Friday, August 8, 2025

“The Astronomer” (A Poem)

The idea of a world better than our own is a concept which appears in a few poems by Arab American author Kahlil Gibran, including “The Astronomer” and “The Greater Sea.” In “The Astronomer,” a blind soothsayer can see an ideal world but gives little clues on how to reach it beyond the implied notion of transcending conventionality and social rules.[1] 
 
In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, “Behold the wisest man of our land. 
 
Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed. 
 
After a while I said, “Forgive my question; but since when has thou been blind?” 
 
From my birth,” he answered.
 
Said I, “And what path of wisdom followest thou?” 
 
Said he, “I am an astronomer.” 
 
Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, “I watch all these suns and moons and stars.”[2]

Works Referenced

Gibran, Kahlil. “The Astronomer.” The Madman: His Parables and Poems. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1918. 59.

Waterfield, Robin. Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
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[1] Waterfield, 208.
[2] Gibran, 59.

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