《致孩子》

作者：紀(jì)·哈·紀(jì)伯倫

Your children are not your children.

你的孩子，其實不是你的孩子。

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

而是生命為自己渴望的兒女。

They come through you but not from you,

他們通過你出生，卻并非來自于你，

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

雖然他們和你在一起，卻不屬于你。

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

給他們你的愛，而不是你的思想，

For they have their own thoughts.

因為他們有自己的思想。

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

給他們的身體提供住房，但不要禁錮他們的心靈，

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

因為他們的心靈屬于明天，屬于你做夢也達(dá)不到的明天。

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

你可以努力將自己變得像他們，

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

卻不要設(shè)法把他們變得像你，

因為生命不會后退，也不會停留在昨天。

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

你是發(fā)射孩子生命之箭的弓，

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

弓箭手在無窮之路上瞄準(zhǔn)目標(biāo)，

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

他用盡力氣將你來開，好讓他的箭射得又快又遠(yuǎn)。

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

讓你在弓箭手掌中的彎折令他愉悅吧，

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

因為他既愛那飛著的箭，也愛那堅穩(wěn)的弓。