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Gibran's Treasury
The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran
The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran represents the most comprehensive volume of works of the Lebanese poet and philosopher ever published. This enriching collection of stories, prose poems, verse, parables and autobiographical essays comprising the major body of Kahlil Gibran's works have been carefully translated and edited by a noted trio of Gibran scholars... Martin L. Wolf, Anthony R. Ferris and Andrew Dib Sherfan.
Each of the ten books included in this beautifully bound collectors' volume has been hailed by critics as literary masterpieces. The works in this collection clearly demonstrate why critics regard Kahlil Gibran as eminently among the world's great writers. His writings reflect the wistful beauty, fierce anger, lofty majesty and the abiding peace that Eastern wisdom achieves in its contemplation.
Often revered as the Dante of the twentieth century, the immortal savant of Lebanon, Kahlil Gibran created verses and lyric prose which impart to the reader a grand symphony of sparkling joys. These qualities have made Kahlil Gibran master of the written word.
Each of the ten books included in this beautifully bound collectors' volume has been hailed by critics as literary masterpieces. The works in this collection clearly demonstrate why critics regard Kahlil Gibran as eminently among the world's great writers. His writings reflect the wistful beauty, fierce anger, lofty majesty and the abiding peace that Eastern wisdom achieves in its contemplation.
Often revered as the Dante of the twentieth century, the immortal savant of Lebanon, Kahlil Gibran created verses and lyric prose which impart to the reader a grand symphony of sparkling joys. These qualities have made Kahlil Gibran master of the written word.
902 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1947
318 people are currently reading
3543 people want to read
About the author
Kahlil Gibran
1,329 books15.1k followersKahlil Gibran (Arabic:
جبران خليل جبران
) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer.
Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon (then part of Ottoman Mount Lebanon), as a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.
He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again, especially in the 1960s counterculture.
Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.
Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-day Lebanon (then part of Ottoman Mount Lebanon), as a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. In the Arab world, Gibran is regarded as a literary and political rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature, especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.
He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again, especially in the 1960s counterculture.
Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 6, 2022
I am a stranger to myself, and when I hear my tongue speak, my ears wonder over my voice; I see my inner self smiling, crying, braving, and fearing; and my existence wonders over my substance while my soul interrogates my heart; but I remain unknown, engulfed by tremendous silence.
My thoughts are strangers to my body, and as I stand before the mirror, I see something in my face which my soul does not see, and I find in my eyes what my inner self does not find.
My thoughts are strangers to my body, and as I stand before the mirror, I see something in my face which my soul does not see, and I find in my eyes what my inner self does not find.
February 19, 2011
If you want something to draw inspiration from on a daily basis, this should be in a place you can access it every single day. I can't say I've finished the book in the sense that I've read it front to back, but when I need a little guidance or comfort, I open to a place that resonates with me at that moment. I can't believe I lived so many years without this book.
December 16, 2007
I think,
his writings
are gently soporific for me.
such an ebb and flow,
a rhythmic rocking.
A sense of calm for a haring mind,
engaging heart and soul
as they are read.
This book in hand
is older than any i can find on this site
beaten and battered long before it came my way.
has an old inscription inside,
a gift of love given long ago.
the giver tells their favorite pieces.
most folks who know his writings have one or two.
the book the prophet is known well
and well loved by many.
My own cravings tonight
brought on by this wild wind,
falling ice,
and the crshing waves,
led me to search for "The Tempest",
my own hearts favorite.
always read with new eyes.
It's been a long time
since I have read any of his work
and just a little,
it seems,
can make a person
hunger to hear more.
August 27, 2019
This was the book, I bought after, I got obsessed with" The Prophet". Believe me it is a treasure. Its a book with life- It speaks to you, to the prejudiced you, the ignorant you. The wisdom and thoughts it holds is explosive, It will uplift you to clearer perception, break you veil of preconceived notion, make you stare into naked truth-to see reality as it is, Transform the way you think for ever and throw a light on life of humankind and give you a feel of the mind of a viciously perceptive mystic. A must read book for deep thinkers. With the turmoil and troubles that this man faced in his life, to the man he became in spite of it all, remains an inspiration to all mankind.
To all the readers and admirers of the man my wish for you-
May your perception grow clearer and clearer, your peace grow deeper and deeper. your burden lighter and lighter.
To all the readers and admirers of the man my wish for you-
May your perception grow clearer and clearer, your peace grow deeper and deeper. your burden lighter and lighter.
December 21, 2015
I recently purchased this book at the general store in my hometown and have not begun a morning without it since. Seriously. If you want a book at your bedside for late-night or early morning reading, this is it. It is a large book at just over 900 pages, but spending an hour or so reading a few poems at a time is the best approach in my opinion. You will not believe the way that Gibran's poetry and prose reach deep into your soul and evoke a song that evades words. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of Gibran's writings.
August 23, 2011
*“ I shall be happy when men shall say about me what they said of Blake: “he is a mad man”.*
Gibran romanticized nature and found in it an inspirational power for his poetry. He identified the divine essence with the natural world and established a mystical union with nature, a relationship of love and harmony.
Gibran romanticized nature and found in it an inspirational power for his poetry. He identified the divine essence with the natural world and established a mystical union with nature, a relationship of love and harmony.
January 19, 2023
Sometimes he is a bit too soft for my tastes, even sentimental - dare I say predictable and generic - with his poems and prayers and meditations. There can be a formula in this sort of writing too. Nevertheless, there is enough here that is good so that every reader will find something that touches them. And there are millions who find everything he has written worthwhile.
July 11, 2016
DNF @90%
This book was GOOD, For 2 parts, i REALLY enjoyed Gibran's writing but 3rd part was just not for me!
This book was GOOD, For 2 parts, i REALLY enjoyed Gibran's writing but 3rd part was just not for me!
January 26, 2020
I grew up reading Kahlil Gibran. The last time I read his works was over fifteen years ago but I still remember the profound impression his musings, stories and prose poems had on my adolescent imagination. There was always a copy of his works by the side of my bed.
Kahlil was a dreamer. My friends used to call him a madman.
Our world needs dreamers and madmen.
Kahlil was a dreamer. My friends used to call him a madman.
Our world needs dreamers and madmen.
May 9, 2009
This book is pure inspiration. A man with the heart and soul of a poet and prophet...the loveliest of marriages.
August 11, 2011
Great collection of the 'prophets' writings, the only down side is that as thick as it is it is too thin.
February 8, 2011
This contains almost everything ever written by Kahlil Gibran, short stories and poems. My all time favorite is Broken Wings, which I can read over and over again without getting tired of it.
August 24, 2021
Khalil Gibran was a visionary who hailed from Lebanon. His land was beautiful and the people simple and pure. But it was a land that was ruled by corruption, and he saw this. The church and the local despots and mukhtars keep the people under lock and key. The church keeps the villagers chained to traditions that enforce their slavery. Women are given to rich older men and are locked in marriages with people they no longer care about. The church and the landowner keep the people enslaved. Working in partnership the landowners and village chiefs work the villagers to death all for their own profits. Khalil Gibran wrote about this problem and spoke about it at length in his poetry and prose. The church excommunicated him for it and he eventually came to US to live in exile.
While I cannot remember all the names of everything I have read. The stories and poems illustrate their point. On story tells about a monk who is excommunicated from a monastery. His crime was preaching pure Christianity. Giving charity to the poor and encouraging freedom of though. Once expelled from the monastery he finds refuge with a widow and her daughter. But no sooner has he found refuge when the local mukhtar and priest find him and lock him up. The exiled monk speaks his truth and eventually the townspeople free him.
In another story three people are tried and condemned for various offenses. The first offence is for a woman accused of adultery. Her body is left to rot in the woods. What happened is that she was in love with another man. He went out of town for a day and her father married her off to an older more established man. Her old lover came to visit her one last time when the husband walked in. She was accused of adultery and killed. The second person killed the sultan’s soldier with his own sword and for that he was sentenced to death. A woman came by his body after it was left for the beasts to devour it. She buried the body and explained the story. The sultans’ soldiers had detained her family and were about to do bad thinks to the women folk. He bravely stepped up and defended her. The third case involves a man stealing from a monastery. His wife comes by to bury him after his death sentence. She explains that he stole from the monastery to feed his family. He asked the church for help, but no charity was forthcoming.
Khalil Gibran also touches upon reincarnation and the deities of old. In one story there is a priest, dedicated to Ishtar the goddess of love. As he watches his love die she gives him a promise that they will meet again in another life. They do so. A young shepherd meets a young maiden and the two fall in love. It is in a lovers embrace that their memories return.
The poet loved his country, and he loved his people. It was unfortunate that Lebanon was run by corrupt leaders and supported by a greedy church that k new how to take and not to give. The leadership and the church worked in tandem to keep the people oppressed and have them be subservient. Marriage customs were outdated and oppressive as well. Often time a father would marry his daughter off to an older more well-established gentleman. The father cared about his business contacts and not about the daughter’s health and wellbeing. This led to a situation where in the woman had to remain locked in a marriage, she was not happy in. In many of his writings this young woman was or is in love with a nother lover closer to her age. For his writings and point of view Khalil Gibran was excommunicated by the church.
While I cannot remember all the names of everything I have read. The stories and poems illustrate their point. On story tells about a monk who is excommunicated from a monastery. His crime was preaching pure Christianity. Giving charity to the poor and encouraging freedom of though. Once expelled from the monastery he finds refuge with a widow and her daughter. But no sooner has he found refuge when the local mukhtar and priest find him and lock him up. The exiled monk speaks his truth and eventually the townspeople free him.
In another story three people are tried and condemned for various offenses. The first offence is for a woman accused of adultery. Her body is left to rot in the woods. What happened is that she was in love with another man. He went out of town for a day and her father married her off to an older more established man. Her old lover came to visit her one last time when the husband walked in. She was accused of adultery and killed. The second person killed the sultan’s soldier with his own sword and for that he was sentenced to death. A woman came by his body after it was left for the beasts to devour it. She buried the body and explained the story. The sultans’ soldiers had detained her family and were about to do bad thinks to the women folk. He bravely stepped up and defended her. The third case involves a man stealing from a monastery. His wife comes by to bury him after his death sentence. She explains that he stole from the monastery to feed his family. He asked the church for help, but no charity was forthcoming.
Khalil Gibran also touches upon reincarnation and the deities of old. In one story there is a priest, dedicated to Ishtar the goddess of love. As he watches his love die she gives him a promise that they will meet again in another life. They do so. A young shepherd meets a young maiden and the two fall in love. It is in a lovers embrace that their memories return.
The poet loved his country, and he loved his people. It was unfortunate that Lebanon was run by corrupt leaders and supported by a greedy church that k new how to take and not to give. The leadership and the church worked in tandem to keep the people oppressed and have them be subservient. Marriage customs were outdated and oppressive as well. Often time a father would marry his daughter off to an older more well-established gentleman. The father cared about his business contacts and not about the daughter’s health and wellbeing. This led to a situation where in the woman had to remain locked in a marriage, she was not happy in. In many of his writings this young woman was or is in love with a nother lover closer to her age. For his writings and point of view Khalil Gibran was excommunicated by the church.
April 22, 2023
زمانی که نتوان باوری فراتر از حقیقتی که در راه رسیدن به آن رنج برده ایم را همچو مجسمه مدهوش کننده ای مقابل چشمان خود قرار دهیم،خواندن این چنین جملات آزار دهنده می آید.
آخرین اثری که از جبران خواندم
آخرین اثری که از جبران خواندم
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September 8, 2015In truth, The Prophet is a work of such universal appeal that there is little to be gained from speculating on the identity of persons or places represented in it. For Gibran's purpose was a lofty one, and his belief in the 'unity of being', which led him to call for universal fellowship and the unification of the human race, is a message which retains its potency today as do the messages of all great poets. Inspired by his experiences in a country far from the land of his origins, he strove to resolve cultural and human conflict, in the process developing a unique genre of writing, and transcending the barriers of East and West as few have done before or since. He became not only Gibran of Lebanon, but Gibran of America, indeed Gibran the voice of global consciousness: a voice which increasingly demands to be heard in the continuing Age of Anxiety.
July 6, 2016
“How wonderful the treasure beneath God’s throne which only poet’s tongues can unlock”! (Al-Hadith)
Treasury of Khalil Gibran is translated from Arabic by Anthony Rizcallah Ferris. In this book Gibran Muses over beautiful and not the ugly. Over the system and not the crime (as the reader can clearly read in Book - 3 “The Criminal”). I am very disturbed by his love for ‘Death’. His love for tears as well as his deep sincere affection for death. Like Beethoven’s deathless music, of which the composer said, “From the heart it has sprung, and to the heart it shall penetrate”. Same could be believed and said about the writings of Gibran. The book is Spiritual and philosophical and is a lovely read.
Treasury of Khalil Gibran is translated from Arabic by Anthony Rizcallah Ferris. In this book Gibran Muses over beautiful and not the ugly. Over the system and not the crime (as the reader can clearly read in Book - 3 “The Criminal”). I am very disturbed by his love for ‘Death’. His love for tears as well as his deep sincere affection for death. Like Beethoven’s deathless music, of which the composer said, “From the heart it has sprung, and to the heart it shall penetrate”. Same could be believed and said about the writings of Gibran. The book is Spiritual and philosophical and is a lovely read.
May 23, 2008
This is a series of Gibran's many poetic masterpieces.
gibran touches on the human Condition in many of its forms and phases with such majestic prose. His philosophical and spiritual expressions of love and life are biblical and prophetic.
I would recommend reading "The Nature
of Love" first(but not necessary)as this is a study of Kahlil Gibran's philosophy and Life,a native Lebonese and much of his work translated from Arabic.
gibran touches on the human Condition in many of its forms and phases with such majestic prose. His philosophical and spiritual expressions of love and life are biblical and prophetic.
I would recommend reading "The Nature
of Love" first(but not necessary)as this is a study of Kahlil Gibran's philosophy and Life,a native Lebonese and much of his work translated from Arabic.
August 13, 2009
Some of the things he writes are so topical, no matter when and where they are set. Other ideas...pretty Utopian and unrealistic. I think that most of the people that really "grooved" on hsi writings in the 60's, 70's were probably a little high on more than life, but it was still nice to listen to.
February 12, 2015
Beautiful. My own personal views of the Church and Jesus are summed up in The Crucified and I want Song of the Soul to be read at my funeral someday. I always wondered if I was the only one who felt the way I do but found a kindred spirit in Kahlil Gibran. So glad to have found his work. Sums up the Holy Spirit perfectly in today's materialistic world.
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October 10, 2015A book to quiet the ego
Many have read th r prophet, yet it wasn't till I had read more than just his most famous work did I truly get a sense of how powerful his writing was and is today. This book will have you questioning your movements through not just your own journey but that of the journeys of those whom you interact with most, especially your children.
Many have read th r prophet, yet it wasn't till I had read more than just his most famous work did I truly get a sense of how powerful his writing was and is today. This book will have you questioning your movements through not just your own journey but that of the journeys of those whom you interact with most, especially your children.
September 26, 2013
A literary and philosophical genius. A book in my families possession for years - that i discovered when i hit my 20s. Not a front to back read - but a definate source of inspiration.. Specially in winter - on a cosy sofa- fireplace cat and all.
Currently reading
February 7, 2009I need to organize notes on what I've read by Kahlil Gibran. Will update this when I flip through and see which books exactly I've read.
August 5, 2009
He shows the tragic and the beautiful elements of humanity through poetry and prose. He is a poet and a philosopher with a true gift.
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May 8, 2013And here's an interruption of everything. Got hold of The Treasury of Kahlil Gibran. Everything else I was reading is definately pushed to the side. Love him!!!
July 18, 2012
This is a gem that will make a great bedside read every now and then, a great companion in one's life journey, and a treasure to keep as one embarks on a journey inward.
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February 12, 2015I have read a number of Gibran's books & have always wanted to read this one. Amazing!
August 29, 2012
Beautifully crafted masterpieces...
August 14, 2013
One of the best philosophical /poetic works I have read...in times of pain I always go back to Gibran...
September 13, 2014
just buy it and keep it, anyway, anyhow you can.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews