Your children are not your children.
你们的孩子，都不是你们的孩子。
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
乃是“生命”为自己所渴望的儿女。
They come through you but not from you.
他们是借你们而来，却不是从你们而来。
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
他们虽和你们同在，却不属于你们。
You may give them your love but not your thought,
你们可以给他们以爱，却不可给他们以思想，
For they have their own thoughts.
因为他们有自己的思想。

You may house their bodies but not their soul,
你们可以荫庇他们的身体，却不能荫庇他们的灵魂，
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
因为他们的灵魂，是住在“明日”的宅中，
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
那是你们在梦中也不能想见的。
You may strive to be like them,
你们可以努力去模仿他们，
But seek not to make them like you,
却不能使他们来像你们，
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
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.
你们是弓，你们的孩子是从弦上发出的生命的箭矢。
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
那射者在无穷之中看定了目标，
And He bends you with His might,
也用神力将你们引满，
That His arrows may go swift and far.
使他的箭矢迅疾而遥远地射了出去。
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
让你们在射者手中的“弯曲”成为喜乐吧；
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
因为他爱那飞出的箭，
So He loves also the bow that is stable.
也爱了那静止的弓。