"The Prophet on Friendship"
A Poem by Kahlil Gibran
About the Author
Gibran Khalil Gibran was born on January 6, 1883 in Bsharri, Lebanon (then part of Syria and the Ottoman Empire). In 1891, Gibran’s father was thrown in prison for embezzlement, influencing his mother to move the rest of her family to the United States. They joined their relatives and shared an apartment in South Boston, Massachusetts. Gibran started school on September 30, 1895 where he changed his name to Kahlil Gibran. From 1907 onwards, he embarked on his artistic and literary career and in 1908, set off to Paris to study art for two years. His early works of writing are in Arabic, but most of his work published after 1918 is in English. His writing revolves around spirituality and religions such as: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Theosophy. “The Prophet,” a collection of twenty-six poetic essays including “On Friendship,” is Gibran’s most famous piece of literature. He died of liver cirrhosis and tuberculosis on April 10, 1931 in New York City. NAS
Relation to "Friendship"
The entire poem describes a basis for a perfect friendship, which relates to modern relationships because it shows teens there is hope that their relationships can be strong and healthy. NAS
"The Prophet on Friendship"
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. NAS
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. NAS
Discussion Questions and Activities
1. Is Gibran's type of friendship similar to modern day relationships? If so, how are the relationships the same? Are there any differences between how the relationships form?
2. What type of friendship has a stronger bond, long distance or close relationship? Look at what he talks about within the second stanza.
3. How has modern technology affected friendships today? During Gibran's life he did not have any
of the technology we use to socialize.
4. What does Gibran mean by "let the best be for your friend?" Should we give our best emotions to our friends or sacrifice our best personal possessions and wealth? Both? NAS
2. What type of friendship has a stronger bond, long distance or close relationship? Look at what he talks about within the second stanza.
3. How has modern technology affected friendships today? During Gibran's life he did not have any
of the technology we use to socialize.
4. What does Gibran mean by "let the best be for your friend?" Should we give our best emotions to our friends or sacrifice our best personal possessions and wealth? Both? NAS
Essay and Response Questions
1. Is Gibran's description of friendship possible to achieve? Is the description too perfect? Think about the amount of trust he talks about throughout the piece.
2. Does modern technology like Facebook help or hinder maintaining a long friendship? Use examples from your own life or from the people around you.
3. How does Gibran define his overall message through this statement: "When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the 'nay' in your own mind, nor do you withhold the 'ay?'" Look at the rest of the poem and see if he bases his ideas on friendship from this one statement.
4. Does Gibran change the type of friendship he describes throughout his poem? If so, which type does he prefer? Analyze the contents of each different stanza to develop an answer. NAS
2. Does modern technology like Facebook help or hinder maintaining a long friendship? Use examples from your own life or from the people around you.
3. How does Gibran define his overall message through this statement: "When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the 'nay' in your own mind, nor do you withhold the 'ay?'" Look at the rest of the poem and see if he bases his ideas on friendship from this one statement.
4. Does Gibran change the type of friendship he describes throughout his poem? If so, which type does he prefer? Analyze the contents of each different stanza to develop an answer. NAS
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