"The Prophet" Khalil Gibran | On Love

This audio file, read by me, is a chapter from the book "The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran, where the women ask questions about love and get an answer to what love is. A short 4 minutes recording is lovely.

Transcript

On love.

Then said Almitra speak to us of love and he raised his head and looked upon the people and there fell a stillness upon them and with a great voice he said when love beckons to you follow him though his ways are hard and steep and when wings unfold 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 for even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself he thrashes you to make you naked he sieves you to free you from your husks he grinds you to whiteness he kneads you until you are planned and then he assigns you to his sacred fire that you may become sacred bread for god's sacred feast all these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart and in that knowledge become a fragment of life's heart but if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure then it's better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's thrashing floor into the seasonless world where you shall laugh but not all of your laughter and weep but not all of your tears love gives not but itself and takes not but from itself love possesses not nor would it be possessed for love is sufficient unto love when you love you should not say god is in my heart but rather i am in the heart of god and think not you can direct the course of love for love if it finds you worthy directs you course love has no other desire but to fulfill itself but if your 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 events tied with gratitude and then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips