大人听17：《你的孩子不是你的孩子》

《你的孩子不是你的孩子》---纪伯伦 你们的孩子，都不是你们的孩子 乃是生命为自己所渴望的儿女。 他们是借你们而来，却不是从你们而来 他们虽和你们同在，却不属于你们。 你们可以给他们爱，却不可以给他们思想。 因为他们有自己的思想。 你们可以荫庇他们的身体，却不能荫蔽他们的灵魂。 因为他们的灵魂，是住在明日的宅中，那是你们在梦中也不能想见的。 你们可以努力去模仿他们，却不能使他们来像你们。 因为生命是不倒行的，也不与昨日一同停留。 你们是弓，你们的孩子是从弦上发出的生命的箭矢。 那射者在无穷之间看定了目标，也用神力将你们引满，使他的箭矢迅速而遥远的射了出来。 让你们在射者手中的弯曲成为喜乐吧。 因为他爱那飞出的箭，也爱了那静止的弓。 - 卡里尔•纪伯伦，《先知》第四章 冰心译 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 sentforth. 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. - Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, Chapter 4 ✎------------------------------------ [作者简介] 纪伯伦（1883～1931），黎巴嫩诗人、散文作家、画家。生于黎巴嫩北部山乡卜舍里。12岁时随母去美国波士顿。两年后回到祖国，进贝鲁特“希克玛（睿智）”学校学习阿拉伯文、法文和绘画。学习期间，曾创办《真理》杂志，态度激进。1908年发表小说《叛逆的灵魂》，激怒当局，作品遭到查禁焚毁，本人被逐，再次前往美国。后去法国，在巴黎艺术学院学习绘画和雕塑，曾得到艺术大师罗丹的奖掖。1911年重返波士顿，次年迁往纽约长住，从事文学艺术创作活动，直至逝世。