Last updated: June 8, 2023
Place
Kahlil Gibran Memorial
NPS / Claire Hassler
Quick Facts
Location:
Washington, DC
Amenities
3 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Public Transit, Wheelchair Accessible
Gibran was a Lebanese-born poet most famous for his 1923 book "The Prophet," a collection of 26 prose poems. The book grew in popularity through the 1960s counterculture movement. Because of its popularity, Gibran is reported to be the third-best-selling poet in world history, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tsu.
Be sure to visit our Fountains page to learn the operating status of the fountain at the memorial.
Inscriptions
Wall, front
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Poet Philosopher
Marble wall
Presented to the People of the United States
By the Kahlil Gibran Centennial Foundation
May 24, 1991
Architect: Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum
Sculptor: Gordon S. Kray
1883
Kahlil Gibran was born in the village of Besharri near the biblical Cedars of Lebanon.
In boyhood, he emigrated to Boston where he began his career as artist and author.
His books, written in both Arabic and English, have been translated into numerous languages and are widely quoted.
He died in New York City.
1931
Kahlil Gibran's Legacy is the powerful simplicity of his words, which continue to inspire those who long for peace, search for love, and strive for justice.
Work is Love Made Visible
I love you my brother whoever you are
Whether you worship in
Your church, knell in your temple or pray in your mosque.
You and I
Are children of one faith
Fingers of the loving hand of one supreme being
A hand extended
To all
Limestone benches
Life without freedom is like a body without a soul and freedom without thought is confusion.
That which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?
We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.
We extract your elements to make cannons and bombs but out of our elements you create lilies and roses. How patient you are Earth and how merciful!
When you love you should not say God is in my heart, but rather I am in the heart of God.
Upper plaza
THINK OF ME WHEN YOU SEE THE SUN COMING DOWN TOWARD ITS SETTING
SPREADING ITS RED GARMENT UPON THE MOUNTAIN