THE POMEGRANATE

Once when I was living in the heart of a pomegranate,
I heard a seed saying, "Someday I shall become a tree,
and the wind will sing in my branches, and the sun will
dance on my leaves, and I shall be strong and beautiful
through all the season."
     Then another spoke and said, "When I was young as
you, I too held such views; but now what I can weigh
and measure things, I see that my hopes were vain."
  And a third seed spoke also, "I see in us that promises
so great a future."
  And a forth said, "But what a mockery our life would
be, without a great future!"
  Said a fifth, "Why dispute what we shall be, when we
know not even what we are."
  But a sixth replied, "Whatever we are, we shall continue
to be."
   And a seventh said, "I have such a clear idea how
everything will be, but I cannot put it into words."
  Then a eighth spoke-and a ninth- and a tenth- and the many-
until all were speaking, and I could distinguish nothing for
 the many voices.
   And so I moved that very day into the  heart of a quince,
where the seeds are few and almost silent.

KAHLIL GIBRAN