On Marriage by Kahlil Gibran
Then Almitra spoke again
and said, "And what of marriage, Master?"
You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together
when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together
even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces
in your togetherness,
And let the winds of
Heaven dance between you.
Love one another, but
make not a bond of love;
Let it rather be a moving
sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup
but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of
your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together
and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings
of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but
not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of
life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet
not too near together;
For the pillars of the
temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and
the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
