Monday, May 2, 2011

Marriage

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, 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.

Kahlil Gibran on Marriage

3 comments:

Tracy said... Best Blogger Tips

I'm guessing the date went well ;)
This is so well said, and not at all surprising that he would get the spirit of the thing so succinctly. He's one of my favorites and I tell my husband, often, even after I've wanted to throw something at him, that he has to marry me, over and over, and in each life, he has to come find me.
The mate to one's soul is so often the most frustrating of loves.

jjiraffe said... Best Blogger Tips

What a lovely poem. I love when great thinkers discuss the longevity of relationships, because all too often much poetry and philosophy is focused exclusively on the courtship and early life of a relationship.

St Elsewhere said... Best Blogger Tips

I love Gibran.

I love the thought behind it too.

And yes, one of the biggest troubles is when partners dont give space to one another.

Take Care.