"I enjoy this special quality time with my baby" |
I have always appreciated the work of poet and philosopher, Kahlil Gibran and the following is a poem where he shares his insightful words on children.
On Children, by 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 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.
On Children, from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Poet, philosopher, artist, prophet and writer.
First published in 1923
Please Note: This photograph was taken by Avril in Pokhara, Nepal in 1989 when she stayed with this family. The baby shares the same birthday as Avril.
