THE MAD MAN
KHALIL GIBRAN
And when my Joy was born, I held it in my arms and stood on the house-top shouting, “Come ye, my neighbours, come and see, for Joy this day is born unto me. Come and behold this gladsome thing that laugheth in the sun.”
But none of my neighbours came to look upon my Joy, and great was my astonishment.
And every day for seven moons I proclaimed my Joy from the house-top--and yet no one heeded me. And my Joy and I were alone, unsought and unvisited.
Then my Joy grew pale and weary because no other heart but mine held its loveliness and no other lips kissed its lips.
Then my Joy died of isolation.
And now I only remember my dead Joy in remembering my dead Sorrow. But memory is an autumn leaf that murmurs a while in the wind and then is heard no more.
Figurative Language
Personification:
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"And when my joy was born, I held it in my arms and stood on the house-top shouting,"
Metaphor:
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"Come ye, my neighbors, come and see, for joy this day is born unto me."
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"Come and behold this gladsome thing that laughed in the sun."
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"And every day for seven moons i proclaimed my Joy from the house-top"
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"Then my joy died"
Software Findings Reoccurring Words
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Joy, Come, Neighbors, Dead, Held, Day, Lips
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With these findings we can conclude that joy is upon us, however it may not always last.
Interpretation
My interpretation of "When my Joy was born" reflect much of the previous ballad, with the theme of sacrifice and loss. Gibran poses the message that memories could fade away.
