Your Children Are Not Your Child

子莫我属

身向往之，子莫我属；

昔我生之，匪即我缘。

畔兮侧兮，子莫我归；

贻之我爱，无贻我念，子胡不念？

家以甓身，匪以甓心；

彼心于明，寤寐以达。

寤寐以达，我欲从之，勿将子以未达。

身兮不却，逝兮不驻；

子以为矢，我以为弓；

弓矢既离，离莫我顾。

张兮弛兮，弓矢既离；

悦兮盼兮，离以中的。

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 you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

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

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

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

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

and He bends 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 the bow that is stable.

你的孩子，其实不是你的孩子。

他们是生命渴望自身的儿女。

他们通过你出生，却并非来自于你，

虽然他们和你在一起，却不属于你。

给他们你的爱，而不是你的思想，

因为他们有自己的思想。

给他们的身体提供住房，但不要禁锢他们的心灵，

因为他们的心灵属于明天，属于你做梦也达不到的明天。

你可以努力将自己变得像他们，

却不要设法把他们变得像你，

因为生命不会后退，也不会停留在昨天。

你是发射孩子生命之箭的弓，

弓箭手在无穷之路上瞄准目标，

他用尽力气将你来开，好让他的箭射得又快又远。

让你在弓箭手掌中的弯折令他愉悦吧，

因为他既爱那飞着的箭，也爱那坚稳的弓。