《致孩子》
作者：黎巴嫩裔美國詩人紀伯倫
Your children are not your children.
妳的孩子，其實不是妳的孩子。
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,
他們通過妳出生，卻並非來自於妳，
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
雖然他們和妳在壹起，卻不屬於妳。
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
給他們妳的愛，而不是妳的思想，
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.
因為他們的心靈屬於明天，屬於妳做夢也達不到的明天。
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
妳可以努力將自己變得像他們，
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
卻不要設法把他們變得像妳，
因為生命不會後退，也不會停留在昨天。
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
妳是發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目標，
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
他用盡力氣將妳來開，好讓他的箭射得又快又遠。
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
讓妳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，也愛那堅穩的弓。
擴展資料：
紀伯倫的文學作品整體呈現出壹種神聖的“天啟體”形式，文本內容以充滿博愛情懷與人生哲學的寓言故事、智慧文學為主體；
在體裁形式上多采用散文詩這壹（散文詩屬詩歌的壹種）文學體裁，以第壹人稱“我”直接進行敘述言說、抒發觀點；
如同壹位博學富於智慧的“先知”對世人進行諄諄的教誨與悉心的撫慰，這就使得他文學作品的敘述者“我”與紀伯倫這壹創作者幾乎融為壹體。