Current mood:

creative

The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
A lovely short book I have had on my shelf since my uncle bought it for me for Christmas 1996! It tells the tale of the prophet Almustafa who is about to leave the town he has spent much of his life, Orphalese. Before he leaves the townsfolk gather to ask him questions about everything from love, wedding, friendship to clothing, teaching and death. His answers are beautiful and there are so many beautiful quotes to make note of.

On Love:
"Love has no other desire but to fulfil 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."

On Self Understanding:
"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.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals."

His own illustrations are beautiful and work really well in black and white. This is definately a book I will be reading again and referring back to for inspiration.

**** out of 5