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Giving Unconditionally
Lesson from a Lebanese Poet
“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.”
– Khalil Gibran
The best-selling American poet of the 20th century was an ethnic Arab who was born in a small Middle-Eastern village.
His name was Khalil Gibran and he came into the world on January 6th, 1883. His family were Maronite Christians who lived in poverty in what used to be Ottoman Syria and is now Lebanon.
As a child, he attended a one-room school. It was run by the village priest who taught Arabic, Syriac, and mathematics.
His parents raised him as a Christian but taught him tolerance. There was no religious prejudice in their home.
Growing up, Gibran loved both the King James Bible and the mysticism of the Sufi. As an adult, he also appreciated the English poet William Blake.
In 1895, his family moved to Massachusetts. However, 3 years later, Gibran returned to Lebanon to study Arabic literature and French in Beirut. He then studied in Paris before returning to the United States.
He became pivotal in the Romantic movement which transformed Arabic literature. Gibran’s writing was simple, direct, and spoke to the longings, isolation, and experiences of Middle Eastern immigrants.
