Then a woman said, Speak to us of
Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered :
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the self same well from which your
laughter rises was oftentimes filled with
your tears.
And how else can it be'?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your
being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the
very cup that was burned in the potter's
oven'?
And is not the lute that soothes your
spirit, the very wood that was hollowed
with knives'? When you are joyous, look deep into
your heart and you shall find it is only
that which has given you sorrow that is
giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth
you are weeping for that which has been
your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than
sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is
the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits
alone with you at your board, remember
that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily, you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at
standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to
weigh his gold and his silver, needs must
your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
Khalil Gibran
Provided below is the link to the free online edition of the book, The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
https://www.kahlilgibran.com/images/The%20Prophet%20Ebook%20by%20Kahlil%20Gibran.pdf