For me, there is a familiar rhythm in the words of Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883 - 1931), perhaps because he too was born in Lebanon. He was an artist and a poet. His drawings were mostly mystical and dreamy and his words were filled with longing, joy and sorrow. I read his most famous work, The Prophet, when I was in my teens and thought that it was a nice book. But it wasn't until after college that I saw the magnificence of this work and was hit by the full impact of it. He seemed to have written exactly what I was feeling. In fact, I became so familiar with his words that their rhythm is often reflected in my own writings. That ancient spirit that lived in him has touched me.
I remember asking myself: How could a man, a dead man who lived a generation or two before me, know me or connect with me more deeply than those living around me, my closest friends and family? It was then I realized that time and space cannot limit authentic connections and relationships. It was then that I realized the infinite beauty, rhythm and radiance behind timeless words.
When I think of Gibran, I think of a distant star that lived gloriously long ago. Because light in the far corners of the Universe takes so long to reach our eyes, the light of that star is still traveling through space and reaching my eyes long after its death. Likewise, the light of Gibran Khalil Gibran is still traveling and bridging the gap of time.
Some information about Gibran:
A Reading of The Prophet
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