Friday, April 16, 2010

Joy And Sorrow - From "The Prophet" By Khalil Gibran

From one of the most read books of 20th century - The Prophet By Khalil Gibran.

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 the 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 with knives?

When you are Joyous, look deep into your heart and you
shall find 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 others say,
‘Nay, sorrow is the 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 stand still and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold
and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.


To read more about Khalil Gibran, go to here
To download and read 'The Prophet' as ebook, go The Prophet eBook Site

1 comment:

Vaishali Ahuja said...

I love these lines - "Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the
selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes
filled with your tears."

It just reminded me of reading my copy of Khalil Gibran which is long pending.