George Nicolas El-Hage Ph D

Gibran Kahlil Gibran Wa William Blake George Nicolas El-Hage Ph D

This book is a comparative study in Arabic on Gibran Kahlil Gibran and William Blake. Poetry and art are twins. Both are the offspring of suffering and joy. Gibran translated Blake's "Innocence and Experience" into a "Tear and a Smile." Nevertheless, the unending drama of human existence unfolds itself in the pages of both men. Only the elected and gifted soul is capable of creativity, of reading the world differently, and of rebelling against evil clothed in a lamb's garment. Art knows no boundaries. It transcends all national limits and is only satisfied with the universal. There, time and place lose their ability to imprison the artist in a closed cell. The inspired poet becomes a winged soul floating over life, embracing the infinite. It is in the midst of this vast expanse where the responsibility of the artist becomes eternal and his mission turns holy that we can speak of Kahlil Gibran and William Blake together. Both Gibran and Blake were poets and artists. Both rebelled against the decayed and rigid laws of church and society. Both rejected Reason in the name of Imagination and read the Bible in its "Diabolical form." Above all, the two poets shared a basic prophetic vision and apocalyptic view of the universe. Throughout their works, the messianic mission of the poet and the function of the artist is clear. Poetry is to lead the people back to Eden, and painting must be a step from nature toward the infinite. Both Gibran and Blake were poets and artists. Both rebelled against the decayed and rigid laws of church and society. Both rejected Reason in the name of Imagination and read the Bible in its "Diabolical form." Above all, the two poets shared a basic prophetic vision and apocalyptic view of the universe. Throughout their works, the messianic mission of the poet and the function of the artist is clear. Poetry is to lead the people back to Eden, and painting must be a step from nature toward the infinite.