Parables of Khalil Gibran: The Three Ants

Khalil Gibran (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom of his tribe, they stood there conversing.

The first ant said, “These hills and plains are the most barren I have known. I have searched all day for a grain of some sort, and there is none to be found.”

Said the second ant, “I too have found nothing, though I have visited every nook and glade. This is, I believe, what my people call the soft, moving land where nothing grows.”

Then the third ant raised his head and said, “My friends, we are standing now on the nose of the Supreme Ant, the mighty and infinite Ant, whose body is so great that we cannot see it, whose shadow is so vast that we cannot trace it, whose voice is so loud that we cannot hear it; and He is omnipresent.”

When the third ant spoke thus the other ants looked at each other and laughed.

At that moment the man moved and in his sleep raised his hand and scratched his nose, and the three ants were crushed.

Source of the parable: The Madman: His Parables and Poems

Available at: The Project Gutenberg, retrieved: Oct. 1, 2023

Khalil Gibran, according to Joan Acocella (The New Yorker, Dec. 20, 2007), is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi  (retrieved: July 20, 2015). Some also refer to him as Kahlil Gibran.

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ये रात बहुत रंगीन सही

ये रात बहुत रंगीन सही
इस रात में ग़म का ज़हर भी है
नग़्मों की खनक में डूबी हुई
फरियाद-ओ-फ़ुग़ाँ की लहर भी है
ये रात बहुत रंगीन सही

तुम रक़्स करो मैं शेर पढ़ूं
मतलब तो है कुछ ख़ैरात मिले
इस कौम के बच्चों की ख़ातिर
कुछ सिक्कों की सौगात मिले

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देनदार कोउ और है…

देनदार कोउ और है, देत रहत दिन-रैन ।
लोग भरम हम पर करें, ताते नीचे नैन ।।

कविअब्दुर्रहीम खान खाना / Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana

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शमा जलती रहे, तो बेहतर है…

टैंक आगे बढ़ें, या पीछे हटें,

कोख धरती की, बांझ होती है ।

फ़तह का जश्न हो, या हार का सोग,

जिंदगी, मय्यतों पर रोती है ।।

इसलिए, ऐ शरीफ़ इंसानो,

जंग टलती रहे, तो बेहतर है ।

आप और हम सभी के, आंगन में,

शमा जलती रहे, तो बेहतर है ।।

रचना : साहिर लुधियानवी

स्रोत: 1965 के भारत-पाकिस्तान युद्ध के वो 22 दिन, रेहान फ़ज़ल की बीबीसी हिंदी पर रिपोर्ट

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हसरत-ए-दीदार

दिल को नियाज़-ए-हसरत-ए-दीदार कर चुके
देखा तो हम में ताक़त-ए-दीदार भी नहीं

शेर: मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब

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