摘自【先知】The Prophet，紀伯倫(Kaklil Gibran 1883-1931)著，冰心譯
【孩子】
一個懷中抱著孩子的婦人說，請和我們談談「孩子」吧！他說──
你們的孩子，並不真的是你們的，乃是生命為其本身所渴望而降臨的。他們是憑藉你們而來，卻不是從你們而來，他們雖和你們同在，卻不屬於你們。
你們可以給他們以愛，卻不可給他們以思想。因為他們有自己的思想。你們可以蔭庇他們的身體，卻不能蔭庇他們的靈魂，因為他們的靈魂，是住在明日之屋，那是你們在夢中也不能探訪的。你們可以努力去模仿他們，卻不能使他們來像你們。因為生命是不倒流的，也不與昨一同停留。你們是弓，你們的孩子是從弦上的發出的生命之箭矢。那射者在無窮之中看定了目標，也用神力將你們引滿，使他的箭矢迅速而遙遠地射了出去。讓你們在射者手中的彎曲成為喜樂吧；因為他愛那飛出的箭，也愛了那靜止的弓。
【On Children】
And a woman who held a babe 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 our 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.
【更多紀伯倫】
英文：http://www.katsandogz.com/onchildren.html
部分翻譯：http://amidha.myweb.hinet.net/books/TheProphet.htm
