One hour devoted to the pursuit of Beauty <br />And Love is worth a full century of glory <br />Given by the frightened weak to the strong. <br /> <br /> <br />From that hour comes man's Truth; and <br />During that century Truth sleeps between <br />The restless arms of disturbing dreams. <br /> <br /> <br />In that hour the soul sees for herself <br />The Natural Law, and for that century she <br />Imprisons herself behind the law of man; <br />And she is shackled with irons of oppression. <br /> <br /> <br />That hour was the inspiration of the Songs <br />Of Solomon, an that century was the blind <br />Power which destroyed the temple of Baalbek. <br /> <br /> <br />That hour was the birth of the Sermon on the <br />Mount, and that century wrecked the castles of <br />Palmyra and the Tower of Babylon. <br /> <br /> <br />That hour was the Hegira of Mohammed and that <br />Century forgot Allah, Golgotha, and Sinai. <br /> <br /> <br />One hour devoted to mourning and lamenting the <br />Stolen equality of the weak is nobler than a <br />Century filled with greed and usurpation. <br /> <br /> <br />It is at that hour when the heart is <br />Purified by flaming sorrow and <br />Illuminated by the torch of Love. <br />And in that century, desires for Truth <br />Are buried in the bosom of the earth. <br />That hour is the root which must flourish. <br />That hour of meditation, the hour of <br />Prayer, and the hour of a new era of good. <br /> <br /> <br />And that century is a life of Nero spent <br />On self-investment taken solely from <br />Earthly substance. <br /> <br /> <br />This is life. <br />Portrayed on the stage for ages; <br />Recorded earthly for centuries; <br />Lived in strangeness for years; <br />Sung as a hymn for days; <br />Exalted but for an hour, but the <br />Hour is treasured by Eternity as a jewel.<br /><br />Khalil Gibran<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-playground-of-life-xix/
