分享: 紀伯倫散文詩 - 孩子 On Children by Kahlil Gibran

孩子   紀伯倫

你的兒女，其實不是你的兒女
他們是生命對於自身渴望而誕生的孩子
他們借助你來到這個世界，卻非因你而來
他們在你身旁，卻並不屬於你

你可以給予他們的是你的愛
卻不是你的想法
因為他們有自己的思想
你可以庇護的是他們的身體
卻不是他們的靈魂
因為他們的靈魂屬於明天，屬於你作夢也無法到達的明天
你可以拚盡全力，變得像他們一樣
卻不要讓他們變得和你一樣
因為生命不會後退，也不在過去停留

你是弓，兒女是從你那裏射出的箭
弓箭手望著未來之路上的箭靶
他用盡力氣將你拉開，使他的箭射得又快又遠
懷著快樂的心情，在弓箭手的手中彎曲吧
因為他愛一路飛翔的箭，也愛無比穩定的弓

On Children   Kahlil Gibran

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