Laughter and Tears

Khalil Gibran

As the Sun withdrew his rays from the garden, and the moon
threw cushioned beams upon the flowers, I sat under the
trees pondering upon the phenomena of the atmosphere,
looking through the branches at the strewn stars which
glittered like chips of silver upon a blue carpet; and I
could hear from a distance the agitated murmur of the
rivulet singing its way briskly into the valler.

When the birds took shelter among the boughs, and the
flowers folded their petals, and tremendous silence
descended, I heard a rustle of feet though the grass.
I took heed and saw a yound couple approaching my arbor.
The say under a tree where I could see them without
being seen.

After he looked about in every direction, I heard the
young man saying, "Sit by me, my beloved, and listen
to my heart; smile, for your happiness is a symbol
of our future; be merry, for the sparkling days
rejoice with us.

"My soul is warning me of the doubt in your heart,
for doubt in love is a sin.

"Soon you will be the owner of this vast land, lighted
by this beautiful moon; soon you will be the mistress of
my palace, and all the servants and maids will obey your
commands.

"Smile, my beloved, like the gold smiles from my father's
coffers.

"My heart refuses to deny you its secret. Twelve months
of comfort and travel await us; for a year we will spend
my father's gold at the blue lakes of Switzerland, and
viewing the edifices of Italy and Egypt, and resting under
the Holy Cedars of Lebanon; you will meet the princesses
who will envy you for your jewels and clothes.

"All these things I will do for you; will you be satisfied?"

In a little while I saw them walking and stepping on flowers
as the rich step upon the hearts of the poor. As they
disappeared from my sight, I commenced to make comparison
between love and money, and to analyze their position in
the heart.

Money! The source of insincere love; the spring of false
light and fortune; the well of poisoned water; the
desperation of old age!

I was still wandering in the vast desert of contemplation
when a forlorn and spectre-like couple passed by me and
sat on the grass; a young man and a young woman who had
left their farming shacks in the nearby fields for this cool
and solitary place.

After a few moments of complete silence, I heard the following
words uttered with sighs from weather-bitten lips, "Shed not
tears, my beloved; love that opens our eyes and enslaves our
hearts can give us the blessiong of patience. Be consoled in
our delay our delay, for we have taken an oath and entered
Love's shrine; for our love will ever grow in adversity; for
it is in Love's name that we are suffering the obstacles of
poverty and the sharpness of misery and the emptiness of
separation. I shall attack these hardships until I triumph
and place in your hands a strength that will help over all
things to complete the journey of life.

"Love - which is God - will consider our sighs and tears
as incense burned at His altar and He will reward us with
fortitude. Good-bye, my beloved; I must leave before the
heartening moon vanishes."

A pure voice, combined of the consuming flame of love,
and the hopeless bitterness of longing and the resolved
sweetness of patience, said, "Good-bye, my beloved."

They seperated, and the elegy to their union was smothered
by the wails of my crying heart.

I looked upon slumbering Nature, and with deep reflection
discovered the reality of a vast and infinite thing --
something no power could demand, influence acquire, nor
riches purchase. Nor could it be effaced by the tears of
time or deadened by sorrow; a thing which cannot be discovered
by the blue lakes of Switzerland or the beautiful edifaces
of Italy.

It is something that gathers strength with patience, grows
despite obstacles, warms in winter, flourishes in spring,
casts a breeze in summer, and bears fruit in autumn --
I found Love.