Italian version

At the top of the list of the most popular books in the history of literature, we find mostly novels and fantasy stories. These are works with a complex narrative structure, in which the author’s artistic talent and literary expertise blend admirably. In this ranking, I would like to mention Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet,” first published in 1923, which has been translated into over 40 languages and continues to be read after more than 100 years. Perhaps one of the reasons for its extraordinary popularity is the delicacy with which the author strikes a deep chord in the human soul, in a text halfway between prose and poetry that stimulates the reader’s spirituality.

The Prophet stands out for its small number of pages. My copy, printed in 2005 by Rusconi Editore, contains “only” 63 pages in A5 format. I was immediately fascinated by this text, rich in similes and allegories and conveying profound messages. I consider it a highly religious text (in my previous article Religions and religiosity, I wrote my reflections on the difference between religiosity and religions), precisely because it offers a vision that goes beyond individual historical religions. To give an idea of the success of this work, I quote the final part of the preface written by the editor of the work, Marco Gremignai:
… in 1959, ‘The Prophet’ had already sold over a million copies (a remarkable achievement for the time) and even in more recent years there is no shortage of admirers of this author, especially among teenagers, who are attracted – like readers many years before them – by the many themes covered, ranging from love to faith, from freedom to friendship, youth, loneliness, and death, always presented through a fascinating series of metaphors.
Through the twenty-six sermons of the prophet Almustafa (Arabic for ‘the beloved’), who responds to the people of the city of Orphalese as he takes his leave, Gibran offers us his reflections on the main themes of human life, writing a text rich in references to various biblical, Muslim and Eastern traditions. I will quote just two passages, taken respectively from the discourses on children and on religion.

“And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.”.
And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. . … You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

And an old priest said, “Speak to us of Religion”.
And he said: Have I spoken this day of aught else? Is not religion all deeds and all reflection, And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom? Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?

I will say no more, except to warmly invite you to read “The Prophet”!

You can send your comment to info@esperienzedivalore.it, I will be happy to respond.