The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese writer who spent the last twenty years of his life in United States. He considered THE PROPHET to be his masterpiece, and most people who read it understand why. It is a poetic work, but not really a poem. In this book Gibran shares his philosophy of life in really beautiful language.
The author sets the scene
A prophet of God has been living among the people of Orphalese for s long time, but he has been longing to go back to his real home. Over the years he has come to love the people and the city. It is very difficult for him to even think about leaving. He describes the pain in this way:
Too many fragments of the spirit have I scattered in these streets, and too many are the children of my longing that walk naked among these hills, and I cannot withdraw from them without a burden and an ache.
It is not a garment I cast off this day, but a skin that tear with my own hands.
The people of Orphalese can't let the Prophet go easily either, and they come in from their fields to say goodbye, and to ask him to not leave them without speaking to them. The prophet doesn't know what to say, but the seeress, Almitra comes out of the sanctuary, and she knows what the people need to hear, and what the Prophet needs to tell them.
Speak to us of…
The book then becomes a series of lectures in which the Prophet shares his thoughts on a variety of topics. First the seeress...