The Prophet (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "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..." (more)
Key Phrases: People of Orphalese

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a distant, timeless place, a mysterious prophet walks the sands. At the moment of his departure, he wishes to offer the people gifts but possesses nothing. The people gather round, each asks a question of the heart, and the man's wisdom is his gift. It is Gibran's gift to us, as well, for Gibran's prophet is rivaled in his wisdom only by the founders of the world's great religions. On the most basic topics--marriage, children, friendship, work, pleasure--his words have a power and lucidity that in another era would surely have provoked the description "divinely inspired." Free of dogma, free of power structures and metaphysics, consider these poetic, moving aphorisms a 20th-century supplement to all sacred traditions--as millions of other readers already have. --Brian Bruya

Review

The Coming Of The Ship
The Farewell
On Beauty
On Buying And Selling
On Children
On Clothes
On Crime And Punishment
On Death
On Eating And Drinking
On Freedom
On Friendship
On Giving
On Good And Evil
On Houses
On Joy And Sorrow
On Laws
On Love
On Marriage
On Pain
On Pleasure
On Prayer
On Reason And Passion
On Religion
On Self-knowledge
On Talking
On Teaching
On Time
On Work
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder® --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 107 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 91st edition (September 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394404289
• ISBN-13: 978-0394404288
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeper than you can imagine, January 17, 2006

By	L. Power "nlp trainer" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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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, 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.

115 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Prose, May 6, 2000

By	Mary Seale (Northern Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

I first became aware of Kahlil Gibran when I read a poem of his that was on the menu at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. Ever since then, I have sought out his books. The Prophet is my favorite. Several of the "poems" or passages are fully relevant to parts of my life. The book makes one feel good and inspired to do good for others. There is barely an aspect on life that the poems do not touch on-love, marriage, death and all of our own insecurities and doubts about people and life. This would be a good book to give to a friend who is going through a rough time, or just has unanswered questions at a certain point in their lives. The writing is lucid, insightful, and will be relevant for as long as time goes on.The drawings add to an already great work. At my favorite Lebanese restaurant, I not only found good food-I thankfully found Kahlil Gibran.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Wisdom, November 10, 2000

By	Kathy Adams (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Gibran gets right down to the bedrock of what it is all about. He was obviously a very enlightened man, and The Prophet is so completely, psychologically and spiritually healthy. Anyone who would not consider this work a standard for healthy living, is simply simple-minded. This book should be offered to all high school students as a guide in gaining perspective on what is really important in life. I first read The Prophet about 10 years ago, and I typically read it about once a year, just to remind myself. However, I gave my copy to my son who showed signs of being "at risk" at age 17. I believe the book had a significant, positive impact on him, and he is now 20 and living a very responsible and balanced life. After my son had read this book, I found him on the telephone one evening reading passages to a friend. It made him think, and any time you can get a teenager to think, it's a very good thing.