Kahlil Gibran ~ Joy & Sorrow  🌙

Kahlil Gibran
On Joy and Sorrow
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was often
filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The more profound that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can
contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in
the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was
hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart, and you shall find it is
only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see
that in truth, you are weeping for what has been your delight.
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay,
sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily, you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your
joy.
Only when you are empty are you at a standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his and his silver,
your joy or sorrow must rise or fall