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diff --git a/old/54580-0.txt b/old/54580-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f47c223..0000000 --- a/old/54580-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1551 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Forerunner, by Kahlil Gibran - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Forerunner - His Parables and Poems - -Author: Kahlil Gibran - -Release Date: April 20, 2017 [EBook #54580] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FORERUNNER *** - - - - -Produced by Mary Glenn Krause, Chuck Greif, MFR and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - - THE FORERUNNER - HIS PARABLES AND POEMS - - - - - BOOKS BY KAHLIL GIBRAN - - “_He is the William Blake of the twentieth century._” - --_AUGUSTE RODIN._ - - -_THE MADMAN (1918)_ - -[_With three original drawings by the author._] - -“His is an irresistible vigor and clarity of thought and feeling, -together with a power of simple picturing, which makes it unforgettable. -It is the voice and genius of the Arabic people.”--_The New York Evening -Post._ - -“Never have I read anything like it, never has a little book brought me -so deep and passionate a pleasure. He has breathed the spirit of the -East on our cold and indifferent souls; and I, for one, feel almost as -if I had been suffocated by the breath of an intense beauty.”--_The -Liberator._ - - -_TWENTY DRAWINGS (1919)_ - -[_With an Introductory Essay by Alice Raphael._] - -“It is Rodin that comes instantly to mind as a comparison. He has sensed -a relation between man and the universe, and, with his astounding -technique, is able to make us sense it too. Mr. Knopf is entitled to our -gratitude.”--_Detroit Journal._ - - -_These may be had at all bookshops or from the publisher_ - - ALFRED A. KNOPF - 220 WEST FORTY-SECOND STREET - NEW YORK - - [Illustration: drawing signed K. Gibran, 1920] - - - - - · THE FORERUNNER · - HIS PARABLES AND POEMS - - BY - KAHLIL GIBRAN - - [Illustration: colophon] - - NEW YORK ALFRED · A · KNOPF MCMXX - - COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY - KAHLIL GIBRAN - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - -GOD’S FOOL 9 - -LOVE 15 - -THE KING-HERMIT 17 - -THE LION’S DAUGHTER 22 - -TYRANNY 26 - -THE SAINT 27 - -THE PLUTOCRAT 29 - -THE GREATER SELF 30 - -WAR AND THE SMALL NATIONS 32 - -CRITICS 33 - -POETS 35 - -THE WEATHER-COCK 37 - -THE KING OF ARADUS 38 - -OUT OF MY DEEPER HEART 39 - -DYNASTIES 41 - -KNOWLEDGE AND HALF-KNOWLEDGE 44 - -“SAID A SHEET OF SNOW-WHITE PAPER....” 46 - -THE SCHOLAR AND THE POET 47 - -VALUES 50 - -OTHER SEAS 51 - -REPENTANCE 52 - -THE DYING MAN AND THE VULTURE 53 - -BEYOND MY SOLITUDE 55 - -THE LAST WATCH 57 - - - THE FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS - IN THIS VOLUME ARE RE- - PRODUCED FROM ORIGINAL - DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR - - -You are your own forerunner, and the towers you have builded are but the -foundation of your giant-self. And that self too shall be a foundation. - -And I too am my own forerunner, for the long shadow stretching before me -at sunrise shall gather under my feet at the noon hour. Yet another -sunrise shall lay another shadow before me, and that also shall be -gathered at another noon. - -Always have we been our own forerunners, and always shall we be. And all -that we have gathered and shall gather shall be but seeds for fields yet -unploughed. We are the fields and the ploughmen, the gatherers and the -gathered. - -When you were a wandering desire in the mist, I too was there, a -wandering desire. Then we sought one another, and out of our eagerness -dreams were born. And dreams were time limitless, and dreams were space -without measure. - -And when you were a silent word upon Life’s quivering lips, I too was -there, another silent word. Then Life uttered us and we came down the -years throbbing with memories of yesterday and with longing for -tomorrow, for yesterday was death conquered and tomorrow was birth -pursued. - -And now we are in God’s hands. You are a sun in His right hand and I an -earth in His left hand. Yet you are not more, shining, than I, shone -upon. - -And we, sun and earth, are but the beginning of a greater sun and a -greater earth. And always shall we be the beginning. - - * * * * * - -You are your own forerunner, you the stranger passing by the gate of my -garden. - -And I too am my own forerunner, though I sit in the shadows of my trees -and seem motionless. - - - - -GOD’S FOOL - - -Once there came from the desert to the great city of Sharia a man who -was a dreamer, and he had naught but his garment and a staff. - -And as he walked through the streets he gazed with awe and wonder at the -temples and towers and palaces, for the city of Sharia was of surpassing -beauty. And he spoke often to the passersby, questioning them about -their city--but they understood not his language, nor he their language. - -At the noon hour he stopped before a vast inn. It was built of yellow -marble, and people were going in and coming out unhindered. - -“This must be a shrine,” he said to himself, and he too went in. But -what was his surprise to find himself in a hall of great splendour and -a large company of men and women seated about many tables. They were -eating and drinking and listening to the musicians. - -“Nay,” said the dreamer. “This is no worshipping. It must be a feast -given by the prince to the people, in celebration of a great event.” - -At that moment a man, whom he took to be the slave of the prince, -approached him, and bade him be seated. And he was served with meat and -wine and most excellent sweets. - -When he was satisfied, the dreamer rose to depart. At the door he was -stopped by a large man magnificently arrayed. - -“Surely this is the prince himself,” said the dreamer in his heart, and -he bowed to him and thanked him. - -Then the large man said in the language of the city: - -“Sir, you have not paid for your dinner.” And the dreamer did not -understand, and again thanked him heartily. Then the large man bethought -him, and he looked more closely upon the dreamer. And he saw that he was -a stranger, clad in but a poor garment, and that indeed he had not -wherewith to pay for his meal. Then the large man clapped his hands and -called--and there came four watchmen of the city. And they listened to -the large man. Then they took the dreamer between them, and they were -two on each side of him. And the dreamer noted the ceremoniousness of -their dress and of their manner and he looked upon them with delight. - -“These,” said he, “are men of distinction.” - -And they walked all together until they came to the House of Judgment -and they entered. - -The dreamer saw before him, seated upon a throne, a venerable man with -flowing beard, robed majestically. And he thought he was the king. And -he rejoiced to be brought before him. - -Now the watchmen related to the judge, who was the venerable man, the -charge against the dreamer; and the judge appointed two advocates, one -to present the charge and the other to defend the stranger. And the -advocates rose, the one after the other, and delivered each his -argument. And the dreamer thought himself to be listening to addresses -of welcome, and his heart filled with gratitude to the king and the -prince for all that was done for him. - -Then sentence was passed upon the dreamer, that upon a tablet hung about -his neck his crime should be written, and that he should ride through -the city on a naked horse, with a trumpeter and a drummer before him. -And the sentence was carried out forthwith. - -Now as the dreamer rode through the city upon the naked horse, with the -trumpeter and the drummer before him, the inhabitants of the city came -running forth at the sound of the noise, and when they saw him they -laughed one and all, and the children ran after him in companies from -street to street. And the dreamer’s heart was filled with ecstasy, and -his eyes shone upon them. For to him the tablet was a sign of the king’s -blessing and the procession was in his honour. - -Now as he rode, he saw among the crowd a man who was from the desert -like himself and his heart swelled with joy, and he cried out to him -with a shout: - -“Friend! Friend! Where are we? What city of the heart’s desire is this? -What race of lavish hosts?--who feast the chance guest in their palaces, -whose princes companion him, whose king hangs a token upon his breast -and opens to him the hospitality of a city descended from heaven.” - -And he who was also of the desert replied not. He only smiled and -slightly shook his head. And the procession passed on. - -And the dreamer’s face was uplifted and his eyes were overflowing with -light. - - - - -LOVE - - - They say the jackal and the mole - Drink from the self-same stream - Where the lion comes to drink. - - And they say the eagle and the vulture - Dig their beaks into the same carcass, - And are at peace, one with the other, - In the presence of the dead thing. - - O love, whose lordly hand - Has bridled my desires, - And raised my hunger and my thirst - To dignity and pride, - Let not the strong in me and the constant - Eat the bread or drink the wine - That tempt my weaker self. - Let me rather starve, - And let my heart parch with thirst, - And let me die and perish, - Ere I stretch my hand - To a cup you did not fill, - Or a bowl you did not bless. - - - - -THE KING-HERMIT - - -They told me that in a forest among the mountains lives a young man in -solitude who once was a king of a vast country beyond the Two Rivers. -And they also said that he, of his own will, had left his throne and the -land of his glory and come to dwell in the wilderness. - -And I said, “I would seek that man, and learn the secret of his heart; -for he who renounces a kingdom must needs be greater than a kingdom.” - -On that very day I went to the forest where he dwells. And I found him -sitting under a white cypress, and in his hand a reed as if it were a -sceptre. And I greeted him even as I would greet a king. - -And he turned to me and said gently, “What would you in this forest of -serenity? Seek you a lost self in the green shadows, or is it a -home-coming in your twilight?” - -And I answered, “I sought but you--for I fain would know that which made -you leave a kingdom for a forest.” - -And he said, “Brief is my story, for sudden was the bursting of the -bubble. It happened thus: One day as I sat at a window in my palace, my -chamberlain and an envoy from a foreign land were walking in my garden. -And as they approached my window, the lord chamberlain was speaking of -himself and saying, ‘I am like the king; I have a thirst for strong wine -and a hunger for all games of chance. And like my lord the king I have -storms of temper.’ And the lord chamberlain and the envoy disappeared -among the trees. But in a few minutes they returned, and this time the -lord chamberlain was speaking of me, and he was saying, ‘My lord the -king is like myself--a good marksman; and like me he loves music and -bathes thrice a day.’” - -After a moment he added, “On the eve of that day I left my palace with -but my garment, for I would no longer be ruler over those who assume my -vices and attribute to me their virtues.” - -And I said, “This is indeed a wonder, and passing strange.” - -And he said, “Nay, my friend, you knocked at the gate of my silences and -received but a trifle. For who would not leave a kingdom for a forest -where the seasons sing and dance ceaselessly? Many are those who have -given their kingdom for less than solitude and the sweet fellowship of -aloneness. Countless are the eagles who descend from the upper air to -live with moles that they may know the secrets of the earth. There are -those who renounce the kingdom of dreams that they may not seem distant -from the dreamless. And those who renounce the kingdom of nakedness and -cover their souls that others may not be ashamed in beholding truth -uncovered and beauty unveiled. And greater yet than all of these is he -who renounces the kingdom of sorrow that he may not seem proud and -vainglorious.” - -Then rising he leaned upon his reed and said, “Go now to the great city -and sit at its gate and watch all those who enter into it and those who -go out. And see that you find him who, though born a king, is without -kingdom; and him who though ruled in flesh rules in spirit--though -neither he nor his subjects know this; and him also who but seems to -rule yet is in truth slave of his own slaves.” - -After he had said these things he smiled on me, and there were a -thousand dawns upon his lips. Then he turned and walked away into the -heart of the forest. - -And I returned to the city, and I sat at its gate to watch the passersby -even as he had told me. And from that day to this numberless are the -kings whose shadows have passed over me and few are the subjects over -whom my shadow has passed. - - - - -THE LION’S DAUGHTER - - -Four slaves stood fanning an old queen who was asleep upon her throne. -And she was snoring. And upon the queen’s lap a cat lay purring and -gazing lazily at the slaves. - -The first slave spoke, and said, “How ugly this old woman is in her -sleep. See her mouth droop; and she breathes as if the devil were -choking her.” - -_Then the cat said, purring, “Not half so ugly in her sleep as you in -your waking slavery.”_ - -And the second slave said, “You would think sleep would smooth her -wrinkles instead of deepening them. She must be dreaming of something -evil.” - -_And the cat purred, “Would that you_ - - [Illustration: drawing signed K. Gibran, 1920] - -_might sleep also and dream of your freedom.”_ - -And the third slave said, “Perhaps she is seeing the procession of all -those that she has slain.” - -_And the cat purred, “Aye, she sees the procession of your forefathers -and your descendants.”_ - -And the fourth slave said, “It is all very well to talk about her, but -it does not make me less weary of standing and fanning.” - -_And the cat purred, “You shall be fanning to all eternity; for as it is -on earth so it is in heaven.”_ - -At this moment the old queen nodded in her sleep, and her crown fell to -the floor. - -And one of the slaves said, “That is a bad omen.” - -_And the cat purred, “The bad omen of one is the good omen of another.”_ - -And the second slave said, “What if she should wake, and find her crown -fallen! She would surely slay us.” - -_And the cat purred, “Daily from your birth she has slain you and you -know it not.”_ - -And the third slave said, “Yes, she would slay us and she would call it -making sacrifice to the gods.” - -_And the cat purred, “Only the weak are sacrificed to the gods.”_ - -And the fourth slave silenced the others, and softly he picked up the -crown and replaced it, without waking her, on the old queen’s head. - -_And the cat purred, “Only a slave restores a crown that has fallen.”_ - -And after a while the old queen woke, and she looked about her and -yawned. Then she said, “Methought I dreamed, and I saw four caterpillars -chased by a scorpion around the trunk of an ancient oaktree. I like not -my dream.” - -Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. And she snored. And -the four slaves went on fanning her. - -_And the cat purred, “Fan on, fan on, stupids. You fan but the fire that -consumes you.”_ - - - - -TYRANNY - - -Thus sings the She-Dragon that guards the seven caves by the sea: - -“My mate shall come riding on the waves. His thundering roar shall fill -the earth with fear, and the flames of his nostrils shall set the sky -afire. At the eclipse of the moon we shall be wedded, and at the eclipse -of the sun I shall give birth to a Saint George, who shall slay me.” - -Thus sings the She-Dragon that guards the seven caves by the sea. - - - - -THE SAINT - - -In my youth I once visited a saint in his silent grove beyond the hills; -and as we were conversing upon the nature of virtue a brigand came -limping wearily up the ridge. When he reached the grove he knelt down -before the saint and said, “O saint, I would be comforted! My sins are -heavy upon me.” - -And the saint replied, “My sins, too, are heavy upon me.” - -And the brigand said, “But I am a thief and a plunderer.” - -And the saint replied, “I too am a thief and a plunderer.” - -And the brigand said, “But I am a murderer, and the blood of many men -cries in my ears.” - -And the saint replied, “I too am a murderer, and in my ears cries the -blood of many men.” - -And the brigand said, “I have committed countless crimes.” - -And the saint replied, “I too have committed crimes without number.” - -Then the brigand stood up and gazed at the saint, and there was a -strange look in his eyes. And when he left us he went skipping down the -hill. - -And I turned to the saint and said, “Wherefore did you accuse yourself -of uncommitted crimes? See you not that this man went away no longer -believing in you?” - -And the saint answered, “It is true he no longer believes in me. But he -went away much comforted.” - -At that moment we heard the brigand singing in the distance, and the -echo of his song filled the valley with gladness. - - - - -THE PLUTOCRAT - - -In my wanderings I once saw upon an island a man-headed, iron-hoofed -monster who ate of the earth and drank of the sea incessantly. And for a -long while I watched him. Then I approached him and said, “Have you -never enough; is your hunger never satisfied and your thirst never -quenched?” - -And he answered saying, “Yes, I am satisfied, nay, I am weary of eating -and drinking; but I am afraid that tomorrow there will be no more earth -to eat and no more sea to drink.” - - - - -THE GREATER SELF - - -This came to pass. After the coronation of Nufsibaäl, King of Byblus, he -retired to his bed chamber--the very room which the three -hermit-magicians of the mountain had built for him. He took off his -crown and his royal raiment, and stood in the centre of the room -thinking of himself, now the all-powerful ruler of Byblus. - -Suddenly he turned; and he saw stepping out of the silver mirror which -his mother had given him, a naked man. - -The king was startled, and he cried out to the man, “What would you?” - -And the naked man answered, “Naught but this: Why have they crowned you -king?” - -And the king answered, “Because I am the noblest man in the land.” - -Then the naked man said, “If you were still more noble, you would not be -king.” - -And the king said, “Because I am the mightiest man in the land they -crowned me.” - -And the naked man said, “If you were mightier yet, you would not be -king.” - -Then the king said, “Because I am the wisest man they crowned me king.” - -And the naked man said, “If you were still wiser you would not choose to -be king.” - -Then the king fell to the floor and wept bitterly. - -The naked man looked down upon him. Then he took up the crown and with -tenderness replaced it upon the king’s bent head. - -And the naked man, gazing lovingly upon the king, entered into the -mirror. - -And the king roused, and straightway he looked into the mirror. And he -saw there but himself crowned. - - - - -WAR AND THE SMALL NATIONS - - -Once, high above a pasture, where a sheep and a lamb were grazing, an -eagle was circling and gazing hungrily down upon the lamb. And as he was -about to descend and seize his prey, another eagle appeared and hovered -above the sheep and her young with the same hungry intent. Then the two -rivals began to fight filling the sky with their fierce cries. - -The sheep looked up and was much astonished. She turned to the lamb and -said, - -“How strange, my child, that these two noble birds should attack one -another. Is not the vast sky large enough for both of them? Pray, my -little one, pray in your heart that God may make peace between your -winged brothers.” - -And the lamb prayed in his heart. - - [Illustration: drawing signed K. Gibran, 1920] - - - - -CRITICS - - -One nightfall a man travelling on horseback toward the sea reached an -inn by the roadside. He dismounted, and confident in man and night like -all riders toward the sea, he tied his horse to a tree beside the door -and entered into the inn. - -At midnight, when all were asleep, a thief came and stole the -traveller’s horse. - -In the morning the man awoke, and discovered that his horse was stolen. -And he grieved for his horse, and that a man had found it in his heart -to steal. - -Then his fellow-lodgers came and stood around him and began to talk. - -And the first man said, “How foolish of you to tie your horse outside -the stable.” - -And the second said, “Still more foolish, without even hobbling the -horse!” - -And the third man said, “It is stupid at best to travel to the sea on -horseback.” - -And the fourth said, “Only the indolent and the slow of foot own -horses.” - -Then the traveller was much astonished. At last he cried, “My friends, -because my horse is stolen, you have hastened one and all to tell me my -faults and my shortcomings. But strange, not one word of reproach have -you uttered about the man who stole my horse.” - - - - -POETS - - -Four poets were sitting around a bowl of punch that stood on a table. - -Said the first poet, “Methinks I see with my third eye the fragrance of -this wine hovering in space like a cloud of birds in an enchanted -forest.” - -The second poet raised his head and said, “With my inner ear I can hear -those mist-birds singing. And the melody holds my heart as the white -rose imprisons the bee within her petals.” - -The third poet closed his eyes and stretched his arm upward, and said, -“I touch them with my hand. I feel their wings, like the breath of a -sleeping fairy, brushing against my fingers.” - -Then the fourth poet rose and lifted up the bowl, and he said, “Alas, -friends! I am too dull of sight and of hearing and of touch. I cannot -see the fragrance of this wine, nor hear its song, nor feel the beating -of its wings. I perceive but the wine itself. Now therefore must I drink -it, that it may sharpen my senses and raise me to your blissful -heights.” - -And putting the bowl to his lips, he drank the punch to the very last -drop. - -The three poets, with their mouths open, looked at him aghast, and there -was a thirsty yet unlyrical hatred in their eyes. - - - - -THE WEATHER-COCK - - -Said the weather-cock to the wind, “How tedious and monotonous you are! -Can you not blow any other way but in my face? You disturb my God-given -stability.” - -And the wind did not answer. It only laughed in space. - - - - -THE KING OF ARADUS - - -Once the elders of the city of Aradus presented themselves before the -king, and besought of him a decree to forbid to men all wine and all -intoxicants within their city. - -And the king turned his back upon them and went out from them laughing. - -Then the elders departed in dismay. - -At the door of the palace they met the lord chamberlain. And the lord -chamberlain observed that they were troubled, and he understood their -case. - -Then he said, “Pity, my friends! Had you found the king drunk, surely he -would have granted you your petition.” - - - - -OUT OF MY DEEPER HEART - - -Out of my deeper heart a bird rose and flew skyward. - -Higher and higher did it rise, yet larger and larger did it grow. - -At first it was but like a swallow, then a lark, then an eagle, then as -vast as a spring cloud, and then it filled the starry heavens. - -Out of my heart a bird flew skyward. And it waxed larger as it flew. Yet -it left not my heart. - - * * * * * - -O my faith, my untamed knowledge, how shall I fly to your height and see -with you man’s larger self pencilled upon the sky? - -How shall I turn this sea within me into mist, and move with you in -space immeasurable? - -How can a prisoner within the temple behold its golden domes? - -How shall the heart of a fruit be stretched to envelop the fruit also? - -O my faith, I am in chains behind these bars of silver and ebony, and I -cannot fly with you. - -Yet out of my heart you rise skyward, and it is my heart that holds you, -and I shall be content. - - [Illustration: drawing signed K. Gibran, 1920] - - - - -DYNASTIES - - -The Queen of Ishana was in travail of childbirth; and the King and the -mighty men of his court were waiting in breathless anxiety in the great -hall of the Winged Bulls. - -At eventide there came suddenly a messenger in haste and prostrated -himself before the King, and said, “I bring glad tidings unto my lord -the King, and unto the kingdom and the slaves of the King. Mihrab the -Cruel, thy life-long enemy, the King of Bethroun, is dead.” - -When the King and the mighty men heard this, they all rose and shouted -for joy; for the powerful Mihrab, had he lived longer, had assuredly -overcome Ishana and carried the inhabitants captive. - -At this moment the court physician also entered the hall of Winged -Bulls, and behind him came the royal midwives. And the physician -prostrated himself before the king, and said, “My lord the King shall -live for ever, and through countless generations shall he rule over the -people of Ishana. For unto thee, O King, is born this very hour a son, -who shall be thy heir.” - -Then indeed was the soul of the King intoxicated with joy, that in the -same moment his foe was dead and the royal line was established. - -Now in the City of Ishana lived a true prophet. And the prophet was -young, and bold of spirit. And the King that very night ordered that the -prophet should be brought before him. And when he was brought, the King -said unto him, “Prophesy now, and foretell what shall be the future of -my son who is this day born unto the kingdom.” - -And the prophet hesitated not, but said, “Hearken, O King, and I will -indeed prophesy of the future of thy son, that is this day born. The -soul of thy enemy, even of thy enemy King Mihrab, who died yestereve, -lingered but a day upon the wind. Then it sought for itself a body to -enter into. And that which it entered into was the body of thy son that, -is born unto thee this hour.” - -Then the King was enraged, and with his sword he slew the prophet. - -And from that day to this, the wise men of Ishana say one to another -secretly, “Is it not known, and has it not been said from of old, that -Ishana is ruled by an enemy.” - - - - -KNOWLEDGE AND HALF-KNOWLEDGE - - -Four frogs sat upon a log that lay floating on the edge of a river. -Suddenly the log was caught by the current and swept slowly down the -stream. The frogs were delighted and absorbed, for never before had they -sailed. - -At length the first frog spoke, and said, “This is indeed a most -marvellous log. It moves as if alive. No such log was ever known -before.” - -Then the second frog spoke, and said, “Nay, my friend, the log is like -other logs, and does not move. It is the river, that is walking to the -sea, and carries us and the log with it.” - -And the third frog spoke, and said, “It is neither the log nor the -river that moves. The moving is in our thinking. For without thought -nothing moves.” - -And the three frogs began to wrangle about what was really moving. The -quarrel grew hotter and louder, but they could not agree. - -Then they turned to the fourth frog, who up to this time had been -listening attentively but holding his peace, and they asked his opinion. - -And the fourth frog said, “Each of you is right, and none of you is -wrong. The moving is in the log and the water and our thinking also.” - -And the three frogs became very angry, for none of them was willing to -admit that his was not the whole truth, and that the other two were not -wholly wrong. - -Then the strange thing happened. The three frogs got together and pushed -the fourth frog off the log into the river. - - - - -“SAID A SHEET OF SNOW-WHITE PAPER....” - - -Said a sheet of snow-white paper, “Pure was I created, and pure will I -remain for ever. I would rather be burnt and turn 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 in its -dark heart; but it never dared to approach her. And the multicoloured -pencils heard her also, and they too never came near her. - -And the snow-white sheet of paper did remain pure and chaste for -ever--pure and chaste--and empty. - - - - -THE SCHOLAR AND THE POET - - -Said the serpent to the lark, “Thou flyest, yet thou canst not visit the -recesses of the earth where the sap of life moveth in perfect silence.” - -And the lark answered, “Aye, thou knowest over much, nay thou art wiser -than all things wise--pity thou canst not fly.” - -And as if he did not hear, the serpent said, “Thou canst not see the -secrets of the deep, nor move among the treasures of the hidden empire. -It was but yesterday I lay in a cave of rubies. It is like the heart of -a ripe pomegranate, and the faintest ray of light turns it into a -flame-rose. Who but me can behold such marvels?” - -And the lark said, “None, none but thee can lie among the crystal -memories of the cycles: pity thou canst not sing.” - -And the serpent said, “I know a plant whose root descends to the bowels -of the earth, and he who eats of that root becomes fairer than -Ashtarte.” - -And the lark said, “No one, no one but thee could unveil the magic -thought of the earth--pity thou canst not fly.” - -And the serpent said, “There is a purple stream that runneth under a -mountain, and he who drinketh of it shall become immortal even as the -gods. Surely no bird or beast can discover that purple stream.” - -And the lark answered, “If thou willest thou canst become deathless even -as the gods--pity thou canst not sing.” - -And the serpent said, “I know a buried temple, which I visit once a -moon: It was built by a forgotten race of giants, and upon its walls are -graven the secrets of time and space, and he who reads them shall -understand that which passeth all understanding.” - -And the lark said, “Verily, if thou so desirest thou canst encircle with -thy pliant body all knowledge of time and space--pity thou canst not -fly.” - -Then the serpent was disgusted, and as he turned and entered into his -hole he muttered, “Empty headed songster!” - -And the lark flew away singing, “Pity thou canst not sing. Pity, pity, -my wise one, thou canst not fly.” - - - - -VALUES - - -Once a man unearthed in his field a marble statue of great beauty. And -he took it to a collector who loved all beautiful things and offered it -to him for sale, and the collector bought it for a large price. And they -parted. - -And as the man walked home with his money he thought, and he said to -himself, “How much life this money means! How can any one give all this -for a dead carved stone buried and undreamed of in the earth for a -thousand years?” - -And now the collector was looking at his statue, and he was thinking, -and he said to himself, “What beauty! What life! The dream of what a -soul!--and fresh with the sweet sleep of a thousand years. How can any -one give all this for money, dead and dreamless?” - - - - -OTHER SEAS - - -A fish said to another fish, “Above this sea of ours there is another -sea, with creatures swimming in it--and they live there even as we live -here.” - -The fish replied, “Pure fancy! Pure fancy! When you know that everything -that leaves our sea by even an inch, and stays out of it, dies. What -proof have you of other lives in other seas?” - - - - -REPENTANCE - - -On a moonless night a man entered into his neighbour’s garden and stole -the largest melon he could find and brought it home. - -He opened it and found it still unripe. - -Then behold a marvel! - -The man’s conscience woke and smote him with remorse; and he repented -having stolen the melon. - - [Illustration: drawing signed K. Gibran, 1920] - - - - - THE DYING MAN AND THE VULTURE - - - Wait, wait yet awhile, my eager friend. - I shall yield but too soon this wasted thing, - Whose agony overwrought and useless - Exhausts your patience. - I would not have your honest hunger - Wait upon these moments: - But this chain, though made of a breath, - Is hard to break. - And the will to die, - Stronger than all things strong, - Is stayed by a will to live - Feebler than all things feeble. - Forgive me comrade; I tarry too long. - It is memory that holds my spirit; - A procession of distant days, - A vision of youth spent in a dream, - A face that bids my eyelids not to sleep, - A voice that lingers in my ears, - A hand that touches my hand. - Forgive me that you have waited too long. - It is over now, and all is faded:-- - The face, the voice, the hand and the mist - that brought them hither. - The knot is untied. - The cord is cleaved. - And that which is neither food nor drink is withdrawn. - Approach, my hungry comrade; - The board is made ready, - And the fare, frugal and spare, - Is given with love. - Come, and dig your beak here, into the left side, - And tear out of its cage this smaller bird, - Whose wings can beat no more: - I would have it soar with you into the sky. - Come now, my friend, I am your host tonight, - And you my welcome guest. - - - - -BEYOND MY SOLITUDE - - -Beyond my solitude is another solitude, and to him who dwells therein my -aloneness is a crowded market-place and my silence a confusion of -sounds. - -Too young am I and too restless to seek that above-solitude. The voices -of yonder valley still hold my ears, and its shadows bar my way and I -cannot go. - -Beyond these hills is a grove of enchantment and to him who dwells -therein my peace is but a whirlwind and my enchantment an illusion. - -Too young am I and too riotous to seek that sacred grove. The taste of -blood is clinging in my mouth, and the bow and the arrows of my fathers -yet linger in my hand and I cannot go. - -Beyond this burdened self lives my freer self; and to him my dreams are -a battle fought in twilight and my desires the rattling of bones. - -Too young am I and too outraged to be my freer self. - -And how shall I become my freer self unless I slay my burdened selves, -or unless all men become free? - -How shall my leaves fly singing upon the wind unless my roots shall -wither in the dark? - -How shall the eagle in me soar against the sun until my fledglings leave -the nest which I with my own beak have built for them? - - - - -THE LAST WATCH - - -At the high-tide of night, when the first breath of dawn came upon the -wind, the Forerunner, he who calls himself echo to a voice yet unheard, -left his bed-chamber and ascended to the roof of his house. Long he -stood and looked down upon the slumbering city. Then he raised his head, -and even as if the sleepless spirits of all those asleep had gathered -around him, he opened his lips and spoke, and he said: - -“My friends and my neighbours and you who daily pass my gate, I would -speak to you in your sleep, and in the valley of your dreams I would -walk naked and unrestrained; far heedless are your waking hours and deaf -are your sound-burdened ears. - -“Long did I love you and overmuch. - -“I love the one among you as though he were all, and all as if you were -one. And in the spring of my heart I sang in your gardens, and in the -summer of my heart I watched at your threshing-floors. - -“Yea, I loved you all, the giant and the pigmy, the leper and the -anointed, and him who gropes in the dark even as him who dances his days -upon the mountains. - -“You, the strong, have I loved, though the marks of your iron hoofs are -yet upon my flesh; and you the weak, though you have drained my faith -and wasted my patience. - -“You the rich have I loved, while bitter was your honey to my mouth; and -you the poor, though you knew my empty-handed shame. - -“You the poet with the barrowed lute and blind fingers, you have I loved -in self indulgence; and you the scholar, ever gathering rotted shrouds -in potters’ fields. - -“You the priest I have loved, who sit in the silences of yesterday -questioning the fate of my tomorrow; and you the worshippers of gods the -images of your own desires. - -“You the thirsting woman whose cup is ever full, I have loved you in -understanding; and you the woman of restless nights, you too I have -loved in pity. - -“You the talkative have I loved, saying, ‘Life hath much to say’; and -you the dumb have I loved, whispering to myself, ‘Says he not in silence -that which I fain would hear in words?’ - -“And you the judge and the critic, I have loved also; yet when you have -seen me crucified, you said, ‘He bleeds rhythmically, and the pattern -his blood makes upon his white skin is beautiful to behold.’ - -“Yea, I have loved you all, the young and the old, the trembling reed -and the oak. - -“But alas! it was the over-abundance of my heart that turned you from -me. You would drink love from a cup, but not from a surging river. You -would hear love’s faint murmur, but when love shouts you would muffle -your ears. - -“And because I have loved you all you have said, ‘Too soft and yielding -is his heart, and too undiscerning is his path. It is the love of a -needy one, who picks crumbs even as he sits at kingly feasts. And it is -the love of a weakling, for the strong loves only the strong.’ - -“And because I have loved you overmuch you have said, ‘It is but the -love of a blind man who knows not the beauty of one nor the ugliness of -another. And it is the love of the tasteless who drinks vinegar even as -wine. And it is the love of the impertinent and the overweening, for -what stranger could be our mother and father and sister and brother?’ - -“This you have said, and more. For often in the marketplace you pointed -your fingers at me and said mockingly, ‘There goes the ageless one, the -man without seasons, who at the noon hour plays games with our children -and at eventide sits with our elders and assumes wisdom and -understanding.’ - -“And I said ‘I will love them more. Aye, even more. I will hide my love -with seeming to hate, and disguise my tenderness as bitterness. I will -wear an iron mask, and only when armed and mailed shall I seek them.’ - -“Then I laid a heavy hand upon your bruises, and like a tempest in the -night I thundered in your ears. - -“From the housetop I proclaimed you hypocrites, pharisees, tricksters, -false and empty earth-bubbles. - -“The short-sighted among you I cursed for blind bats, and those too near -the earth I likened to soulless moles. - -“The eloquent I pronounced fork-tongued, the silent, stone-lipped, and -the simple and artless I called the dead never weary of death. - -“The seekers after world knowledge I condemned as offenders of the holy -spirit and those who would naught but the spirit I branded as hunters of -shadows who cast their nets in flat waters and catch but their own -images. - -“Thus with my lips have I denounced you, while my heart, bleeding within -me, called you tender names. - -“It was love lashed by its own self that spoke. It was pride half slain -that fluttered in the dust. It was my hunger for your love that raged -from the housetop, while my own love, kneeling in silence, prayed your -forgiveness. - -“But behold a miracle! - -“It was my disguise that opened your eyes, and my seeming to hate that -woke your hearts. - -“And now you love me. - -“You love the swords that strike you and the arrows that crave your -breast. For it comforts you to be wounded and only when you drink of -your own blood can you be intoxicated. - -“Like moths that seek destruction in the flame you gather daily in my -garden: and with faces uplifted and eyes enchanted you watch me tear the -fabric of your days. And in whispers you say the one to the other, ‘He -sees with the light of God. He speaks like the prophets of old. He -unveils our souls and unlocks our hearts, and like the eagle that knows -the way of foxes he knows our ways.’ - -“Aye, in truth, I know your ways, but only as an eagle knows the ways of -his fledglings. And I fain would disclose my secret. Yet in my need for -your nearness I feign remoteness, and in fear of the ebbtide of your -love I guard the floodgates of my love.” - -After saying these things the Forerunner covered his face with his hands -and wept bitterly. For he knew in his heart that love humiliated in its -nakedness is greater than love that seeks triumph in disguise; and he -was ashamed. - -But suddenly he raised his head, and like one waking from sleep he -outstretched his arms and said, “Night is over, and we children of night -must die when dawn comes leaping upon the hills; and out of our ashes a -mightier love shall rise. And it shall laugh in the sun, and it shall be -deathless.” - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Forerunner, by Kahlil Gibran - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FORERUNNER *** - -***** This file should be named 54580-0.txt or 54580-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/8/54580/ - -Produced by Mary Glenn Krause, Chuck Greif, MFR and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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