Then, said Almitra, Speak to us of love.
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 ascends to
your heights, and caresses your 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 pliant;
And then he assigns you
to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred
feast.
All these things shall Love do unto you, that you may know the secrets
of your heart, and in that knowledge 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
that you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds 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 your 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 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.
Excerpted from "The Prophet," By Kahlil Gibran.
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