The Prophet (A Borzoi Book) Hardcover – September 23, 1923

Great

Gibran speaks for himself: 'The Prophet' has written a masterpiece.

I received one of these books for my high school graduation in 1966. It started me thinking outside of the box. I always give one to a family member graduating from high school to try to open their minds.

A prophet has waited twelve years in a coastal town for the ship that will bear him back to his homeland, which he misses.Why he is there, why he is waiting, how he knows what he knows, and who he is is a mystery. As he departs the townspeople gather to wish him well. A local seeress who knows him best asks him to share his wisdom so that it will endure for generations to come.So, he reveals his wisdom on love, birth, marriage, children, pain, talking, pleasure, death any so much more.It is a profound work, and here is his advice on marriage so you may judge for yourself:You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.But let there be spaces in your togetherness,And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.Love one another but make not a bond of love:Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.And stand together, yet not too near together:For the pillars of the temple stand apart,And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.Its not a little similar to the Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics)where a border guard recognises Lao Tzu, and asks him to share his wisdom as he goes into exile. Written 2,500 years ago, and one of the most translated books in the world. The Tao contains many principles you can use in your everyday life, and if you're not thinking in ego based ways, your wisdom based thinking opens up..If you like one book, you will love the other, so I recommend both. For the Tao, I recommend the Stephen Mitchell version. Hope this was useful.

My mother used to give these as graduation gifts to her students. I tried to read it but was super confused as to why she loved it, assumed she was crazy, and put it away. I picked it up again a few years later and now I have read it countless times, my copy of the book is underlined to hell, and I myself have started giving them away as gifts.I'm flabbergasted as to how this book is not read by everyone. It is essentially the story of a prophet who tells the townspeople his options on various matters like death, marriage, houses, law... And you might be thinking, who is this Kahlil Gibran to be giving his option. What's his religion? Where is he from? Is he a Communist or a Libertarian? It doesn't matter. Listen, NONE OF THAT MATTERS. What Gibran has done is taken himself out of the equation. He has somehow put aside his ego and tapped into the collective unconscious. He describes things that is somehow universal. He reaffirms what it means to be human. You don't need to know Gibran's political or religious affiliation because the book isn't about his options; they are about yours.And holy crap is the language beautiful. It's prose but it reads like poetry. He said about his book that "it was the very best [he] could offer" and I believe him. It is a masterpiece.The only reason I can think that I had so much trouble reading this book before was because I was confused. I didn't know what the book was about. I didn't know who this 'prophet' was and I didn't know who Gibran was. I didn't know that it didn't matter. So when I give this away as gifts I tell people that it gets good on page 9 or so (when the 'prophet' starts talking to the townspeople).

I've read this many times and it speaks differently each time. Although it can be read straight through I would recommend picking a subject that is weighing on your mind and read it as a commentary on the subject to deeply think about. This makes it a rather strange book for the casual reader. You could more think of it as poetry rather than prose. Because I change over time, each time I read a passage it conveys a different message. The messages aren't blunt but something to contemplate. Because of that I wouldn't recommend this as a quick read and on to something else. It has to be read over time. Read a passage and come back to read another passage later.One of my favorit books that I have used for many moments over many years.