On Children

致孩子

?Kahlil Gibran

林森譯

Your children are not your children.

你的孩子并不是真正意義上屬于你的孩子。

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

他們是渴求生命的子女。

They come through you but not from you,

他們通過你降生，卻不源于你，

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

他們雖然和你在一起，但他們卻不屬于你。

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

你可以給予他們愛卻給不他們思想，

For they have their own thoughts.

因?yàn)樗麄冇凶约旱南敕ā?/p>

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

你可以給他們身體的歸宿，卻給不了靈魂的港灣，

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

因?yàn)樗麄兊撵`魂居住在明日之家，

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

那是一個(gè)你看不到，甚至你也想不到的地方。

You may strive to be like them,

你可以像他們一個(gè)拼搏，

but seek not to make them like you.

但卻不要尋求他們也像你一樣。

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

因?yàn)樯畈粫?huì)后退也不會(huì)停留在昨天。

You are the bows from which your children

如果你們的孩子就似一支上了弦的箭，

as living arrows are sent forth.

你們就做好那把弓，將他們射向遠(yuǎn)方。

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

弓箭手看著樹立在無(wú)限之路上的靶心，

and He bends you with His might

用他的力量將你的肢體拉彎，

that His arrows may go swift and far.

他的箭敏捷飛遠(yuǎn)。

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

在弓箭手的手中，請(qǐng)愉快的彎下你們的軀干；

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

因?yàn)楣植粌H深愛著飛翔的箭，

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

他同樣也愛著那把穩(wěn)定的弓。