The Prophet (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions)

By Kahlil Gibran

Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.

And in the twelfth year, on the seventh day of Ielool, the month of reaping, he climbed the hill without the city walls and looked seaward; and he beheld his ship coming with the mist.

Then the gates of his heart were flung open, and his joy flew far over the sea. And he closed his
eyes and prayed in the silences of his soul.
 
So begins The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran’s transcendant verse cycle in which the prophet Almustafa boards a ship bearing him homeward and discusses with those whom he meets on board life, love, and and all aspects of the human condition. Never out of print since its first publication in 1923, Gibran’s collection of prose poems is one of the best-loved volumes in world literature.
 
The Prophet is one of Barnes & Noble's Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in an elegantly designed bonded-leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging.
 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fall River Press
• Release date: Feb 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781435167407

Kahlil Gibran

Khalil Gibran (1883 – 1931) was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist, best known for his debut novel “The Prophet”. Born in the Ottoman Empire, Gibran emigrated with his family to the United States, where he studied art and began writing in both English and Arabic. His romantic style of writing was ground-breaking and constituted a change away from traditional classical Arabic literature. Gibran is the third-best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu.

Book preview

The Coming of the Ship

Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.

And in the twelfth year, on the seventh day of Ielool, the month of reaping, he climbed the hill without the city walls and looked seaward; and he beheld his ship coming with the mist.

Then the gates of his heart were flung open, and his joy flew far over the sea. And he closed his eyes and prayed in the silences of his soul.

But as he descended the hill, a sadness came upon him, and he thought in his heart:

How shall I go in peace and without sorrow? Nay, not without a wound in the spirit shall I leave this city.

Long were the days of pain I have spent within its walls, and long were the nights of aloneness; and who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?

Too many fragments of the spirit have I scattered in these streets, and too many are the children of my longing that walk naked among these hills, and I cannot withdraw from them without a burden and an ache.

It is not a garment I cast off this day, but a skin that I tear with my own hands.

Nor is it a thought I leave behind me, but a heart made sweet with hunger and with thirst.

Yet I cannot tarry longer.

The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark.

For, to stay, though the hours burn in the night, is to freeze and crystallize and be bound in a mould.

Fain would I take with me all that is here. But how shall I?

A voice cannot carry the tongue and the lips that gave it wings. Alone must it seek the ether.

And alone and without his nest shall the eagle fly across the sun.

Now when he reached the foot of the hill, he turned again towards the sea, and he saw his ship approaching the harbour, and upon her prow the mariners, the men of his own land.

And his soul cried out to them, and he said:

Sons of my ancient mother, you riders of the tides,

How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening, which is my deeper dream.

Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind.

Only another breath will I breathe in this still air, only another loving look cast backward,

And then I shall stand among you, a seafarer among seafarers.

And you, vast sea, sleeping mother,

Who alone are peace and freedom to the river and the stream,

Only another winding will this stream make, only another murmur in this glade,

And then I shall come to you, a boundless drop to a boundless ocean.

And as he walked he saw from afar men and women leaving their fields and their vineyards and hastening towards the city gates.

And he heard their voices calling his name, and shouting from field to field telling one another of the coming of his ship.

And he said to himself:

Shall the day of parting be the day of gathering?

And shall it be said that my eve was in truth my dawn?

And what shall I give unto him who has left his plough in midfurrow, or to him who has stopped the wheel of his winepress?

Shall my heart become a tree heavy-laden with fruit that I may gather and give unto them?

And shall my desires

Reviews for The Prophet (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions)

[bell7_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Almustafa takes his leave of a city after twelve years to sail back to the isle of his birth after, but first a seeress and the townspeople gather to hear his words of wisdom about love, marriage, children, work, religion, death, and many other subjects that encompass the human experience.Though the contents list several poem titles, this is really one long prose poem. I have a hard time understanding even simple concepts in this type of poetry - something about versifying it makes it automatically less comprehensible - but though there were nuggets of good lines here and there, mostly it seemed like mystical vagueness trying to sound profound.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Almustafa, Prophet, addresses the people of Orphalese as he prepares to leave back to his home island after a sojourn of twelve years."A keeper of silences am I."My favorite speeches are: Children, Work, Buying and Selling, Reason and Passion, Self-Knowledge, Teaching, Time, and Talking.(Unwelcome was frequent use of "pigmy," Eating and Drinking, confusing Freedom, and the kind of mean ending for Almitra...no?)Evocative illustrations were drawn by the author.

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's easy to take just a quick glance at this and think 'this person is speaking poetic nonsense in riddles' and dismiss it, =D But truly it IS quite clever. And there are lots of concepts worth ruminating on. It's short, but pretty dense, so it's a lot to take in at once. It might be a good one to read just a single small section before bed or something.

[librolindsay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I mean...it's fine. Too bland for my taste though. I've been carting this around for almost 20 years...I probably would have enjoyed it in high school.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Originally published in 1923, the language is old world but the message is relevant even today. Worthy of multiple reads, each short chapter covers important points in life: love, work, children, joy, sorrow, etc. Another great little book whose wisdom can be incorporated into my yoga and healing classes.

[iudita_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were some beautifully worded sentences and the occasional flicker of enlighten, but for the most part this little book didn't speak to me.

[datrappert · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While reading this, it occurred to me that I would like to be drinking whatever Gibran was drinking while he wrote it. This is a book I have seen here and there, sometimes among shelves of old books in people's houses, ever since I was old enough to notice books. I don't think we had a copy in our home, but I could be mistaken. Certainly it hasn't come down into my possession as did many of my favorite books of my father's. In any case, the best word to describe "The Prophet" is drivel. Sure, it has a few nice quotes: "Let there be spaces in your togetherness" being a pretty clever one. And its assertion that live and death, pleasure and pain, etc. etc. etc. are just opposite sides of the same coin are certainly true to an extent. But the language is just pretty silly. Compared to other religious books--and I would treat this as such--it is pretty harmless, however.

[eldang-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I feel like I'm supposed to love this book, but it just didn't do much for me. At its best the writing is quite lyrical and there are some wonderfully quotable passages, but taken as a whole it felt like Gibran had tried to find universals among world religions and that road had just led him to rather obvious truisms.

[stevenjohntait · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this years ago. I'm not a religious person in the slightest. I might consider myself spiritual. This book was to me what I suppose the Bible or Koran, or Torah or whatever is to people of religion. It's a go-to book for learning how to be a better person. Provides insight into emotions, and ideas about work and life.

[hvg-13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's ok, not earth shattering or anything. May require re-reading.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a surprisingly good read. The pithy statements are full of wisdom and poetic grace and the entire whole is abounded by a sense of care and compassion towards the reader. Although I am not religious, I found this to be a particularly gripping book that held my attention from start to finish.

Great read. Recommended for poets, scholars, those with religious reasons, and curiosity-seekers.

[thestrawberrymoon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked up a First Edition copy at Thrift Store! The Greatest Find of My life!

[cathy_donnelly-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful and inspiring.

[noonaut · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The translation I read makes it seem as if Gibran were trying to condense "Thus Spake Zarathustra." I'm not sure whether this is a fault of the specific translation

[jennifersalderson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, amazing, spiritually-lifting little book that I have been flipping through for 25+ years! I highly recommend it - to everyone!!!

[theyodamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amelia Grey is back home, back to where she ran from. The place her heart was taken by Devlin, and where she left it broken. Her father told her, warned her not to communicate the ghosts but she did. Now she is back and her greatest fear is all around her.

Mariama, Devlin's dead but not gone wife and his daughter Shani still haunt him and drive Amelia away. It seems Mariama and her brother had very strong ties to an ancient sorcerery, used for evil purposes. She is tied so tight around Devin, he is weakening and the brief encounters with him are draining Amelia to a dangerous point.

A cop has been killed. He haunts her and want her to find his killer, but he does not remember anything except a smell. Then there is something about Devlin's daughters death, he remembers something...

An exciting chapter in the GraveYard Queen saga. This has become one of my favorite series. It's filled with thrills and chills on every page.

[bayardus-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to truth."

What a great line! Little did I know it was far and away the high-point of a book that is otherwise filled with platitudes and skin-deep truths.

[haidji-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you have ever questioned time, life, freedom, pain, friendship, love, marriage or pleasure I recommend this book.The lessons in this book can positively impact your life. Very simply written, this book speaks to everyone.

[jessljones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Humbling, inspiring, and definitely a book to keep on your bedside table...

[5hrdrive · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes you read a book, sometimes a book reads you.

[regularguy5mb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I feel like this is one of those essential books that everyone should read at least once in their lives. And, while it took me longer than it probably should have, I've finally read it.So much insight in Gibran's narrative, things that are timeless because they speak to the basics of human nature, which regardless of how much we "advance" as a society, will always remain true.Freedom, Time, Beauty, Crime & Punishment, Beauty, Teaching, Speaking; all concepts that the Prophet touches upon. Just do yourself a favor and pick this one up, it's definitely worth the read.This is one I'm going to keep close to me so I can reference it often.

[trgllylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty quick read with some wise insights into human nature and our relationship with God. Some favorites:

"Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral."

On search for freedom:
"And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment."

On the mystery of death and afterlife:
"In the depths of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity."

[benuathanasia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not very religious, but this had some great and beautiful thoughts and advice in it.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

20 years ago my sister passed away and a professor at my university handed me this book to read "On Joy and Sorrow". It stayed with me for the next 20 years until I finally tracked it down to this book. The message in "On Joy and Sorrow" is one I've tried to pass on to a friend or two when it seemed it would be helpful.

Having just finished the whole book, there are many passages here that are as thought provoking. Just about every aspect of life is covered in this small tome, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys looking at the deeper meanings in everyday life.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just now got around to reading The Prophet. A lot of what's in here is common sense, easily recognized truths. One wishes that human beings would live by these sentiments, rather than just nodding their heads when they read them and then forgetting them in the context of real life. Some of the talk about God didn't appeal to me, although I recognize that Gibran seems to be talking about God more in the sense of a benign force in the universe rather than a being to be worshipped. Other bits flew right past me and would require rereading and further thought. And the ending bit about reincarnation--well, isn't it pretty to think so?Even though this reads like an early version of the New Age self-help books that are now ubiquitous, Gibran certainly had a gift for poetic language and simple but evocative imagery, which elevates his writing above all that other claptrap. This is a book that I can see myself returning to often. Read in 2014 for the RandomCAT Challenge.

[spiritedtruthseeke-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

another MUST read for EVERYONE

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reminds me of Wisdom and Proverbs. Very insightful and soothing to wounded souls.

[maheswaranm-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Was not quite my cup of tea. Might re-read. Might re-rate then.
But I just say - "It was okay"

[dms02 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a great look at life. a spiritual read on all topics of life. it has taken on a new meaning every time I read it.

[becky221_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(Read in 2002.) Favorite quotes:“And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”“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.”“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”