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On Children
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
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 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.
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
A woman with a baby asked him to talk about children. And he replied: Your children do not belong to you. They are the offspring of Life's desire for itself. They come through you but are not created by you, And even though they are with you, they do not belong to you.
You can give them your love but not your ideas, Because they have their own ideas. You can provide for their bodies but not their spirits, For their spirits live in the future, a place you cannot reach, not even in dreams. You may try to be like them, but do not try to make them like you. Because life does not move backward nor linger on the past. You are the bows from which your children, as living arrows, are launched. The archer sees the target on the endless path, and He uses His strength to bend you so that His arrows can fly swiftly and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be joyful; For just as He loves the arrow that flies, He also loves the bow that remains steady.