孩子並不屬於你

這是黎巴嫩詩人紀伯倫在"先知"裡頭論孩子的一段話。

And a woman who held a baby against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.

And he said:Your 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 sent forth.

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.

Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;For even as He loves the arrows that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

-- Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"

一個懷中抱著孩子的婦人說：「請給我們講講孩子。」

於是他說：你的孩子並不是你的，他們是生命對自身的渴慕所生的子女。

他們經你而生，卻不是你所造生。他們與你相伴，但是並不屬於你。

.

你可以給他們你的愛，卻不能給他們你的思想；因為他們擁有自己的思想。你只能圈囿他們的身體而非靈魂，因為他們的靈魂寓居在明日的住所中，即使在夢中，那也非你所能觀覽的地方。

你可以盡力去模仿他們，但是不要指望他們會和你相像，因為生命不會倒行，也不會在昨日停留。

你是弓，而你的孩子是從弦上射發的生命的箭矢。那射手看到了無盡路上的標靶，於是他用神力將你扯滿，讓他的箭急馳遠射。你應在射手的掌中感到歡欣；因為他愛飛去的箭矢，也愛靜存於掌中的彎弓。

-- 紀伯倫《先知》