The Anthem of Humanity

I have existed from all eternity
and behold I am here,
and I shall exist till the end of time
for my being has no end.

I soared into limitless space
and took wing in the imaginal world,
approaching the circle of exalted light;
and here I am now mired in matter.

I listened to the teachings of Confucius,
imbibed the wisdom of Brahma,
and sat beside Buddha
beneath the tree of insight.
And now I am here,
wrestling with ignorance and unbelief.

I was on Sinai when Yahweh shed
His effulgence on Moses,
at the River Jordon
I witnessed the miracle of the Nazarene;
and in Medina I heard the words
of the Messenger to the Arabs.
And here I am now,
a captive of confusion.

I beheld the might of Babylon,
the glory of Egypt,
and the grandeur of Greece;
and I still see the weakness,
degradation, and pettiness
in all those works.

I sat with the sorcerors of Endor,
the seers of Assyria,
the prophets of Palestine;
and I persist in singing the truth.

I memorised the wisdom
revealed to India,
the heartfelt odes wrought
by the inhabitants
of the Arabian peninsular,
and the music that embodies
the sentiments of the Western people;
yet still I am blind and do not see,
deaf and do not hear.

I endured the brutality
of grasping conquerors,
suffered oppression
at the hands of tyrannical rulers,
and was enslaved by despots:
yet a power remains
whereby I struggle against the days.

I saw and heard all that
whilst still a child,
and shall see and hear the exploits
of youth and their consequences;
then I shall grow old,
and achieve perfection,
and return unto God.

I existed from all eternity
and behold I am here;
and I shall exist till the end of time,
for my being has no end.

from “The Vision Reflections on the Way of the Soul” by Kahlil Gibran