Why I love Kahlil Gibran…..

Disclaimer: This was intended as a review of Gibran's works, but I realize that I am incapable of a nonpartisan view in this regard and therefore I settle now to only comment on what makes him so special! Don't know if it is only me, or more of you agree…

Weary is my spirit of all there is.
I would not move a hand to create a world
Nor to erase one.

I would not live could I but die,
For the weight of aeons is upon me,
And the ceaseless moan of the seas exhausts my sleep.
Could I but lose the primal aim
And vanish like a wasted sun;
Could I but strip my divinity of its purpose
And breathe my immortality into space,
And be no more;
Could I but be consumed and pass from time’s memory
Into the emptiness of nowhere!

That is Kahlil Gibran for you! Simply masterful, eh? For someone who couldn’t correct his mispelled name as an immigrant to America, for someone who was always insecure of his command over the English language and for someone who, for most part, felt out-of-place in a Western world, Gibran's writing in English is unique, insightful, lyrical, profound, universal, timeless.

Being a Christian (I know, most people think he is a Muslim), a Maronite at that and from a region as amalgamated as Lebanon (60% Muslims and 40% Christian) – he is an excellent example of someone who has had the best of most worlds. Add to it, his immigration to America and opening up of a whole new world! He had had his regular dose of religion- (queer again!) Bible preachings in Arabic, but he never found it enough to quench his thirst in the quest. This background permeates his works and roots its content in tolerance.

He does not indulge in complicated teachings of how to attain God… neither does he advocate his idea of how one should lead one's life – this is the core of his writing and therein lies his appeal. This is precisely what makes his thought timeless and enables it to surpass petty boundaries as religion, region etc. He simply answers questions that have aroused in his mind at an earlier point in time and to which he believes he has found an answer; at the same time being completely aware that there maybe other, more relevant answers.

Gibran is a unique mixture of peace and chaos - without his internal chaos, he could not have raised those questions and without his peace, insight and a gripping pursuance he could not have penned down those answers. Reading him is like an inner voice - one understands and feels it, but can hardly do justice to describing it and this is where Gibran's writings lend a tangible manifestation to those ideas and thoughts that everyone has toyed with every once in a while.

In terms of literature itself, his use of metaphors is unparalleled. With Gibran, words become art and is unfettered by everything around. His antithesis helps provide the perfect balance, which something as heavy as his writing definitely needs. The terms he uses to describe certain entities, feelings etc seem so refreshingly apt and simple –never have those words been used to deliver such impact and never will one use any other word as a replacement.

Gibran spins his stories and delivers all he has to around his experinces and relationships in life. This is probably why the story itself, or the plot (if I may say so) bears less impact and all focus is on what he is saying. But this is hardly an impairment, as the message he imparts is far more fulfilling and lets the handicap go almost unnoticed.
He doesn’t act as protagonist, instead assigns his ideas to a character in the story. This makes his prophecies less 'preachy', more human and humble, even. He comments on every aspect that is critical in ones life, gives his opinion- which is indeed profound. His works personify clarity of thought and simplicity.

His works are more like verses of poetry than prose; and his thoughts more spiritual than are religious. An unthinkable combination of words, unconventional metaphors and a rare ebullience marks the flavour of all his works.
His power seems to come from some great reservoir of spiritual life else it could not have been so inspirational, universal and so cogent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it were all his own.

Gentle, yet startling; a Sage and a Rebel; the Believer and the Doubter- Gibran makes one feel that Socrates' Banquet was written solely for him – 'It is the beauty of thought which exercises a deeper enchantment than the beauty of form'. And this in any way does not allude to the fact that his works lack a beauty of form- instead, enchanting words and captivating sketches(yes, he is an artist too) can be found throughout his books. This mystic has a voice with the ring and the potency of an oracle. Gibran’s utterances came out of inner ripeness, which defies intellectual security and analyses – as was rightly described by his mother as being 'out of psycology'.

I have never read a book by a man who so thoroughly is in touch with himself and the world around, Gibran is able not only to show you the world through his eyes, but to make you feel as if you are looking upon a whole new world with your own. A strange touch of melancholy runs through his verses, for he is the soaring eagle and its very shadow, the crawling turtle too…

……Vague and nebulous is the beginning of all things, but not their end,
And I fain would have you remember me as a beginning.
Life, and all that lives, is conceived in the mist and not in the crystal.
And who knows but a crystal is mist in decay?
This would I have you remember in remembering me…