Gibran - The madman: his parables and poems

You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, longbefore many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found allmy masks were stolen,the seven masks I have fashioned an worn inseven lives,I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting,"Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves."

Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fearof me.

And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-topcried, "He is a madman." I looked up to behold him; the sun kissedmy own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sunkissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love forthe sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance Icried, "Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks."

Thus I became a madman.

And I have found both freedom of loneliness and the safety frombeing understood, for those who understand us enslave something inus.

But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jailis safe from another thief.

In the ancient days, when the first quiver of speech came to my lips,I ascended the holy mountain and spoke unto God, saying, "Master,I am thy slave. Thy hidden will is my law and I shall obey theefor ever more."

But God made no answer, and like a mighty tempest passed away.

And after a thousand years I ascended the holy mountain and againspoke unto God, saying, "Creator, I am thy creation. Out of clayhast thou fashioned me and to thee I owe mine all."

And God made no answer, but like a thousand swift wings passedaway.

And after a thousand years I climbed the holy mountain and spokeunto God again, saying, "Father, I am thy son. In pity and lovethou hast given me birth, and through love and worship I shallinherit thy kingdom."

And God made no answer, and like the mist that veils the distanthills he passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the sacred mountain and gainspoke unto God, saying, "My God, my aim and my fulfillment; I amthy yesterday and thou are my tomorrow. I am thy root in the earthand thou art my flower in the sky, and together we grow before theface of the sun."

Then God leaned over me, and in my ears whispered words of sweetness,and even as the sea that enfoldeth a brook that runneth down toher, he enfolded me.

And when I descended to the valleys and the plains God was therealso.

My friend, I am not what I seem. Seeming is but a garment I wearacare-woven garment that protects me from thy questionings and theefrom my negligence.

The "I" in me, my friend, dwells in the house of silence, andtherein it shall remain for ever more, unperceived, unapproachable.

I would not have thee believe in what I say nor trust in what Idofor my words are naught but thy own thoughts in sound and mydeeds thy own hopes in action.

When thou sayest, "The wind bloweth eastward," I say, "Aye it dothblow eastward"; for I would not have thee know that my mind dothnot dwell upon the wind but upon the sea.

Thou canst not understand my seafaring thoughts, nor would I havethee understand. I would be at sea alone.

When it is day with thee, my friend, it is night with me; yet eventhen I speak of the noontide that dances upon the hills and ofthe purple shadow that steals its way across the valley; for thoucanst not hear the songs of my darkness nor see my wings beatingagainst the starsand I fain would not have thee hear or see. Iwould be with night alone.

When thou ascendest to thy Heaven I descend to my Helleven thenthou callest to me across the unbridgeable gulf, "My companion, mycomrade," and I call back to thee, "My comrade, my companion"forI would not have thee see my Hell. The flame would burn thy eyesightand the smoke would crowd thy nostrils. And I love my Hell toowell to have thee visit it. I would be in Hell alone.

Thou lovest Truth and Beauty and Righteousness; and I for thy sakesay it is well and seemly to love these things. But in my heartI laught at thy love. Yet I would not have thee see my laughter.I would laugh alone.

My friend, thou art good and cautious and wise; nay, thou artperfectand I, too, speak with thee wisely and cautiously. Andyet I am mad. But I mask my madness. I would be mad alone.

My friend, thou art not my friend, but how shall I make theeunderstand? My path is not thy path, yet together we walk, handin hand.

Once I said to a scarecrow, "You must be tired of standing in thislonely field."

And he said, "The joy of scaring is a deep and lasting one, and Inever tire of it."

Said I, after a minute of thought, "It is true; for I too haveknown that joy."

Said he, "Only those who are stuffed with straw can know it."

Then I left him, not knowing whether he had complimented or belittledme.

A year passed, during which the scarecrow turned philosopher.

And when I passed by him again I saw two crows building a nestunder his hat.

In the town where I was born lived a woman and her daughter, whowalked in their sleep.

One night, while silence enfolded the world, the woman and herdaughter, walking, yet asleep, met in their mist-veiled garden.

And the mother spoke, and she said: "At last, at last, my enemy!You by whom my youth was destroyedwho have built up your lifeupon the ruins of mine! Would I could kill you!"

And the daughter spoke, and she said: "O hateful woman, selfishand old! Who stand between my freer self and me! Who would havemy life an echo of your own faded life! Would you were dead!"

At that moment a cock crew, and both women awoke. The mother saidgently, "Is that you, darling?" And the daughter answered gently,"Yes, dear."

One day there passed by a company of cats a wise dog.

And as he came near and saw that they were very intent and heededhim not, he stopped.

Then there arose in the midst of the company a large, grave cat andlooked upon them and said, "Brethren, pray ye; and when ye haveprayed again and yet again, nothing doubting, verily then it shallrain mice."

And when the dog heard this he laughed in his heart and turned fromthem saying, "O blind and foolish cats, has it not been written andhave I not known and my fathers before me, that that which rainethfor prayer and faith and supplication is not mice but bones."

Upon a lonely mountain, there lived two hermits who worshipped Godand loved one another.

Now these two hermits had one earthen bowl, and this was their onlypossession.

One day an evil spirit entered into the heart of the older hermitand he came to the younger and said, "It is long that we havelived together. The time has come for us to part. Let us divideour possessions."