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You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore. You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Authorship:
- by Khalil Gibran (1883 - 1931), appears in The Prophet [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Thomas F. Schubert (b. 1961), "Marriage" [ mixed chorus, solo voices, and percussion instruments ], from Trilogy of Love, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Ehe", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Matrimonio", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Maria Nimmerfall
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-06
Line count: 26
Word count: 228
Insieme siete nati e insieme resterete per sempre. Insieme sarete quando le candide ali della Morte disperderanno i vostri giorni. Sì, resterete insieme anche nella silenziosa memoria di Dio. Ma rimanga uno spazio nel vostro stare insieme, e fate che fra voi danzino i venti dei cieli. Amatevi reciprocamente ma non fatene una catena d'amore. Rimanga piuttosto un moto di mare fra le spiagge delle vostre anime. L'amore non dà niente tranne se stesso e non prende niente se non da se stesso. L'amore non possiede né vuole essere posseduto, perché l'amore basta all'amore. Riempitevi a vicenda le coppe, ma non bevete da una coppa sola. Offritevi a vicenda del cibo, ma non mangiate lo stesso pane. Cantate e danzate insieme con gioia, ma fate che ognuno di voi rimanga solo, come sole sono le corde del liuto anche quando cantano, vibrando, la stessa musica. Donatevi il cuore, ma senza farne un rifugio per l'altro. Perché soltanto la mano della Vita può contenere i vostri cuori. E rimanete insieme, ma non troppo vicini: perché stanno distanti le colonne del tempio, e la quercia e il cipresso crescono insieme se non si fanno ombra. L'amore non dà niente tranne se stesso e non prende niente se non da se stesso. L'amore non possiede né vuole essere posseduto, perché l'amore basta all'amore.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Khalil Gibran (1883 - 1931), appears in The Prophet
This text was added to the website: 2012-04-30
Line count: 26
Word count: 220