Kahlil Gibran on Love

Photo Credit:  Anne-Marie Bouchard

Rebecca reminded me a last week of the poet Kahlil Gibran. A friend had recited to her a favourite verse he had written about marriage and Rebecca shared it with me. I was reminded of the profound beauty of his work, having first been introduced to him by my speech teacher Dr. Leona Patterson. She was one special woman.

My journey over the last months with Annabelle has given me pause to think about love in many new ways. And I have thought a great deal about how grief and joy are bound together.

Kahlil Gibran on Love

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

(…)

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.