The Prophet: A New Annotated Edition

By Kahlil Gibran and Suheil Badi Bushrui

One of the greatest poetic masterpieces now with revised and updated annotations from world-renowned Gibran expert, Professor Suheil Bushrui

Originally published in 1923, The Prophet continues to inspire millions worldwide with its timeless words of love and mystical longing. Writing with insight, hope, and a remarkable compassion for the human condition, Kahlil Gibran explores ideas of joy and sorrow, friendship, good and evil, pleasure, reason and passion, expressing humanity’s yearning for a Unity of Being, only achieved through love.

Introduced and annotated throughout by world expert Suheil Bushrui, this revised and updated edition is a truly enlightening experience for anyone seeking solace and wisdom in the chaotic modern age.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Oct 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781780742151

Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran (January 6, 1883–April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer of the New York Pen League. A native of what is now Lebanon, he immigrated with his family to the United States, where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic. He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet.Neil Douglas-Klotz, PhD, is a world-renowned scholar in religious studies, spirituality, and psychology. Living in Scotland, he directs the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning and for many years was co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. He is also co-founder of the international Network of the Dances of Universal Peace. Visit him at https://abwoon.org/.

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About the Author

Poet, philosopher and artist Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) was born near Mount Lebanon. Millions of Arabic-speaking people familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age, and his fame and influence have spread far beyond the Middle East. His poetry has been translated into over twenty languages, and his drawings and paintings were compared by Auguste Rodin to the work of William Blake. In the last twenty years of his life Gibran made his home in the United States and began to write in English.

The Prophet, first published in 1923, is regarded as Gibran’s greatest work. This edition represents a revised and expanded version of its first appearance in annotated form, with an extensive and informative introduction by Professor Suheil Bushrui.

About the Editor

Suheil Bushrui is recognized as a leading authority on Kahlil Gibran. In 1983 he was appointed by the President of Lebanon as a co-ordinator of the Presidential Committee commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of Gibran’s birth. He is currently the Professor and Director of the George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland. He is the editor and translator of a number of works of Kahlil Gibran, including The Essential Gibran, Kahlil Gibran: A Spiritual Treasury, Love Letters, and The Little Book of Love, and the co-author with Joe Jenkins of the definitive biography, Kahlil Gibran: Man and Poet.

A Oneworld Book

First published in Great Britain and the Commonwealth

by Oneworld Publications 2012

Copyright © this annotated edition,

Oneworld Publications 2012

Copyright © introduction and annotations,

Suheil Bushrui 2012

The moral right of Suheil Bushrui to be identified

as the Editor of this work has been asserted by him in accordance

with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved

Copyright under Berne Convention

A CIP record for this title is available

from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-85168-945-3

eBook ISBN 978-1-78074-215-1

Cover design by vaguelymemorable.com

Text design and typesetting by Tetragon, London

Printed and bound by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall, UK

Oneworld Publications

10 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3SR, England

www.oneworld-publications.com

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This special annotated edition is dedicated in grateful recollection of his many kindnesses to

GEORGE SALIM ZAKHEM

Philanthropist and ardent champion of

literary, artistic, and educational causes

Prophetfrontispiece.tif19602.jpg

Contents

Introduction

The Prophet

The Coming of the Ship

On Love

On Marriage

On Children

On Giving

On Eating and Drinking

On Work

On Joy and Sorrow

On Houses

On Clothes

On Buying and Selling

On Crime and Punishment

On Laws

On Freedom

On Reason and Passion

On Pain

On Self-Knowledge

On Teaching

On Friendship

On Talking

On Time

On Good and Evil

On Prayer

On Pleasure

On Beauty

On Religion

On Death

The Farewell

Bibliography

Notes

Introduction

Biography

Gibran Khalil Gibran was born in Bisharri, Lebanon on 6 January 1883. At the age of twelve he emigrated with his mother, half-brother and two younger sisters to the United States, where his first name was dropped and the spelling of ‘Khalil’ was changed to ‘Kahlil’ to suit American pronunciation. Once the family had settled in Boston, he returned to Lebanon for two years to study, and for a brief visit four years later in 1902, but otherwise never saw his native land again. Of the four members of his family in Boston, three fell untimely victims to tuberculosis; only Mariana, his first sister, survived beyond 1903 and would eventually outlive Kahlil himself.

While at school, Gibran developed a keen interest in literature and showed a flair for painting and drawing. At the age of twenty-two, his artistic talents were recognized by Fred Holland Day, a well-known Boston photographer, who organized an exhibition of his paintings. Another exhibition followed at the Cambridge School, whose owner and headmistress, Mary Haskell, subsequently became Gibran’s confidante, patron and benefactor.¹

Up to this point Gibran’s writings had been little more than sketches, some of which provided material for later works. As yet not completely fluent in the English language, he began writing for an Arabic newspaper in Boston, and in 1905 his first book, Al-Musiqah (Music), was published. This was followed by ‘Ara’is al-Muruj (Nymphs of the Valley), in which he was fiercely critical of Church and State. He became known as something of a rebel, a reputation he confirmed with Al-Arwah al-Mutamarridah (Spirits Rebellious) in 1908.

The next two years were spent as a student at the Académie Julien and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mary Haskell. In Paris he met the sculptor Auguste Rodin, who is said to have compared Gibran’s work to that of William Blake – Gibran’s fellow visionary in mode of thought, views on Church and State, grace of spirit and artistic style. Gibran’s subsequent paintings and drawings contain many echoes of both Blake and Rodin, and Blake’s influence pervades his writings.

Whilst in Paris he sketched portraits of a number of eminent people, including Rodin himself, the composer Claude Debussy, the actress Sarah Bernhardt and the poet W.B. Yeats. A particularly indelible impression was left on Gibran by another who sat for him while visiting the United States: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message celebrated the power and efficacy of an all-embracing unity. He emphasized the need to reconcile opposites, create harmony, and recognize the complementary values of each entity. It was this vision of unity in diversity that captured Gibran’s thinking and philosophy. The influence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on Gibran has been estimated in Susan Reynolds’ interesting paper in which she states:

Alongside the influence of the writers and philosophers from whom Gibran drew insight and inspiration, there was another and equally significant one without which neither The Prophet (1923) nor Jesus, the Son of Man (1928) could have been written – certainly not in the form in which we now have them. It proceeded from yet another in the series of distinguished figures whom Gibran immortalized in a portrait, and perhaps the greatest of them all:`Abdu’l-Bahá.²

Gibran said of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘For the first time I saw form noble enough to be a receptacle for the Holy Spirit’;³

and years later Gibran stated that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had provided a model for his Jesus, the Son of Man.⁴

On his return to Boston, Gibran proposed marriage to Mary Haskell, who was ten years his senior. She declined the offer, but remained his lifelong friend and collaborator.

In 1912, Gibran moved to New York on the advice of his friend and fellow Lebanese émigré writer Ameen Rihani, and rented a studio which he called ‘The Hermitage’. The same year saw the publication of his Al-Ajninal al-Mutakassirah (The Broken Wings), a semi-autobiographical tale of unrequited passion. Dam’ah wa’Ibtisamah (A Tear and a Smile), a collection of prose poems, followed in 1914. Around this time Gibran began corresponding with May Ziadah, a young Lebanese writer living in Egypt, and over the next twenty years they formed a unique relationship, a love affair that took place entirely in their letters to one another, without their ever meeting.⁵

During the war years Gibran consolidated his knowledge of English, and by 1918 he was sufficiently fluent in the language of his adopted country to write and publish his first book in English. This was The Madman, a collection of Súfí-style parables. Two other Arabic works, Al-Mawakib (The Procession) and the powerful Al-‘Awasif (The Tempests), as well as Twenty Drawings, a collection of his artwork with an introduction by Alice Raphael, preceded the publication of his second book in English, The Forerunner, its form being similar to that of The Madman.

Soon afterwards Gibran and a group of fellow Arab émigré writers formed Arrabitah (the Pen Bond), a literary society that exerted a crucial shaping influence on the renaissance of Arabic literature in the United States. Among the founders was the distinguished Lebanese writer Mikhail Naimy, by now one of Gibran’s closest friends.⁶

The yearning for wahdat al-wudjud (unity of being) – the Súfí concept with which The Prophet is infused – was encapsulated in Gibran’s only play and last major Arabic work, Iram Dhat al-‘Imad (Iram, City of Lofty Pillars). Published in 1921, it was a worthy precursor to The Prophet and incorporates many of the metaphors that Gibran was to use so successfully in the latter.⁷

A smaller Arabic work, Al-Badayi’ wa’l-Tarayif (Beautiful and Rare Sayings), followed in 1923, but this was completely overshadowed by the publication in the same year of his third book in English, The Prophet.

The success of The Prophet was unprecedented and won him universal recognition and acclaim; in America it outsold all other books in the twentieth century except the Bible, a major influence on its style and thought.

After the success of The Prophet, Gibran’s health greatly deteriorated, but he managed to complete another four books in English: Sand and Foam (1926), The Earth Gods (1931), The Wanderer (published posthumously in 1932), and the finest of his late works, Jesus, the Son of Man (1928), a highly original collection of stories about Christ. Gibran died on 10 April 1931, at the age of just forty-eight, the cause of death being diagnosed as cirrhosis of the liver. His body was taken back to Lebanon and buried in a special tomb in Bisharri. An unfinished work called The Garden of the Prophet, which he intended as one of two sequels to The Prophet, was completed and published in 1933 by his companion and self-proclaimed disciple and publicist, Barbara

Reviews for The Prophet

[bfertig_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read The Prophet perhaps way way too quickly - its short enough to be read in a few hours, but deep enough to take years to digest. There's lots in there that would be good quotes to remember. It reminded me a little bit of the song 'Best of all possible worlds' in Candide(?) where this one know-it-all explains his unrelenting optimism.

[johnthefireman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can one say? Wisdom and beauty combined.

[mlheintz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” is a mesmerizing collection of poetic essays that delve into the complexities of the human experience. Introduced to me by my wife, this book has been a beacon of wisdom in my literary journey. Gibran’s prose is both lyrical and profound, offering insights on love, work, joy, sorrow, freedom, and more—each chapter a gem that resonates with timeless relevance. The philosophical depth is matched by the sheer beauty of the language, making it a work that invites reflection and evokes emotion. While some may find the style overly didactic, the majority will appreciate the universal truths and the elegant simplicity with which they are conveyed. It’s a book that deserves a place on the shelf of any contemplative reader, earning a solid 4 out of 5 stars for its enduring ability to inspire and enlighten.

[siok-76276 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are some nuggets of wisdom that I enjoyed a lot, especially the ones on friendship and parenting.

[datrappert · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While reading this, it occurred to me that I would like to be drinking whatever Gibran was drinking while he wrote it. This is a book I have seen here and there, sometimes among shelves of old books in people's houses, ever since I was old enough to notice books. I don't think we had a copy in our home, but I could be mistaken. Certainly it hasn't come down into my possession as did many of my favorite books of my father's. In any case, the best word to describe "The Prophet" is drivel. Sure, it has a few nice quotes: "Let there be spaces in your togetherness" being a pretty clever one. And its assertion that live and death, pleasure and pain, etc. etc. etc. are just opposite sides of the same coin are certainly true to an extent. But the language is just pretty silly. Compared to other religious books--and I would treat this as such--it is pretty harmless, however.

[eldang-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I feel like I'm supposed to love this book, but it just didn't do much for me. At its best the writing is quite lyrical and there are some wonderfully quotable passages, but taken as a whole it felt like Gibran had tried to find universals among world religions and that road had just led him to rather obvious truisms.

[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.

[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.

[thestrawberrymoon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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

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

Beautiful and inspiring.

[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

[jennifersalderson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, amazing, spiritually-lifting little book that I have been flipping through for 25+ years! I highly recommend it - to everyone!!!

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

"Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to truth."

What a great line! Little did I know it was far and away the high-point of a book that is otherwise filled with platitudes and skin-deep truths.

[haidji-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you have ever questioned time, life, freedom, pain, friendship, love, marriage or pleasure I recommend this book.
The lessons in this book can positively impact your life.
Very simply written, this book speaks to everyone.

[jessljones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Humbling, inspiring, and definitely a book to keep on your bedside table...

[5hrdrive · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes you read a book, sometimes a book reads you.

[regularguy5mb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I feel like this is one of those essential books that everyone should read at least once in their lives. And, while it took me longer than it probably should have, I've finally read it.

So much insight in Gibran's narrative, things that are timeless because they speak to the basics of human nature, which regardless of how much we "advance" as a society, will always remain true.

Freedom, Time, Beauty, Crime & Punishment, Beauty, Teaching, Speaking; all concepts that the Prophet touches upon. Just do yourself a favor and pick this one up, it's definitely worth the read.

This is one I'm going to keep close to me so I can reference it often.

[trgllylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty quick read with some wise insights into human nature and our relationship with God. Some favorites:

"Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral."

On search for freedom:
"And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment."

On the mystery of death and afterlife:
"In the depths of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity."

[benuathanasia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not very religious, but this had some great and beautiful thoughts and advice in it.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

20 years ago my sister passed away and a professor at my university handed me this book to read "On Joy and Sorrow". It stayed with me for the next 20 years until I finally tracked it down to this book. The message in "On Joy and Sorrow" is one I've tried to pass on to a friend or two when it seemed it would be helpful.

Having just finished the whole book, there are many passages here that are as thought provoking. Just about every aspect of life is covered in this small tome, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys looking at the deeper meanings in everyday life.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just now got around to reading The Prophet. A lot of what's in here is common sense, easily recognized truths. One wishes that human beings would live by these sentiments, rather than just nodding their heads when they read them and then forgetting them in the context of real life. Some of the talk about God didn't appeal to me, although I recognize that Gibran seems to be talking about God more in the sense of a benign force in the universe rather than a being to be worshipped. Other bits flew right past me and would require rereading and further thought. And the ending bit about reincarnation--well, isn't it pretty to think so?

Even though this reads like an early version of the New Age self-help books that are now ubiquitous, Gibran certainly had a gift for poetic language and simple but evocative imagery, which elevates his writing above all that other claptrap. This is a book that I can see myself returning to often.

Read in 2014 for the RandomCAT Challenge.

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

another MUST read for EVERYONE

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reminds me of Wisdom and Proverbs. Very insightful and soothing to wounded souls.

[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"

[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.

[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.”

[jthuro1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This collection of poems by Kahlil Gibran is an exceptional work of art. The Prophet gives a look at elements of every day life such as eating, love, and clothing with a focus on spirituality and mindfulness. Appropriate for any open minded person, The Prophet asks us to appreciate life's gifts and to look deeper into things. The Prophet would have us know our inner selves and, in turn, understand the outside world which is actually a part of ourselves too. This book is full of poems expressing love, insight, joy, sorrow, and compassion for the human condition. Gibran asks us to appreciate everything we have and takes a unique look at elements of life that many may take for granted.

[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.