Kahlil Gibran’s “On Children” in Chinese

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.

nǐ men de hái zi, dōu bú shì nǐ men de hái zi

你们的孩子，都不是你们的孩子

nǎi shì shēng mìng wèi zì jǐ suǒ kě wàng de ér nǚ

乃是生命为自己所渴望的儿女。

tā men shì jiè nǐ men ér lái, què bú shì cóng nǐ men ér lái

他们是借你们而来，却不是从你们而来

tā men suī hé nǐ men tóng zài, què bù shǔ yú nǐ men

他们虽和你们同在，却不属于你们。

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.

nǐ men kě yǐ gěi tā men ài, què bù kě yǐ gěi tā men sī xiǎng

你们可以给他们爱，却不可以给他们思想。

yīn wèi tā men yǒu zì jǐ de sī xiǎng

因为他们有自己的思想。

nǐ men kě yǐ yīn bì tā men de shēn tǐ

你们可以荫庇他们的身体，

què bù néng yīn bì tā men de líng hún

却不能荫蔽他们的灵魂。

yīn wèi tā men de líng hún, shì zhù zài míng rì de zhái zhōng

因为他们的灵魂，是住在明日的宅中，

nà shì nǐ men zài mèng zhōng yě bù néng xiǎng jiàn de

那是你们在梦中也不能想见的。

nǐ men kě yǐ nǔ lì qù mó fǎng tā men, què bù néng shǐ tā men lái xiàng nǐ men

你们可以努力去模仿他们，却不能使他们来像你们。

yīn wèi shēng mìng shì bú dào xíng de, yě bù yǔ zuó rì yì tóng tíng liú

因为生命是不倒行的，也不与昨日一同停留。

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.

nǐ men shì gong, nǐ men de hái zi shì cóng xián shàng fā chū de shēng mìng de jiàn shǐ

你们是弓，你们的孩子是从弦上发出的生命的箭矢。

nà shè zhě zài wú qióng zhī jiān kàn dìng le mù biāo

那射者在无穷之间看定了目标，

yě yòng shén lì jiāng nǐ men yǐn mǎn

也用神力将你们引满，

shǐ tā de jiàn shǐ xùn sù ér yáo yuǎn de shè le chū lái

使他的箭矢迅速而遥远的射了出来。

ràng nǐ men zài shè zhě shǒu zhōng de wān qǔ chéng wéi xǐ lè ba

让你们在射者手中的弯曲成为喜乐吧。

yīn wèi tā ài nà fēi chū de jiàn

因为他爱那飞出的箭，

yě ài le nà jìng zhǐ de gōng

也爱了那静止的弓。

Source: China Daily