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On Children

論孩子

文：Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

你們的孩子，都不是你們的孩子。

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

乃是“生命”為自己所渴望的兒女。

They come through you but not from you.

他們是借你們而來，卻不是從你們而來。

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

他們雖和你們同在，卻不屬于你們。

You may give them your love but not your thought,

你們可以給他們以愛，卻不可給他們以思想，

For they have their own thoughts.

因為他們有自己的思想。

You may house their bodies but not their soul,

你們可以蔭庇他們的身體，卻不能蔭庇他們的靈魂，

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

因為他們的靈魂，是住在“明日”的宅中，

Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

那是你們在夢中也不能想見的。

You may strive to be like them,

你們可以努力去模仿他們，

But seek not to make them like you,

卻不能使他們來像你們，

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

因為生命是不倒行的，也不與“昨日”一同停留。

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

你們是弓，你們的孩子是從弦上發出的生命的箭矢。

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

那射者在無窮之中看定了目標，

And He bends you with His might,

也用神力將你們引滿，

That His arrows may go swift and far.

使他的箭矢迅疾而遙遠地射了出去。

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

讓你們在射者手中的“彎曲”成為喜樂吧;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

因為他愛那飛出的箭，

So He loves also the bow that is stable.

也愛了那靜止的弓。