(Inspirations – a series that is reproduction of interesting speeches and writings. It is not about a writer’s block – i keep battling those – but more because these are readings / writings that inspired me at a certain point in life – and they still resonate.)
I discoverd Khalil Gibran via Robert Fisk’s book “Pity the Nation” – on the war in Lebanon. I was a student – in a society that was eclectic & multi ethnic. I had a flatmate who was Lebanese, another couple who were Coptic Egyptians, classmates who came from across the globe. Many of these were places with conflict – countries that had not yet recovered from colonialism and had not yet gotten used to the concept of Nation State. Identity was much more at the tribal, religious sect, ethnic or clan level.
In those days, I was curious about conflict, nationalism and national identity, colonialism, post colonialism – all the things that are so terribly important to students 🙂 And, somehow when i read this it struck a chord – i went back and pulped on Gibran – but none of it resonates as much as this – possibly because it was the first one !
Funnily, many of my classmates believed it referred to their part of the world. Every so often i revisit this – somehow nothing seems to have changed.
Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpetings and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpetings again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.
Khalil Gibran
The garden of the Prophet (1934)
I fear some of those lines are true about our own country
unfortunately 🙁 they are true of most states – but that is not a comfort 🙁
Kahlil Gibran is the sheer force which tears apart the prejudice and society of any society by his well chosen words. Pity the Nation is very strong poem and have much more patriotic feeling than any nationalistic song. And your inspiration series is really next big thing I am looking forward to read in future. And speaking about Kahlil Giran personally, his poems can create havoc if quoted at right place. I have read his one book “The Prophet” till this time. I quoted him once in the family gathering…
“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 may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls, ”
My mother didn’t speak to me for full day.I stopped mentioning his name even in front of my family from then…
hi
completely agree. each of his verses makes you think – because they are so very true. he had such a good reading of humanity !
i told my friend about this verse
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,
she responded, that is because you don’t have any :::)
having or not having any , doesnt take away from the truth of the statement !!
Gargi Madam, Now what else remains for saying wisdom words to strangers if family and friends response like that..
The lines are very relevant for India also.
Khalil Gibran was my inspiration in my college days.Even now when I read his lines they strike a chord.
never could i read this poem without thinking he had my country in mind – gues this is the reality of all ex colonies – –