10 visual masterpieces created by Kahlil Gibran

This post is part of the “After the Fires of Day” Series, which celebrates the release of After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine.

In part 1, I shared 10 incredible quotes from Gibran's books. Today, I would like to focus on some paintings and drawings that Gibran created during his career. He worked primarily with pencil, ink, watercolor, and gouache.

1. Sketch for ‘Jesus the Son of Man’ (1923)

Medium: Graphite and watercolor on paper

Source: The MET via Wikimedia Commons

Credit line: Gift of Mary H. Minis, 1932

2. ‘I have come down the ages’ (undated)

Medium: Watercolor and graphite on paper

Source: The MET via Wikimedia Commons

Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Mary H. Minis, 1932

3. ‘The Three are One’ (1918)

Medium: Drawing, pencil on woven paper

Source: Wikimedia Commons

4. ‘Spirit of Light’ or ‘Spiritual Communion’ (1921)

Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper

Source: Wikimedia Commons

5. ‘Comforting Angel’ (ca. 1904)

Medium: Pencil drawing

Source: Wikimedia Commons

6. ‘Untitled’ (1910)

Medium: Charcoal on paper

Source: Wikimedia Commons

7. ‘Portrait of Yamile (The Essence of Her Body)’ (ca. 1908–1910)

Medium: Oil on canvas

Source: Wikimedia Commons

8. ‘The Heavenly Mother’ (1920)

Medium: Pencil on wove paper

Source: Wikimedia Commons

9. ‘The Slave’ (1920)

Medium: Graphite on dark cream laid paper.

Source: Harvard Art Museums

10. ‘The Flame’ (undated)

Medium: Watercolor over graphite on cream card.

Source: Harvard Art Museums

Should you want to see more of Gibran's incredible visual works, I recommend checking out Wikipedia. You will not be disappointed!

Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’: The Masterpiece That Keeps on Giving

Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn onto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth. - "The Prophet," Kahlil Gibran

This sentence is the opening line of one of the most famous books in human history. Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet was published in 1923 and has sold more than 100 million copies.

Almustafa has lived in Orphalese long enough. He is a well-loved spiritual leader but he must sail back to his birthplace. However, his followers cannot let him go; they are too attached to him and hence, heartbroken.

The book turns into a series of questions from the crowd and answers from the prophet. Each chapter focuses on a particular topic: love, marriage, children, work, death, time, prayer, beauty, religion, laws, freedom, etc.

“And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.”

And he said:

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.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.”

Chapter on Children, "The Prophet," Khalil Gibran

Almustafa offers friendly and compassionate answers. He invites those present to explore their own hearts and souls to find truth. Once all the questions are answered, he says his final farewell.

The beauty of The Prophet is multifold. The writing style transports the mind to a place that transcends time and human beings’ limited understanding of anything spiritual. Considered as the epitomy of mysticism, the book provides pearls of wisdom on every page, as well as hope and comfort in times of sadness. The Prophet will change your conception of life and death.

The Prophet is in the public domain and can be read directly on the Project Gutenberg website.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.