致孩子

作者：纪·哈·纪伯伦

Your children are not your children.

你的孩子，其实不是你的孩子。

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

而是生命为自己渴望的儿女。

They come through you but not from you,

他们通过你出生，却并非来自于你，

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

虽然他们和你在一起，却不属于你。

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

给他们你的爱，而不是你的思想，

For they have their own thoughts.

因为他们有自己的思想。

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

给他们的身体提供住房，但不要禁锢他们的心灵，

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

因为他们的心灵属于明天，属于你做梦也达不到的明天。

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

你可以努力将自己变得像他们，

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

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。

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

你是发射孩子生命之箭的弓，

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

　　弓箭手在无穷之路上瞄准目标，

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

　　他用尽力气将你来开，好让他的箭射得又快又远。

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

　　让你在弓箭手掌中的弯折令他愉悦吧，

　　For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

　　因为他既爱那飞着的箭，也爱那坚稳的弓。