The playground of life 
by Gibran Khalil Gibran


One hour devoted to the pursuit of Beauty And Love is worth a full century of glory Given by
the frightened weak to the strong. From that hour comes man's Truth; and During that century
Truth sleeps between The restless arms of disturbing dreams. 

In that hour the soul sees for herself The Natural Law, and for that century she Imprisons
herself behind the law of man; 
And she is shackled with irons of oppression. That hour was the inspiration of the Songs Of
Solomon, an that century was the blind Power which destroyed the temply of Baalbek. 

That hour was the birth of the Sermon on the Mount, and that century wrecked the castles of
Palmyra and the Tower of Babylon. That hour was the Hegira of Mohammed and that Century
forgot Allah, Golgotha, and Sinai. One hour devoted to mourning and lamenting the Stolen
equality of the weak is nobler than a Century filled with greed and usurpation. 

It is at that hour when the heart is Purified by flaming sorrow and Illuminated by the torch of
Love. And in that century, desires for Truth Are buried in the bosom of the earth. That hour is
the root which must flourish. That hour of meditation, the hour of Prayer, and the hour of a
new era of good. 

And that century is a life of Nero spent On self-investment taken solely from Earthly substance.
This is life. Portrayed on the stage for ages; Recorded earthily for centuries; Lived in
strangeness for years; Sung as a hymn for days; Exalted but for an hour, but the Hour is
treasured by Eternity as a jewel.