Song of the Soul

Song of the Soul 

by Kahlil Gibran

In the depth of my soul there is 

A wordless song - a song that lives 

In the seed of my heart. 

It refuses to melt with ink on 

Parchment; it engulfs my affection 

In a transparent cloak and flows, 

But not upon my lips. 

How can I sigh it? I fear it may 

Mingle with earthly ether; 

To whom shall I sing it? It dwells 

In the house of my soul, in fear of 

Harsh ears. 

When I look into my inner eyes 

I see the shadow of its shadow; 

When I touch my fingertips 

I feel its vibrations. 

The deeds of my hands heed its 

Presence as a lake must reflect 

The glittering stars; my tears 

Reveal it, as bright drops of dew 

Reveal the secret of a withering rose. 

It is a song composed by contemplation, 

And published by silence, 

And shunned by clamor, 

And folded by truth, 

And repeated by dreams, 

And understood by love, 

And hidden by awakening, 

And sung by the soul. 

It is the song of love; 

What Cain or Esau could sing it? 

It is more fragrant than jasmine; 

What voice could enslave it? 

It is heartbound, as a virgin's secret; 

What string could quiver it? 

Who dares unite the roar of the sea 

And the singing of the nightingale? 

Who dares compare the shrieking tempest 

To the sigh of an infant? 

Who dares speak aloud the words 

Intended for the heart to speak? 

What human dares sing in voice 

The song of God?  

A veiled beauty by Frederick Arthur Bridgman