|
nce
there came to the court of the Prince of Birkasha a dancer with her
musicians.
And she was admitted to the court, and she danced before
the prince
to
the music the lute and the flute and the zither.
She danced the dance of flames, and the dance of swords and spears;
she danced the dance of
stars and the dance of space. And then she
danced the dance of flowers in the wind.
After this she stood before the throne of the prince and bowed her
body before him.
And the prince bade her to come nearer, and he said
unto her, "Beautiful woman,
daughter of grace and delight, whence
comes your art?
And how is it that you
command all the elements in
your rhythms and your rhymes?"
And the dancer bowed again before the prince, and she answered,
"Mighty
and gracious
Majesty,
I know not the answer to your questionings. Only this I know:
The philosopher's soul dwells in his head, the poet's soul is in the
heart;
the singer's soul lingers about his throat,
but the
soul of the dancer abides in all her body."

~An excerpt from The Wanderer by
Kahlil Gibran
|