Le Prophete est un livre constitue de 26 fables ecrites dans une prose poetique en anglais par le poete et philosophe libano-americain Kahlil Gibran. Il a ete publie pour la premiere fois en 1923 et est l'oeuvre la plus celebre de Khalil Gibran. Le Prophete a ete traduit dans plus de 100 langues, en faisant un des livres les plus traduits dans l'histoire. Ses reeditions n'ont jamais cesse.

Le recit nous presente le prophete Almustafa, qui a attendu douze annees qu'un navire vienne finalement le chercher, pour le ramener dans sa terre natale. Avant son depart, des habitants de la cite d'Orphalese lui demandent une derniere fois de partager ses reflexions sur different sujets ( Parle nous de… ). Le prophete prononce alors 26 sermons qui traitent de questions quotidiennes de la vie humaine, a savoir l'amour, le mariage, les enfants, le don, la nourriture, le travail, la joie et la tristesse, la maison, les vetements, le commerce, le crime et le chatiment, les lois, la liberte, la raison et la passion, la souffrance, la connaissance de soi, l'enseignement, l'amitie, la parole, le temps, le bien et le mal, la priere, le plaisir, la beaute, la religion, et enfin la mort. Dans le chapitre final, Almustafa entremele a son discours de depart une reflexion sur le sens.

The Prophet is a book of 26 fables written in English prose poetry by the Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Kahlil Gibran. It was first published in 1923 and is Gibran’s best known work. The Prophet has been translated into over 100 languages, making it one of the most translated books in history. It has never been out of print.

The narrative introduces us to the Prophet Almustafa, who has waited twelve years for his ship, which will finally take him back to his homeland. Before leaving, some inhabitants of the city of Orphalese ask him to convey to them his insights on various topics for the last time ( Speak to us of… ). The Prophet relates 26 sermons that deal with basic questions of human life, such as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punish-ment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and finally death. In the final chapter, Almustafa interweaves a discussion about the question of meaning into his parting words.