On Friendship
- Kahlil Gibran
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
1. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving and he is your board and you fireside.
These lines are taken from the Poem ‘On Friendship’ by Lebanese – Arabic poet Kahlil Gibran. The poem is an extract from his book ‘The Prophet’, written in 1923. The poem is a celebration of the joys of friendship.
Context and Meaning: - When questioned by a student on the subject of friendship, the poet notes that a friend is God’s blessing. The most important ingredient in friendship is love. We shower friends with love and in return, we earn their gratitude. It is his way of answering our needs. The poet makes interesting comparisons while describing the traints of a true friend. A friend is your board and fireside. Even when he is physically away he provides you with the comfort and warmth in winter, a friend is a source of comfort during times of distress.
Critical Comment : - The poem uses lucid imagery to describe the relationship between friends. The most important ingredient in friendship is love. We shower friends with love and in return, we earn their gratitude.
2. For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desire, all explanations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
These lines are taken from the Poem ‘On Friendship’ by Lebanese – Arabic poet Kahlil Gibran. The poem is an extract from his book ‘The Prophet’, written in 1923.The poem is a celebration of the joys of friendship.
Context and Meaning: - When questioned by a student on the subject of friendship, the poet notes that a friend is God’s blessing. The poet makes interesting comparisons while describing the traits of a true friend. The most important ingredient in friendship is love. We shower friends with love and in return, we earn their gratitude. A true friend is one with whom we can share our joys and sorrows. Communicating with him does not need any special effort. He is one who can understand not only our words but our silence too. We need not be afraid to speak out our mind in his ‘presence’ we can express our innermost feelings, hopes and fears.
Critical Comment: - A true friend is sure to understand and sympathise with us. We need not declare aloud the peace and contentment we feel in his company. For free friendship does not require publicity or elaborate explanations. Gibran focuses on the ability to understand each other, in silence as it is stronger than words and move eloquent than speech.
3. For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
These lines are taken from the Poem ‘On Friendship’ by Lebanese – Arabic poet Kahlil Gibran.The poem is an extract from his book ‘The Prophet’, written in 1923.The poem is a celebration of the joys of friendship.
Context and Meaning: - When questioned by a student on the subject of friendship, the poet notes that a friend is God’s blessing. The poet makes interesting comparisons while describing the traits of a true friend. The most important ingredient in friendship is love. We shower friends with love and in return, we earn their gratitude. A true friend is one with whom we can share joys and sorrows. When we climb a mountain we cannot see it in a proper perspective. A mountain appears cleaner when one is on the plain, at some distance away. In a similar manner we can appreciate fully the value of a friend only in his absolve .when he is in our midst, we fail to understand his good qualities. But once he is away, we miss him dearly and cherish the memories of our friendship.
Critical Comment: The poet makes the use of words. His ideas are novel, philosophical and close to reality. The Imagery is apt and reveals his own clarity of perception in life in all its paradoxes.
4. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Poem & Poet : - These lines are taken from the Poem ‘On Friendship’ by Lebanese – Arabic poet Kahlil Gibran.The poem is an extract from his book ‘The Prophet’, written in 1923.The poem is a celebration of the joys of friendship.
Context and Meaning: - When questioned by a student on the subject of friendship, the poet notes that a friend is God’s blessing. The poet makes interesting comparisons while describing the traits of a true friend. The most important ingredient in friendship is love. We shower friends with love and in return, we earn their gratitude. A true friend is un with whom we can share joys and sorrows. We count on friends when our life is at an ebb and we feel ‘low.’ We should be equally ready to share with them the flood of joy in our life. We should turn to friends not simply because we are bored and need some recreation. We feel relaxed and refreshed in the presence of a friend. He is like the morning dew which brings freshness and life. Thus, the company of a friend can refresh and enliven us.
Critical Comment: The poet makes the use of words. His ideas are novel, philosophical and close to reality. Gibran describes the qualities of a true friend. A friend is a rock of support during times of grief. But the poet gently reminds us at the end of the poem that we should share not only our troubles but our joys too.
1. “Who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure.” Do you agree? Base your answer on Kahlil Gibran’s ‘On Friendship’. (or)
List all the qualities a true friend should have, according to Kahil Gibra.
The poem ‘On Friendship’ is written by Lebanese – Arabic poet Kahlil Gibran. The Poem is an extract from his book ‘The Prophet’, written in 1923. The poem is a celebration of the joys of friendship.
A true friend is one who supports us in a crisis. He is like a board which gives support. He is like the fireside which keeps us ward in winter. He fulfils both material and spiritual needs. He can understand not only our words but out silence too. We need nit be afraid to speak freely in his presence. We can express our innermost feelings, hopes and fears. A mountain appears more clear when one is on the plain, at some distance away. In a similar manner, we can appreciate the value of a friend even more in his absence. True friendship is enjoyed and celebrated for its own sake. There are no ulterior motives or expectations among friends.
However, a friend is not merely one to whom we turn in times of sorrow. Gibran gently reminds us that we should share not only our troubles but our joys too with friends. We count on friends when our life is at an ebb and when we feel “low”. We should be equally ready to share with them the flood of joy in our life. We should seek the company of friends not simply because we are bored and nee some recreation. We feel relaxed and refreshed in the company of a friend as he is like the morning dew. A friend thus is an invaluable treasure.
On Friendship
- Kahlil Gibran
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