Earth

How beautiful you are, Earth, and how sublime!

How perfect your obedience to the light and how noble is your submission to the sun.

I have walked over your plains,

I have climbed y our stony mountains

I have descended into your valley;

I have entered into your caves.

On the plains I have discovered your dreams,

On the mountains I have admired your splendid presence.

And in the valleys I have observed your tranquility;

In the caves I have touched your mysteries.

You are the mouth and lips of Eternity,

The strings and fingers of Time,

The mystery and solution of life.

How generous you are, Earth, and

How strong is your yearning for

Your children lost between

That which they have attained

And that which they could not obtain

We pierce your bosom with swords and spears.

And you dress our wounds with oils and balsam

We plant your fields with skulls and bones.

And from them you rear cypress and willow trees,

We empty our wastes in your bosom, and you fill

Our thrashing floors with wheat sheaves,

And our wine presses with grapes.

We extract your elements to make

Cannons and bombs but out of

Our elements you create lilies and roses

How patient you are Earth, and how merciful!

Are you an atom of dust raised by

The feet of God when He journeyed from

The East to the West of Universe?

Who are you, Earth, and what are you?

You are “I”, Earth!

You are my sight and my discernment.

You are my knowledge and my dream

You are my hunger and my thirst.

You are my sorrow and my joy.

You are the beauty that lives in my eyes

The longing in my heart, the everlasting life in my soul!

You are “I” Earth,

Had it not been for my being,

You would not have been!

      -Kalil Gibran

Figures of Speech:

Alliteration:

How perfect your obedience to   the light and how noble is your submission to the sun – s

On the plains I have discovered  your dreams – d

How strong is your yearning  for – y

We pierce your bosom with swords  and spears – s

And you dress our wounds   with oils and balsam – v

We  empty our wastes in your bosom, and you fill – v

Our thrashing floors with   wheat sheaves – v

Cannons and bombs but  out of – b

The longing in my heart,   the everlasting life in my soul! – l

Had it not been for my being – b

Personification:

You are the mouth and lips  of Eternity

The strings and fingers  of Time

Oxymoron:

The mystery and solution  of life

Anaphora:

I have  walked over your plains,

I have  climbed your stony mountains

I have  descended into your valley;

I have  entered into your caves.

On the  plains I have discovered your dreams,

On the  mountains I have admired your splendid presence.

The  strings and fingers of Time,

The  mystery and solution of life.

How  generous you are, Earth, and

How  strong is your yearning for

How  patient you are Earth, and how merciful

The  feet of God when He journeyed from

The  East to the West of Universe

You are  “I”, Earth!

You are  my sight and my discernment.

You are  my knowledge and my dream

You are  my hunger and my thirst.

You are  my sorrow and my joy.

You are  the beauty that lives in my eyes

The  longing in my heart, the everlasting life in my soul

Repetition:

How  beautiful you are, Earth, and how sublime!

How  perfect your obedience to the light and how noble is your submission   to the sun

On the plains I have  discovered your dreams,

On the mountains I have  admired your splendid presence.

And in the valleys I have  observed your tranquility;

In the caves I have  touched your mysteries.

That which they have   attained

And that which they  could not obtain

You are my sight and my  discernment.

You are my knowledge and   my dream

You are my hunger and my  thirst.

You are my sorrow and my  joy

Rhyme

aabc – Plains, mountains;