孩子

詩人紀伯倫談「孩子」的詩句，值得再三咀嚼。

Your children are not your children.
你的孩子並不是你的

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
他們是對生命本身充滿渴望的兒女

They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
他們是經由你來到這個世界，但不是出自於你
雖然他們和你在一起，但他們並不屬於你

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
你可以給他們你的愛，但不是你的思想
因為他們有自己的思想

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
他們的身體居住在你的屋子裡，但他們的靈魂卻不是

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
因為他們的靈魂居住在明日之屋，甚至在夢中你也無法前去那兒探訪

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
你可以盡力使自己變得像他們，但盡力不要使他們像你
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
因為生命不會倒流，也不會駐足在昨日

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
你是弓，經由你射出子女的生命之箭

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.
神箭手瞄向無窮遠的標的，以祂的神力將你拉彎，把箭射得又快又遠

Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
任那神箭手將你彎滿，那是一種真正的喜悅

For even as He loves the arrows that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
因為，一如祂喜愛飛快的箭，祂也同樣喜愛沉穩的弓

-- Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"