紀伯倫《先知》散文詩選：你的孩子不是你的， 他們是「生命」的子女

文：卡里．紀伯倫（Kahlil Gibran）

孩子
On Children

一個懷裡抱著嬰兒的婦人說，跟我們說說「孩子」吧。
於是他說：

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,
“Speak to us of Children.” And he said:

你的孩子不是你的，
他們是「生命」的子女，是生命自身的渴望。
他們經你而生，但非出自於你，
他們雖然和你在一起，卻不屬於你。
你可以給他們愛，但別把你的思想也給他們，
因為他們有自己的思想。
你的房子可以供他們安身，但無法讓他們的靈魂安住，
因為他們的靈魂住在明日之屋，
那裡你去不了，哪怕是在夢中。
你可以勉強自己變得像他們，但不要想讓他們變得像你。
因為生命不會倒退，也不會駐足於昨日。

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.

你好比一把弓，
孩子是從你身上射出的生命之箭。
弓箭手看見無窮路徑上的箭靶，
於是祂大力拉彎你這把弓，希望祂的箭能射得又快又遠。

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.

欣然屈服在神的手中吧，
因為祂既愛那疾飛的箭，
也愛那穩定的弓。

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.

Photo Credit: Depositephotos

教育
On Teaching

然後，一位教師說，跟我們說說「教育」吧。
他回答：

Then said a teacher, “Speak to us of Teaching.”
And he said:

任何人能夠給你的啟發，
其實都已經在你知識的曙光中半睡半醒。
老師漫步在神殿的暗影中，
走在門徒之間，
他們奉獻的不是智慧，而是信念與愛心。
若他確實睿智，就不會吩咐你進入他的智慧之屋，
而是引導你跨越自己心靈的門檻。

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half
asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple,
among his followers,
gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness.
If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his
wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.

天文學家或許可以與你暢談他對太空的了解，
卻無法把他的理解給你；
音樂家或許可以對你唱出盈滿天地之間的韻律，
卻無法給你掌握節奏的耳朵，
或是應和韻律的歌喉；
精通數字科學的人或許可以告訴你計算和度量的方法，
卻無法帶領你到達彼方。
因為一個人不能把想像力的翅膀借給別人，