The Eye
Said the Eye one day, "I see beyond these valleys a mountain veiledwith blue mist. Is it not beautiful?"
The Ear listened, and after listening intently awhile, said, "Butwhere is any mountain? I do not hear it."
Then the Hand spoke and said, "I am trying in vain to feel it ortouch it, and I can find no mountain."
And the Nose said, "There is no mountain, I cannot smell it."
Then the Eye turned the other way, and they all began to talk togetherabout the Eye's strange delusion. And they said, "Something mustbe the matter with the Eye."
Words in this poem
- veiled a.
- Covered by, or as by, a veil; hidden.
- intently adv.
- In an intent manner; as, the eyes intently fixed.
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eye is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Madman: His Parables and Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #5616; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Kahlil Gibran, The Eye, in The Madman: His Parables and Poems (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5616, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gibran-madman/the-eye.html, id L27312.
About this section
The Eye is prose, printed in 5 paragraphs. It is part of the edition and is kept for reading, but nothing here is measured: the line breaks are the printer's, so no metre, rhyme scheme or scansion is stated.
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