The Closet Professor: On Clothes

The Closet Professor: On Clothes: "On Clothes"   by Kahlil Gibran And the weaver said, Speak to us of Clothes.      And he answered:      Your clothes conceal much of your ...

"On Clothes" is one of the prose poems in The Prophet (1923) by Kahlil Gibran. To read the entire prose poem, click on the link above. To read an article about The Prophet, click here.

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

The Final Say: On Giving of Yourself

     You give but little when you give of your possessions.

     It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

     For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

     And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?

     And what is fear of need but need itself?

     Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?

     KAHLIL GIBRAN

     in The Prophet (1923)

     Ralph Waldo Emerson, that lofty idealist who nevertheless had a penetratingly practical knowledge of human nature, wrote, "Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself."

     DAVID DUNN

     in Try Giving Yourself Away (1947),

     Second Edition (1956)

"Forgetfulness and Remembrance" by Monty Gilmer

FORGETFULNESS AND REMEMBRANCE
by Monty Gilmer

(A found poem: two six-word quotations
from Kahlil Gibran)

Forgetfulness is
a form of
freedom. Remembrance
is a form
of meeting.

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

Important Words on Giving of Oneself

Read "The Parable of the Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37).

     The only gift is a portion of thyself.

                       --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not what we give, but what we share --

For the gift without the giver is bare;

Who gives himself with his alms feeds three --

Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.

                                     --James Russell Lowell

Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity,

When I give I give myself.

                                             --Walt Whitman

     You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

                  --Kahlil Gibran

     Prayer: O God, help us always to give of ourselves when we give to others. Keep us mindful that we are to be Your servants while we are here. Amen.

                                                                                      --Evelyn M. Gilmer (born 1923)

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Kahlil Gibran on Love

Read Kahlil Gibran on Love.

Chrysanthemum: An Anthology
Poetry