and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not
nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires,
let these be your desires:
To melt like a running brook
that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart
and a song of praise upon your lips.
- Khalil Gibran