Gibran's "The Prophet" vs. Smith's Writing as a Literal one

[_Daniel2]

Hey, Everyone,

Has anyone heard of Khalil Gibran…? I think some might like his volume of collected works (including the amazing "The Prophet"—as well as other writings of his and some of his paintings). I find FAR more inspiration and truth--not to mention beauty-- in his writings than Joseph Smith's (though I also think Smith was a literary master in his time, as well). Here's a sample of a pretty cool short-story from the collected works of Gibran that you’d never hear in Sunday School... :P:

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

The ink-bottle heard what the paper was saying, and it laughed and it's dark heart; but it never dared to approach her. And the multicolored pencil heard her also, and they too never came near her.

And the snow-white sheet of paper did remain pure and chaste forever—pure and chaste—and empty.

Gibran's writings from "The Prophet" are amazingly profound. Here's a sample on the chapter entitled, "On Love":

Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love.

And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice, he said:
When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
An d when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste to the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth, so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant.
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred for God’s sacred feast.

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.

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart, but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not that you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstacy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Other chapters include a variety of additional subjects, including pain, joy, sorrow, work, law, children, marriage, etc. I'll post a few more, for those that aren't familiar with his work. Great stuff!

I can't help but reflect on how amazed Latter-day Saints are of the inspiration of Joseph Smith. I believe they are missing the boat when they exalt him as "THE prophet" of the ages, and exclude themselves from considering how eloquent and divine the writings of others are (in my belief, Gibran's writings reflect FAR more truth than the so-called "most correct book on the face of the earth").

My view,
Darin

[_Daniel2]

Here’s “On Children”:

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And through they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies, but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer seeks the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

[_Daniel2]

On Joy and Sorrow:

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 a 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 out with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find that 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 you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weight his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

[_Daniel2]

On Reason and Passion:

And the Priestess spoke again and said, Speak to us of Reason and Passion.
And he answered, saying:
Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgement wage war against your passion and your appetite.
Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.
If either your sails or your rudder is broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing;
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may life through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.
Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows—then let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason.”
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky—then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion.”
And since you are a breath of God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

Seriously… I think this guy is AWESOME.
Darin

[_Nimrod]

Darin, enjoy the discovery and reading of Gibran.

[_Ray A]

The Lebanese are like the Jews, they’re everywhere, and have contributed to just about every society. His real name was apparently “Khalid”, a name as popular in Lebanese tradition as “John” in English, but because of a spelling error the name Khalil stuck. My acquaintance with the Lebanese leaves me with the impression that they are passionate, articulate, intelligent, hard workers, and hold strong views about personal honour (a man’s word is his bond), and they tend to be very “spiritual” people (seldom fanatics). Since I have a lot of Lebanese friends I’ve often been tempted to try to learn Arabic, even though all of them have mastered English. Maybe I’ll get around to it one day.

I’ve been reading Gibran since I was a teenager, and owned several of his books, and I agree with Darin’s view. I’m quite certain that now I’d pick up Gibran long before I do the Book of Mormon.