"On Joy and Sorrow" by Kahlil Gibran

[View this email on a browser]( [Forward to a friend]( [facebook-icon]( [tumblr-icon]( [twitter-icon]( February 10, 2019 [On Joy and Sorrow]( [Kahlil Gibran]( Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow. And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall. [Like this on Facebook]( [Share via Twitter]( This poem is in the public domain. ["On Joy and Sorrow" by Kahlil Gibran]( About This Poem “On Joy and Sorrow” was published in The Prophet (Knopf, 1923). [Kahlil Gibran]( Kahlil Gibran was born on January 6, 1883, in Bsharri, Lebanon. Most known for the classic The Prophet (Knopf, 1923), he is also the author of The Madman (Knopf, 1918). He died on April 10, 1931, in New York City. [more-at-poets]( [The Prophet]( Poetry by Gibran [The Prophet]( (Penguin Classics, 2019) "I Have a Rendezvous With Life" by Countee Cullen [read-more]( "The Things That Count" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox [read-more]( "So Much Happiness" by Naomi Shihab Nye [read-more]( February Guest Editor: Clint Smith Thanks to [Clint Smith](, author of Counting Descent (Write Bloody Publishing, 2016), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read a [Q&A with Smith]( about his curatorial approach this month and find out more about our [guest editors for the year.]( [illustration]( [Small-Blue-RGB-poets.org-Logo]( Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit [Poets.org](. You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click [here](. © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038