On Death

Excerpt from a book of poetry " The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran

Then Almitra spoke saying, we would ask now of Death.
And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it
in the heart of life?
The owl whose night- bound eyes are blind
unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of
death, open your heart wide unto the body of
life.
For life and death are one, even as the river
and sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies
your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow
your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the
gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the
shepherd when he stands before the king whose
hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling ?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the
wind and melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing , but to free
the breath from its restless tides , that it may
rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.