And a woman who held a babe against herbosom sais,Speak to us of Children.

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’slonging for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet theybelong not to you.

You may give them your love but not yourthoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not theirsouls,

For their souls dwell in the house oftomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seeknot to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries withyesterday.

You are the bows from which your childrenas living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of theinfinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the Archer’s hand befor gladness.

For even as he loves the arrow that flies,so He loves also the bow that is stable.

子女

接著有個婦人胸前抱著嬰孩，他說：請給我們講子女。

他便說：

你們的子女其實並不是你們的子女，

而是生命傳宗接代的子女。

他們藉著你們而來，卻不是來自你們。

他們雖然和你們在一起，卻不屬於你們。

你們可以把你們的愛給他們，卻不能把你們的思想給他們，

因為他們有他們自己的思想。

你們可以棲息他們的身體，卻不能棲息他們的心靈。

因為他們的心靈是住在明日之屋裡，那是你們不能到達之處，甚至在夢中也無法到達。

你們可以努力模仿他們，但切勿求他們模仿你們。

因為生命不是倒流，也不能和昨日相滯留的。

你們是弓，你們的子女就是射出來的箭。

射手朝向無限空中的目標瞄準，他用力拉弓－你，使他的箭飛得快而遠。

讓你們在射手手中彎曲為一件愉快的事。

因為他愛疾飛的箭，因此也愛堅固的弓。