The Treasure-Keeper

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 often-times 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 your 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 silver,
needs must your joy or your sorrow rise and fall.


Joy and Sorrow
from
THE PROPHET
by
Kahlil Gibran


I shall be taking a little pause 
until sometime in May.

Tread gently on Life's journey
and gentleness will accompany you.





26 comments

  1. Even if it's nearly over...better late than never ...so Happy Easter from Italy!
    barbara

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  2. Lovely macros. Nice to be so close to nature!
    JetteMajken

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  3. Hi Sandra . . . Happy Easter to you. Thank you for another gentle post. Enjoy your break and I'll hope to hear from you on your return.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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  4. Enjoy your break, Sandra, and I hope you had a beautiful Easter.

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  5. Beautiful! Wishing you a special Easter day
    Mary x

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  6. Thank you for this beautiful life lesson Sandra! I wish you a peaceful, nurturing break! Joy x

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  7. Enjoy your time off and enjoy Spring.

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  8. Such wise wise words..Beautiful.Beautiful. Enjoy your time away

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  9. Such beautiful words, such incredible images. I hope all is well with you my friend x

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  10. Beautiful post, Sandra! I read the first few words and Gibran's poetic words came rushing back to me -- I memorized this passage in college. It is still very meaningful to me. Your lovely images are the perfect accompaniment to it.

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  11. Beautiful words. How nice to be reminded of them paired with your lovely photos.

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  12. Beautiful words and images! Enjoy your break! I will miss your soothing posts!

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  13. Ahhhh Sandra, these words have touched my heart. They are said with such clarity, truth and beauty that i will carry them with me and learn more from them. thank you.

    also your photos are divine!

    sweet time away to you!

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  14. Wow - stunning photos to match those lovely words.

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  15. Enjoy your holiday, Sandra. I'm sure it will fill up your well of inspiration. I love this post so much. The gorgeous images go so well with this incredible poem by Gibran. I'm sending it to a friend who needs it very much right now.

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  16. Lovely images and beautiful words of wisdom by Gibran. Hope you have a wonderful time away, will be here when you return in May!

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  17. Stunning as always Sandra....catch up in May x

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  18. Lovely words and your images, as always are both interesting and beautiful. I hope you and yours are well. x

    S x

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  19. Beautiful and profound words. Joy and sorrow have followed me through my life. We can't avoid sorrow but I suppose it makes the joy so much more joyful.

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  20. I don't know how I came here but those words touched my heart.

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  21. Enjoying the beautiful twists and turns of these lilies! Such amazing form.
    I hope that your vacation has been the best. Can't wait to see the sites you have come across on your travels!

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  22. That was lovely, Sandra. Words and images both. I do hope that your blogging pause contains more joy than sorrow....

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  23. I see you're on break, Susan. Isn't this poem by Gibran so true? Life is both sunshine and shadow. To really appreciate the joyous times we must have weathered the bad. The post I've been writing is about the same thing (but not as eloquent).

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  24. PS. The Calla is a joy!

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  25. Such nice words, Sandra. I was very touched. I always feel so blessed when I visit you. I adore your photos and the way you use to describe them. Hugs from Portugal. Margarida

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