Marianna, Kahlil's Sister. Painting by Kahlil Gibran
Sunday, July 05, 2009
On Children
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
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 our 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.
Marianna, Kahlil's Sister. Painting by Kahlil Gibran
Marianna, Kahlil's Sister. Painting by Kahlil Gibran
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5 comments:
Hi Michal
This poem has gotten me through many a frenzied day teaching middle school and I have a copy of it above my desk. There are so many days when certain students "bend" me SOOOOOO far and I complain. Then I read those lines "that He bends me with His might that his arrows may go swift and far." Makes me feel better to think thatin a kid is intentionally being shot in a positive direction rather than me shooting them just to get them out of my hair :)
And congrats on the "candy aisle." nicely done.
thinking of you this summer. have fun with kerry and jeremy:)
xo
Thanks. I hadn't read that poem until recently and really like it. We are looking forward to Scotland with the K&J.
My middle name is Yvonne, which means 'from the yew bow'. My parents chose that because of this poem...
Wow! That poem just gets better and better as you read on. I really like it!
Sista T
Carol, not only did I not know your middle name, but I didn't know it came from that poem. Cool!
Sista T, I thought you might like that!
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