A tear and a smile

"This book has a unique flavor for the reader, representing a pioneering work in the modern Arab world. Its structure and precise expression defied the prevailing norms of Arabic literature at the time. It served as a prelude and the beginning of the new Arab Romantic movement, pioneered by Khalil Gibran. Through it, he presented the Arab reader with a new and beautiful form of literature, one that delights the ear with its beautiful language, elevates the heart with the sublimity of its meanings, and astounds the mind with the magnificence of its imagination. From the book, we have selected these excerpts for you: - I would rather die of longing than live in boredom. I want to have a hunger for love and beauty deep within me, for I have looked and seen that the contented are the most miserable of people and the closest to materialism. I have listened and heard the sighs of the yearning, longing soul sweeter than the melodies of the verses. - Blame does not sway the heart from love, nor does reproach turn the soul away from the truth. Man is torn between his heart and his soul, like a supple branch tossed about by the south wind and the north wind. If love does not bring you back to this life, then love will unite me with you in the life to come."