The Madman
Khalil Gibran
Once I said to a scarecrow,
"You must be tired of standing in this lonely field,"
And he said, "The joy of scaring
is a deep and lasting one, and I never tire of it."
Said I, after a minute of thought,
"It is true; for I too have known 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 belittled me.
A year passed, during which the
scarecrow turned philosopher.
And when I passed by him again I saw
two crows building a nest under his hat.
In the town where I was born lived a woman and her
daughter, who walked in their sleep.
One night, while silence enfolded the
world, the woman and her daughter, 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 destroyed --
who have built up your life upon the ruins of mine!
Would I could kill you!"
And the daughter spoke, and she said:
"O hateful woman, selfish and old! Who stand between my freer
self and me! Who would have my life an echo of your own
faded life! Would you were dead!"
At that moment a cock crew, and both
women awoke. The mother said gently, "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 heeded him not, he stopped.
Then there arose in the midst of the
company a large, grave cat and looked upon them and said,
"Brethren, pray ye; and when ye have prayed again
and yet again, nothing doubting, verily then it shall rain
mice."
And when the dog heard this he
laughed in his heart and turned from them saying, "O blind and foolish
cats, has it not been written and have I not known and
my fathers before me, that that which raineth for
prayer and faith and supplication is not mice but
bones."
Back to The Archive