The Prophet: On Good and Evil

On Good & Evil
And one of the elders of the city said, "Speak to us of Good and Evil."
And he answered:
Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil.
For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?
Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters.
You are good when you are one with yourself.
Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.
For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.
And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.
You are good when you strive to give of yourself.
Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.
For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.
Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, "Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance."
For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root.
You are good when you are fully awake in your speech,
Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose.
And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue.
You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.
Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping.
Even those who limp go not backward.
But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness.
You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good,
You are only loitering and sluggard.
Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.
In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you.
But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest.
And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore.
But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, "Wherefore are you slow and halting?"
For the truly good ask not the naked, "Where is your garment?" nor the houseless, "What has befallen your house?"

The Prophet	le prije ctuca / le pijyctu (the wise teacher)
The Prophet: The Coming of the Ship	.i nu selklama le bloti
The Prophet: On Love	lo ka prami
The Prophet: On Marriage	lo nu speni
The Prophet: On Children	lo panzi
The Prophet: On Giving	lo nu dunda
The Prophet: On Eating and Drinking	lo nu citka je pinxe
The Prophet: On Work	lo zu'o gunka
The Prophet: On Joy and Sorrow	lo li'i gleki je badri
The Prophet: On Houses	lo zdani
The Prophet: On Clothes	lo taxfu
The Prophet: On Buying and Selling	lo nu tevecnu je vecnu
The Prophet: On Crime and Punishment	lo zekri .e lo nu sfasa
The Prophet: On Laws	lo flalu
The Prophet: On Freedom	lo za'i zifre
The Prophet: On Reason and Passion	lo nu krinu pensi .e lo se cinmo
The Prophet: On Pain	lo nu dunku
The Prophet: On Self-Knowledge	lo nu sevzi djuno
The Prophet: On Teaching	lo nu ctuca
The Prophet: On Friendship	lo nu pendo
The Prophet: On Talking	lo nu tavla
The Prophet: On Time	lo temci
The Prophet: On Good and Evil	lo ka vrude .e lo ka pacna
The Prophet: On Prayer	lo nu jdaselsku
The Prophet: On Pleasure	lo za'i pluka
The Prophet: On Beauty	lo ka melbi
The Prophet: On Religion	lo lijde
The Prophet: On Death	lo nu morsi
The Prophet: The Farewell	le nu cusku zo co'o