Kahlil Gibran On Marriage!

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Today, I want to share something familiar, maybe ordinary, yet an important issue: Marriage! Of course, we can translate it into the modern language as a partnership, friendship, bedmate or lifemate, etc.
But the main point is how much a couple should merge into each other, how close they must be and how deep.

 Rene Magritte; Perfect Woman

I’ve had various experiences in the realm of relationships. I’ve had many different connections with different women, and you can imagine how much effort it took to understand the intricacies of this adorable gender. However, my current wife is the first and only one I’ve married. It took me about twenty-three years until to say “yes” and marry her and two more years to move in together. It wasn’t easy for either of us, but we’ve slowly but surely learned to respect each other’s boundaries and individualities over the years. We share one Life but have our own dreams, all while maintaining love and respect for each other.

I have spent my life trying to understand the crucial topic in psychology called individuality. I finally succeeded with the help of Dr. Jung. It is essential for discovering and proving my uniqueness.

With thanks to Lewis Lafontaine

As it turns out, Kahlil Gibran also agrees with me. Here, I share a part of his book, “The Prophet”, about Marriage. I hope you enjoy reading it. Thanks, and have a peaceful weekend.

Image on top: Wings // Sophie Black / #surreal #Photography

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.

“Love is the only freedom in the world because it so elevates the spirit that the laws of humanity and the phenomena of nature do not alter its course_” Text and art by Kahlil Gibran

On Marriage, From the Book “The Prophet”

An illustration of Khalil Gibran. (Shutterstock)

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 the 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, 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.

33 thoughts on “Kahlil Gibran On Marriage!”

  1. This has got to be one of my favourite passages by Gibran – I am sure that we used part of this passage in our wedding vows. Thank you Aladdin for brightening my afternoon with these beautiful words. Have a lovely weekend!

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Works for me.

    Works for him.

    Our relationship works like that lute. Each string is one unto itself. Together they make music.

    A needy topic, Aladin. There is a lot of divorce in the western world, even multiple marriages and divorces. Therefore something is off kilter.

    Be well, dear friend! ❦🌹🎼🤗❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  8. We love your first two pictures, we are a kind of fans of Rene Magritte’s paintings, and we knew L.Cohen personally when we lived in Montreal and love his lyrics and music very much.
    Kahil Gibran’s writing we find a bit shallow.
    Thanks and cheers
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rene Magritte is a great painter, indeed, and Cohen is an extraordinary poet and musician. Khalil Gibran’s work is more a matter of taste, in my opinion; in any case, thank you for your interest and comment. Have a nice day.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Dr. Victor Bodo's avatar Dr. Victor Bodo

    You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
    You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
    Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. You’ll get as many definitions of ‘marriage’ as of marriages that you know, and many of them will NOT be the first and only marriage, so the concept of a single partnership is unlikely to be universal.

    I have an interest in the ones which are ‘standard issue’ vs. the ones which are unique in some way, such as when an autistic individual and a neurotypical one manage to make it last – when basically neither is really getting what they want and need.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I must think of my wife’s job as a teacher in her particular school for disabled students. She sometimes tells me about the relationships between her students and the possibilities of their marriage. However, I don’t fit the “standard issue” mould regarding marriage. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, dear Alicia.

      Like

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