diva42 --
The prose poem that you are seeking was published in a book called
"This Man From Lebanon," by Barbara Young, Alfred A. Knopf (New York,
1969), pp. 163-166. This book is a remembrance of Khalil Gibran
(1883-1931) and an attempt by the author to nourish Gibran's legacy.
Here is the first stanza of the 80-line prose poem:
"Jesus Knocking at the Gate of Heaven
Father, my Father, open Your gate!
I bring with me a goodly company.
Open the gate that we may come in.
We are the children of Your heart, each one and all.
Open, my Father, open Your gate."
It is not clear when "Jesus Knocking at the Gate of Heaven" was first
published or whether it is still protected by copyright. After a
considerable search, I have not been able to find the text online.
However, "This Man From Lebanon," while out of print, is readily
available from many used book sellers online and should be available
at a local library.
More that 130 copies of the book are available, at prices as low as
$3, through the online bookseller, Abebooks.com. Simply enter the
title, "This Man From Lebanon," at this linked search form:
Abebooks.com: Search Form
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookSearchPL
The author of "This Man From Lebanon," describes the work as follows:
"In a prose poem written when the poet was still in his early teens
and was just beginning to try his command of English, he expressed
with a childlike naivete this acceptance of those who had "made a
wrong turning," as he said… . The poem I shall give you as that green
youth conceived it… ." The Man From Lebanon, at page 162.
Search Strategy:
I determined the existence of a book called "The Man From Lebanon" by
searching on Google using the following search terms:
"man from lebanon" Gibran
Although the name of this book differed by one word ("The" instead of
"A") from the source cited in your original question and was about,
not by, Gibran, the lack of other online clues made it the most likely
source for the poem.
I then confirmed that online the book was shelved at a nearby
municipal library, and I went to that library, scanned the book, and
found the poem.
I am confident that I have located the prose poem in which you are
interested. Although its text is not available online, "The Man From
Lebanon" is conveniently available from many libraries and used book
sellers. Please feel free to ask for clarification if you have a
problem in locating a library copy of the book and you do not wish to
purchase a copy. I would be happy to help you with locating the book
in a nearby library or through use of an interlibrary loan, if
necessary.
markj-ga |
