Excerpt from
The Prophet by Kahill
Gabran (1883-1931)
On Love
Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love.
And he raided 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.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
though
his voice may shatter your dreams as
the
north wind lays waste 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 ascents to your height and
caresses
you 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 plaint;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that
you may 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 you can direct the course of
love,
for
love, if it foinds 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 you 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
ecstasy;
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.