Although this is not really my forte, after reading for a second time then I started to really like it and somehow it's weird but funny.


The Fox

A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, "I will have a camel for lunch today." And all morning he went abaout looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again-and he said, "a mouse will do."

The New Pleasure

Last night I invented a new pleasure, and as I was giving it the first trial and angel and a devil came rushing toward my house. They met at my door and fought with each other over my newly created plasure; the one crying, "it is a sin!" -the other, "it is a virtue!".

The grave Digger

Once, as I was burying one of my dead selves, the grave digger came by and said to me, "Of all those who came here to bury, you alone I like."
Said I, "You please me excedeedingly, but why do you like me?"
"Because," said he, "They come weeping and go weeping -you only come laughing and go laughing."

"You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen, the seven masks I have fashioned an worn in seven lives, I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, "Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves."

Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear of me.

And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top cried, "He is a madman." I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, "Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks."

Thus I became a madman.

My first self rules all other selves. It takes into account the feelings of each self and does its best to diminish all other thoughts. My third self was snuffed out long ago, being a middle aged mom, and only seems to glimmer a bit in memories whenever I am drinking. My fourth self often gives way to my first self, although I'd have to say the fourth is quite strong, at least as strong as the 3rd, if not of a stronger will. The sixth self is present constantly, but as it does not vie for attention, the other selves, often leave it alone to quietly labor. I know not of the second self, and even times in my life when I thought perhaps this self was forefront, I found only to my dismay that I had been mistaken. The fifth self, my thinking self, believes it is the strongest and is in charge, when in truth it's really the first self that commands all. This might seems sad to you, but I assure you, I am at peace most days, and have come to love all my selves.

When I picked this up, I had never heard of Gibran and much to my dismay and delight, realized quickly how much I had been missing out. This fantastic writer spoke to my soul (and all of my selves) and immediately got added to my must read list. A person who believes themselves to be well read is mistaken if they haven't taken up Gibran at least once in their lives.