孩子~~纪伯伦

你的孩子，都不是你的孩子，

他们是渴望生命自身的儿女，

他们经由你而来到世上而不是从你而来。

尽管他们与你在一起，但不属于你，

给予你的爱，但不是你的思想，

因为他们有自己的思想。

你能为他们的身体提供住房，

却不能为他们心灵安排地方，

他们的心灵居住在未来之家。

你无法访问他们的心灵之家，

甚至在梦中也不行。

你可以努力像他们一样，

却不要让他们像你一样。

生活不会倒退，不会被昨日耽搁。

你是一张弓，孩子是飞射出的一支箭，

猎人在无尽的路上看到目标，

他用力弯曲你，使箭飞得又快又远，

愿你在射手的力量中快乐地弯曲，

猎人爱飞射的箭，也爱稳固的弓。

Children

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which youcannot

visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them likeyou.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sentforth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and Hebends

you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also thebow

that is stable.

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, Chapter 4