The Origin of Khalil Gibran's Wisdom?

I have quoted a number of the short aphoristic passages by Khalil Gibran from the little booklet "The Prophet"  which was first published in French as L'Oeil du Prophete  in 1923. Prior to this, he has already published Al Musiqah (Music), his first book in 1905, Ara is al-Muruj (Nymphs of the Valley) in 1906, a savage attack on church and state, al-Ajnihah 'l-Mutaksasirah (The Broken Wings) 1912, his autobiographical narrative upon which he had been working since 1903, then Dam'ah wa 'Ibtisamah (A Tear and A Smile) 1914, a collection of his prose poems, The Madman in 1918, his first book written in English and in 1920, The Forerunner, his second English book, in 1921, Iram Dhat al-Imad (Iram, City of Lofty Pillars) a thematic play written in the form of a discourse on mysticism. It was however the publication of the Prophet which finally launched him into international fame. This is how he introduced the aphorisms in the book. He says that he had studied the Abrahamic religion: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucius, Taoism, Hinduism, Greek philosophers and learned from the poetry of India and Arabia:

"I have lived from the alpha of Creation and I shall live until the omega of Eternity. And my existence shall never wither away.

I have floated in the universe of the infinite and flown in the upper air of the imaginary world. There I was close to the circle with its divine light; here, I am in the prison of matter.

I have listened to the teachings of Confucius and the wisdom of Brahma. And I have been with the Buddha in the shade of the Knowledge-Tree. And now I face ignorance and apostasy.

I have climbed Mount Sinai where in the past Jehoveh rose up before the eyes of Moses. I have purified my body in the Jordan and I have lived through the miracles of the Nazarene. And at Medina I have listened to the Messenger repeat the Word in Arabic. And now I am undecided.

I have known the strength of Babel, the glory of Egypt, and the splendor of the Greeks. And perpetually I see weakness and servility, always present in these creations.

I have kept company with the magicians of Ayn Dour. Elsewehre I have been the guest of the Assyrian hermits, and I have followed the prophets in the land of Palestine. And still I am searching for the truth.

I have learned wisdom revealed in India and poetry breathed forth in Arabia. And I have heard the melodies that formed in the heart of the countries where the sun is dying. And I see myself as still blind and I remain deaf to the sound of my unspeaking lips.

I have endured the ferocity and greed of conquerors and I have suffered beneath the yoke of tyrants. And I remain a force which fights at the stroke of every minute.

I have seen and heard all that when still a child, and I shall continue to look and listen to all the shallow deeds of my youth. Once my hair is white I shall brush against the fringes of fulfillment and I shall regain the dwelling of Allah.

If you are dead, he will restore life to you.

And if you die again, he will raise you up until the hour comes for your return to him. ..."

To Gibran, the source of his wisdom therefore is within himself and in the book, he says:

"I have come in order to live in the glory of Love and in the light of Beauty. On this earth I live, and no one can drive me away from the sphere of Life.".

No one can stop him from living to the full, free from sorrow because he is determined not to allow anything to dampen his love of life and of love and of beauty. To him, such desires come from deep within a man's soul. Hence nothing from the external world has power to silence it forever. Such desires come to him in the form of a voice which has its origin within the his heart and his soul. It appears in the form of a friend. He conceives of the purpose of the life of the prophet, as fictive narrator, to be to speak his mind so that he speaks for and with everyone else. He hopes that what he says will be echoed by the hearts and minds of thousands in the future. In this hope, he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Next to the Bible and LaoTzu, The Prophet is the most popular book on spirituality in the world. The book has already been translated into 25 languages of the world. He says:

"If my eyes are torn, I shall feel joy as I listen to the songs of Love and the melodies of Beauty. And if my ears are cut off I shall feel the pleasure of touching the upper air, in the sighs of lovers and the fragrance of Beauty. And finally if my mouth is stopped, I shall live with my soul. For the soul is the daughter of Love and Beauty."

There is within me a friend who consoles me every time that troubles overwhelm me and misfortunes afflict me...he who finds no confidant within himself will die of despair. For life streams out of man's inner self and in no way from what surrounds him.

I have come into this world with a purpose, to be for everyone and with everyone. And that which I accomplish today in solitude, the masses will form into its echo Tomorrow. What is spoken today by one heart alone will be spoken Tomorrow by thousands of hearts."

The advices that he gives are the result of his study, his own personal experience of the effects of war and racial struggles and his own deep reflections. And today, his voice is echoing throughout the world. Amongst all the echoes of that world, he can certainly find a tiny one which is that from me. By writing about him, I am hoping to make that echo a little louder and for the resonance of that echo to reveberate a little further amidst the spaces of that jungle of highrise buildings that is  Hong Kong.