Sand and Foam
卡裏·紀伯倫 / Kahlil Gibran
I am forever walking upon these shores. Betwixt the sand and the foam. The high tide will erase my foot-prints. And the wind will blow away the foam. But the sea and the shore will remain forever.
Once I f？illed move hand with mist. Then I opened it and look， the mist was a worm. And I closed and opened my hand again， and behold there was a bird. And again I closed and opened my hand， and in its hollow stood a man with a sad face， turned upward. And again I closed my hand， and when I opened it there was naught mist. But I heard a song of exceeding sweetness.
It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life. Now I know that I am the sphere and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.
They say to me in their awakening， “You and the world you live in are but a grain of sand upon the inf？inite shore of an inf？inite sea. ” And in my dream I say to them， “I am the inf？inite sea， and all worlds are but grains of sand upon my shore. ”
Only once have I been made mute. It was when a man asked me. “Who are you？” The f？irst thought of God was an angel. The f？irst word of God was a man.
We were f？luttering， wandering， longing creatures a thousand thousand thousand years before the sea and the wind in the forest gave us words. Now how can we express the ancient of days in us with only the sounds of our yesterdays？
The Sphinx spoke only once， and the Sphinx said， “A grain of sand is a desert， and a desert is a grain of sand； and now let us all be silent again.” I heard the Sphinx， but I did not understand.
Long did I lie in the dust of Egypt， silent and unaware of the seasons. Then the sun gave me birth， and I rose and walked upon the banks of the Nile， singing with the days and dreaming with the nights. And now the sun threads upon me with a thousand feet that I may lie again in the dust of Egypt. But behold a marvel and a riddle！ The very sun that gathered me cannot scatter me. Still erect am I， and sure of foot do I walk upon the banks of the Nile.