Beauty Xxv Poem by Kahlil Gibran

Beauty Xxv

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And a poet said, 'Speak to us of Beauty.'

Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?

And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech?

The aggrieved and the injured say, 'Beauty is kind and gentle.

Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us.'

And the passionate say, 'Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread.

Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us.'

The tired and the weary say, 'beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit.

Her voice yields to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow.'

But the restless say, 'We have heard her shouting among the mountains,

And with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions.'

At night the watchmen of the city say, 'Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east.'

And at noontide the toilers and the wayfarers say, 'we have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset.'

In winter say the snow-bound, 'She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills.'

And in the summer heat the reapers say, 'We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair.'

All these things have you said of beauty.

Yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied,

And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.

It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,

But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.

It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,

But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.

It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,

But rather a garden forever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.

People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.

But you are life and you are the veil.

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.

But you are eternity and you are the mirror.

Beauty Xxv
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Topic(s) of this poem: beauty
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Shelby Powell 09 October 2010

that is beauty expressed at its best

12 2 Reply
Lois Dawes 01 April 2009

Khalil's verson of 'beauty is moe than skin deep' Somone should make tis a song then another inspiration for a commercial..about how to loose weight..not that I', against weight watchers and weight lifters and..oh that 'GREAT' body but we should laways remember that to hit the mark of that Eternal inner beauty of purity that cannot be captured/not realling in a picture/mybe a painting..is the BEATUY so when my figure is not the 100% ideal i'm looking for I look to my husband and he says...don't worry it is all for some inner glory..thanks Ghibran...and you too Pier One..Jamaica West Indies..come and visit us sometime..anyone who reads these comments.

4 8 Reply
Vanita Thakkar 10 June 2009

I simply love Gibran's writings. Don't think I can comment on them. Just salute them.

7 3 Reply
Edgar Stevens 26 March 2015

I totally agree with you Vanita...

1 0
Jerry Ez 26 July 2022

One of the greatest poet's of all time.

0 0 Reply
Richard Antwi 30 June 2020

Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? Beauty might only be found in the eyes of the beholder.

3 0 Reply
Kesav Easwaran 24 December 2019

Beauty is with in. She lives in your perception. Great words. Beautiful poem

4 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 07 November 2019

An insightful creation set aside for sober reflection. A beautiful work of art.

3 0 Reply
Castellenas John 14 April 2019

Outstanding poetry by Khalil.

3 0 Reply
Lawrence 14 August 2021

Has thy heaven and earth come unto thy my lords

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