Kahlil Gibran's masterpiece, "The Prophet," which expresses twenty-six themes of life in poetic language, has been published in translation by poet Ryu Si-hwa, who is loved for her emotional language and transparent poetic world.


The Prophet, often called the modern Bible, is Gibran's lifelong masterpiece, which he began conceiving before he was twenty and completed at the age of forty.
I carried the manuscript around with me and revised it whenever I had an idea, and even before publication, I revised it several times before submitting it.
You can tell how much effort was put into this piece.
When I showed the first draft to my mother when I was around twenty, she said, “This is a really good piece of writing.
But there is an anecdote that he said, “But it is not yet time, so cover it up.”
Gibran later recalled, “My mother knew my immature thoughts better than I did.”


The Prophet, a collection of proverbs that touches on universal themes of life, such as love and marriage, joy and sorrow, reason and passion, in deep, clear, and unhindered language, begins with the Prophet Al-Mustafa boarding a ship to return home after his exile.
The residents of Orpalace Castle, saddened by his passing, seek his advice on how to live their lives.


A striking feature of The Prophet is its use of biblical language.
Because he viewed the language of the Bible as an ideal medium for conveying profound teachings.
It also answers twenty-six questions in a question-and-answer format that form the basis of life, such as love, marriage, children, work, giving, eating and drinking, joy and sorrow, housing and clothing, buying and selling, sin and punishment, reason and emotion, good and evil, friendship, conversation, prayer, pleasure, religion, and death.


This may be unfamiliar to domestic readers, but Kahlil Gibran was also recognized as an original painter.
Rodin, whom he met while studying in Paris, compared Gibran's paintings to the works of the mystic poet and painter William Blake.
In fact, Gibran was so impressed by Blake's poetry and paintings after being introduced to them by Rodin that he said, "I have met my soul brother."
What sets this translation apart from previous books is that it includes drawings by Gibran himself, including the face of the Prophet Al-Mustafa.
Additionally, to help readers understand, the original English text is also included so that readers can read it while comparing it with the original text.
This dense commentary, spanning 50 pages, illuminates Gibran's life and literary world.


First published in small format by Knopf in New York in 1923, The Prophet has never been out of print, and the American edition alone has sold over 9 million copies.
Nearly 100 years have passed since its publication, but it remains a worldwide bestseller.
In the 1960s, it became the 'bible' of the counterculture, creating an explosive response in line with the social atmosphere, and has been translated into over 50 languages ​​to date, and is said to be the second best-selling book after the Bible.
It had such a huge impact on the reading world that it even gave rise to the term Gibranism.
The fact that it has been read by people for a long time may be because 'hunger for the meaning of life and truth' is an inner desire that all humans possess.

When love calls you, follow him.
Even though the road is difficult and steep.

When the wings of love embrace you, surrender your whole body to him.
Even if the sword hidden in its wings may wound you.
When love speaks to you, trust its words.

Even though the north wind may lay waste to your garden, its voice may shake your dreams.
---From "About Love"


Stay together but keep your distance.
So let the winds of the sky dance between you.

Love one another.
But do not bind with love.
Rather, let there be a sea of ​​waves between the two hills of your souls.
Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup alone.
Give one another your bread, but do not eat from only one loaf.
Sing and dance together and be merry, but let each other be alone.
Just as the strings of a stringed instrument play the same music, the strings are separate from each other.

Stand together, but not too close.
The pillars of the temple are also separated from each other,
Even oaks and pine trees cannot grow in each other's shadow.
---From "On Marriage"


Children are the sons and daughters of a great life that misses itself.
The children came through you, not from you.
Even though it is with you, it does not belong to you.

You can give your love to children, but don't give them your thoughts.
Because children have children's thoughts.
You may give your children a physical home, but do not try to give them a spiritual home.
Because the souls of children live in the house of tomorrow.

To the house of tomorrow that you can never find, not even in your dreams.
---From "About Children"


When you are happy, look deep into your heart.
Then you will know.

That which gave you sorrow is now giving you joy.
Even when you are sad, look inside your heart again.
Then you will know.

That you are crying now because of the very thing that gave you joy.

---From "On Joy and Sorrow"


Your suffering is the breaking of the shell that imprisons your enlightenment.
Just as the seed of a fruit must break its hard shell to see the sunlight, so you too must know suffering.
If you can keep in your heart the wonder of the miracles of life that occur every day,
Then, let us look upon pain as a wonder, just as we look upon joy.
Then, just as you have always adapted to the seasons passing over the fields, you will also gladly accept the seasons passing through your heart.
So that you may gaze quietly through the winters of your sorrow.

---From "On Pain"