Course:The Prophet: Khalil Jibran

CRWR 501P 003
Advanced Writing of Poetry
	Instructor:Dr. Bronwen Tate; Email: Bronwen.tate@ubc.ca; Office: Buchanan E #456;
Important Course Pages
	Inspirations & Influences;
Categories
	Sources of Inspiration and Influence Aardvark Book of Poems Book of Poems by a Living Poet Choufleur Conflicted, Ambivalent, or Antagonistic Feelings CRWR 501 People Encountered Before Twelve Essay Fiction Films Fox Gemini Music Orchid Otis Places Poem Composed Before 1945 Poetic Prose Sadcactussometimesblooms Song, Painting, Film, Etc. Souris Yarrow Yellow Silver

I must have first encountered my parents' copy of the prophet when I was 11 or 12. I used to scramble around their library when I was bored, I would often find books they acquired in the 70s and 80s when they were more liberal (socialist?) and interesting. Less religious texts, sometimes sexual, if rarely what would be considered blasphemous. I found this book and I thought it would fall into the blasphemous category. It was annotated in french which indicates it much have belonged to Geddo Youssif, my maternal grandmother's brother. He was a retired judge, the head of the Egyptian Preliminary Court. He was handsome, everyone used to take about how handsome he was, and how unattractive his past wife was. My sisters feared her. I have seen him but not his past-wife. She was gone before I came or before I could remember.

I scramble around the book and was small (a preference) and the hard cover under the paper sleeve was purple (another preference). I remember flipping through the pages, I do not think I really read it properly until I was 18. I was more fascinated about the idea of the book then than the text itself. Including how an Arab can write a book in English and only in English (that was new to me). The speculative (did not know the word then) of the writing. The captivating verses, it was my first time reading prose poetry. Those wisdoms that are full of insight and possible anarchist compared to my more disciplined formal teaching of language and poetry.

Did I mention I also had a Sheikh that taught me to recite Quran? I knew better that to tell him about Gibran. Back then I though I found something that no one ever knew of. Later, a few months after discovering the book, and in genuine earnest, while having an argument with my father I recite these verses to him.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

I drew them like a sword in a duel and my father just kept laughing. He could not stop laughing. He kissed me on the forehead and left the room.

I stole the copy later and kept it. I still have it in my apartment in Cairo (technically in Giza). I plan to bring it along next time I go there.

Categories