纪伯伦《致孩子》On Children
On ChildrenYour 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 sentforth.The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift andfar.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 thatis 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