Joy and Sorrow

"Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
     And he answered:
     your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
     And the selfsame 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 inseperatble. 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 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."

--Kahlil Gibran