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    The Prophet
    The Prophet
    The Prophet
    Ebook67 pages1 hour

    The Prophet

    By Kahlil Gibran

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    About this ebook

    The Prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays written in English in 1923 by the Lebanese-American artist, philosopher and writer Khalil Gibran. In the book, the prophet Almustafa who has lived in the foreign city of Orphalese for 12 years is about to board a ship which will carry him home. He is stopped by a group of people, with whom he discusses many issues of life and the human condition. The book is divided into chapters dealing with love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBooklassic
    Release dateJun 17, 2015
    ISBN9789635235841
    Author

    Kahlil Gibran

    Poet, philosopher, and artist, Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) was born in Lebanon. The millions of Arabic-speaking peoples familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age and he was a man whose fame and influence spread far beyond the country of his birth. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages and his drawings and paintings have been exhibited in the great capitals of the world and compared by Auguste Rodin to the work of William Blake.

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    Reviews for The Prophet

    4/5

    1,892 ratings58 reviews

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    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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
    • 3/5
      It's ok, not earth shattering or anything. May require re-reading.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      This book is priceless. If you haven't done so, read it soon. So much wisdom so sweetly and lovingly put forth.
    • 5/5
      An absolutely beautiful little book filled with poetic wisdom that I believe people from every faith and background can draw from.
    • 4/5
      a treasure.. i keep going back to it
    • 5/5
      "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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      There are spiritual gems sprinkled throughout the pages. A book of wisdom and a spiritual classic.
    • 5/5
      These short sections on various topics are completely insightful. Reading the prophet's wisdom, I felt as though he were telling me things from my own mind that I only had not put down into words, and Gibran wrote his prose with such an artfulness that this novel is nothing short of inspirational. He has written the poetry of my soul.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      My mother, a Bohemian at heart, gave me this is a birthday present and, at first, I didn't quite know what to make of it. But once I relaxed into the fact that The Prophet is merely a creative work of rare and extraordinary beauty, I began to enjoy it and even read a few passages to my husband. I particularly like "Work is love made visible". The Prophet contains some lovely lyrical prose and many enchanting passages which are largely universal in nature. There is a great deal of wisdom in this book, although I would qualify this by saying that, if one were looking for answers to life's greatest questions, there is nothing in The Prophet that you couldn't find in your own Holy scriptures, whatever they may be. Some may take offense to this book, considering its title and the name of the main character, but I think it is possible to transcend this kind of reaction if you can take The Prophet for what it is: a creative work of prose fiction, not intended as a poisonous substitute for sacred scripture.
    • 5/5
      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
    • 4/5
      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!
    • 5/5
      Sometimes you read a book, sometimes a book reads you.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      I picked up a First Edition copy at Thrift Store! The Greatest Find of My life!
    • 5/5
      Beautiful, amazing, spiritually-lifting little book that I have been flipping through for 25+ years! I highly recommend it - to everyone!!!
    • 2/5
      "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.
    • 5/5
      A book that transcends most faiths; one to reach for in the middle of the night.
    • 4/5
      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."
    • 5/5
      another MUST read for EVERYONE
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Gibran is the one of the most popular poets gracefully standing in this vale of tears. Only Shakespeare and Lao-Tze are more often quoted and published. The Prophet is not Jesus -- for there is no crucifixion, no salvation in blood. The Prophet is not Mohammed -- for there is no war, no jihad, no vilification, no second-class sex or tribe, and no obsession with "being clean" in an impure world. Possibly, he is Manes, because there are revenant themes of Christic Persian mystery -- but there is no hard line drawn between the infinite possibilities of Good and Evil. It is all about grace, seeing inside, understanding outside.Gibran is one of the diaspora of great men and women who fled and flee from the Middle East (Lebanon). Thousands of great poets are still fleeing the persecutions and the stifling monopoly of Islam. In the West, his talent for grace was appreciated. He flourished, and so will any reader.
    • 5/5
      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."

    Book preview

    The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran

    978-963-523-584-1

    Chapter 1

    The Coming of the Ship

    ALMUSTAFA, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.

    And in the twelfth year, on the seventh day of Ielool, the month of reaping, he climbed the hill without the city walls and looked seaward; and he beheld his ship coming with the mist.

    Then the gates of his heart were flung open, and his joy flew far over the sea. And he closed his eyes and prayed in the silences of his soul.

    But as he descended the hill, a sadness came upon him, and he thought in his heart:

    How shall I go in peace and without sorrow? Nay, not without a wound in the spirit shall I leave this city.

    Long were the days of pain I have spent within its walls, and long were the nights of aloneness; and who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?

    Too many fragments of the spirit have I scattered in these streets, and too many are the children of my longing that walk naked among these hills, and I cannot withdraw from them without a burden and an ache.

    It is not a garment I cast off this day, but a skin that I tear with my own hands.

    Nor is it a thought I leave behind me, but a heart made sweet with hunger and with thirst.

    Yet I cannot tarry longer.

    The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark.

    For to stay, though the hours burn in the night, is to freeze and crystallize and be bound in a mould.

    Fain would I take with me all that is here. But how shall I?

    A voice cannot carry the tongue and the lips that gave it wings. Alone must it seek the ether.

    And alone and without his nest shall the eagle fly across the sun.

    Now when he reached the foot of the hill, he turned again towards the sea, and he saw his ship approaching the harbour, and upon her prow the mariners, the men of his own land.

    And his soul cried out to them, and he said:

    Sons of my ancient mother, you riders of the tides,

    How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening, which is my deeper dream.

    Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind.

    Only another breath will I breathe in this still air, only another loving look cast backward,

    And then I shall stand among you, a seafarer among seafarers.

    And you, vast sea, sleeping mother,

    Who alone are peace and freedom to the river and the stream,

    Only another winding will this stream make, only another murmur in this glade,

    And then I shall come to you, a boundless drop to a boundless ocean.

    And as he walked he saw from afar men and women leaving their fields and their vineyards and hastening towards the city gates.

    And he heard their voices calling his name, and shouting from field to field telling one another of the coming of his ship.

    And he said to himself:

    Shall the day of parting be the day of gathering?

    And shall it be said that my eve was in truth my dawn?

    And what shall I give unto him who has left his slough in midfurrow, or to him who has stopped the wheel of his winepress?

    Shall my heart become a tree heavy-laden with fruit that I may gather and

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