Children

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 arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

有十年未碰文言文了,仅凭依稀所记:

汝子非属汝,

彼生之自渴望,

借汝来世上,并非汝创造,

伴尔之左右,亦非归属尔,

汝可赠之爱,亦非汝所思,

彼亦有彼想.

汝可遮其身,未能护其魂,

彼魂栖止明日屋,

汝之梦中亦难及,

汝念彼似汝,非强彼似汝.

生命逝无返,亦非恋昨日

汝似良弓,彼类活箭,直行无悖.

箭手瞄无穷,blabla要想想.

汝身在箭手中,曲弯亦欣喜.

亦因君爱箭飞,故亦爱弓稳.