A reading for reflection from Kahlil Gibran's work,
The Madman,
His parables and poems.
God.
In the ancient days,
When the first quiver of speech came to my lips,
I ascended the holy mountain and spoke unto God,
Saying,
Master,
I am thy slave.
Thy hidden will is my law,
And I shall obey thee forevermore.
But God made no answer,
And like a mighty tempest,
Passed away.
And after a thousand years,
I ascended the holy mountain and again spoke unto God,
Saying,
Creator,
I am thy creation.
Out of clay hast thou fashioned me,
And to thee I owe mine awe.
And God made no answer,
But like a thousand swift wings passed away.
And after a thousand years,
I climbed the holy mountain and spoke unto God again,
Saying,
Father,
I am thy son.
In pity and love thou hast given me birth,
And through love and worship I shall inherit thy kingdom.
And God made no answer,
And like the mist that veils the distant hills,
He passed away.
And after a thousand years,
I climbed the sacred mountain and again spoke unto God,
Saying,
My God,
My aim and my fulfillment,
I am thy yesterday,
And thou art my tomorrow.
I am thy root in the earth,
And thou art my flower in the sky,
And together we grow before the face of the sun.
Then God leaned over me and in my ears whispered words of sweetness,
And even as the sea that unfolded the brook that runneth down to her,
He unfolded me.
And when I descended to the valleys and the plains,
God was there also.
