The Creation 
by Gibran Khalil Gibran


The God seperated a spirit from Himself and fashioned it into beauty. He showered upon her
all the blessings of gracefulness and kindness. He gave her the cup of happiness and said,
"Drink not from this cup unless you forget the past and the future, for happiness is naught but
the moment." And He also gave her a cup of sorrow and said, "Drink from this cup and you will
understand the meaning of the fleeting instants of the joy of life, for sorrow ever abounds." 

And the God bestowed upon her a love that would desert he forever upon her first sigh of
earthly satisfaction, and a sweetness that would vanish with her first awareness of flattery. 

And He gave her wisdom from heaven to lead to the all-righteous path, and placed in the
depth of her heart and eye that sees the unseen, and created in he an affection and goodness
toward all things. He dressed her with raiment of hopes spun by the angels of heaven from the
sinews of the rainbow. And He cloaked her in the shadow of confusion, which is the dawn of
life and light. 

Then the God took consuming fire from the furnace of anger, and searing wind from the desert
of ignorance, and sharp- 
cutting sands from the shore of selfishness, and coarse earth from under the feet of ages, and
combined them all and fashioned Man. He gave to Man a blind power that rages and drives
him into a madness which extinguishes only before gratification of desire, and placed life in
him which is the spectre of death. And the god laughed and cried. He felt an overwhelming
love and pity for Man, and sheltered him beneath His guidance.