knopf published Gibran’s first book in English, The Madman. Correspondence with Mary Haskell [4] reveals Gibran’s concern with the language. He modelled his style on the biblical language of the King James I Authorised Version, saying,

The Bible is Syriac literature in English words. It is the child of a sort of marriage. There’s nothing in any other tongue to correspond to the English Bible. [5]

Appropriately, his philosophy, imagery and expression remain essentially Arab.

The Madman is fundamentally pessimistic, as were Gibran’s journalistic writings throughout the war. Couched in the parable form common to Arab fables and the New Testament,

Reviews for The Prophet

[stevenjohntait · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this years ago. I'm not a religious person in the slightest. I might consider myself spiritual. This book was to me what I suppose the Bible or Koran, or Torah or whatever is to people of religion. It's a go-to book for learning how to be a better person. Provides insight into emotions, and ideas about work and life.

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I selected The Prophet as an Around the World For A Good Book choice for Lebanon but really I've been meaning to read this book for quite some time. Especially since a I few years ago when I met Kahlil Gibran's cousin and godson - also named Kahlil Gibran - on a sculpture tour of Forest Hills Cemetery. The Prophet is a series of lessons given by a prophet to the townsfolk on topics varying from "Children," "Self-Knowledge," and "Good and Evil." It has many of the paradoxical formations found in many works of inspirational literature including Lao-Tzu's "Way of Life", the teachings of the Buddha and The Beatitudes of Jesus Christ. Like those other works, it's not really a read once and remember book, it's more of a come back to again and again and find a different pearl of wisdom book.Favorite Passages:from "On Eating and Drinking":But since you must kill to eat, and rob the newly born of its mother' s milk to quench your thirst, let it then be an act of worship. - p. 23from "On Self-Knowledge":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. - p. 55from "On Death":Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the shall claim your limbs, then you shall truly dance. - p. 81

[hvg-13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's ok, not earth shattering or anything. May require re-reading.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a surprisingly good read. The pithy statements are full of wisdom and poetic grace and the entire whole is abounded by a sense of care and compassion towards the reader. Although I am not religious, I found this to be a particularly gripping book that held my attention from start to finish.

Great read. Recommended for poets, scholars, those with religious reasons, and curiosity-seekers.

[dono421846 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This new edition seemed a good opportunity to take in this classic. You don't hear so much about Kahlil Gibran nowadays, but when I was in my teens he seemed to be all over the place.To be honest, I'm not sure what I think. The work captures the cadence and impression of a solid work of philosophy -- much better than the other forms I was also consuming in my teens, like Richard Bach. And I found his real world pragmatism on issues reassuring. Unlike the Christian platitudes on marriage about becoming one, Gibran urged the partners to maintain their individuality however much they are together. Similarly, parents are encouraged to allow their children to become their own persons. Parents may strive to be like their children, but they should not work to make their children like them. All true. On the other hand, I tend not to appreciate arguments of the form of clever wordplay that seek to find deep wisdom by inverting the terms. A and not-A. A chain is only as weak as the weakest link, but also as strong as the strongest one. That's ridiculous. Were I a different kind of person, or even the same person at a different, probably earlier stage of life, I may have the time and inclination to puzzle over these brief expositions on selected topics. But that's not what's going to happen. In truth, I found the new introduction to be the most memorable, with the story of how reading the right book at the right time can change one's life. That's what we really need to be reminded of.This edition introduced a new error into the text, on page 19. Publishers do not pay as much attention to copy editing as they did in the old days, sadly.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wijsheidsliteratuur op en top. Toch begrijp ik die Tagore-idolatrie niet echt goed.

[noonaut · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The translation I read makes it seem as if Gibran were trying to condense "Thus Spake Zarathustra." I'm not sure whether this is a fault of the specific translation

[uptownbookwormnyc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this when I was 10 & it stayed with me forever. My buddy in college used to tease me that it was my bible :-p

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting piece of philosophy, well worth a couple rereads. Basically this prophet comes to town, and the people of the town ask him all kinds of questions, and he answers them. There's some good advice about infusing your every action with love and stuff like that, and some confusing advice that may be encouraging nudity and/or anarchy. Like I said, it's worth multiple reads. And it's short enough that rereading is no burden. A good choice if you're in the mood to ponder the Big Issues.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

his is a very interesting listen. The Prophet is not so much a story as treatise on Gibran's understanding of philosphy and religion. There are some beautiful points made, but others that seem confusing. The narration was rather odd. Paul Sparer has an amazing voice, but it would work better in an epic fantasy, and therefore gave the whole work a feel of the fantastic.

[dms02 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a great look at life. a spiritual read on all topics of life. it has taken on a new meaning every time I read it.

[barblibrarian_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I originally read this book in high school over 30 years ago and found it beautiful. Today I find it enlightening, calming, and a constant source of re-examination. I actually keep a copy with me at all times to read whenever I need to wait somewhere and want a quick reminder. Very thought provoking and very new age.

[motjebben · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful book! The poetry is exquisite and often quoted for its beauty and profound insight. A MUST-READ! Gibran's prophet speaks eloquently on the topics of everyone's life: Love, Marriage, Children, Work, Joy and Sorrow, ... Time, ... Religion...This timeless work will have you thinking deeply and THAT is its greatest gift!

[becky221_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(Read in 2002.) Favorite quotes:“And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”“All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of life’s heart.”“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”

[maheswaranm-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Was not quite my cup of tea. Might re-read. Might re-rate then.
But I just say - "It was okay"

[ricardob-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"The Prophet" is a book that by it's own religious nature will vary in quality depending on one's personal views.
I say this because as someone who has completly step back from any religious belief, I struggled with some of the book's content; some "truths" presented are those shared by many religions and therefore are completly dependent on belief.
That being said, I would still recomend this book because of the beautiful imaginery recalled by the Prophet to deliver his teachings; most are so rich that there were parts I re-read several times because understanding the simple images felt many times like an ephifany in the sense that it gave order to some portion of the human experience without simplifying it.

All things considered, it was worth reading since this is a small and well written book whose effect is more likely than not to bring some more perspective on religious beliefs.

[erickibler · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A useful work. That is, if you want to learn how to write a book that impresses millions with its apparent depth while saying nothing.

[leonard_seet_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are spiritual gems sprinkled throughout the pages. A book of wisdom and a spiritual classic.

[janemarieprice · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This small and beautiful collection of poems is wonderful. They cover any range of topics of life such as marriage and childhood. They are a great pick you up.

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Prophet" is a beautiful and timeless work of art. From the mouth of an old man about to sail away to a far off place, we hear the simple and lyrical wisdom of life and all its components, such as love, work, materialism, crime, freedom, friendship, pleasure, and death. This is a classic guide book for life, full of philosophical eloquence. It is a profound and poetic serman that puts much into perspective without feeling dogmatic or religious. Especially poignant were the writings on Marriage, Children, and Joy and Sorrow. The book can be read in less than an hour, but I'd suggest spending more time with it, allowing yourself to fully absorb this masterpiece. Ten stars.

[msnikki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. It is an aspirational book, full of advice based on ideal types...but that's great because we need to reach for something.

[kotwcs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one book in which, as I came to the last few pages, I subconsciously began to read slower and slower: trying to make it last as I savored every word. There is real poetry in this book...the best kind that is full of wisdom and deep things said in the simplest way. A beautiful, gently philosophical read.

[marqpdx_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is priceless. If you haven't done so, read it soon. So much wisdom so sweetly and lovingly put forth.

[mfassold_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite books of inspiration. I gave my Friday crew the book before they left for college. One of my favorite memories will always be sharing the book at Starbucks this summer.

[pdxwoman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the seventh grade I learned teachers didn't know as much as they led us to believe. I'd read The Prophet and wanted to talk about it with my Tag English teacher. He had no idea who Kahlil Gibran was. It took me at least a week to wrap my brain around that fact.More years later than I'd care to admit, I still remember the impact the book had on me and, while I've never read it a second time, several passages and the overall impact stick with me.

[cate88_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Timeless in its wisdom. Less is definitely more in this slim volume. Excellent guide for living.

[cathy_donnelly-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful and inspiring.

[billierain_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i was surprised to learn that gibran was actually an (arab-)american poet and writer, considering that his body of work is almost completely left out of the western and american poetry "canon." the prophet is truly a gift that gibran left for the world. of all writing that i've read this is by far the most practical and accessible, and it's no wonder that it is the most widely read work of all time. the omission of this book from the western poetry canon smacks of racism, but also calls into question the definition and function of poetry in society. because the fact is that most poets will never touch as many people in such a profound way as gibran's prophet has and continues to--particularly those considered to be the "best" within the isolated privileged halls of academia. gibran's prophet's wisdom crosses cultures and time, despite the lack of enthusiam from the ivory towers of poetryland. in fact, the prophet is gibran himself."Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror."

[sarathena1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Always a good, quick read. Each time I read this text, I find new gems inside it. The pictures are a bit disturbing at times, but beautiful nonetheless. The story revolves around a man ('The Prophet') who is leaving his adopted country to finally return to his native land. He speaks to a large crowd who has gathered to see him depart, on such things as love, marriage, children, material objects, and death. Spiritual and inspiring.

[thestrawberrymoon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked up a First Edition copy at Thrift Store! The Greatest Find of My life!