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by Khalil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

Self knowledge
Language: English 
Our translations:  GER
Your hearts know in silence
 the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound
 of your heart's knowledge. 
You would know in words
 which you have always know in thought.
You would touch with your fingers
 the naked body of your dreams.
And it is well you should.
Your soul must needs rise
 and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths 
 be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge 
 with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.
Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, 
 "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." 
Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."

Note: this is a prose text. Line breaks were added arbitrarily.


Text 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 Steven Ebel , "Self knowledge", 2012-2014 [ soprano and piano ], from Cycle eternal, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Selbsterkenntnis", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2019-03-20
Line count: 21
Word count: 144

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