2023 IS THE CENTENARY OF KAHLIL GIBRAN's 'THE PROPHET'

This year, 2023, is the centenary year of the publication in America of the book The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran.

Considered to be a classic of 20th century literature, The Prophet has never been out of print, has been translated into many different languages, and over the decades has sold millions of copies worldwide. It was much disliked by the critics of the day, but nevertheless struck a chord with the public at large, quickly sold out and became an instant best-seller, appealing to people who would not usually read poetry or literature. It is now in public ownership in several countries, including the USA and the EU.

Kahlil Gibran was born in Lebanon in 1883 and moved to America with his family when he was 12 years old. They settled in Boston, Massachusetts, living in a Syrian/Lebanese community and it was here he was able to go to school and start his education. As a teenager he was enrolled in an art school and was soon recognised as a very talented pupil. In his late teens he returned to Lebanon to further his Arabic studies and some years later spent time studying art in Paris. 

​It was this lack of formal education as such, but rather a blend of Arab, American and European influences that was the basis for his writing to be able to cross through cultural, national and religious identities.

He saw himself as an artist first however, rather than as a poet and writer, although it is for his literary work he is most remembered, not only The Prophet, but his great contribution to reviving and modernising classical Arabic literature in the 20th century. He is said to be one of the worlds’ best-selling poets, along with Shakespeare, Lao Tzu and Rumi.

The book itself is a collection of 26 short parables in prose poetry, set at the time of the departure of a wise man, Almustafa, who has been living in the fictional city of Orphalese for the past twelve years. The people are sad to see him leave and bid him speak to them one more time, asking him a series of questions relating to everyday life: love, death, trade, children, eating and drinking, self-knowledge and more. Gibran’s art expresses a deeper truth, emphasising the importance of a unified humanity, with shared values and peace at its core. He is said to have described the meaning of the book as, “The Prophet is really saying one thing, You are far greater than you know. All is well.” It is this comforting feeling that endears it to peoples’ hearts.

​This small book, easily slipped into a pocket or bag, is as often gifted to friends, family and lovers, as it is recited at weddings and funerals and it is clear that it has resonated with people all over the world because of its heartfelt quality. It is not a work that lends itself to be analysed but rather to be appreciated for the beauty of its language and the sentiment it conveys, “Life is beauty: therefore, live it beautifully.” (Kahlil Gibran).

Here is an excerpt from the book -

Then a Priestess said, Speak to us of Prayer.
   And he answered, saying:
   You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in the days of your abundance.

   For what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?
  And if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space, it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.
  And if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer, she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.
  When you pray you rise to meet in the air those who are praying at that very hour, and whom save in prayer you may not meet.
  Therefore, let your visit to that temple invisible be for naught but ecstasy and sweet communion.
  For if you should enter the temple for no other purpose than asking you shall not receive:
  And if you should enter into it to humble yourself you shall not be lifted,
​  Or even if you should enter into it to beg for the good of others you shall not be heard.
  It is enough that you enter the temple invisible.

  I cannot teach you how to pray in words.
  God listens not to your words save when He Himself utters them through your lips.
  And I cannot teach you the prayer of the seas and the forests and the mountains.
  But you who are born of the mountains and the forests and the seas can find their prayer in your heart,
  And if you listen in the stillness of the night you shall hear them saying in silence,
  “Our God, who art our winged self, it is thy will in us that willeth.
  It is thy desire in us that desireth.
  It is thy urge in us that would turn your nights, which are thine, into days, which are thine also.
  We cannot ask thee for aught, for thou knowest our needs before they are born in us:
  Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all.”