Marriage Poem by Kahlil Gibran

Marriage

Rating: 3.2


Then Almitra spoke again and said, 'And what of Marriage, master? '

And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Marriage
COMMENTS OF THE POEM

i read this poem and commented before, now iam not sure who is the one posting Gibran poems but i love to see it here...

5 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 18 November 2021

Well articuated and nicely brought forth with conviction. An insightful piece of poetry

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Jose Gonzalez 18 November 2021

Love eachc other but give each other space.so true, good marriage advice.

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Frank Avon 01 September 2014

I regret that Gibran wrote at a time when poetry was being redefined so as to eliminate him from consideration, and in a country that was leading the way into an academic elitism among poets and critics. The New Critics, who grew up among Southern fundamentalists and in the shadow of scriptural poetry and rhetoric, recalled the exegesis and displayed in the their close reading of poems, but they lost the biblical rhythms and the psalmic forms of genuine poetry. Gibran should be respected, indeed honored, for what he did, as Rumi and Hafiz and Rabindranath Tagore are - not expected to conform to another, totally different (and ultimately provincial) definition of poetry. This poem, from The Prophet, is in my opinion one of the best examples of his artistry.

7 1 Reply
* Sunprincess * 08 June 2014

......definitely this write should be posted in every marriage counselor's office....amazing....

6 1 Reply
Donna Chlimon 03 February 2014

And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow. The secret to relationships.

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