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The Great Fires Lyrics by Jack Gilbert

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Love is apart from all things. 
Desire and excitement are nothing beside it. 
It is not the body that finds love. 
What leads us there is the body. 
What is not love provokes it. 
What is not love quenches it. 
Love lays hold of everything we know. 
The passions which are called love 
also change everything to a newness 
at first. Passion is clearly the path 
but does not bring us to love. 
It opens the castle of our spirit 
so that we might find the love which is 
a mystery hidden there. 
Love is one of many great fires. 
Passion is a fire made of many woods, 
each of which gives off its special odor 
so we can know the many kinds 
that are not love. Passion is the paper 
and twigs that kindle the flames 
but cannot sustain them. Desire perishes 
because it tries to be love. 
Love is eaten away by appetite. 
Love does not last, but it is different 
from the passions that do not last. 
Love lasts by not lasting. 
Isaiah said each man walks in his own fire 
for his sins. Love allows us to walk 
in the sweet music of our particular heart.
Credits
Jack Gilbert

Jack Gilbert

About “The Great Fires” by Jack Gilbert

Read the complete lyrics to "The Great Fires" by Jack Gilbert. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"The Great Fires" is performed by Jack Gilbert. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Great Fires", explore more songs by Jack Gilbert using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Great Fires" is credited to Jack Gilbert. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Jack Gilbert artist page at /artist/jack-gilbert for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.